One of the most common stalls in the employment world is the “Send me your resume” stall. Usually it is just a way to further stall the process and turn away those who are attempting to find their way inside the company. It also happens to be a favorite response of the HR Department.

In reality, it merely serves to kill the live contact that you have worked so hard to attain. The best response to this request is to let the person know that you are going to be in the area (assuming you are geographically nearby) and would be happy to hand-deliver a copy of your resume: “I understand the importance of the resume for you, so I’ll stop by and hand-deliver it.” This usually reverses the stall.

You have now converted the brush-off into a reason to have a face-to-face meeting—even if it is just for a few minutes. Never underestimate the power of this brief meeting. Even if all you do is shake hands and pass on your resume, you have now become a person, not just a piece of paper or a voice on the phone. Any further contacts will be much warmer. And if you have a gift for conversation (and even if you don’t), use this opportunity to start talking about yourself and the employer, especially if you have done your homework on them. It only takes a couple of minutes for an astute Hiring Manager to recognize a person who could potentially fit with the team. So use the classic stall to your advantage!

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