In this economy, it’s important to do everything you can to get a recruiter to remember you. Going the extra mile could be the difference between getting a job offer and not getting one. An MBA and experience alone won’t impress recruiters, but by following these helpful tips, you could increase your chances of getting an interview.

Send a Follow-Up Note

Following up with a recruiter by sending them a note is an ideal way to get them to remember you. A handwritten note will make you stand out from other applicants, and remind the recruiter that you are available, interested, and thoughtful. It’s important to send a follow-up note in the right way. Be sure to let the recruiter know that you enjoyed speaking with them, and reiterate your interest in their company. Don’t talk about yourself too much, but do feel free to include some highlights relating to your education and work experience. Above all, mention that you hope to hear from them in the future, and include your contact information so they can easily get in touch with you.

Learn How to Tell a Compelling Story

When talking with recruiters, they’ll want to know more about you. They can find out the basics from your résumé, but what they really want to know is why. Why did you choose to go to a particular college? Why did you decide to major in History before going on to complete your MBA? Why did you decide to pursue an MBA after five years of experience in electrical engineering? Most of all, why do you want to work for their company? If you have an engaging story, one that is compelling and memorable, recruiters are more likely to remember you and want to speak with you again. Practice telling the story of how you got to where you are today with a friend or family member. It will make it much easier to tell your life story to a recruiter if you’ve told it dozens of times before to someone else.

It’s also important to be prepared to talk about why you want to work for their company. Recruiters are used to hearing MBA students give a short answer to why they want to work for their company. To really blow everyone else out of the water and make the recruiter remember you, have a more detailed answer prepared. For maximum effectiveness, make your answer about how your education and experience can benefit the company. You want to talk about how you can be an asset, but you don’t want to focus on how getting the job would benefit you personally. All of the focus should be on how hiring you would be beneficial for the company.

Show Them What You Can Do

A great way to get a recruiter to remember you is to prepare something that really shows what you can do. For example, if you’re an MBA student hoping to get a marketing job after graduation, you could prepare a brief presentation that highlights some ways you believe the company could increase sales. Whatever your field of interest, make a mock presentation and show it to the recruiter, then ask if you can email them a copy later.

Andy Anderson is a career counselor and writes for a site that outlines the best MBA programs, featuring extensive information and listings for the best online MBA programs available.

Many people are out of work, and they are looking for new jobs. With the slow economy, many people have been laid off due to a company having to downsize their expenses. Some of the companies thought this could save their company from going out of business completely; but this caused more people to start looking for new employment. Being unemployed is hard enough, but it is even harder trying to save on the gas used to hunt a job. But there are some tips that might help you conserve your gas usage while you look for that new job.

The first tip is to use your existing contacts and people you know. Inform them that you are now looking for employment, and if they know of any job openings to let you know. With the social media’s, we have more contacts than ever before; and the social medias can be used to our advantage. When you let people know you are looking for a job, you will have a chance to hear about a job opening sooner. By using this method, you can conserve your gas since you will only drive to job sites that are actually hiring.

A second method to conserve your gas is to prepare a resume that you can mail or fax to possible new employers. They will have the opportunity to review your resume, and then they can call you for an interview if they are interested in talking to you. This is another opportunity for you to conserve your gas; since you will only travel to them if they call you in for an interview.

A third method to save your gas usage is to look online for a job, and post your completed resume on some sites. But you will still need to apply for some of these jobs in person. There is several online job search engines that you can use to find a job in your area. These sites will allow you to post your resume, and the employers that are interested will be able to contact you by email or phone. This can narrow your travel time down and conserve your gas. You will only be going to employers that have shown an interest in you; you will not be making trips to every job you found online.

There will be a time that you will need to leave your house and actually go to the physical location of a business to look for a job. It is better to have a list of where to go to look for a job at before you leave home; this will make your driving more efficient and use less gas on the trip. Having a good road plan will ensure less gas usage. You will know exactly where you are going without making unnecessary turns and using more gas. It might not seem like very much saved, but every dollar you can save on gas adds up.

Another gas saving tip is to check your area for job fairs. A job fair will be in one location, and you will have opportunities to meet company representatives from the areas. The companies are looking for employees to represent their company. By attending a job fair, you will get to meet these representatives of these companies on a personal level; and all at one location. This will save you the gas of going to each individual company.

If you are unemployed, you will want to conserve all your money to pay your bills. Conserving the gas it takes to travel for job hunting is no different. Locating the best job can become expensive if you do not follow these tips. If you go out and just travel around with no idea of where to look or not care how much gas you use, then you will be broke before you find a job. Simple planning techniques are the solution to save gas while job hunting as well as using your contacts and online searches; you can save gas.

Marcie McDonald is an insurance consultant who writes for cheapestcarinsurance.org.uk and highly recommends checking online for car insurance comparison websites. This site even includes classic car insurance quotes.

Does it sound familiar?

Logic tells us that any job is better than no job, especially with unemployment being the way it is. But hating your job, as over 80% of working people do, takes a huge emotional and psychological toll which often manifests in physical illness (real, feigned and imagined).

The effects are not only felt in people’s personal lives but also in the corporate environment. People who hate their jobs simply aren’t as productive as those who love their jobs, or feel more or less neutral about going to work every day. Job haters tend to use all their available sick days in a given year, they take long coffee breaks, gaze out the window and generally seek distractions. The quality of their work is also often poor because they lack the motivation to put in the effort required.

Of course, quality of work doesn’t suffer as much when the boss is something of a demon.

Horrible bosses are able to suck the joy out of even the most satisfying jobs. Countless people who are passionate about their career paths stumble in the face of a boss with absolutely no people skills. Horrible bosses come in all forms. There are those that micromanage every single process, that are weak and unable to lead, that take all the glory and shrug off all the blame, that delegate everything, that lose their tempers and shout, that are hypocritical, that gossip, that express overt favouritism … the list goes on.

The sad truth is that the perfect boss doesn’t exist. Even bosses that seem decent for years can turn on a dime and make life impossible. It’s up to you how you decide to handle it. Some people have a very basic philosophy: they won’t work for anyone who doesn’t respect them. Other people don’t have that luxury. Mortgages, kids in school, car payments, insurance, pension plans and medical aids are all very effective at keeping people miserable in jobs they hate.

Tips to survive the job you hate

• Talk about it. It’s not just enough to complain to your friends and family about how much you hate your job; you also have to talk to someone in your HR department. The people in the HR department are there for their ability to solve people-problems. They’re trained to help you manage stress and deal with internal hassles all while maintaining confidentiality. If the problem is a big one, like sexual harassment, then they will ask your permission before taking the matter further.
  If you work for a very small company without an HR department then you’ll have to bite the bullet and try talk to your boss or immediate manager.
• Get a hobby. As difficult as it sounds you need to make a concerted effort to leave your work problems at work. The best way to do this is to distract yourself with something that you love, or to try different things until you unlock your secret passion. Many community centres and libraries offer classes and groups for a range of activities, such as pottery, pencil drawings, scrapbooking, writing, yoga, pilates and aromatherapy. A lot of places will let you try out a lesson for free to see if you like it before committing yourself to the class. Find out about local sports clubs in your area, even if it’s just bowls or hiking. Alternatively, research some hobbies on the internet. You’ll find information and tutorials on anything from bird watching to knife making.
• Save the best for last. People have a tendency to leave the worst for last, but, thinking back to you childhood again, do you remember saving the best food on your plate for last? Remember holding breath while bolting the broccoli and then savouring the mashed potatoes? Revive this childhood tradition in the workplace. Rather than procrastinate and leave the most tiresome and dreaded assignments or tasks for the end of the day or the end of the week or the last minute of the deadline, get them done first. Having the worst behind you allows you to savour the bits of your job that you still enjoy. Otherwise, even the fun bits are tainted by the awful bits looming over your head.

If nothing helps and you still feel like crying in the car on your way to work every morning you should think very seriously about putting your CV on some job sites and expanding your horizons. In the end, no job is worth your self-esteem, dignity and sanity.

Sandy writes for a number of different blogs, on a number of different topics, including job posting software, advertising, travel, technology and the environment.

Many new college students, and continuing students, start to feel ambitious during their years in formal education. This usually translates as them signing up for more classes than they can handle. Let’s not beat around the bush, the number one thing that keeps college students from focusing more on school is that they spend too much time in social activities. Socializing in college is actually a very important part of the overall experience. However, you aren’t paying thousands of dollars in tuition to socialize. The purpose of college is to learn skills that will help you start a productive career. Thus, you need to learn to find a balance between all of your various duties and responsibilities in your college years. However, there are some circumstances that may justify you giving up on a class (and keep in mind that pure laziness is NOT listed below):

1. It looks like you are about to fail. If you have already wasted too much time at the beginning of the semester and it looks like you may possibly fail the course if you continue, you may have the option of dropping the course. Most colleges have a specific deadline set where they allow students to “withdraw” from a course without it affecting their GPA. If you are already failing and the deadline hasn’t passed, you will still have time to withdraw safely from the course without any negative effects.
2. You are sacrificing too much sleep. Sleep is one of the most important things our bodies need to keep us healthy, just as important as eating healthy. Too many college students sacrifice this valuable commodity in order to do all the things they want/need to do. If you find yourself struggling in your classes because of lack of sleep, then you should obviously rethink whether you are wasting too much time socializing, or whether you have been too ambitious in your schedule this semester. If it’s the socializing, then you know what you have to do. If it’s because you have a heavy course load, then you may want to rethink your class schedule.
3. Your roommates tell you that you look stressed. If other people are starting to notice that you are looking particularly stressed out, then obviously you should re-evaluate your priorities and coursework. Stress can have many detrimental effects on your health. If the stress is coming from a source not involving school, you may have to sacrifice something else to make that stress go away, or you may have to sacrifice school until you have taken care of that first problem. It all depends on what your particular source of stress is.
4. The class is ridiculously boring. If you start a course and find that it’s so ridiculously boring that your head hits the desk the second you sit down, you may want to reconsider taking the course. If it’s a general credit course, you’ll have no problem finding a different subject area that may interest you. If it is a course required for you major, you may want to rethink your major. . .
5. The professor is worse than Ben Stein. Remember those commercials for Clear Eyes in which Ben Stein talked in a monotone the whole time. . . well, unfortunately, there are many real professors who speak like that. There are also many that you may just straight-up dislike. If you dread going to class because you feel like the professor has a personal vendetta against you, you may consider dropping it. Although, learning how to deal with it will probably be great for your own character development.

