I know there's umpteen threads about resume questions, but I didn't see this one addressed specifically, soooo....here I am.

My parents and several other dinosaurs suggested that as part of my job search I just drive around to places that specialize in my area and drop off a resume. They all swear by this practice, but I never see it mentioned on here and none of the job-hunt-related sites I've checked do, either.

So:

1) Is this a good idea?
2) Who should I hand the resume to?
3) Should I include a cover letter?
4) If so, should I just have a generic one, or come up with a different one for each company, or wh at?

I appreciate any assistance you wise job-finding sages might have to offer my humble and incompetent personage.

6/3/2007 4:43:34 PM

what kind of business are you in?

6/3/2007 4:48:25 PM

what kind of field are you going into?

I had that work when I was younger and wasn't looking for a specific job, but I'm not sure if it would work when looking for a particular or decent paying job.

You can also put your resume up on places like http://monster.com or http://raleigh.craigslist.com , I've had friends who have found jobs by just putting them up on those and waiting.

6/3/2007 4:48:27 PM

While I have no experience doing this, it would seem if you did it enough you would eventually get a hit. Probably the same as a door-to-door salesman, 98% of the time you'll get nothing.

When I worked at the front desk for a company one time, I was asked to toss all resumes unless I was specifically told of an opening.

6/3/2007 4:48:29 PM

Yes its a good idea, you should try getting it to a person in your department of interest, or at least to an HR person who can get it to the right people. don't just drop it with the receptionist, unless they won't let you past them.

yes include a cover letter. ALWAYS include a cover letter and make sure it's tailored to the company. Generic cover letters are worse than not having one at all

6/3/2007 5:07:35 PM

They are right. It shows you have motivation or some such garbage. Also, it shows you are local and they wont have to pay moving expenses (though, this would be a non issue for any good company).

6/3/2007 6:00:03 PM

At the vet clinic we keep résumé’s that people drop off like this even when we don't have positions open. We keep them temporarily, and if anything opens up we take another look at them.

I'd say it couldn't hurt.

Personally I'd use a generic one, but make it a really good generic one. If you are doing door to door stuff, then it seems like a lot of time for not alot of profit to try to do an individual one for each place.

6/3/2007 7:35:11 PM

wont work at my office. unless you can get one to HR, and you gotta go through an opening (or active employee--->HR) to get one in there. in other words they make it too hard unless you really want it

but i bet 90% of our employees come from inside referral, save the unskilled shit you can occasionally find on our website.

6/3/2007 7:53:49 PM

As far as my field, I'm in political science.

You can go ahead and comment on what a bad idea that was, it's not going to change anything now.

I'm mostly looking at government/political party/lobbying group/thinktank places now.

6/3/2007 9:58:25 PM

can I join your crappy majors club? film here.

6/4/2007 1:06:29 AM

Well tomorrow I'm dropping off the first round, at probably three places. More to come from there as I develop a wider range of cover letters.

What should one put on a cover letter to an organization that isn't advertising a specific opening?

6/4/2007 1:20:52 AM

go to the business. ask to be introduced to the HR person. dont just hand out stuff to receptionist. they are merely gatekeepers

[Edited on June 4, 2007 at 1:27 AM. Reason : hr, owner, president etc]

6/4/2007 1:27:30 AM

shouldn't you be going to graduate school if you're a poli-sci major?

p.s. tell prof. greene i said hi

6/4/2007 1:30:07 AM

Quote :

"shouldn't you be going to graduate school if you're a poli-sci major?"

Eventually, but right now I'm poor and want a break from school, and, if possible, I'd like to get some relevant work experience in the interim.

Can't talk to Dr. Greene, haven't had his class in a year and I've graduated besides.

Quote :

"hr, owner, president etc"

How do I know who I want to talk to, and, moreover, how do I go about demanding that I hand it off to that person and not to the gatekeeper?

6/4/2007 1:54:25 AM

^ask to hand it to there boss, or ask them who do I need to hand this to, they no what is up.

Also most grad programs in the social sciences pay for everything (tution, stipend, health care) if you have a decent record, so don't factor out grad school because you think you might have to pay.

6/4/2007 3:17:28 AM

for technicially-oriented positions, its probably a waste of time. medium sized tech companies and larger are typically automated hiring process, and managers do not want to sort through unfiltered resumes.

for communications/PR/humanities/social science type positions, its probably a good idea, as the people in charge are not always especially technically competent.

in any event, it couldnt hurt. it might catch someones attention and make you memorable to them.

tailored cover letter definitely. i used a template, where it basically always said the same thing, but i just added company-specific info, and maybe a few extra sentences somewhere in the body.

the resume's purpose is just to get your foot in the door for an interview. its rarely going to get you the job, your personal communication skills do that.

so you do whatever it takes to get the interview.

6/4/2007 3:42:25 AM

Showing up in person is the reason I have my job at all. Its the main reason I got an interview.

6/4/2007 8:38:04 AM

Based on previous statements that I agree with, here is your plan of action...

Quote :

"tailored cover letter"

Quote :

"Showing up in person"

Quote :

"ask to be introduced to the HR person. dont just hand out stuff to receptionist. they are merely gatekeepers "

Quote :

"do whatever it takes to get the interview. "

Quote :

"its rarely going to get you the job, your personal communication skills do that. "

Profit!!!

I also just graduated with a political science degree, and well a criminology degree as well, but for NC gov. positions...http://www.osp.state.nc.us/jobs/.

6/4/2007 12:05:31 PM

Didn't know this site existed until the other day, but it could prove useful:

http://www.ncsu.edu/career/students/jobsinternships/eleads.php

Basically it's a database of who to contact for employment opportunities.

6/4/2007 12:13:19 PM

^Yep, I used that for my resume distribution. I got the names of the people in HR to contact, and mailed out resumes and cover letters to them.

Got this job because one of the people liked me but didn't have room, so he sent it to a friend who did. Best thing to ever happen, couldn't find a place better to work than this.

6/4/2007 12:25:53 PM

before I got my job I looked in the phone book for companies in my field, then checked online to see if the company had a website and/or contact information, then I would email my cover letter and resume to the company.

9 times out of 10 I didnt get anythink more than a "thanks for your interest, but we arent hiring right now" reply, but I landed 4 interviews (and 3 jobs) using this method.

6/4/2007 12:35:59 PM

i applied to 50+ places online over a month before i handed out 6 resumes to local engineering firms

Before i got a single call back from the online applications i had a job at a local firm.

spend time on it make it look nice use heavy cotton paper nice envelope and a cover letter
if they're similar jobs you're looking for a generic one will be sufficient but if you're applying to places with different specialties change it up as needed.

When you drop off the resume look like you would in an interview.

[Edited on June 4, 2007 at 12:39 PM. Reason : .]

6/4/2007 12:38:52 PM