September is the most lucrative window for new hires as executives return from vacation and fix their eye on the bottom line, says David Perry, an Ottawa-based headhunter and co-author of Guerrilla Marketing for Job Hunters 2.0.
1 Create a profile on headhunter databases such as Zoominfo.com and Simplyhired.com. They save you hours of aimless surfing on job boards that will be inundated this month. Headhunters get in touch if they're interested, and you can set up job alerts on the sites that notify you about postings that meet your skill set.
2 Make a Top 20 list of where you want to work and who you want to work for. Then craft a one-page résumé that highlights accomplishments that directly link to the interest or issues of those firms.
3 Schedule a coffee date with the vice-presidents or any other top guns. While you've got them, talk shop and don't grovel for the job. They'll see you as an equal, someone who knows their stuff and won't need much supervision.
4 Reapply to all of the places you shipped your résumé . They'll see so many more applications in September, you don't want your résumé to be buried.
5 Ditch the cover letter - write a marketing letter instead. Tell employers what you'll do for them, how you'll make them money, how you'll boost their efficiency. Include logos of companies you've worked for in the past. You'll benefit from the halo effect of their brand power.