Tiffani Azani is a freelance writer for MyCollegesandCareers.com. My Colleges and Careers provides online tools for prospective students to help them connect with the best online colleges and earn a college degree.

Julia Child has become a household name among cooks in the United States and even throughout the world. Even beyond her death, her story and her impact on the culinary world continue to live on. While Ms.Child did not initially set out to become a world famous chef and household name, her career savvy and perseverance paid off by creating a career to which others can aspire to achieve.

Lesson #1 – Do Your Background Homework

Ms. Child is famous for her French cooking, but she did not know how to even speak French when she arrived in France with her husband in the 1940s. Determined to make her situation work, she invested the time and effort into learning the language of the culture that eventually became her passion. In order to advance your career, take classes, learn something new about your industry or technology.

Lesson #2 – Find Your Passion and Follow It

Ms. Child loved living in France. She also discovered that she loved French food. This passion and enthusiasm followed her throughout her entire career. Find out what you are passionate about and make it your life’s work. If it is sport fishing, find a way to integrate that into your work. Work should be something you enjoy and want to do, not something that is a dredge and to be avoided.

Lesson #3 – Keep Learning

Ms. Child did not start her career as a chef until she was well into her 30s. She was not only passionate about food, but she wanted to excel in being a chef. She took every class she could find and worked at it diligently until she had mastered whatever cooking technique or skill needed to succeed. Take the attitude that you never “arrive,” but instead are on an interesting and exciting journey.

Lesson #4 – Be Joyous

One of the things that set Ms. Child apart from chefs of her time was her enthusiasm and excitement about what she was doing. To watch her was to see her absolute joy and excitement about food, especially French food. Follow your joy and your passions and demonstrate and express your enthusiasm for your work.

Lesson #5 – Know that it Takes Hard Work

Being successful takes work. Ms. Child continued to be creative and find innovative solutions, even into her later years. She was willing to make the extra effort to not just pass her classes in culinary school, but wanted to be the top in her class. Do whatever it takes to reach your goals and achieve excellence in your field.

Lesson #6 – Acknowledge that You Make Mistakes and Keep Going

One of the things that Ms. Child did not waste time on was wallowing if she messed up and made a mistake. If something flopped, then it did not work and she moved on. She used failures as an opportunity to learn and moved forward. Know that you are human and will make mistakes. Use the lessons learned about what not to do and go forward, knowing you will do better next time.

Lesson #7 – Ask for Feedback

Ms. Child recognized that in her passion for French food, she was introducing something new to the American public at large. She frequently asked family and friends for feedback about what they liked and what they found easiest to make from her recipes and cookbooks. Be willing to hear what others have to say about your work and ideas.

Lesson #8 – Build on Your Foundation

Ms. Child was not satisfied to just be a cook. She wanted to be a chef, then she wanted to be a teacher. With each new skills, she developed a new set of goals and reached for them. Be willing to continue to develop your skills and build upon your foundation.

Lesson #9 – Be Willing to Test the Theory

Ms. Child quickly learned that food is a passion in France and an entire art unto itself. She became quite willing and wanted to test ideas and concept out, until she had absolute knowledge that they worked. Be willing to take a risk and challenge the status quo. You might be surprised and learn that just because something has always been done a certain way, does not mean it has to be done that way forever.

Lesson #10 – Value Yourself

Ms. Child’s first efforts at introducing French cooking to the American public were not easy. In fact, they took many, many years. She understood intuitively that what she wanted to accomplish was of value and could be successful. Even if you are faced with challenges in achieving your goals or introducing new innovations, stay determined and keep trying. Eventually, you will get there.

Another valuable lesson is to manage your finances and cut down any unnecessary expenses whenever possible. An easy way to cut down expenses is to do an online quote comparison at Kanetix Canada to find the cheapest car insurance quote and save money.

Finding a job is not what it used to be. For our parents a high-school diploma, and a little hard work meant you could have a successful career. Then, it got just a little bit harder. You needed to get your college degree. As long as you got some sort of degree, you would usually come out landing a pretty good job. Things have since changed. You have to get a degree that translates into something, and you have to compete to beat out more people, for less jobs. This is what the economy has seemingly turned into. There is one promising career path that has some high paying prospects. It is a little bit unconventional for the most part, but also has some amazing benefits. The career path I am talking about it the online job market.

In terms of lifespan, the internet is in its youth. Online jobs are just getting started, and there are many positions to be filled. The need for tech people is growing each day, and by 2016, 6 million jobs are expected to be available for online workers – according to HubPages. That is a huge number, and no other field is coming close to match that growth. The one hard part about online jobs, is much of the time the jobs are not traditionally listed, so either people are not looking for work, or they are not looking in the right places.

Finding jobs online, although plentiful, can take a little bit more intuition. While it is very possible to search for jobs online, and land one, there are many that go unseen. The fact is you have to constantly be looking. Swap information through forums, email enticing proposals to webmasters showcasing your skills, and most important of all you need to have something to show for yourself. If you have nothing to show, start small and do your absolute best quality work each time you take on a project. You also might want to consider building a website offering your particular services. This will put some legitimacy behind your offers, and can boost you sales just by people coming across your website. If you do not know how to build a website, hire someone to do it, or you could even use a simple WordPress theme for starting off. Now you are ready to get going on some work.

One of the most obvious talents that the internet needs is web designers. If you have the talent already, then great. If you don’t, the truth is HTML, and CSS are pretty simple languages to use. Javascript is slightly more complicated but it is also considered one of the easiest programming languages to learn. Even things like jQuery (which is essentially an simplified way to use Javascript) can make things easier, and more professional looking. After you have the necessary skills to build websites you can get started. You can apply for hundreds of jobs around the internet, or just simply start your own business. This market is quite saturated, but there are few things that you can do to become successful. First, offer to build your friends, family, or associates a website, if they need it. This might be your best learning experience when getting started. It will be less stressful working with someone you know at first, and you can slowly build your confidence along the way. It is very important to finish projects in a timely manner, and do your absolute best work each time. This will allow start building a portfolio and a solid reputation.

Programmers, are usually the highest paid, and most needed skill workers for online jobs. Now you cannot become a programmer overnight, and it certainly is a lot of work to learn even the basics. However, this is a very rewarding process, both monetarily, and mentally. If you are thinking about going back to school, computer science or computer engineering might be your best bet. This is the one field that you can guarantee to land a job after school. If you already have programming knowledge you probably know this first hand. If you can compliment your programming skills with creative web development, then you will have the opportunity to punch your own ticket.

One thing that is great about online jobs is that most likely you already have the talents to start making some money. Online jobs are not limited to web development and programming, although they are the most obvious. One of the easiest jobs to get into is writing. Writing can mean a number of different things on the internet. Obviously people need content writing services. Some websites have thousands of pages, and they cannot write all of that content themselves. If you have the ability to write good content, and at a good pace, you can make a lot of money. You can even sign up for textbroker.com and start writing articles today to make some money. Another form of writing online is blogging. If you can provide interesting, controversial, or funny content you might find your self with a following. Blogging is easier than ever with WordPress of Joomla templates. Once you have traffic coming to your website, there are a bunch of ways to make money, usually through advertisements. Writing content, either for another company, or yourself, can be very profitable.

Competition has been building up on the internet over the past ten years. This means that it is getting harder and harder for businesses to be seen and attract business. This is where search engine optimization comes in. The concept of search engine optimization is in nature not that complicated. Basically, you have to optimize your site in the best way possible for sites like Google and Bing to index your pages appropriately. The problem for businesses is that it is very time consuming, and essentially performing SEO takes a much time as anything else. There are a few different things you can do for SEO. There is onsite SEO, which involves proper coding, using correct header tags, and optimizing your site around keywords. Consulting on these subjects can help out a clients website dramatically within a few weeks. Then there is offsite SEO. The most important of which is link building services. SEO is a dynamic service that can provide a lot of benefits for your clients. Although it is time consuming, it can pay off, and you will learn a lot in the process.

The online job market is growing. Whether you cannot find a job, or are just looking for something different, the internet may be the answer. Almost every business is taking the web jump, and landing online. This is out of necessity, and also because it is convenient and profitable to have an online presence. This is opening up a wide array of job opportunities. You may consider even going to school in a computer related field. One thing is for sure, the online job market is the best place to find work in todays economy. Even managing social media outlets is a marketing job that is available. Start looking around today, and you might find yourself landing in a new career.

This article was written by Ben Anderson. Ben works online doing freelance web development. He also works as an SEO consulting, as well as providing a white hat link building service.

