AS ALDOUS HUXLEY SAID, “Technological progress has merely pro­vided us with more efficient means for going backwards.”

This quote, whether or not you agree with it, is certainly true for the world of recruitment and job seeking. Technology has blocked the channel.

What do I mean? Basically, it is so easy to sit down in front of a computer, find job offers anywhere in the world, and apply for them, that the employment website channel is saturated with candidates.

This means that whoever is dealing with this matter within a compa­ny –probably an intern, or even someone getting work experience– in order to identify the ten candidates he or she has been asked to pin­point, has to use certain words in order to filter out the rest. In short, the candidate’s future depends on the words chosen by a trainee.

Therefore we must look for a strategy that allows us to stand out: to go from “low cost” to “premium.” To do this, there are four main areas to work on:

Curiously, when people are asked what they want to achieve, most of them do not have a very clear idea. Without a goal, it is impos­sible to have a strategy for achieving it. It is not enough for this goal to be an industry, or a geographical area, a little bit of this and a little of that. A goal should be specific, perhaps even the name of a position on a company’s organizational chart, because that is what companies have to fill: blanks on organizational charts. The industry or geographical area is not so important, because functions are usu­ally the same across different industries, and do not vary by region.

To give you a competitive advantage over other candidates, you will need to know the needs of your “customer,” or recruiter. So you will want to identify contacts who will help you to understand the needs of those who might hire you.

If you have decided, for example, that finance is going to be your area, then all your sales material (CV, LinkedIn, elevator pitch…) must be focused on the “solution” that you are going to offer a finance department, and should not be confused by adding in things that do not refer to this area.

When you understand what problem or challenge an organization is facing, you need to identify the person to whom you are going to offer your “solution” or professional service. Often applicants start by contacting Human Resources, which is simply an intermediary. Or they may address the right person, the one who makes the decisions, but without having done the appropriate research. What this does is to shut the entrance, because making the wrong kind of contact is the same as if you had nothing to sell.

Reminder: If you are not covering a company need, nobody will waste their time listening to you. You have to spend the time required to discover that need. If you have ever done sales, I am sure you will understand what I am saying, because the process is the same.

COMO YA DIJO ALDOUS HUXLEY, “el progreso tecnológico solo nos ha proporcionado medios más eficaces para retroceder”.

Esta cita, con la que muchos seguro que no están de acuerdo, es totalmente cierta en el mundo del reclutamiento y la búsqueda de empleo. La tecnología ha matado el canal.

¿A qué me refiero con esto? Básicamente a que es tan cómodo y fácil sentarse delante de un ordenador, identificar ofertas de trabajo en todo el mundo y presentarse a ellas, que el canal de las webs de empleo está saturado de candidatos.

Esto hace que el que está del lado de la empresa (que seguramente será un becario), para identificar a los diez que le han pedido que filtre, tenga que recurrir a determinadas palabras que sirvan para se­leccionar. En definitiva, el futuro del candidato depende de la palabra que escoja un becario.

Por tanto, tenemos que buscar una estrategia que nos permita des­tacar, pasar de producto low cost a premium. Para hacer esto tene­mos que trabajar fundamentalmente en cuatro áreas:

Curiosamente, cuando a la gente le preguntas qué quiere conse­guir, la mayoría no lo tiene claro. Y sin objetivo no hay estrategia para conseguirlo. Ese objetivo no es una industria, o una zona geográfica, o un poco de aquí y un poco de allá. Tu objetivo debe tener el nombre de una función en el organigrama de una empre­sa, porque eso es lo que tienen que rellenar las empresas, cajas del organigrama. El sector o el área geográfica no es tan deter­minante porque las funciones son normalmente multisectoriales y panregionales.

Para tener una ventaja competitiva frente a otros candidatos, te hace falta saber qué necesita tu “cliente” o reclutador. Para ello tienes que identificar los contactos que te ayuden a descifrar las necesidades de quien podría contratarte.

Si has decidido que lo tuyo son las finanzas, todo tu material de venta (currículum, LinkedIn, elevator pitch…) tiene que estar en­focado a la “solución” que tú proporcionas a un departamento financiero, y no debe confundir mezclando cosas que no se refie­ren a esa área.

Cuando conoces el reto de la organización puedes identificar a quién ofrecer tu “solución” o servicio profesional. Es típico que la gente empiece buscando al de Recursos Humanos, que es un mero intermediario, o dirigiéndose a la persona que toma las decisiones sin haber hecho la investigación adecuada, y lo que hace con esto es cerrarse la vía de entrada porque no tiene nada que vender.

Recuerda: Si no cubres una necesidad nadie va a perder el tiem­po en escucharte. Tienes que dedicar tiempo a descubrirla. Si has vendido alguna vez, seguro que entiendes bien a qué me refiero. El proceso es el mismo.