Direct approach

A direct approach involves personally visiting an organisation to enquire about job vacancies. In order to do this you should list employers that would be likely to have positions that would suit you.

How to approach employers

You can achieve this by:

• searching the Yellow Pages and industry directories for company listings
• you may like to put the companies in order of priority, according to the one you would most like to work for
• you must be prepared before visiting the organisation by taking along copies of your resume and written references, in case there is a job available. This means you will be able to apply for the position on the spot. You may even be asked in for an interview while you are there.

First contact

There are several things to remember when initially approaching the organisation:

• you should ask to speak with the manager or a person with the authority to hire rather than just leaving your resume. You can never be sure if it will make it to the correct person
• ensure you appear interested in the company and be polite and courteous. Even if there is not a position currently available, if they see that you are interested they may think of you when a position does arise.
• problems with the direct approach include that it is time-consuming and results are not guaranteed. However, it provides an advantage as the position has probably not been advertised, which means you will have minimal competition from other job seekers.
• it also offers the opportunity to show the employer you are enthusiastic and proactive. If they do not have any current vacancies, you may like to ask if they can suggest other businesses to approach.

Additional information

The Department of Education, Science and Training have provided a useful worksheet to assist in directly approaching employers: DESTWorksheet 5 - Contact Employers (*PDF 151k)