Consider this: Bob has been looking for work for the last six months. He scans the classifieds, craigslist, and monster.com every day looking for a job in his field to crop up. He applies to every single one. Some call him back and he scurries around to prepare for that potential interview by spending most of his time researching those companies and ironing out his lucky Arrow shirt. Is he doing the right thing?

Not necessarily. Bob is overlooking menial jobs that can bring in pay now without completely eclipsing his efforts to find work in his field. Taking a job below your experience level, or even completely outside of your qualifications tells a potential employer two things:

1. Bob is willing to do what it takes to make ends meet. Bob understands that just because the market climate is drab, there is no real reason for him to take a rain delay.
2. Bob is working, period. It’s a bit of a Catch 22, but work begets work. Bob will not be riddled with despair and he will approach the job offer in his natural state.

Besides, a bit of unavailability can work to your benefit. If you inform a potential employer that you are unavailable after 2PM because you will be at work, it shows them that you are committed to your priorities. If Bob is taking his job as a sales associate for Payless Shoes this seriously, we can imagine how seriously he would take a job with us, a highly rated consulting group!

I submitted my application, wrote a valiant cover letter, and waited two days before I looked up the project coordinator and left a message on her voice mail. Amazingly, she returned my call and I spent the first two rings scrambling for a quiet spot with a piece of paper and a pen.

“Wesley, I was just returning your call about the research assistant position,” she said.
“Absolutely. I just called to confirm you received my resume and was just wondering if there’s any other material I can provide,” I said, leaning back and twirling my pen. Man, that sounded pretty good. Casual, yet I was there.
“Right,” she said, “We’ve had over five hundred applicants to this position, so if you receive a call or e-mail by the end of the week, you will have made the first round.”

I sank in my chair and reeled. 500 applicants, for one position, in one city. A clerical position for a small audiology clinic reported having over one hundred, and the interview I had for a job at a car wash was a bit crowded as well. 16 other men and women sat beside me as the owners conducted their reviews. To be a car wash attendant. The ad said it was a “sales position.”

Another time, I sat down with the head photographer and his assistant to interview for a job as a second photographer. It was for a sports apparel company that manufactured hats, jerseys, novelty game-day paraphernalia. The interview went swimmingly and there was even a point where I discussed the YouTube videos I found of the companies’ employees. We shared laughs, palled around, and talked shop. I had successfully transformed from an interviewee into an interviewer, and had them answering basic questions about the position, as if they had already offered me the job. At least, the language of the interview indicated they had.

After three weeks, I received an e-mail from their HR department stating they would not be able to hire me at the time, but would keep my resume if anything came up in the future. It was a sore disappointment.

Here’s what I didn’t know then.

In the UK, there are an average of 10 applications per job listing. March 2009

In the US, the average is 12. Careerbuilder brags about garnishing around 75 resumes per position.

Job sites are in the service of providing applicants to employers, NOT the other way around. It costs to post a help-wanted ad on careerbuilder, monster, etc. These websites cater to the job creators by driving resumes and applications to their company. For paying job posters, on top of getting the cream of the crop in applications, it’s also advertising their company.

Likewise, to reverse the odds, many job hunters are turning to online recruiters, basically low-end headhunters that ask you basic information and request a resume about a specific job they have in mind for you– only to add your ping as a statistic when boasting their services to employers. Although you may never know it, these recruiters are playing a numbers game by assuming that out of every 50 applicants, one or two will shine through and meet the actual requirements of this specific job… thus the recruiter can appear to have found the candidate through some imaginary specialized process that real headhunters use… such as, I don’t know, actually searching for a qualified applicant.

You’ve gotten this far in the post, so I won’t leave you without some kind of recourse. Consider these items:

1. ALL online job opportunities are a gamble of some sort. Whether you are distinctly qualified or not, you still have no control over the lottery-like task of getting your resume in front of human eyes.
2. Networking is still the most effective way to get hired, even if you name drop someone you’ve never met in person. Example: “I think I’d be a great fit here. Susan over at HR told me you have a great benefits package.”
3. Note: be sure to actually ask “Susan” about the benefits.
4. The numbers work both ways. Submit your resume under 4 different versions of your name and different titles for your resume. Use different e-mail addresses. Just remember not to go so far as to actually be a different person! If they notice that you’ve applied 12 separate times, at the very least, they’ll be impressed with your ingenuity.
5. It’s a competitive world out there. For the first few months, or even years of being employed, you’ve got to look out for number one. DON’T, however, burn bridges with people that you meet who are looking for similar positions. If you bring an equally qualified recruit on board down the road, it only looks good for you. The same goes for people who recruit you.
6. Teamwork. If you are referenced by a past job seeker, do not let them down. Going above and beyond will not only make you a star player, but it makes your friend look great. Sneaky as it sounds, you gain the power of association each time your friend lands a big account, and likewise for them.
7. Employers are usually too busy to get annoyed by you calling all the time. In fact, call so often that you’re on a first-name basis with the receptionist. Eventually, the hiring manager will recognize your voice and you can cut the opening dialogue and get straight to the point. In fact, that might be a good time to stage a pop-in visit.
8. Do not let your guard down. Just because you might be phone buddies with the GM, doesn’t mean you can say, “Wassup, John?” In fact, the further you manage to go over the phone, the more material you will need to drive your case home in the official interview. That doesn’t mean save best for last… just find ways to reword your selling points.
9. Start working before they hire you. Research the company and propose solutions for existing issues. During the interview, make a sales pitch: “If hired, I will focus the demographic with x and y, resulting in more closings with fewer calls.

Gotta run, folks! Good luck!

Don’t get me wrong here– I’m not one of those people that prays to the God of negativity. I don’t find flaw and seek affirmation. But here are two things that I know to be true about life, and especially about finding work that I have yet to see proved wrong, in my life or anyone else’s.

Rule number one. You do not deserve better. No matter how hard you work, how many sacrifices you make, how many asses you kiss… you still do not deserve better. Getting ahead is not a waiting game, and although you’ve been a great mother for 30% of your prime, a loving wife for the same, that does not preclude advanced placement for your sacrifice.

Rule number two. Life is too short to stay… or leave. 90% of the jobs on the planet are created because an employer decided to list all of the undesirable tasks in their business… and pay someone else to do it. If your job sucks and you can’t stand it anymore, your move will prompt a lateral, not upward change… unless you take action.

If you carry out your day observing these fundamental creeds, you’ll prepare yourself for the day you finally get to break the mold, and forget the rules. One of my favorite books about creative writing, by John Gardner, completely contradicts itself by stating outright that you should be prepared to completely ignore everything you’ve learned. Kill your darlings, Stephen King used to say. Sacrificing the most important characters in your book– in this case– sacrificing the ideal you have always clung to in life, will empower you to recognize the difference between real and bullshit.

It’s a strange concept, as outlined in the book, “The Power of No” by Beth Warehem, but walking away not only puts distance between you and a bad decision– it brings you one step closer to the right one.