Writing new lyrics for the out-of-work blues: as corporate America continues to slim down, black managers develop innovative strategies to find new jobs - includes related article on personal marketing - Cover Story

Black Enterprise, Jan, 1992 by Roz Ayres-Williams

No matter how skillfully your headhunter packages your skills, there's got to be a spark, something that ignites the company's interest in you as an individual. "Most interviewers want to be sold," says Sanford of Execu-Search, "so try to stand out."

He cites the example of a young woman from Chicago who interviewed for a pharmaceutical marketing position in Washington, D.C., although her chances looked slim. The woman flew in several days early and talked to pharmacists in the area to determine what their concerns were. She so impressed her interviewers with her knowledge of the local market that she got the job, beating out far more seasoned competitors.

In the end it was the hustle that won her the job.