The job offers are pouring in for Ted Williams, the homeless man whose YouTube video featuring his “golden voice” went viral last Monday. The video was recorded by an employee of The Columbus Dispatch who spotted Williams with his sign claiming he had the God-given gift of voice and was an ex-radio announcer.
According to a CNN article, some members of the radio community have expressed frustration because there are so many others in the industry who have been let go, despite their talent. The article goes on to say that if you look at a site such as Voice123.com you will find a warehouse of radio talent.
Enter the new era of job search. There’s a ton of talent on Voice123.com as well as the traditional job boards out there. And it’s overwhelming. No one has time to listen to hundreds of voice reels or read even more resumes. And often, no one even wants that many choices.
Ted Williams has offers pouring in because he had a unique story and yes, a unique voice. No one had to dig for him. He was plastered all over the Internet within 24 hours of the video release. He became a hot commodity and “the guy we’ve got to have” in seconds. Because he stood out and you would have to be living under a rock not to notice him.
I read blog comments every day from frustrated job seekers claiming they post for hundreds of positions and get no results. And act surprised. And keep doing what they have been doing for the past year because they think this is what they are supposed to be doing. ..that these are the rules of job search. But the only rule of job search is that there are no rules.
The CNN article ends with this thought. “Imagine you get that automated e-mail sent from an HR department after they closed your profile saying, “Thank you for your interest in job #0002792614, but we have filled the position. In fact, we actually hired a homeless guy who we saw on YouTube. Good luck in your job search!”
I think their sarcasm is misplaced. If job seekers continue to use the same useless, non-differentiating methods of job search, they will indeed be beat out by someone who sets themselves apart from the pack.
Certainly William’s story is unique and not everyone can expect to land their job via a YouTube video, but William’s story proves that people take notice when you have an interesting story to tell and everyone knows who you are. Get off the job boards. Create your own great story and then find the right people to get it in front of. Hint-they aren’t the same people who are posting jobs on line.
Ted truly is a humble man. I had the pleasure of meeting him on Facebook the night before his interview with WCNI. He mentioned he was so nervous for his interview so I sent him interview tips that I give my clients. He was thrilled and so grateful. He did have a unique and inspiring story…one of hope for many other job seekers. Ted’s story is captivating in many ways.
He also had the right people in his corner, especially his promoter. He teamed up with someone who could help him. Ted also truly connected with his audience.
You are right, Barbara, we are in a new era of job searching. What we have told our clients for years about networking is now only a click away now. The power of social media is phenomenal! Great article!
Camille,
And how wonderful that you were able to help him! Thanks for reading!
Hi,
I think you are talking about the wrong website. On average, voice over jobs on Voice123 receive between 10 & 20 auditions.
I can understand your comment if you used the site several years ago; before July 2007.
We also have an average client satisfaction of 90% and above.
You may want to do a bit of fact-checking next time.
Reach out to me anytime,
Steven @ Voice123
Steven,
Those are great statistics and my goal was not to single out Voice123. I was simply referencing your site from the CNN post. My point is that for many, job search has changed, more than ever job seekers need to stand out in a crowded space, and social media will continue to influence the jobs landscape as we move forward. Since your site is so niche, it sounds like job seekers with very specific skills may have more success there. But on average, the success rates around traditional job boards are not nearly as high. Thanks for reading!