Many people decide on going to graduate school after they finish their four-year degree. Graduate school is a great way to continue your education and get your master’s degree or Ph.D. My sister is currently in graduate school and in order to get in, she had to send in letters of recommendation. This is a very crucial part of the application process. The school you are applying for will really look at the recommendation that the person gives you. They will take into account how the person recommends you and what they say about you. It is crucial to get someone’s opinion of your work ethic. In order to receive some good letters, follow these tips:

Content

You may think that the most important thing is to get a well-established and really smart person to write your letter. This is not always the best option. The best person to write your letter would be someone who knows you very well and has seen you work really hard in a class or work setting. This could be a teacher’s aid, rather than the professor. Asking someone who knows you best gives you a greater chance of proving your hard work to a graduate school. Choose someone who has seen you in group settings, or someone who has seen you solve problems in the work place. Graduate schools are going to be looking for students who are able to analyze situations and solve problems. When you are looking for your letter writer, don’t worry about all the credentials and degrees a person may have, look for someone who knows you personally and has seen you when you are working your hardest.

Asking

When you figure out who you are going to ask, set up a meeting with them. Be professional about it and do it in person, or at least over the phone. Make sure you ask them if they have time to do it. If they don’t have time, don’t take it personally. Writing a good letter of recommendation is a lot to ask from a person, and many people are too busy to do anything like that. If they do have time and they say yes, make sure to ask them what you can do to help them. If you meet with them in person, you can talk to them about your goals and your interests which will help them know exactly what kind of letter they should write.

Timing

Make sure you ask the person with plenty of time to spare. Do not throw it on them last minute because they will most likely not do it. Give them plenty of time to accept the assignment. You want to ask them way before you turn in your application because you want to make sure that it is in on time. Also, have a rough draft of your resume and personal statement done before you ask them so your letter writer can draw from those to make your application flow.

Start Now

If you are still getting your undergraduate degree, make sure you are finding connections with professors and other people at school or work. Work hard in group settings and show your professors that you are capable of doing well in any setting. Start preparing now in order to get the best letter you can possibly get. Do all your work and ask your teachers for help. They will get to know you if you are in their office during office hours getting help or if you participate a lot in class. Be a good student and you will get a good recommendation.

Meagan Hollman composes for MyCollegesandCareers.com. My Colleges and Careers gives people who want graduate, and undergraduate, credentials the way to discover which online masters degree programs fit their needs best, and help them reach their potential.

Your first day in any job is nerve-wracking and you might feel anxious about how to should conduct yourself in order to make the best first impression. Below are some top tips on how to survive your first day in your new job.

Smile and appear friendly

First impressions count and it is said that a person decides on their opinion of you within the first few seconds of meeting you. Therefore you want to impress them, especially if it is your first day with the company. Regardless of whether that person is a post person or a manager, you want them to remember you as a good addition to the company. As soon as you enter the building, you should have a big smile on your face and greet them with something pleasant. Also, make sure that you are wearing something suitable. Even if you are not sure of the dress code (some companies are more casual than others) dress smartly as this will always ensure that you appear professional.

Be enthusiastic about working with a variety of people

Working within most organisations will require you to work with a wide variety of people from all different backgrounds. Be enthusiastic about meeting and working with these people. It may be that you don’t initially get on this with certain employees, but make an effort to hide this. You never know, this could change as you get to know them better.

Listen and be prepared for the need to learn

Never assume that you know better. This can be difficult if you are used to working independently or maybe running your own business, but if you are walking into a new company then this is essential. Make efforts to listen to every point made by employees within your new company. They will have knowledge that you do not and they could provide you with handy tips that will make settling in easier.

Being prepared to learn is also another important thing on your first day. You will be bombarded with information about how things are done and you need to remember not to be resistant to change. Look upon it as a positive thing and a way of adding strings to your bow.

Ask questions

Don’t be afraid to ask questions. It might be easier to stay quiet and feel like you are being less hassle to anyone working with you, but asking questions will benefit you in the future. Co-workers will be happier to answer questions a few days in, but they will not be so sympathetic when you have been with the company months and you are asking lots of questions then.

Take note of important points

Most organisations will have staff handbooks with lots of information about how you should conduct yourself. You might also get some sort of official induction which will provide you a chance to find out more about working within the company. Make use of this and follow the protocols set down by the company. This will help you to settle in and will help you to avoid having any disagreements with co-workers or superiors.

Don’t push the boundaries

The downside of being new is that you are being watched and judged. Therefore, be on your best behaviour and try not to get yourself noted for all the wrong reasons. When you have been at the company for a while you might be able to take an early lunch or risk being a little late, but at the beginning this should be avoided. Even if you haven’t got an official trial period imagine you do and then show yourself to be a reliable employee.

Steve Waller has helped people find their way back into work for years and getting them through their first day is all part of the service. He runs a job centre website that allows people to search for vacancies on a number of job boards quickly and efficiently to get the most out of their time.

Everyone knows that when searching for a job, the first task you will have to complete for a potential employer is, “Send a copy of your resume.” This is your first impression, and you will be judged. You don’t want to wait until your interview to “wow” them. If your resume doesn’t do it, you won’t even get a chance. Here are the fatal errors you can make on your resume that will most quickly get it sent to the “reject” pile.

Using a Word template to design your resume.

Not only do they usually look cheesy, but formatting is a nightmare. You can’t easily vary from the design without screwing up all your spacing. Use the templates for inspiration, but stick to your own style and keep it consistent. Don’t use any fancy fonts. No matter what, send your resume as a PDF so it looks the same on any computer.

Including an Objective.

Your objective is to get the job. Obviously. Instead, try starting with a short summary of your career and skills. Very short, which leads to the next point…

Writing too much.

Get to the point. Employers don’t want to waste time reading a lot of meaningless babble. Only include the most important, relevant information. Don’t write run-on sentences or long lists of adjectives. When employers are going through a huge pile of resumes, they don’t want to stop and decipher anything. Get to the point.

Not showing results.

Don’t just list all the responsibilities you had at your previous jobs. Show how you were an asset to the company. The most important thing a future employer wants to know is what you will do for them. Say how you came up with a new idea, saved your past employer money, got a specific result, or anything that is a quantifiable detail.

Aging yourself.

Don’t put a date on your education/degree. The important thing is you have it, not when you got it.

Getting off track.

Don’t let your resume go on longer than one page. Take out anything that your employers won’t really care about, like how you volunteer for your daughter’s Girl Scout troupe. Only include volunteer activities if they are relevant to the type of work you do.

Wasting space with outdated jobs.

It’s great that you’ve been employed since you were in high school, but most likely your current employers don’t need your entire work history. Most recent and significant ones are probably enough – remember, no more than one page.

Including a picture.

Come on, it’s not a beauty contest.

Stating your salary.

Your past salaries aren’t necessary and may too quickly put you out of the running just by being too below or too above your future employer’s idea of pay.

Forgetting your contact information.

Don’t leave out your cell number or your email. Give your employers two options for contacting you. Assuming they’ll just reply to your email isn’t enough.

Typos, poor grammar & spelling errors

There is absolutely no excuse for errors in this area. Use grammar checker have a friend check your work and proofread several times before hitting send.

If you don’t mess up in any of these ways, you’ll be in a good position to smoke your competition. These are some of the most common resume mistakes, and if you don’t make them you’re already proving yourself to be worth an interview, at least.

Want to hang out with the grammar experts? Stop by and visit us to learn more about English Grammar Rules

The first step is to create the right resume. (Resume bucket can help.)

Second, treat the day as if you were going to work. Get up, shower, shave, brush your teeth, eat breakfast, get dressed and have a place in your home that is “work.” Read the paper to keep yourself up-to-date with current events. During a future interview, the casual chat prior to the formal meeting might just mention the turmoil in Libya or whether the Lakers will have a good team this year.

If you want to take a break and surf the latest golf scores or play some online games, ensure you complete a significant amount of work first. Use the breaks as rewards for accomplishing something. Set a quota of jobs you will apply for in the week. There are several different approaches to applying for jobs, but I will mention only two here. The first is similar to fishing with a net. You throw out the net and troll and wait and hope. You are indiscriminate with what you catch and will throw out what you don’t want. Job hunting can be like fishing with a net. You send out the same resume and cover letter to many, many (many) locations. Likely, the job is lower skilled and you are hoping that your resume just happens to be at the top of the pile when the employer is looking.

The second approach is spear fishing. You have one shot and you wait for the perfect condition and the absolutely right fish. You try to make the perfect shot to get the perfect fish. Job hunting can be like this, too. You make sure your resume is tailor-made for each specific job. You leave off aspects of your work experience that don’t apply; you conduct significant research on the company and the specific position. You know the salary range, who the immediate supervisor is and where he or she went to University (web searches help). You invest significant time and energy for each individual application.

My suggestion is to have a combination of both approaches in the week. Send out several each day – the feeling of accomplishment you get when you’ve sent out a resume cannot be beat. But balance that with one or two “star” applications. Reach above where you think can. Aim high but take the time to do it right.

Now go fish.

Graham Addley has a wide variety of senior administrative and leadership experience – Cabinet Minister, Regional Development Manager, President of a Financial Institution, Board member of numerous organizations including a national literary festival and currently serves as Director with a Health Promotion Foundation. In 2009, Addley lived in Australia for a year where he wrote short stories and fulfilled his dream of being a radio DJ.

Finding a job after college can be a challenging task. Well, to make job-hunting easier for you, here are some helpful tips for landing your dream job after college:

Check out career centers

Even when you’re just still in college, try to get ahead of the pack by finding your next job with College Career Centers. All colleges and universities have a career center. The centers are obliged to help students find a job. Did you know that career counselors working in your college have connections with the Human Resource Departments of companies? In fact, both large scale and small scale businesses recruit potential hires from colleges.

Here’s a tip- even if you’re just a freshman, try to establish linkage with your career center. You can talk to the counselors about your future plans. Eventually, when they get to know you, you will be updated with the latest job opening upon your graduation.

