Hey everyone,

This is my first post here. I am graduating in about a month or so and will have to start looking for a job. I have a degree in Economics and Finance, and have applied to a few places with not much luck.

My marks are pretty good, and I do have some experience, but most of it isn't related to my field of study.

Does anyone have any experience for job hunting through cold calling? I've heard that just sending out resumes electronically is not very efficient, due to the large volume of the applications.

Thank you.

(04-10-2011 07:05 AM)TheBoss Wrote:  Hey everyone,

This is my first post here. I am graduating in about a month or so and will have to start looking for a job. I have a degree in Economics and Finance, and have applied to a few places with not much luck.

My marks are pretty good, and I do have some experience, but most of it isn't related to my field of study.

Does anyone have any experience for job hunting through cold calling? I've heard that just sending out resumes electronically is not very efficient, due to the large volume of the applications.

Thank you.

I'm a Finance major in NYU Stern. I switched to premed last semester, but originally my path was supposed to be the tradition i-banking route, so maybe I can help you out a bit.

For the new york firms, cold calling works poorly for the same reason sending out resumes works poorly. Folks are overworked and don't want to be receiving emails from people they dont know, they'll just delete them, or worse, blacklist you.

Try to get your foot in the door by going to recruitment events if they happen in your area (it depends if yours is a target school for firms). Life is MUCH easier if you can do this.

If you can't, it'll be difficult to get into a bulge bracket firm, and you'll have to settle for something with a more family feel. You can usually e-mail the guys in recruitment for these companies and by showing genuine interest in the company, get them to ask for you to send your resume. Once you sent it, continue communicating with the person, maybe once a month. This will remind them about you, which can help escalate your application.

Networking.

It's not just a buzz word or something that means being sleazy and handing out your business card to everyone. It's the best way to get a job and also find what out more about potential employers to see if they would be a good fit for what your goals are. Tyberian's right on about the career fair and recruitment events which will allow you to gain some insight and connect with people that can be very helpful for you.

Your job search is also going to be dependent on where you want to work/live so without more specifics I'm not sure how much I'd be able to help you out. If you haven't already been reaching out to your classmates and people you already know, I would suggest using the discussion posts on LinkedIn for your alumni network or specific firms to start out.

Instead of cold calling, as it was already mentioned, you should contact the HR and recruitment people at firms you'd like to work at, show interest in the company, and understand the process so that they become interested in you. Also, make sure your resume is not garbage like 75% of the resumes that say the usual "hard worker" and "team player" nonsense. Get directly into what you did in those organizations you worked for even if they don't relate to your field of study. Even if you were a manager at a McDonald's during school you can emphasize your abilities by saying "Improved drive-thru times to 85 seconds per order (20 seconds below company average) which led to an 'A' rating on corporate inspection" than "Worked drive-thru, helped customers."

I was doing some career coaching for a friend who got rejected from a job after she submitted her resume. I helped her draft an email talking about what she had to offer and the solutions she might have for the company -- they liked it enough to grant her an interview after rejecting her because of the genuine interest she had in wanting to be a part of their team.

In my opinion, some of the only cold calling you should do besides networking with their HR is to find people doing a job you would like to do either currently or down the road 5 years from now at that company and just talk to them/ask them how they like it/their path to success there. It's easier if you know them, but you'll be surprised at how willing and how happy it actually makes people to know and feel like they're helping you. I would also talk to your professors more if you don't already have a good rapport with them.

I would say good luck, but your future is in your hands! Work smart and you'll be fine!