The 'Carpet Bomb' Security Resume/CV - Who is your target?

In my previous blogs, I've touched on some important things about 'Resume Writing and Job Descriptions'.

As we all know from  old war expressions, a carpet bomb is a fearsome weapon.  It takes out an entire valley without really knowing what its intended target is. A pretty devastating approach. It has its uses in war, but I want to make the case that carpet bombing your resume all over corporate America is not effective.

Conversely, there is the tomahawk missile mounted on a Drone.   It knows exactly where it is going and intention is to surgically strike an intended target, all while being guided there by an "Operator". Seems a bit more precise, right?

So this is a pretty straight-forward analogy of  of what happens when YOU send your resume to large, corporate employment or hiring sites that promise to get you that awesome job or to get you seen.   Most of these sites utilize the carpet bomb tactic.  Yes, you might even be paying these sites to help your resume get to 'the right people', but I can attest to the fact that they are likely being churned into the pile along with everyone else's.

The sites fail to account for many nuances of our industry, not the least of which is that a significant amount of hiring and recruiting for the field of Executive Protection occurs through personal references and word of mouth. Yes, reputation has real currency in this field!

I know this can be discouraging to those of you who are just starting out, and you are looking for ways to break into the industry. But I'm telling you, traditional hiring and job posting sites are not where you want to spend your energy.

Have I ever sent my Resume into these sites?  Yes I have, in the early days before other options were available, and I still monitor our market utilizing these sites.  Did I ever get a job (or a job that I wanted) from one of them? NO. 

Think about it, these big box sites make their money in multiple ways.  Mostly through ads, and companies paying to post their jobs to be seen.  The big box hiring companies want as many resumes as they can get, in order to lure PAYING customers.  I am not saying do not utilize these companies at all, just realize what they do.  You should continue to utilize these sites to monitor your intended job market, just don't put all your 'eggs in one basket', and rely on them to surgically strike your intended market.  You need to do some homework and do that yourself!

As the former hiring manager for a prominent company with big budget recruiting, I can assure you that neither I, nor the Recruiters  had time to sit and comb through hundreds of resumes on big box sites looking candidates.   That's just not how we received most of our solid candidate leads.   These sites are designed for roles that are filled using key word searches, and other triggers for industries with a very different type of transferable (and arguably common) set of skills.

Executive and Close Protection recruiting is more of an art than a science, and your approach to job-hunting should reflect that reality!

You have to find that job description, and apply, not just send your resume out with a hope and a prayer and no real guidance system in place.

Do you really believe that submitting a resume along with  a pool of 600 other potential people is going to get your resume in front of that one Hiring Manager or Recruiter?

The nature of our niche-oriented security fields like Executive Protection, Surveillance Detection, Estate/Physical Security and Threat Analysis is that they are focused fields, where small companies, and their clients (often high-profile/high-net worth) don't typically come out and post on BIG public sites.   

Have you ever considered just how many security/EP companies are actually working right now? There's actually not that many in the scheme of things. Do your homework in your local and regional markets and identify these small companies. They are likely the ones doing the work, and contracting with the larger companies! A surgical strike with your resume/CV directly to them would be the best deployment of your resume. Most security companies are relatively small to medium size, and DO NOT advertise their contract positions to big box employment sites.

Another important factor is the high percentage (approx. 80%) of EP work in the WORLD is actually contracted work from those medium to small sized security companies.  Full-time corporate EP/CP positions from large fortune 100 to 500 companies make up a rather small percentage (approx. 20% or less) of positions.  Who do you think utilizes the BIG BOX employment sites?  

So why not target the potential 80% of the work by surgical strike, instead of carpet bombing the potential 20% of the most competitive sought-after positions out there.   

Enough said about that....   In a very focused 'niche oriented' profession like Close Protection/Executive Protection, the analogy 'surgically strike' holds so true.   Here's a couple of quick pointers that could really help you in your job hunt.

• Invest the time and effort it really takes to craft a good resume. Get feedback, get help. You spend money on a new suit for an interview right? Why wouldn't you invest a bit to make sure your resume is top-notch? For now, this is your one calling card! Make it count. This is a huge Achilles heel for most job seekers and they don't even realize it!
• Do your homework. Research your local market. Find the companies who are actually doing the work and narrow your job hunt down to real EP providers.
•  Once you find that awesome dream job, request or print the actual 'Job Description' and hone-in on that.  Know what you are applying for and make sure your information reflects what you see in the posting!
• Find a human connection to that job posting and reach out.  Use LinkedIn, and reach out to people. Network to learn more! (See my previous blog on Resume Writing and Job Descriptions). 

Get surgical in your job hunt. Invest the time it takes to learn about your market, to present your 'best self' as a candidate,  and make your efforts count! Let me know what your experience has been as job hunters and candidates! For those of you who are already employed in this field, what advice would you offer someone just trying to get their foot in the door?