Participate in career and job fairs

There are a lot of career and job fairs out there being organized by both private and government offices as well as other organizations. You can search online for job fairs in your area, or simply ask people around and look for ads in the daily paper. It will also help if you already have a draft application letter and updated resume at hand so that you can bring these along when you apply for a job. Don’t forget to dress well and wear a smile when you apply for jobs.

Find a job early

It’s best to go job-hunting even before you graduate just to give you an edge over the rest. Once you decide what to do after college, you can start to plan for dream job. Completing a career assessment test in college will help you narrow down your career choices. Only then will you be able to identify companies that will help you meet your goals.

Internships

A very effective strategy for landing your dream job is to establish connection with the company you are targeting to work for. While in college, it would help if you apply for internship in the company you want to be hired in. This would give you the chance to experience the working environment which will eventually help you decide whether you really want to work in that company. At the same time, the company’s human resource division will be able to assess your performance and observe your work behavior.

As you can see, there are a few different ways you can snag a job after college. Consider these tips above and allow all your hard work to pay off quickly.

This article was written by the writer of FindCollegeCards.com, a website that offers the best Student Credit Cards, as well as a helpful college blog.

No one needs to be told that these are challenging times in which to be searching for a job. What we do need to hear is that there is hope in finding new employment! Yes, despite the current slump companies ARE hiring, they are just doing so in lower numbers and are choosier about who they hire. But you can be one of those who beat the trend and land a job, if you remember to keep in mind some simple but all important tips that can get you that extra edge.

First of all, employers today are looking for workers who can begin making a contribution almost immediately. Therefore emphasize your skills that are immediately transferable to the job, the things which you can do that won’t require much training. It costs employers time and money to train people, so stress the areas where you are ready to contribute from day one!

Problem solving and analytic skills are always in high demand, so when talking about past employment or education during a job interview be sure to stress any occasions where you distinguished yourself in identifying and solving a problem. Also never underestimate the power of networking. Use online social network tools like LinkedIn or Facebook to stay in touch with old colleagues in your field or to meet new contacts. You just never know who knows what or who and how they can help you! And don’t be embarrassed to let people know you need employment, as no one can help you if they don’t know what you need.

Sometimes the best way to enter a job is through the back door. If the precise field in which you want to work is not hiring, consider taking a job in a similar or related field that may serve as a stepping stone to the work you really want to do. For example, someone who wants to work in writing might take a job selling advertising – for the paper they want to write for! Once you get your foot in the door you may be surprised how quickly and easily you can move around once your real talents become obvious. Also don’t rule out relocating. Moving can be a hassle, but if your dream job is just not anywhere to be found where you live, consider relocating to where it can be found. In your job search cast a wide net and be willing to move if you must!

Unfortunately, sometimes things reach a point where you just need a job that provides you with some means to survive. In that case, you may want to temporarily take a job that doesn’t take full advantage of your education and skills and just gives a paycheck to pay the bills. Recessions don’t last forever, so there will always be new opportunities to pick up your original career path. In the meantime there’s no shame in doing whatever you need to do in order to pay the bills.

Finally be sure to project a positive attitude no matter how you may really feel. No one wants to work with a person who brings them down. To get a job in today’s market someone has to take an interest in you, and it is up to you to create that interest.

Nicole Rodgers has been blogging in the insurance, business, and finance industries for three years. Nicole’s nephew in Houston asked her if she had any tips for finding a job. Nicole told him some tips to find a job in these hard times and also some ways to save money just in case. She also gave him some examples of what she did when she was out of college looking for a job. She also suggested that he should take some Houston gmat classes just in case he wanted to go to graduate school.

It’s hard to ignore the news and data that shows that college graduates are struggling to find a job out of school. This is especially true for the classes of 2010 and 2011. While there are reports that show that hiring is going up, a majority of students from the class of 2011 did not receive a job offer. While students are doing their best, they are also making a few mistakes during the job search process.

I recently spoke with the Director of HR for our online sunglasses company, Terra Kash-Hamilton, to get her opinion on why well qualified graduates are having trouble finding a job after graduation. She shared a few critical errors she sees students and recent graduates making when approaching the job search:

1. Starting the job search too late- There are several students that wait until they have graduated to start searching for a job. It’s never too early to start searching for a job! You should start your job search no later than the beginning of your last semester. Depending on the organization or industry you want to work in, the hiring process can take up to a month. In today’s job market, it can take a few months to even get your foot in the door with an interview. By waiting until graduation to start the job search, there will be a gap on your resume and employers will wonder what you’ve been doing for the past few months.
2. Need to be more proactive- You need to do more than apply for jobs online that you found on different websites and job boards. Employers receive hundreds of applicants for every opportunity they post. You should do everything you can to make sure your application and resume sticks out. Take advantage of your career development center to beef up your resume and write a stellar cover letter. In addition to applying to job boards, Terra mentioned that it’s extremely important to attend job fairs. Career fairs are the best ways for current seniors and recent grads to get their resume into the hands of a recruiter. It’s also a great way for you to introduce yourself in person and put a face to the name.
3. Not being prepared for interviews- Recruiters are shocked when students and recent graduates come to an interview and try to wing it. You did all of the ground work to receive the coveted interview, and then don’t give everything you have into preparing for the interview. Make sure to do your homework on the company before coming into the office. Learn their core values and come prepared with questions that aren’t answered on the company’s website. Although easier said than done, try not to be nervous. Recruiters want fun, open, and relaxed people to be on their team, so do your best to do so. Often times the recruiter can be just as nervous as you are.

Adam Bruk is an online marketing specialist who helps professionals find the best dress socks to accompany their professional wardrobe. When he isn’t busy at work, he enjoys golfing, traveling, and helping friends with interviewing in hopes that they also land a great job.

The job market is tough. The open positions are limited and the candidate pool is overflowing. What’s even more frightening is that in most cases, you get one 8.5 x 11in piece of paper to describe why you’re the right person for the job. This piece of paper will either land you an interview or be discarded and tossed into a waste bin.

If you’ve been using the same resume for some time and aren’t getting the positive responses you’ve been looking for, maybe it’s time to revamp your resume. Putting a fresh spin on the same old content can make a world of difference. Here are five easy resume makeover tips to land you that interview and save your resume from the recycling bin.

Choose your Target Audience

Your resume is your personal advertisement. With each resume sent out, you’re attempting to sell yourself to the company. If you’re serious about finding a job, you’re applying for a variety of jobs, at an assortment of companies, and in a number of industries. Therefore, your “sales pitch” or resume must be tailored to fit what the audience wants to see and hear.

Make yourself desirable. If the marketing firm you’re applying for has indicated that they are looking for someone with social media experience, highlight that in your resume. While customizing your resume for each company may sound tedious, the time and effort will be well worth it when you’re getting that paycheck.

If you’ll be attending a job fair, compile a list of companies you’d like to visit and group them by industry or position. That way if you don’t have time to make a resume for each company you can at least create unique versions of your resume for each particular industry or job grouping.

Stock-Up on Objective Statements

Any good job hunter understands the importance of having an elevator pitch prepared at all times. An elevator pitch is a person’s 10 second spiel designed to explain who they are, what they can do and what they’d like to do. Resumes need an elevator pitch too—an objective statement that grabs the reader’s attention and encourages them to keep reading.

Your objective statement should be in the first or second sections of your resume and should describe your skills and how they can be utilized in the company. The one or two sentence statement should leave your reader with a strong understanding of what you want to achieve and how you fit within the company.

Create an arsenal of objective statements that you can modify for each prospective job.

Embrace White Space

Readers love white space. Prospective employers are thumbing through piles of resumes on a daily basis and will appreciate a resume that’s easy to read and effective. Write succinctly and use formatting and white space to attract the reader’s attention to the vital information.

Remember, you’re no longer in grade school and incomplete sentences won’t land you in the principal’s office. Instead, use action statements and lists to describe your skills, achievements, job roles and education. There are a plethora of online templates and guides to help you create a resume with well-defined sections with bulleted content.

Be a Show-Off

Instead of simply describing your duties at a previous job, describe your accomplishments. Businesses can teach just about anyone to simply do a job, but they can’t teach success. Use your resume as a bragging platform. Briefly describe your duties, but then focus on specific achievements that will set you apart from the crowd.

Rather than stating that you “managed a large budget,” show off your accomplishments by focusing on a budgetary success, maybe something like, “decreased a budget deficit inherited from a previous employee.” This shows that you didn’t just carry out your assigned duties; you added value to the company and went above and beyond.

Don’t Neglect Numbers

Employers love quantifying things. It’s important to demonstrate the value you can add to a company through numbers. So rather than simply saying that your work “increased website traffic” add some numbers. Explain the magnitude and effect of the increased traffic. Reword the statement to something like your work “increased website traffic ten-fold which led to a $20,000 increase in sales over the previous year.” Employers are constantly concerned with cost-cutting and increasing revenue, so if you can numerically demonstrate you’ve done this, you’ll be worth your weight in gold.

Finally, don’t forget the significance of a good critique. Send your resume to family, friends or even the barista while you sit in the coffee shop tirelessly revamping your resume. Be open to suggestions and if comments seem to be repeating themselves, take heed.

Guest author, Maggie Voelker, is a recent college graduate, all too familiar with the job search. She currently lives in Indianapolis and works as a content writer for a sunglasses company specializing in aviator sunglasses.

These days it’s all too common that people have “crises” every several years or so. First, you graduate college, work for a few years, then comes the “quarter-life crisis”. During this phase you may consider getting a graduate degree or a second undergraduate degree. This will allow you to either progress in your previous career, or change careers completely. After this crises comes the mid-life crisis. In this day and age, people are trending towards having more than one midlife crisis. Every 5-10 years they may feel the urge to change careers and get out of their rut.

