4 Ways To Be The Only One In Your Field Getting Work

Here it is - short and sweet. Most of you wouldn’t think you could apply these same job search techniques to your line of work. Well, I'm here to say you are probably wrong, and just need some creative adjustments in your thinking and awareness. I recently hired Pam to do a little work for me. She got the job instantly. How did she get the job? It was actually very easy. Did she send a resume? Nope. References? Nope. Did I know her? Nope. Did a friend refer her? Nope. She simply downloaded an e-book I had written, edited the first page, sent it to me and created her own job! Now, I was no English major, and I tend to write like I talk. This isn't always the best format, and it's certainly not proper. And, of course, even though numerous people proofread the book, it still had typos and your basic grammatical errors. Yes, I hired her on the spot via e-mail. No resume, no references, no interview. Her sample work was all of those and better! She answered all three questions every interviewer wants to know:

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• Do I like you?
• Will you do the job?
• Can you do the job?

But, most people are not willing to show their work before getting paid. Essentially, it's an on-the-job interview. I can actually hear your pessimism now: Pam has it easy, there are thousands of e-books all over the Internet and most of them are probably written by laymen (like myself). So, how can this work for you if you are a more traditional worker? Well first of all, you have to give Pam credit. Yes, there are thousands of e-books on the Internet and there are also thousands of writers out of work. But, she is the ONLY one who did what she did.

4 Creative Ways To Get Work

Here are a couple of interesting ways to be the ONLY one in your field getting work.

1. Send An Old Project

Package a project you worked on in the pastand send it via snail mail (package) to companies you feel might get solid benefit from it. Stick with small companies who NEED help (like me), have fewer resources (like me), and will really appreciate what you can bring to the table. Small businesses are the backbone of America, but they just don’t get the great press that big, public companies do. In down economies, they are the only ones hiring.

2. Make Coupons

Put together a simple coupon offering your services as a consultation for one hour, including a free write-up. You can have 100+ post cards printed up for about $25 or less at the local print shop. Canvas the small businesses around your home. Especially if you have an industrial park close by. There are probably hundreds of small businesses you are not even aware of.

3. Make Coupons, But Offer Strictly Contract Work

Did you know contract work has exploded recently? Why? Because companies still have work that needs to be done but they are on a shoestring budget and can’t make a long term commitment. But, you get the opportunity to highlight your skills, make great connections and get referrals like crazy. So, explain the benefits of what you can do for a company as a contractor on a postcard and include a link to your LinkedIn profile, an e-mail address (get a free one from Gmail just for this), and a visible phone number. Heck, why don’t you throw in a testimonial (some people call those references) on the card as well?

4. Follow Up

Here’s the best part. You now have the opportunity to follow up with companies you send your cards or past projects to. It’s your foot in the front door. Good luck and have fun. You can meet some great people and get a leg up on your next career move.     Photo Credit: Shutterstock