2/20/11 - How to Create a Job for Yourself

How to Create a Job for Yourself

If you've been jobless for an extended period of time, maybe you ought to
stop looking for the right job.

Instead, try looking for the right employer.

If you do, and contact them with the right message, employers may create a
job just for you.

It happens all the time -- even in today's economy.

Here are three case studies and takeaway lessons to illustrate .

1. Offer to help first and get hired later

While not every company wants to expand hiring these days, every company
wants to increase revenues, save money and increase profits.

In other words, every company has problems to solve. And all jobs, in good
economic times and bad, are ultimately created to solve problems.

The best employers -- the ones you want to work for -- are flexible and
opportunistic enough to hire people who demonstrate that they can solve
problems.

Michael Mingolelli, Jr., CEO of Pinnacle Financial Group, in Southborough,
Mass., has twice created jobs to bring promising employees on board. "These
people approached us with a good value proposition to help us continue to
grow our practice, and we made positions for them."

Both prospective employees first contacted Mingolelli by phone and
demonstrated their knowledge of Pinnacle. "They were very attuned to what we
do and the type of clients we have," he says.

Your takeaway lesson: Answer these three questions before approaching any
employer:

A. What are their problems?

Put differently, if you were the CEO, what would keep you up at night right
now?

B. What are their opportunities?

If you were CEO and could wave a magic wand, what would you make happen?
What are the industry leaders doing?

C. How could you help solve their problems and/or capitalize on their
opportunities? Match your skills and achievements with your target
employer's needs. For example, if they need to save money and you've saved
money, there's a match. Quantify your results in dollars, numbers and/or
percentages.

2. Prove you fit the employer's culture

When contacting employers, try to match your message to their corporate
culture. Otherwise, you'll never connect or fit in long term.

That's the advice of Annie Huidekoper, VP of Community Partnerships and
Customer Service for the St. Paul Saints Baseball Team, whose corporate
slogan is, "Fun is Good."

Fun may explain how the Saints' Executive VP was hired for a role created
for him, after he overnighted an introductory letter to owner Mike Veeck.
What set this letter apart? "It was written with a Sharpie on a piece of
frozen lutefisk," says Huidekoper.

Trust me: Nothing says "fun" like lutefisk.

And lutefisk is 100% Minnesotan, like the Saints. A perfect fit.

Your takeaway lesson: Research an employer's culture to know if you're a
fit. It's as simple as picking up the phone. "Talk to people who have worked
there and find out what's important to that organization, " suggests
Huidekoper.

3. Meet and get hired

The more meetings you have with company presidents and other executives, the
greater your chances of impressing someone enough to create a job for you.

After interviewing an applicant for a job that didn't fit his
qualifications, Jordan Solomon, President of Ecostrat, Inc., in Toronto, was
impressed enough to make a counter offer. "This young man was too good to
pass up -- he was eager, showed all the right qualities and I thought he
would be a success. So we created a position and gave him a two-week trial,"
says Solomon.

How did it turn out? "He ended up working for us for about seven years."

Your takeaway lesson: Lightning won't strike if you're sitting in front of a
computer. Try sitting across from an employer.

What company presidents would you most like to work for? I suggest you make
a list of 10-20. Then contact them with offers to meet and discuss how you
could help, based on careful research.

Employers are always on the lookout for smart people who can solve problems
and fit with their corporate culture. "I would give anyone like that a
chance, and if they were good, I'd create a position for them," says
Solomon.

- Kevin Donlin

Kevin Donlin is author of "Guerrilla Resumes." To learn how people are
getting hired for new jobs in 30 days or less, please visit:
<http://jeanv. gjobnow.hop. clickbank. net/> Guerrilla Job Search
International.