During the past decade as the economy has wavered up and down, even more people have begun to consider changing careers. This decision may be due to a mid-life crises or forced due to loss of a job. Either way, there are a few things you should take into consideration when you are deciding on the “ifs” and “whats” of a new career.

1. You’ll need to work for it. The job field has grown fierce of late. Even in the medical and educational fields, which continue to grow even during tough economic times, it has been difficult for many to find jobs. If you are considering a career change, make sure you are ready to meet the competitive world of job hunting. You are going to have to do your best in school and learn how to show off any other talents that you have. Whatever you can do to make yourself stand out, do it!
2. Pinpoint your talents. It’s the little things that are really going to make you stand out from other job competitors. If you have a degree in something, you could go take a few certification classes in a related area to make you stand out even more.
3. Be flexible. Being willing to change your home base could become vital to your success in making a career move. And what’s more, you need to learn to accept that you might not get the exact career that you want. You may have to settle for something that’s just close. This can actually be a good thing because it will allow you to further expand your skill set.
4. Be passionate. Make sure that when/if you decide to change careers that you pick something you are truly passionate about. It’s important that you pick a job that is functional and will give you good earning potential and job security. However, you also need to choose something that you enjoy. If you don’t, then you’re going to be right back to yet another mid-life crisis before you’ve even started progressing within the current change.
5. Act like you know what you’re doing. It’s possible that when you apply for new jobs, you may not fully have all the skills necessary. Even if you are a quick learner, many employers might fear hiring someone without proven experience. One thing you can do to allay their fears about choosing you is to act confident. As the old saying goes, “fake it ’til you make it.” With this attitude, you’ll be able to find satisfaction with your new career as you grow and learn new skills.

Natalie Clive writes for MyCollegesandCareers.com. My Colleges and Careers is a website designed to help prospective students find the best online colleges and degree programs to help them fulfill their career goals.

Today’s economy is on a downward slope, which is not news. Jobs are scarce and those in need of a job are not having the same luck they had 7 or 8 years ago. With companies pinching every penny they can, the positions that were almost guaranteed to be there are no longer available. That doesn’t mean there are absolutely no jobs out there, you just need to look in a different place. Here are a few tips on where to look, how companies are choosing employees, and how to tweak your resume to land the job you are applying for.

Where to look

It used to be so easy to find a job. In the morning you could open the newspaper to over 4 pages of job postings. Now you will be lucky to find a column of listings. Most companies are turning to other methods of advertising their open positions.

The internet is a source that many use because of the free postings. If you already know what company you would like to apply for you can usually find a job listing on their website. Visit the website and click the link that is usually titled “Careers” or “Jobs”. If they have any positions available they will be listed there.

Online bulletin boards and classifieds is another way to find available jobs. Most of these sites are free to use for both the employers and the job hunters. Sites such as Craigslist.org and Yahoo jobs are full of posts or open positions. You do have to use caution however. There are many scammers that use these services also. If the pay seems to be too good to be true, it probably is. Fast food cashiers won’t make $25 per hour. If they are asking for personal information such as social security numbers or bank account information, it is a scam. You will run into a lot of these but don’t give up. Weeding through the dirt can still find you gold.

Most companies nowadays don’t want to spend the resources to advertise and interview applicants. Therefore some of these companies will turn to employment agencies to do their dirty work. Companies such as Spherion, Aerotek, and Priority Staffing, are national companies handling many different clients. This is a great one stop shop for employment of all kinds. They usually handle a range of positions from landscaping to computer programming and accounting. By visiting their office or applying online they can match your next job based on your previous work. With their pay based on finding employees, they work to get you hired.

What they are looking for

When a company is looking to hire, they have specific categories they look at. Longevity is one factor most companies are starting to look at even closer than in the past. They want an employee that has held their previous jobs for at least a year or two. They look for the reasons you are currently unemployed. If you were fired they want to know why and what the steps of your dismissal were. If you quit, they want to know why and what steps were taken to avoid such a drastic measure. Be honest with them and explain the reasons. Even if it sounds bad they would rather know the truth upfront rather than hearing it when they contact your previous employers.

When applying for a new position the most important first impression of your professional life is your resume. Standards are constantly changing for the type of resumes companies would like to see. Be sure your resume is up to date, includes the company names, dates employed, and proper job function. Be honest on your resume and don’t claim to know something you don’t know. If you don’t know PowerPoint don’t claim you do, they may just have you using it.

If your resume contains a variety of different jobs, try to slim it down to jobs that closely relates to the position you are applying for. It is easier to explain gaps in employment by omitting a job than it is for the employer to try and find your relevant work history. Employers are more likely to read a one page, dedicated resume that is tweaked for the position that they are trying to fill than they are to read a 3 page list of every summer job, transition job, and odd job you did that has nothing to do with their company or needs.

The job market is rough right now. Each job posting, interview, and call back is a chance at a position to give you security and peace of mind. Treat each opportunity as a step towards a secure future and make the effort to land the job. The more care you put towards the hunt, the better the chance for success.

London resident Thomas Hathaway is a financial consultant and a content contributor for payday-loans.co.uk, a company providing money advances when you need them.

How’s your resume looking? I hope you’ve been keeping it updated and tweaking it lately or taken it to a resume service to get it into shape, because the American Jobs Act that President Obama is backing could help give the U.S. economy a much-needed boost.

Obama’s plan could help the 9% of unemployed Americans (16% counting those who have given up the job search as well as those with only part-time jobs) find adequate employment. The first economic stimulus package, which pumped $780 billion into the American economy, helped the economy partially recover and helped create nearly 3 million jobs. It wasn’t enough, though, so this time the President is looking out for the American people by backing an act that would create around $250 billion in tax cuts, hiring incentives for businesses, $60 billion in unemployment benefits, and increased spending on infrastructure and education.

Payroll Taxes

The Act will reduce payroll taxes by 50% for the first $5 million paid by businesses. Because 98% of businesses pay $5 million or less in payroll taxes, this means a 50% break for nearly all U.S. businesses, which will (hopefully) free up some money on payroll to hire more workers. Additionally, the current plan will eliminate payroll taxes for additional workers and increased wages, up to $50 million in payroll increases, freeing up even more money that businesses will hopefully use to increase the workforce.

Hiring Incentives

The Jobs Act includes incentives for businesses to hire veterans, called “Returning Heroes” tax credits. They will provide $5,600 to $9,600 in tax credits for hiring unemployed veterans, which will provide two huge benefits: 1) Encouraging businesses to provide jobs for our nation’s heroes, hopefully helping them make the adjustment to civilian life easier by reducing job hunting stress and 2) Pumping even more money into businesses to expand the workforce.

Unemployment Benefits

Five million U.S. citizens will be able to retain their unemployment benefits while looking for full-time work due to the Act. Also included are reforms designed to prevent layoffs, including work sharing, providing temporary work and on-the-job training and programs designed to spur entrepreneurship. Additionally, businesses who hire long-term unemployed workers will receive tax credits and businesses will be barred from discriminating against unemployed workers. That last point is a big one, because many businesses assume that a long period of unemployment means that a job candidate has a negative attitude or work ethic, while in fact the unemployment may merely be due to the struggling economy and lack of jobs.

Infrastructure Improvement

“Project Rebuild” will send money toward repairing homes and commercial buildings as well as whole communities. Other parts of the Act will invest in improving roads, rail systems, airports and waterways. All of these major building projects have the potential to employ millions of American citizens, increasing spending and decreasing unemployment. Additionally, the creation of a national infrastructure bank, which will fund promising infrastructure projects, could provide a much needed boost to infrastructure development, resulting in more clean energy projects that could result in more job creation in the long term.

Education and Civil Service Spending

The Act will help keep 280,000 educators from losing their jobs, as well as an unknown number of police officers and firefighters. With our education system already suffering from steep budget cuts, this stimulus could keep it from the brink of disaster. Preserving the jobs of police officers and firefighters may seem like an easy decision, but many departments are suffering from the same woes as the education system and are trying to continue providing invaluable services with reduced budgets. This Act could help keep them secure until the economy is able to recover further.

While the economy continues to grow quickly in certain sectors—the Tech sector being a notable standout, where Apple and companies rolling out new cloud computing technology are still thriving—the economy as a whole continues to stutter. Many who default to a belief in Keynesian economics believe that the government must be ‘the-spender-of-the-last-resort.’ And indeed this may be the case. Only time will tell.

When considering going back to school, many would-be students often consider online degrees. It’s easy to see why, as many online degrees give students the opportunity to do their work whenever and wherever, allowing them to squeeze classes and homework in between working full-time and other daily duties. The one issue many potential students often worry about when choosing an online degree is whether or not it will be looked down upon by employers. Despite its inaccuracy, the assumption persists that online degrees are lesser than degrees that were received on campus. This is simply not true, and an online degree is just as valuable and respected by employers as a degree obtained from sitting in a classroom. However, there are several factors to consider when choosing to enroll in an online degree program.

Is It Accredited?

It’s important to know whether or not the online degree program is accredited. If the program is not accredited, issues could arise down the road, as there are many employers and certification programs that will not accept a degree as valid if it was not received from an accredited institution. Many accredited institutions with physical campuses have online degree programs available, even world-renowned universities such as Harvard. For students who are worried about the respectability of an online degree, choosing to receive an online degree through a school that is well regarded, accredited, and has a brick and mortar campus can be one way of putting those fears to rest. It can also give students access to some of the perks of a physical campus, like advisors and career counselors. However, an online degree program doesn’t need to have a brick and mortar campus to be an accredited and respectable institution, and students who don’t need a physical campus can be well served by colleges that are strictly online only.

What Style of Learning Does the Program Use?

