Leighton E. (Lee) McCormick founded Employment Systems Associates in 1982 as a follow-on to an activity which had suddenly become extremely important to him: namely, finding a job! The international financial construction and services company for which he worked as Director of Marketing Communications had fallen on hard times, and he was given the choice of losing his position or transferring out of St. Louis – where he wished to remain.

Lee researched various job-hunting books and publications and soon discovered that most were geared for people changing careers, or who had six months to a year to find employment. Not only that, the majority concentrated on completing various evaluative exercises and skills tests for determining career choices – not on helping the typical unemployed worker who needed another similar job quickly to pay the bills.

Lee graduated from the University of Missouri School of Journalism, and holds a Master’s Degree in marketing and media strategies from Webster University in St. Louis. For more than a decade, he had worked in marketing, advertising, and public relations. Additionally, since 1974, he had developed, introduced, and taught graduate and undergraduate courses in these fields as an Adjunct Professor of Management at Webster University.

Disappointed in the existing books, Lee fell back on his marketing education and advertising experience and developed a three-step approach to finding a job. His system applied the proven marketing principle that it takes at least three “impressions” (or “knocks”) – three distinct communications of a catch phrase, image, sound, or idea – before a message registers in the typical consumer’s brain. Ideally, the message then stimulates its “target” to take action: to purchase or use the product or service being promoted. Or, as in his job-search approach, recognize and respect the source from whom effective communications are being sent.
This job-hunting campaign could be implemented in a month’s time. It involved research, developing powerful direct mail letters, and carefully timed telephone calls.

In several cases, Lee heard from companies requesting interviews before he contacted them. In all cases, he received compliments during the subsequent interviews for conducting such an attention-getting and effective job search. As proof of its effectiveness, out of a total list of 10 organizations, his system garnered eight interviews and four job offers.

Wishing to share his recipe for success, Lee provided his “system” to several co-workers, friends, and recent graduates who wanted to change careers, were “let go,” or were looking for their first jobs, respectively. They, too, successfully employed the three-knock approach, and convinced him to write a “How to...” book that detailed his system and made it available to all job seekers.

Thus persuaded, he established Employment Systems Associates, published “How To Get The Job You Want,” and sold the easy-to-read and follow guide via direct mail, classified ads, publicity, and word of mouth. Lee eventually left his position to establish his own highly successful business development consulting firm.

Recently, however, continual requests for the book – coupled with increasing unemployment rates – have convinced him a market still exists for a timely, inexpensive, and easy-to-implement job-hunting approach. In June 2001, he re-established Employment Systems Associates, rewrote his book to address current trends (such as the Internet), and retitled it “Knock 3 Times.” which he now provides.

Since its founding more than 25 years ago, Employment Systems has dedicated itself to helping people find work as quickly, efficiently, and cost-effectively as possible – especially in these times of massive corporate layoffs and downsizings. If followed to the letter, our step-by-step approach and sample communications materials will help you achieve success in a month.

Best of luck in your job search!