Every week, NETSHARE hosts Ask the Coach, a phone-in coaching session with leading career management experts. Here is an excerpt from the most recent session with Debbie Ellis, President of the Phoenix Career Group.
Our Ask the Coach calls always cover a diverse range of topics. This week one of the callers asked about mass mailings. With hard times, everyone has been hit with advertisements offering resume mailing distribution services. But are they worth it?
As Debbie points out, it is important to be in the databases, but only the right ones. You don’t want to forward your information to a company that you are not interested in, and that has nothing in common with your skill set. Nor do you want to talk to recruiters who specialize on sales if your expertise is in something completely unrelated. If it’s not a fit, then it’s a waste of your money and their time.
Remember that “big blasts” are a big waste. They also serve to make you look desperate. Recruiters want some exclusivity; someone they can offer as a unique resource. If you sign up for a mass mailing, the hiring company will tell the recruiter, “We already have that one,” then you look desperate and everyone loses.
A selective mailing to a finely tuned group will produce better results for all. Debbie says there are a few reputable mailing services that can help you reach your targets. Check the Resources section of your account on NETSHARE.com. You need to work with resources that take the time to understand you, what you are looking for, and then set you up the right hiring companies and managers.
How many mailings to you send? Depending on whom you are targeting, it can be from 50 to 450, but remember that fit is everything.