When choosing an online degree program, it can be helpful to understand ahead of time what style of learning they use. Some online degree programs are strictly online, and all courses are taken on the computer wherever the student wants. Other online degree programs have a blended style of learning. Blended learning means that much of the degree is obtained online, but it is blended with face-to-face learning in a physical setting.

For example, some online degree programs may allow students to do all of their course work from the comfort of their own home, but may have one night a week, or perhaps one weekend a month, where students get together in a traditional learning environment. This can be a positive thing for those who would like to get to know their professors better, or would like to do some networking with classmates. For those who simply don’t have the time to go to a classroom, however, blended learning can be a negative, and those students should stick to traditional online degrees.

Terry Southerland is a career counselor and content contributor for thebestdegrees.org, a site featuring lists of accredited online degrees and specialty field endeavors such as early childhood education degree programs

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Congratulations! You landed the job. But before you discuss salary and benefits with your new boss, you may need to do some research and hone your negotiation skills. Negotiation is the effort between two parties to come to a satisfactory agreement. Job applicants and new hires sometimes negotiate for their starting salaries and benefits.

Factors

It is likely that the biggest factors in negotiating your salary will involve supply and demand, your skill levels, and the relationship between the value of your skills and the needs of the employer.

If you are an entry-level worker with little experience and no specialized skills, you may not have a lot of room for negotiation. Most companies have a salary scale and pay all entry-level employees a set amount.

Other factors that affect salary negotiations may include:

The salary scale for that position within the organization

The current economic climate

The size of the company. Large companies may have more money but they usually have more policies, procedures, and bureaucracy. In small companies, there may be more latitude but they may have fewer resources.

Perks. Jobs that come with bonuses, benefits, company cars, tuition reimbursement, etc., sometimes have less flexible salaries because the position provides plenty of other forms of compensation.

Industry trends and the financial situation of the company you are interviewing.

Negotiation Tips

Salary negotiation is not about winning, it is about resolution and compromise. If either side feels they have not negotiated, both sides lose.

Remember, supply and demand and skill levels affect wages. The less experience and the fewer skills you have, the less room you have to negotiate.

Do Your Homework

Your level of education, skills, and experience will likely be a big factor in salary negotiations.

Once you are ready to start negotiating a salary and have a tentative figure, focus on your accomplishments and achievements and determine how they convert to value.

If you think your skill set is worthy of a large salary, make a case for that during the hiring process, in hopes of negotiating a higher salary.

It is likely that the biggest factors in negotiating your salary will involve supply and demand and your skill levels, the relationship between the value of your skills and the needs of the employer.

If you are an entry-level worker with little experience and no specialized skills, you may not have a lot of room for negotiation.

Most companies have a salary scale and pay all entry-level employees a set amount. Companies that are showing a healthy profit and are involved in a growing niche, are more likely to offer higher salaries; so do your homework. Research the company before negotiating your salary.

Justin blogs on a daily basis. Furthermore, he works for a girls costumes company. A company which is known for there girls fairy costumes.

The job market is still tough out there, even for college graduates.

Some studies show an increase in employment for college graduates, but studies that take into account under-employment or “true unemployment” reveal the true problem to be persistent.

Only about half of college graduates are getting a job that requires a degree, fewer still are getting jobs that require their degree. Most recent college graduates are either unemployed, working a temporary job just to get by, or working part-time when they’d rather be working full time.
While a lot of young people’s time and talent out there is going unused, the more innovative ones have found other ways to use their energy and advance themselves.

Improving hire-ability

While many college graduates remain unemployed or under-employed, they continue to try and land better jobs. One way is by continually polishing their résumés to make them unique, professional, and impressive. A second way is by going to different career websites or temp offices to try and develop professional profiles and get hooked up with employers. A great way to develop a professional persona and do some networking is ResumeBucket.com. Of course, the prevalence of these career sites has greatly increased the amount of applicants for the average job.

Starting a company

The bravest and most risky thing that recent college graduates are doing is making their own startup companies. With success stories like Mark Zuckerberg out there, it is clear that anyone out there with good web skills and a brilliant vision is a potential billionaire. With no more-stable options to shoot for, many young people are shooting for the stars. The problem with this is that, of course, the vast majority of these brilliant ideas don’t “make it,” and their founders wind up in even worse financial situations than they started.

Re-thinking living situations

Social norms in the US seem to be changing. No longer are children moving out and getting their own place the moment they turn 18. The new generation is known as “the Peter Pan” generation for their resistance to “growing up.” It is increasingly prevalent for children to stay with their parents well into their 20s. As people need more and more education just to get a decent job, they become dependent on their parents for longer and longer. When students do finally get their degree, they are finding themselves under-employed and saddled with student debt, and they still can’t afford to get out of the nest.

Young people that don’t stay with their parents are instead living together with friends in larger and larger groups. With the limited income available, even to many college graduates, it just makes the best financial sense to split rent and utilities bills up as many ways as possible. Living in a large group is vastly more economically-viable than having a whole apartment for one person or one couple.

Charity Work

The millennial generation is notoriously civic-minded and notoriously under-employed. Naturally, young, underemployed college graduates are finding a lot of time to volunteer for charity. With the organizing power of the internet, charities are getting a lot more volunteers than they used to.
Charity work is also a wise move on college graduate’s part because it looks good on their résumé or Curriculum Vitae. An excellent record of service can often make the difference between candidates when competition for a job is tight.

Travel

Those graduates that can afford to are simply taking some time off of the job market to explore the world. This is a great opportunity for the graduate to get to know their self, and hopefully by the time they need to apply for a job, the market will be at least a little bit better.

Thomas Stone began a relationship with his present, primary employer, while he continues to freelance.  He currently works with employers, who now need applicant tracking software, as job-seekers need to apply for more and more jobs before expecting to get hired.

With summer internships coming to an end, interns are mulling over what they’ve learned from the experience and how it might apply to future employment. How interns view their internship experience usually varies depending on their immediate plans.

Those heading back to a college or university to finish undergraduate studies might feel the internship rejuvenated their interest in school to prepare them for the job market. Those beginning graduate school might think the internship acted as a stepping stool that gave them real-world experience before continuing their studies. Those looking for a job might be left thinking that they’re still unqualified for a “real” job because the tasks they performed through the internship weren’t substantial.

No matter your what your experience was as a summer intern or what your immediate plans are, rest assured that your internship taught you some valuable lessons. The following are three ways anybody can apply his or her internship experiences to future employment opportunities.

Evaluate whether you’d want to work in that market again.

Working as an intern often means completing insignificant tasks that seem unrelated to your ideal career. However, working in any professional environment gives you a firsthand look into the inner workings of its industry. Gaining an understanding of the work environment before you actually have to work there is unarguably beneficial.

For example, you can determine if you thrive in an office environment or if you get bored. You can see if you’re more productive when working in groups rather than on your own. So even if the tasks you completed while working as an intern weren’t substantial, you still walked away with a realistic sense of the the industry. This could help you decide whether you’d work in a similar work environment in the future.

Consider what you’re worth.

Some companies pay their interns well while others offer valuable experience that translates to college credit. Unfortunately, it seems that more and more companies find it acceptable to offer internships without any compensation whatsoever, which can have a number of downfalls for all involved. Whether you worked for free or were paid for your services, the experience should motivate you to think about how your skills and work effort might translate into pay. Think about how much money you would expect to make if you get an entry-level position in the industry you’re interested in. Then consider if it’s manageable for you.

Determine if further education could better prepare you for your ideal career.

Depending on the career you’re working toward, you might need further education to prepare you. Some companies look for highly educated applicants while others look for those who have real-world work experience. Some look for both, but as a young professional, you have to start somewhere. If you’re preparing to graduate with a bachelor’s degree and aren’t sure where to go next, consider finding an entry level job at a company within, or related to, your industry. It’s possible you could work your way up from there. The decision to continue, or go back to, school can be costly, so you want to be sure it’s in your best interest when in comes to your immediate job plans.

This article comes from Surety Bonds.com, an online surety bond producer that operates nationwide. Surety Bonds.com helps young entrepreneurs and other business owners get their new enterprises up-and-running as quickly as possible.

More often than not, job hunters are working on finding job listings, getting interviews, networking with potential employers and above all, tinkering with their resume.  It’s safe to assume that many resumes being written today are so focused on neatness, organization and simplicity that they forget about the most important aspect of the resume itself; it’s an explanation of your skills and experiences to a possible employers.

One of the most important aspects of your resume is making it support your experience, not the other way around.  Relying on your resume might get you an interview, but when it comes time to talk about your experiences with that potential employer and all that comes to mind is a paragraph description he’s already read, the interview is likely not going to end well for you.

A resume is more than your work history and academic achievements; it’s your chance to show employers who you are, before they ever meet you.  For many of the clients we serve, it’s clear that their life experiences are supported by their resume.  We serve individuals interested in entering the work force from military defense positions.  Although those coming from a defense background often forgo college to serve in the military, what we find is that the training received in defense jobs is highly technical and often practiced in stressful situations that simply don’t exist in the every-day working world.  Stressing this in a resume supports the experience of these individuals much more than trying to say what they think a recruiter wants them to say. Using your resume to support your work, the environment you’ve worked in and the training you’ve received (whether educationally or technically) is valuable to employers.  This is no different for those coming out of college or technical school.

If you’re a graphic designer fresh out of school and lacking work experience for your resume consider mentioning projects, specialized classes or even out of school courses or hobbies you might have done on your own time. Try altering your resume to be more graphically impressive or list some hobbies and experiences that show them you’re creative.  Don’t try too hard to convince employers of the person you are.  Instead, show them.  More often than not recruiters know when you’re trying too hard to convince them of something.  After all, they’re professionals too.

