Why Cold Calling for a Job Works

By Marty Nemko

A job opening is born when an employer needs an employee like you but doesn't yet realize it. If at that point in the lifespan of a job opening, you call the employer, explain what you could do for him, unless legally required to, he is unlikely to go through the effort of mounting a full-fledged search for an employee. You have the inside track.

The next step in the lifespan of a job is when an employer knows he needs to hire and posts the listing internally. If you cold call at that point in a job opening's lifespan, you're still competing only against a small number of people.

A job opening is advertised openly only when the employer is legally required to do so, or the job is such a bad one or requiring rare skills that no insider fills the position. So, if in your job search, you simply respond to openly advertised positions, you're not only competing against dozens if not hundreds of applicants, you're competing for jobs that on average aren't as good as the ones filled earlier in the lifespan of a job opening.

What can you do today?
Cold call or walk in to one or more employers you'd like to work for. Ask for a job.