by Kevin Donlin from Guerrilla Resume

Following 7 months of struggle, one Minnesota man recently made a simple change in his job search and was hired for a new position only 30 days later.

Here's the story …

Scott Bornstein, from suburban St. Paul, had what he thought was a well written resume. But "every time I sent it out, people would suggest changes to make. When I handed it out at a job fair, they'd say, 'Thank you' and file it away immediately." He wasn't getting called by employers.

Sound familiar?

Bornstein found a way to improve his resume, which boosted his self-confidence, which, in turn, led to more interviews, in a virtuous circle that got him hired in 30 days.

What did he do?

"I went to using a Guerrilla Resume. It was easy to write and it gave me confidence, with a resume that I felt positive to hand out to anybody," says Bornstein.

The Guerrilla Resume, a new style of resume, is normally one page long and has two essential components:

1. logos from past employers, colleges, or organizations;
2. quotes from people familiar with your work, such as managers or clients.

Let's look at them in detail …

1. Logos

Fact: The brain would rather look at pictures than read. (What's worth a thousand words?)

That's why 2-3 logos can improve your resume. They catch the reader's eye, allowing you to make an emotional connection with the employer and piggyback on any positive feelings associated with those logos.

All before they've read one word of your resume.

Can you get in trouble for using logos? Not in my experience since 1996.

Reason: You're not using these graphics to sell anything. Of course, I'm not a lawyer and this is not legal advice. If in doubt, ask permission before using a logo or other graphic.

2. Quotes from past managers or clients.

Bornstein used 3 quotes in his Guerrilla Resume. Quotes get attention because they are third-party endorsements of you, like testimonials in a TV infomercial.

Where to get them? From recommendations on your Linkedin profile! They're already in the public domain — why not use those quotes in your resume?

Here's what happened after Bornstein revamped his resume.

"The next day I went to a job fair in Minneapolis. I walked up to a recruiter and handed my resume to her. She actually grabbed my hand, leaned in, and said, 'This is an amazing resume.' I knew at that moment that I had something," says Bornstein.

What he had was confidence, which improved every part of his job search.

Think about how easy it is to do something when you *know* you can, versus when you're unsure. It's the difference that can make all the difference.

"With the new resume, I had complete confidence in what I was doing. As soon as I started handing it to other people — hiring managers, recruiters, whoever — nobody wanted to change it. I felt they all wanted to give me a chance, and that was different," says Bornstein.

The job Bornstein eventually took came from a contact he made at the Wooddale Transition Group. (If you're not a member of a high-quality job club, consider joining one. In addition to producing employment leads, it gets you out of the house to meet and help other people.)

"An email went to the group members on a Wednesday and I applied, along with 32 other people. The new resume immediately popped up for the hiring manager," says Bornstein, who was called on Friday and interviewed on Monday. A second interview followed on Thursday and he was offered a job the next day — 9 days after applying.

An eye-grabbing resume can provide the same kind of ego boost you might enjoy after getting a new suit or tie. If clothes make the man, can a Guerrilla Resume make the job search?

Apparently, yes.

Now. You've just been given the key to creating a Guerrilla Resume: include logos and quotes. You can do it yourself, today.

If you'd like help, however, you can go here -> Guerrilla Resume

1. Start smart
 
The Coffee Cup Caper — a paper Starbucks cup, full-color Guerrilla Resume, and a Guerrilla Cover Letter (asking to meet for coffee), shipped in a box — gets extraordinary results. By contrast, ordinary resumes and cover letters, sent by email, get ordinary results.
 

2. Follow up with style
 
Delivering a Halloween treat with her thank-you note was correct seasonally, if not politically. Use good judgment before sending items that might be perceived as bribes by employers sensitive to such things. In Berman's case, however, it worked like a (chocolate-covered) charm.
 
And, leaving out the gift, could you arrange to have your thank-you note delivered by a courier, or a friend posing as one? Of course.
 

3. Give employers another reason to hire you
 
Mary did this in spades after her second interview, when she sent a written plan of action for her first 3 months on the job.
 
A 30-60-90 day plan is a way of proving you can do the work — before you're even on the payroll — by describing how you would learn the job, build rapport with employees/customers, and contribute to the bottom line.
 
Mary's plan was 8 pages long and took the better part of a Friday night to prepare. (Before you balk at spending an entire evening at home researching and writing a 30-60-90 day plan, ask yourself if you wouldn't trade a night out for getting a steady paycheck again.)
 

4. Score style points with your delivery
 
Mary's first follow-up, the chocolate-apple-thank-you note, was delivered by a courier, not by email. Her 30-60-90 day plan was delivered by FedEx, not by email.
 
Do you NOT see a pattern? Email should NOT be the sole delivery method for your career documents.
 
Bottom line: This smart Guerrilla had failed to get even one job interview in 20 weeks of conventional job hunting with conventional tactics.
 
After adopting unconventional Guerrilla tactics, she found work in only 7 weeks.
 
If Guerrilla job search methods can work in Michigan, where the unemployment rate tops 15%, they can work where you live. The only thing stopping you from thinking and acting like a Guerrilla is you.
 
Resource: The same Guerrilla Resumes and Cover Letters Mary used are here.