Techniques That Cost Less Than $100 Total

Having spent exactly three weeks looking for my next opportunity, I’d like to share some tips & tricks on how to get your next job.   It’s not magic; you just have to understand how to take the Web 2.0 pieces and assemble them into a job hunting machine.

The secret is this: approach your job search like a marketing campaign.

Guess what you’re marketing: yourself.

By the way, since I am a marketing dweeb professional I can get away with antics like sending Nerf™ pistols to people.

Here’s what I did:

1. Purchased my domain name www.nickezzo.com from GoDaddy. (cost = $4.99 a month for hosting, plus $10 to register the name)
2. Created my résumé site using WordPress, with a basic theme that I customized. (cost = free)
3. Added VisiStat website tracking, so I get immediate feedback (email and SMS) when someone hits the site. (cost = $29.95 a month, cheaper if you pay quarterly or annually).
4. Sent emails to key people with a special AdCaM code to track who clicks. (cost = $14.95 a month for VisiStat AdCaM)
5. Mailed decision makers fun items like a Nerf™ pistol to show how I “target prospects”  (I know it’s lame, but it resulted in a callback and an interview).  I included a cover letter and a USB drive with my work, also using AdCaM links on the USB drive. (cost = $7.99 for the Nerf pistol, $5.00 for shipping)
6. I use Salesforce.com to track Contacts, Accounts, and Opportunities (cost = free for 30-day trial, all features turned on, including Salesforce.com mobile).
7. Using LinkedIn, I download bios of the people who will be interviewing me.  I also connect to them after the interview, in order to remain in contact.  (cost = free)

Total cost so far?  $72.92.  My point is — with an investment of less than $100, I have landed 3 phone interviews and 4 face-to-face interviews (including 3 with one company).  And get this: it’s all tax-deductible as job search costs.

The real test will be to see if anyone hires me.  Stay tuned…