When you think about the type of job you’re doing, what comes to mind? Although there are many people who enjoy the work they do, if surveys are to be believed, the far majority don’t. Doing a job to pay for a roof over head with a few bucks left over at the end of the week to buy a few drinks with friends, a night out with the kids at Applebees or maybe a new engine for your model train set is probably more likely for the majority of us.
The truth is that it REALLY doesn’t have to be this way… The “career sentence” that most have come to accept can be changed, and the way out is more open today than in maybe the last 150 years. The key to unlock the cell is available and I am not referring to the quick rich schemes found in the ads on the margins of your computer screens. No my friends, dream jobs take a bit of effort, but the methods to make them a reality have never been easier.
First, remember that advertising is used to create a “desire” to buy a product - in this case - YOU! Let’s also not forget that the resume is merely a tool to advertise our abilities. If you look at your resume through the prism of advertising, would it be the only "tool" you would use to get noticed, or to land that awesome job wouldn't you look for an additional approach?
That is exactly the premise of this post. Today we have so many other means to attract attention to ourselves than using a resume and this morning I saw the best one I’ve seen in years.
On Yahoo Sports today there was an article by a well read U.S. Soccer Journalists about a marketer that sent him a video highlighting how best to increase the U.S. TV Soccer Audience, the journalist wrote:
“In a 13-minute video he sent to every major North American soccer writer and commentator, (he) puts forward the notion that soccer could match its rivals in popularity in the United States if broadcasts featured more in-depth detail about the action”
The purpose of creating and sending this video was to attract the attention of Soccer Marketers to get a job in the soccer industry, something he is very passionate about. He didn’t just create a video saying that he was a marketer, loved soccer and wanted a job (more than likely this would have gone no where). No, instead he used his marketing expertise and crafted a well thought out solution for attracting soccer TV viewers, that he sent to soccer commentators and journalists. In his solution, these were the very people he said needed to change and adjust their approach to increase soccer audiences. Whether you give two hoots about soccer, this was a brilliant move that created quite a stir. Based on the quotes in the Yahoo article from two of the biggest Soccer stars reacting to “his” video, you 'd have to say that his approach worked!
The interesting point if you watch his video, is that you’ll see the resolution is really pretty bad, the lighting is awful, he uses low res YouTube as his video platform and the video graphics are amateurish at best. Yet, the ideas in the video clearly show that he thought out his premise very well and his points certainly hit home. The genious of his approach was to send it to journalists - not hiring managers or recuiters. Anyone can replicate this marketers tactics, and the tools he used are all readily available.
He approached his job search by using his skills for something he is passionate about, and he caught the attention of people that are talking about his ideas. Presumably, some of these same people are those that televise or market soccer who may want to talk to this soccer fan about a job. All of this is absolutely available to anyone with an Internet connection, an idea that demonstrates their ability and a desire to do what they love. It may be time for you to give it a try.
Will this soccer fanatic get a soccer marketing job, I would bet that he does. Watch the video below (the job seeking part comes at the very end...):