This is not to say dismissing organization and clarity in your resume for expression is the way to go.  It’s still important to keep your resume organized, clear and direct but there is nothing out there telling you what is and isn’t appropriate if it’s relevant experience to the job you’re applying for.  What’s important is to stop relying so heavily on your resume to get you the job you want, and start using your resume to support you, and allow yourself to get the job you’re looking for.  Trying to make a resume that tells employers what they want is next to impossible.  What’s more important is to value your experiences for what they are and stop trying to tell employers about your experience; show them your experience instead.

Contributed by Defense Placements, a job placement and executive recruiting company that specializes in helping place top-notch talent into jobs around the world.  We specialize in promoting our clients to potential employers through a variety of methods, including social media.

People can certainly write their own resumes, but can they write one that catches the recruiters’ attention?

Recruiters and hiring managers often get flooded with paperwork, leaving them very little time to thoroughly review every single applicant’s qualifications. Therefore, unless you have superior skills and fit exactly what they are looking for, chances are your resume will be passed up. Additionally, can you ensure that your resume contains absolutely zero grammatical errors and awkward-sounding sentences? Because if you cannot even write proper English, then why should anyone hire you to manage teams, handle finances or lead meetings?

Because a resume serves as your own advertisement, it is one of the first things recruiters and hiring managers see. Therefore, it needs to sound professional, eloquent and informative. For this reason many people hire professional resume writers to create an attractive and marketable resume that guarantees the attention of employers.

The Importance of a Professional Resume

You only have one chance to make a first impression.

Recruiters and hiring managers usually do not meet you face-to-face when you apply for a job, but they do see your resume. Your resume, therefore, is a representation of your professional image with the purpose of selling your experiences and skills and letting others know what you can bring to the table.

A professionally written resume contains clear and concise language, easy-to-follow format and outlines precisely what the employer needs to see. Even at first glance, an employer can quickly identify if the person has what it takes to do the job.

Not only does a professionally written resume help identify the right applicant; it also gives him or her a professional image.

Benefits of Hiring Professional Resume Writers

Do you get tongue-tied when you talk about yourself? Do you feel embarrassed when you list all your accomplishments?

Tabulating your own skills and experiences is not as easy as it seems. In fact, most people become very uncomfortable and end up looking either too arrogant or too self-conscience. Having another person write your resume gives it an objective perspective and makes it easier to present your information truthfully and draw out important points.

A professional resume writer, especially one with human resources background, also knows what recruiters are looking for. They know how to play up transferable “soft skills” as well as highlighting the specific industry skills that will get you noticed. They have the knowledge and expertise to market your talents and make you stand out.

In addition to an objective view and marketing skills, professional resume writers can also string words together beautifully. They know exactly which words to use to cause maximum effect and how to use them to create refined and polished content.

How to Hire a Professional Resume Writer?

If you are contemplating on hiring a professional resume writer, then do your research. Many writers out there claim to write quality resumes but deliver the exact opposite. Interview different writers and get to know their background. Do they have human resources experience? Did they work as a hiring manager or recruiter? Do they have an understanding of what you want?

Many professional resume writers also have a specific area they target. For example, some specialize in IT while others specialize in accounting. Depending on which field you are looking into, you should hire a writer who specializes in that type of resume.

If you are paying for their services, then you should research carefully and make sure you hire the right person.

How Much Do They Cost?

The price range for resume writing services vary, depending on the individual and what kind of service they offer. Most services range from $70 to $150 and take two to three days to deliver. Some places, however, have rush assistance available.

Should You Hire a Professional Resume Writer?

Although hiring a professional resume writer is not necessary, it does offer benefits. Not only will you have a glossy, professional-sounding resume, you also gain the experience of resume writing and find out what employers seek. After years of studying and anticipation, you are only one resume away from that dream job. Paying for a professional, then, seems like a small sacrifice in the bigger picture.

Justin is a full time blogger. During his free time he works with a http://www.cashfortrucks.com a company which helps people receive cash for cars

I recently wrote a guide to effective radio advertising for small businesses and it occurred to me that many of the principles of successful advertising can and should be applied to selling yourself when job seeking.

If you’re in the process of finding a new position it might be helpful to think of yourself as ‘the product’ and keep the following points in mind.

What is your Unique Selling Point?

This is probably the most important thing that any advertiser needs to know and convey to their market.  What makes their product or business different to their competitors’ product or business?  Same goes for you.  When applying for a job, chances are there are others with your qualifications.  There are bound to be others with some of your work experience.  So what is your Unique Selling Point?  Do you have a passion outside of work that somehow ties in to the position you are seeking?  Have you worked with charity and has that given you relevant skills?  Are you musical?  Well-travelled?  There is something about you that is unique and that something may just be what makes the job yours over the other applicants.

Know your target market

In the world of advertising, there is really no point in using Gen Y slang to sell retirement housing to seniors.  Similarly, do some research into the company to which you are applying.  Does the company have a conservative culture? If so, ensure you have a traditionally formatted resume and a formal cover note. Is it a creative environment?  Put a little more care into creating an imaginative, eye-catching resume.

Keep it simple

This is a trap that those new to advertising can fall into.  They mistakenly believe that bells, whistles, zany voices and a crowd of thousands is what makes a ‘good ad’.  Sometimes it can, but more often than not, a good, effective ad is one where the message is simple.  That message is then conveyed clearly and not lost in the clutter.  Keep this in mind when putting together your next job application.  You may be extremely proud of the tunnel ball championship you won when you were in the eighth grade but is it relevant to the job you are going for?  Probably not, so leave it out.  It’s clutter, and it could keep your potential employer from seeing your other, more significant, superstar achievements.

Be specific

When advertising, rather than saying ‘we’ve got big bargains’ it is far more effective to say ‘prices start from as low as $20’.  When it comes to creating your job application, be specific.  ‘Managed a large team’ may be impressive, but ‘managed a team of 30 sales representatives’ is better.

Keep it credible

A business that trumpets to the world ‘Closing down sale!  Massive markdowns!  Everything must go!  Never to be repeated deals!’ may get customers through the door.  But how many of those customers will come back when that ‘closing down’ business is still open the following month and having another ‘once in a lifetime’ sale?  That business has destroyed its credibility.

Likewise, when selling yourself in a job seeking situation, absolutely talk yourself up BUT only if you can back up any claims you have made.  Most employers will at the very least run reference checks, so it’s not a good look if they catch you in a lie before you’ve even had an interview.  Further, it may jeopardise your chances with any future positions in the company too.

Remember, you have a fabulous product to sell to potential employers – you!  So keep these tips from the advertising pros in mind and sell, sell, sell.

Dani Bellamy is a professional writer with over 15 years experience in the radio industry.  She is currently writing about the fascinating world of collectable Japanese erasers and other fun things that lurk within pencil cases for www.coolpencilcase.com.

Creating a professional online presence can help you to form long lasting relationships which could eventually land you an ideal job. It is also now inevitable that a future employer will “Google” you prior to an interview to gather more information on who you are. For these reasons it is vital to ensure that your online presence is kept professional.

1. Keep Facebook Private

Unless you have always been a very sensible and clean living person it could be wise to keep your Facebook profile hidden to strangers. An unprofessional image could do as much to hinder your chances of obtaining a dream job as an excellent profile page can help. If you do make your Facebook profile page public be sure that only the basic information can be viewed. View your profile as another user to thoroughly check that nothing about you is shared which could ruin your job prospects. This includes photos and comments that friends may make.

2. Use all the Social Media Tools Available

Using the Internet and social media is really like any other form of marketing. The old adage “don’t put all your eggs in one basket” really does apply to social media marketing. All too often I hear people asking “which social media site do you use?” which is then followed by a discussion about which is best. As it takes a relatively short time to create yourself a social media there is no reason to only limit yourself to one or two platforms. So create a professional Facebook profile page, also set up accounts with LinkedIn, Twitter, Google+ and Ecademy. Take a little time to write a unique profile page and interact with a few people and groups. If you have friends and family who use these services connect with them to build your profile. Having more online profiles means that it is more likely that should someone search for your by name in Google one of the profiles that you have created are shown at the top of the search results, rather than a page created by a well meaning friend which displays photos from your stag party, which leads us to the next tip.

3. Create Your Own Professional Blog

If you can buy a domain consisting of your real name, whether it be a .com, ,info or .me , do so. Then you can create your own website or blog that provides search engine optimised information about you in a way that you have total control over. Many people dive head first into social media marketing without at first even considering building their own website – personal blogs were really the first form of the social web. One of the biggest advantages of having your own website is that you can then link all your social media activity back to your site. This can create a much more professional image of you. You can also store a copy of your CV in pdf format on your site so that it is available to prospect employers and headhunters. It is also a good idea to write an HTML version of your CV to share on your website so that your key skills should appear in the search engines.

4. Keep all Your Profiles up to Date

Once you have set up your profiles it is important to keep them all up to date. Visit them at least ones per week to see how is interacting with you and also to check that noting has been posted to your profile page without your permission. Also keep an eye on the email alerts so that if a potential contact visits your profile or attempts to make contact you reply promptly.

5. Become Active in Business Related Groups

Most social networking websites provide groups to allow like-minded people to interact more easily. Becoming an active member of a group can vastly increase your visibility online. Of course, the first rule applies here – keep language clean and keep it professional. Many networking sites have areas of general conversation and chit chat. Be careful of what you say in these areas and in which threads (discussions) you join in, and being spotted in a controversial group could easily tarnish your professional image. Success through social media can be rather hit and miss. Some people spend a lot of time working at it and make little progress whereas others may have great success at networking with others. It is something that you should only do when all other more traditional forms of marketing or job hunting have been exhausted. Remember, the biggest benefit of social media for so many people is simply that it is a free platform in which you can advertise yourself, so make the most of it without letting it take up too much of your time.

