Want to stand out? Where you can, walk your résumé in and deliver it by hand; when I say “where you can”, that means anywhere you can drive, train, or bus to within a few hours, incl Waco. You don’t have to have a suit of white armor on for this, but dress reasonably well, e.g. business casual.
If at all possible, don’t leave résumé with drone at the front desk…politely, but firmly, insistently, & sincerely** as possible, say I’d like to put this into a hiring manager or HR manager’s hand personally, please. It will only take a few minutes.", then “Please, I am just trying to do what I can to present myself in person to them so they know I am serious about working here. I won’t take up much of their time.”
Realize, the person at the desk is a drone and has absolutely no vested interest in your success, or that of the company, most likely, so…polite, but firm, insistent, sincere**. If you can tear-up on purpose, this might help. You may want to leave for a little while, get some lunch or a coffee, and come back to see if there is a different person at the desk. As a last resort, I’d write, >>neatly<<, in >>blue<< ink something to the effect of "delivered in person, date, time, sincerely, @spencleb.
If you do get to see someone, keep it short and simple a la Mike Rowe: “Hello, thank’s for coming out and seeing me. I’m @spencleb, and I recently graduated from a great school with a great GPA, and I came all the way up here to tell you in person I am really eager and motivated to work here at {Acme Engineering]. Thanks for your time.” If they want to ask you more then and there, they will, but at that point, you’ve done what you can, and they will know it. And get a business card so you can follow up with a simple, handwritten acknowledgment/thank you.
**Sincerity is a hard thing to project, but once you learn to fake it, you’ve got it made!
