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Direct Mail
The final step in a job search campaign is to write directly to potential employing organizations, circumventing all the intermediaries. The reason for positioning this step last is because the information leverage is slight. There may be only one appropriate position in any given organization and, obviously, if that position is filled with a productive individual, there will be no interview. On the other hand, there are many positions which are never let to search firms and a resume often arrives at just the right time. A resume received by a senior executive can be a catalyst to action. A reorganization may have been planned but not effected because a critical set of skills is lacking. Or, the decision to replace a marginal performer may have been delayed for the lack of a suitable alternative. In these cases, the only candidate for such a position may be the one who wrote directly. This indicates that direct mail can be productive and should be pursued in an aggressive personal campaign.
When involved with this level of direct mail, letters should be addressed to a highly placed executive in a line function. This recommendation is made because of the aforementioned catalytic impact which the resume might have. Directories which can be recommended in doing such a mailing include the Directory of 51,000 Largest U.S. Corporations, published by Newsfront, which lists companies by SIC code and home office locations by zip code. This reference is particularly helpful in that it provides condensed information which can be easily photocopied for use in addressing letters. Other suggested reference sources are Standard & Poor's Register of Corporations, published by McGraw Hill; The Directory of Corporate Affiliations, and The Standard Directory of Advertisers which are published by National Register Publishing Corporation. All of these books will help in locating companies by geographic or product classification. The latter ones are helpful in locating divisions and subsidiaries in addition to corporate headquarters.
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