Instant Interviews: 101 Ways to Get the Best Job of Your Life

Chapter 20. Responding to Classified Ads

Now that you know how to read between the ad lines, let's respond for instant interviews!

Tracking the Ads

Read the help-wanteds daily. Also check the employment web sites of all the newspapers in your area. Circle (or bookmark) any that even remotely look good.

Ads can be open or blind. If open, you know the identity of the employer. If blind, you don't. If there's a phone number, use it. Find out all you can.

Read the ad and pick the three most important requirements. (Theirs, not yours.) These are usually the first ones. The others are just nice to have.

Replying with a Mirror Letter

If you're responding to an ad, don't send your resume without a mirror letter. You just use the better letter format (Do 8) and reflect (mirror) the first three ad specs exactly.

Resumes are too general to align with written specs. It's a much more productive use of your time to be out instanting than to be torturing your resume trying to fit some ad. A mirror letter can be knocked out quickly and you're on your way.

Here's how to reply to the ad:

1. Use your letterhead. You already know how important that is (Do 8).

2. Try to address the person by name. "Dear Ms. Offeror." If you don't have a name, use her job title.

3. Do not say, "Enclosed is my resume." The offeror has eyes.

4. Begin with a hook:

   Your ad in Sunday's Offeror Outlook mentions exactly the kind of position I've been seeking. As a marketing director with ten years in the industrial field, I have experience in developing ...