Radio Host Spinning A New Tune As Hiring Guru

By: Asa Aarons

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One New Yorker who said he had seen enough of slamming doors has come up with a new system to open them. NY1's Asa Aarons filed the following report.

Rafe Gomez, host of nationally-syndicated radio The Groove Boutique, says his program generated revenue, paid appearances, and national exposure on QVC.

"It was an exciting life and an exciting time, but it all ended in 2008," Gomez said.

That was when the flagship station changed formats.

"All the things connected to the radio show fell down, in addition to the radio show, so I was out of a gig," he said.

Gomez said he spent several unemployed months going to job fairs, career seminars and coaching sessions, where he said he learned not what to do, but what not to do.

So, he started using new strategies, including research, to help in his job search.

"People spend more time on researching which restaurant they're going to, which movie they're going to see, which friends of theirs that are on Facebook, than they do researching the company that's going to provide them with a paycheck every week," Gomez said.

Proper research, Gomez says, will allow job seekers to move along to step two of his program, pitching themselves as a valuable product.

"Im going to talk about myself as a radio professional, but not about what I've done, but how what I've done can make them money, save them money, or improve their image in the marketplace. And it worked instantaneously," said Gomez. "They're thinking, what's in it for me? And I make it very clear what's in it for them."

Follow up, Gomez says, involves something he call the "cheesecake principle."

"You need to intrigue them. You need to whet their appetite," Gomez said. "You need to give a very large, what I call, cheesecake. You need to put something out there that's sweet and fresh and delicious and makes them want more.

He says this somewhat unorthodox approach has helped him rebuild his syndicated radio show in several major markets.

And he's now selling a more detailed version called "What's In It for Me," referring to what hiring managers are really thinking during the interview with you.

After going through the challenge of unemployment, Gomez says he's finding great pleasure in showing people ways to get back to work, an experience as satisfying as a good slice of cheesecake.