Re: Resumes vs. Networking

[Tim Altom <taltom -at- IQUEST -dot- NET>]

At 07:29 AM 2/21/97 -0500, you wrote:

>
>What disturbs me about his viewpoint is that it leaves no place for the
>rest of the pack. While competition is required in this world, not everyone
>is cream of the crop, yet we all need to work and most organizations have a
>place for people of many levels -- levels of achievement, skill,
>motivation, and all those other things that make us employable commodities.
>I wonder, is everyone at Tim's company the cream of the crop, or only those
>in his department?
>
>Those of us who are unmotivated to be joiners, or who have other
>obligations on our time, or are competent and hard-working but not so
>committed to our profession that it dominates our lives, or are simply
>introverted, have to rely on resumes to serve us in the competitive market.
>
>Carolyn Haley
>DocuMania
>dcma -at- ct1 -dot- nai -dot- net
>

Fair comment. No, we don't just get the cream. Often the cream isn't there,
or it's working for somebody else. And you're also correct that such
individuals can quickly overload an organization. You still need those who
work hard and want nothing more than to go home at the end of the day. I'm
not one, but I respect the viewpoint so long as it's clear to both me and
the individual involved. And many positions offer opportunities for just
such people, such as office management.

Further, please understand that we have extraordinary demands in our
company, because we're a high-priced contracting firm. We sell originality,
creativity, high-level problem-solving. Our rates are among the highest in
the area, so we need people who can deliver on expectations. We're a
knowledge management company, and a small one. Our people have to plunge in
and solve problems.  We only have one department.

Still, even granting your points, I have to say that one thing remains: how
do you expect to get a job when your current one dies? And it will. It's
become a truism in today's job market. When that happens, you can either
send out resumes, make cold phone calls, and wait for weeks or months, or
you can join, volunteer, get to know people, network, and have another job
within hours. It's not really just a matter of join vs. mail. It's a
question of how fast you can find new gainful employment. Networking keeps
you up to date on the demands of the marketplace, so your skills don't get
corroded. And it keeps your ear to the ground for new opportunities. It's
too late to put up the tent when the rain starts. When your current job
evaporates, you may be behind in technology, concepts, knowledge, and
competitiveness. You're right, it's a competitive market. That implies a
need to compete, and you can only compete when you're on the field. It's too
late to practice the plays when your team's already behind. It's my view
that resumes are a much feebler play than networking.



Tim Altom
Vice President, Simply Written, Inc.
317.899.5882 (voice) 317.899.5987 (fax)
FrameMaker support  ForeHelp support
FrameMaker-to-HTML Conversions
HTML Help Consulting and Production

http://www.simplywritten.com/simply

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