Improve Soft Skills: Follow Up

 

"I sent them my resume."

"I sent them my resume and a Cover Letter."

"I send them my resume and a Cover Letter and Personal Development Plan."

"....and then I never heard from them."

"....and they never called me back."

"....and then nothing happened."

Students frequently expect potential employers to respond to them like parents, teachers, neighbors, or family members.

They don't.

Employers respond like over-stretched, over-burdened, over-pressured people trying to get too much done.

That's because most employers are over-stretched, over-burdened, over-pressured people trying to get too much done.

Besides: you don't want them to act like parents, teachers, neighbors, or family members. If they act like parents, teachers, neighbors, or family members, they will probably hire their children, students, children of neighbors, or nieces, nephews, or grandchildren. Chances are, that won't be you.

So what do you do after submitting your Resume, Cover Letter, and Personal Development Plan to an employer?

Several things. But for right now, let's start with your first potential employer: Mr. Chris Crawley, MUGS Director of Employment.

Let's pretend that Mr. Crawley is, like all employers, over-stretched, over-burdened, over-pressured andtrying to get too much done. (Just because he doesn't act like that doesn't mean he isn't actually in that situation.)

How can you get his attention?

Here are five ways NOT to get his attention, and NOT to get offered a job interview at MUGS or, though MUGS, with anyone else:

1. Call him on the phone.
2. Ask him where is your job.
3. Axe him where you job at.
4. Bug him.
5. Irritate him.

Here are five ways to get his attention AND get offered a job interview at MUGS or, through MUGS, with anyone else:

1. Send him e-mails at chriscrawley1960@yahoo.com
2. Ask him what you can, and should do next to get a job.
3. Do what he suggests in his answer(s).
4. Report back to Mr. Crawley DAILY by e-mail.
5. Attend MUGS Saturday morning employment workshops at the AFSCME District #48 Union Hall, on the southwest corner of 35th Street and St. Paul Avenue, before 7:00AM. (St. Paul Avenue is three traffic lights south of Wisconsin Avenue on 35th Street, and three traffic lights north of the 35th Street Exit of I-94.) Offer to make an oral report on your progress in securing employment.

But what about employers other than MUGS?

After all, most employers are not non-profit cooperatives that host Saturday morning employment workshops.

The most effective thing you can do is send Thank You Letters.

Write, seal in an envelope, address, stamp and send hand-written thank-you letters to every person at the employer you want; and every person who signed your PDP; and everyone else you can possibly imagine who has helped you, is helping you, or may help you in the future, get a job.

After you have done that, e-mail a thank-you message to Mr. Crawley at chriscrawley1960@gmail.com, letting him know to whom, exactly and precisely, you have sent thank-you letters.

Include the thank-you letters you have sent as party of your weekly report at the MUGS Saturday morning employment workshops. Remember them? (See #5., just above.)