March 09, 2010

JobsByFax...Does it Really Work the Way they Say it Does?

We have had a few readers ask about a relatively new company in the job-hunting field called JobsByFax.com, so we decided to check it out.

First, lets start with the facts. JobsByFax is what we would classify as a "resume distribution" company. For a fee, they will allow job hunters to fax their resume to companies within a database that they maintain. JobsByFax is a small company based out of Virginia Beach, Virginia. It is owned and operated by Matthew Saunders. When we visited JobsByFax, we found that much of the company's story was written for all to see on the home page. We are always a little skeptical when we read about a company "from the horse's mouth", but there does not seem to be any blatantly false or misleading information that we can find. The company started as a fax advertising firm more than 10 years ago and due to changes in fax law was forced to discontinue their operations. Our research has found that the TCPA did implement new regulations around the time they claim, so this would further support this story.

Now lets get down to the knitty-gritty. Does it work? The short answer is yes, but you have to use it to your advantage. As we mention above, JobsByFax comes from an advertising background. That being so, they use an "advertising like" approach to job hunting. The idea is pretty simple when you get down to it. If you send your resume and cover letter to enough places, you are bound to get some calls. Just like advertising though, the more you send, the more response you are going to get.

So how many should you send? That is a very good question. We called their customer service number to ask them and the response we got was pretty much what we would expect. Like advertising, you should see a 1 to 5% response rate. So, if you sent to 1,000 companies, you should receive a little more than 10. This is assuming of course that your marketing piece, aka resume and cover letter, is up to par. Does it clearly state your objective in the first line of your cover letter? Is it short and to the point? Is it mistake free? If not, you better take a look at our resume tips before you even bother sending to a large number of employers. Or better yet, you can take a look at theirs at http://www.jobsbyfax.com/resumesandmore.asp. They even have some samples that have been successfully used with their service. From what we saw, they seemed to be fairly well written for the purpose.

Something else you may want to consider is the availability of the job market. For instance, if you are looking for an admin job and you send to 1,000 companies, you will most likely receive far more calls than someone looking to be a CEO. Think about it, every one of those 1,000 companies has some kind of administrative personnel. Most of them will have multiple jobs that you qualify for. Add to that the fact that lower level positions have a higher turnover rate. This means that at any given time, many of the 1,000 companies are going to have not only jobs that you qualify for, but available jobs that you qualify for. On the opposite end of the spectrum, you have the CEO. For any given company, there is only one. CEOs typically stick around for a while, so openings rarely come up. Even then, companies usually hire from within for this job, so it will be slim pickens. Out of 1,000, there may be zero openings for you. If you broaden that to 10,000 and your odds are much better. The more you send, the better your chances with this service. Of course the more you send, the higher the cost as well, so it is a delicate balance that you must weigh for yourself. JobsByFax has an option to send to up to 200 companies for only $30.00. While it is possible to find a job by sending to 200 companies, just remember that 1% of 200 is 2. The odds of both calls being good leads are slim, so you are probably going to send to more companies to give JobsByFax a fair chance. There is probably a reason why they do not offer any guarantees for orders under 1,000 companies.

The benefit of a service like JobsByFax is that you are not waiting for an employer to find you on a job board and you can not delete a fax as easily as an email. Once the fax arrives at a company, they will have to read it to decide what to do with it. At that point, your foot is in the door. If they need you, they will call.

We are also impressed that JobsByFax is willing to back up their service with a refax guarantee. If you use the service and you send to over 1,000 companies, you can resend again every 30 days to a new group until you find a job. Obviously, JobsByFax knows that by putting your information in front of more than 1,000 companies, you are probably not going to need to send again. And if you do, you can double the number of companies that see your resume after a month at no charge.

To sum up, yes, JobsByFax is a real service that will really help you distribute your resume to many employers very quickly. Will it work for you? There is no reason why it shouldn't as long as you send to a large enough group and you have a well-written resume and cover letter. If you are having a hard time with traditional job-hunting methods, this might just be a way to change it up and get some activity.

February, 13, 2010

Informational Interviewing

More than ever before, job seekers are stepping away from their area of experience and looking into careers outside their comfort zone. JobsByFax company president Matt Saunders states that, "...more than ever before, we are seeing our clients sending their resumes to an ever broader cross section of employers. Just because they have a degree in engineering doesn't necessarily limit them to that industry..." Treading into unchartered territory can be intimidating and you don’t want to go into an interview unprepared and unclear of what this new job actually entails. Gathering information on the internet helps, but a great way to get a true picture and familiarize yourself with a new industry or new position within the same industry is through informational interviews.

An informational interview allows you to ask "stupid" questions that you wouldn't want to ask in a real interview.

• What skills are most important to be successful in this position?
• Are there educational requirements for this job?
• What is a typical career path for advancement?
• What is the salary range for this job?
• What is a typical day/week for someone in this position?
• Is this they type of job where you are very busy some days or weeks and slow at other times?
• What do you most like and what do you least like about this job?
• What are some of the best companies to work for in this field?
• Is this a growing field or is it changing?
• Is there anyone you recommend that I should speak to about a possible position and can I use your name when calling on them?

Finding Someone to Interview

The best place to find someone to interview is through friends or business acquaintances. If you do not know anyone in the field you are interested in, attend a meeting for a professional organization in that particular field, call your alumni association, ask your neighbors, and use your networking skills. Keep in mind, you are asking them for a favor. Be respectful of their time, be prepared with a written list of questions, bring your resume (but don’t ask for a job), and take the lead from the person you are interviewing to determine when to end the meeting.