Peter Dickinson is a marketing consultant Training Site, CoursesPlus. Courses Plus provides up to date professional training courses for all business sectors across the UK.

Although many low-income workers seem to get stuck in their career paths, some manage to make remarkable advancements. What makes the difference? Extensive studies have been made to determine both job and personal factors influencing career advancement. While there are some unobservable factors like workplace culture and individual motivation, the studies have isolated strong credentials necessary in the job market.

Higher Education

Increases in educational achievements are almost as important as change of employment in encouraging exit from poverty, particularly if the workers have at least an associate degree. (McKernan and Ratcliffe 2002)

Any person who wants to make executive advancement needs an undergraduate degree. A graduate degree is now a major credential for career advancement, particularly in large firms in the private sector. (Harlan & Weiss 1982; Carnavale et al 1990 Roomkin 1989)

Relevant Certifications

As much as degrees are important, they are not enough in themselves. Employers are faced with many potential workers who have the same qualifications in terms of their university education. How do they choose the most suitable ones among them?

This is where career certifications come in handy. Skills certifications matter directly because they determine starting salaries. They also have an indirect significance by giving access to jobs with better opportunities for informal and formal training. (Nan Poppe, Julie Strawn, and Karin Martinson June 2003)

Making Strategic Job Changes

While people generally assume that staying with the same employer for long is good, studies have shown it is more beneficial in large firms. Advancement attained by staying steadily at one firm is directly connected to educational achievement. (Connolly and Gottschalk 2001)

Strategic job changes are associated with wage increases. However, job changes do not seem to work for every body. Workers who have little education and women benefit less from job changes. (Holzer et al 2002) Less educated workers are more likely to remain unemployed than switch jobs.

Sending the Right ‘Signals’

Executives and managers look for the appropriate ‘signals’ from their employees to determine those best suited for advancement. The most important signals are those that make the employees more visible to decision makers and prove their credibility. (Ellen D. Wernick. Preparedness, Career Advancement, and the Glass Ceiling, May 1994)

Some of these important signals include:
- Varied and broad experience in core business areas. (Morrison et al 1987)
- Access to relevant information, especially via networks and mentor assistance (Nkomo and Cox 1990)

In addition to education and early successful performance, employers look for early promotion, training programs, moving through different functional areas and initial assignment to a powerful position. Besides credibility, therefore, familiarity also plays an important role.

This guest article was contributed by Jennifer Bell from Health Training Guide. Jennifer is a freelance writer and mother of 2 based in Los Angeles, CA. Check out her site to learn more about physical therapist training and other exciting health careers.

The engineering field is a broad one, with skilled engineers having the chance to work on projects ranging from buildings to aerospace. There is a shortage of qualified engineers at the moment, so people who are willing to take the time to bring their training up to scratch have a good chance of doing well in the industry. There are plenty of people who have experience in one specific area – for example CNC machine work, or using a welding positioner and doing some stick welding, but true engineers are few and far between.

Engineering Career Options

There are many different branches of engineering, including:

1. Civil engineering: Civil engineers focus on improving the environment in which we live. They work on everything from bridges to tunnels, roads and railways. At the entry level, this involves a lot of hands-on work, so if you know your way around a welding positioner and how to use welding equipment, that’s a bonus.  More experienced engineers may move on to supervisory or even planning roles.
2. Structural engineering: This is a more specialist branch – these engineers tend to focus on one specific type of project, for example oil rigs, or bridges. They advise the construction teams on the best materials to use, and guide the construction process to ensure that the buildings are safe.
3. Geotechnical Engineering: These engineers assess construction grounds before work takes place. They analyse the data they’ve gathered, and make recommendations as to how the construction process should proceed.
4. Aerospace engineering: This is one of the more glamorous fields. If you’re interested in aircraft, then this is a great opportunity to do some exciting work.

There are other engineering options. Some are more hands-on than others. If you want to work with welding equipment, then you’ll need to do more than just get some hands on time with a welding positioner. There are certifications for each piece of welding equipment, and for varying degrees of precision and quality of weld. You will need to get the certification that is relevant to the type of engineering work you want to do.

While it’s possible to get an entry level job and work your way up, there are engineering degrees, and practical based qualifications that will give you a leg-up in the industry. If you’re serious about working in engineering, then take the time to contact the Institution of Civil Engineers, Institution of Structural Engineers, the British Geotechnical Association, or another relevant body depending on the branch of engineering that you want to work in.

Engineering salaries for recent graduates are not astounding, but they are competitive when compared with earnings for recent graduates from other fields. Senior engineers earn more, and if you’re willing to work offshore or overseas, then that will also provide your earnings with a boost.

Engineering is a rewarding job that offers the opportunity to make a tangible change to the environment. It takes a long time to get qualified, but it is well worth it in the end.

This post was written by James Harper on behalf of Westermans, expert suppliers of welding equipment such as the welding positioner. James writes about business and industry related topics.

As a college graduate from the class of 2011, I can provide a firsthand account of how difficult it is to find a job straight out of college. Seniors spend an enormous amount of time preparing for interviews and researching the position to make sure the job is right for them. This involves spending a lot of time in resume preparation and researching the company you are interviewing with. When researching the company, if the position matches what you are looking for, you start getting really excited about the opportunity. You head to the interview dressed to impress and leave feeling confident you did a great job. A few weeks later, you receive the devastating email that they are pursuing a different candidate. It’s not easy brushing it off when you spend so much time preparing for the interview. Unfortunately for the class of 2011, this seems to be a never ending cycle.

It’s hard to stay motivated and think positively after repeated rejection during your final year of college. This is supposed to be a time for celebrating and preparing for the real world, but unfortunately most seniors don’t have that dream job to look forward to. Instead, there is a sense of urgency and anxiety. I was in a similar situation and went through the interviewing process a dozen times as I was searching for advertising and marketing jobs. I dedicated a lot of time into preparing for each interview and even had to re-schedule a handful of events and attend alternative lectures that were at inconvenient times. After the 5^th of 6^th rejection email, I started finding it harder and harder to get motivated for my job search.

While I was fortunate enough to land a marketing job that I love, a majority of my fellow friends and classmates are still waiting to receive an offer. While it’s hard to stay motivated, you need to focus on the positives. Look at how excited your friends are when they receive a job offer. It’s likely that they went out to the local bars and celebrated that night. It should be re-assuring to see that people are actually getting jobs and this will help reinforce that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Also, pay attention to how hard your roommates, friends, and classmates are working on their job search. Seeing how hard they are working should motivate you to try just as hard, if not harder, to prove to the recruiter that you are the right person for the position!

The last thing that helped motivate me the day of the interview was to listen to music that gets me pumped up. I usually listened to “Eye of the Tiger” on my iPod as I walked to the interview room. I’ll admit, I have felt pessimistic before an interview before, but this isn’t the attitude recruiters are looking for. They are looking for someone who is excited and energetic, so do what it takes to get you in that frame of mind. Keep in mind that there is a light at the end of the tunnel and all of your hard work will eventually result in a job offer. Get pumped and excited for your interviews and try to remain optimistic no matter what the situation is. Although it might seem tough now, all of your hard work will pay off when you land that dream job!

Adam Bruk is a graduate of the class of 2011 and now works as an SEO specialist in Indianapolis. When he isn’t researching trends in men’s sunglasses, you can find him helping friends with resume building and interviewing with hopes that they will also find their perfect job!

In today’s unsteady economy, finding a career expeditiously is becoming increasingly important. Job seekers can get an edge on the competition by working with recruiters. A recruiter will screen and evaluate you to determine if you are the most qualified person for a specific job or company. The best way to beat out other prospective employees is to get to the recruiter first. There are several ways you can do this.

Become visible in online networks.

Create a profile at LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook. Describe yourself in a professional way, and provide a link to your online bio. On Twitter, you can follow a recruiter whom you want to gain the attention of. Retweet their posts to show you have a vested interest in them.

Sell yourself.

Once you have become conspicuous and expanded your network, it’s time to optimize your visibility. Advertise yourself by creating a unique selling point that showcases your strengths. You can also join groups within your networks and contribute frequently and consistently to discussions. This will establish you as proficient in your field.

Create an online resume.

Upload your resume to ResumeBucket. Use the appropriate keywords in order to be searched by the right recruiters. To make it even easier for recruiters to find you, add your LinkedIn or other profile URL to the resume. Creating an expansive, well-connected network will put you under the spotlight for recruiters.

Write articles for various sources.

Getting published is one of the quickest ways to become noticed. Whether you choose to write a blog, a magazine article, or a newspaper editorial, make sure it gets noticed by the appropriate recruiters. You can do this by writing about your area of expertise. Provide some facet of personal information with the piece so a recruiter knows how to contact you.

Make yourself heard.

If you attend functions related to your industry, get yourself heard. Participate in group discussions, and inquire about speaking at the podium. Recruiters attend these events to connect with the right people. Speaking openly is an easy way to capture a recruiter’s attention. Participating in these events will also get you on the directory, which makes you easy to contact.

Recruit within your company.

Getting involved in the recruitment system at your company is a good way to learn the ins and outs of recruitment. This is like having inside access to the recruiter’s process. You will work with HR members, which means you can meet with recruiting partners. Once you are introduced to recruiters, you can take the proper steps to discuss your career goals.

Get referrals.

Inform the right people in your industry that you are looking for a specific job. Regardless of whether or not you are right for a job, a recruiter will be impressed if someone influential in the company recommends you.

Recruiters know what to look for, and their opinions are held favorably among employers. If you feel you are the best candidate for a certain job, get the attention of a recruiter. Following these simple steps will get you noticed without making you appear too eager or unprofessional. By doing so, you can quickly bridge the gap between you and the employer, service or company you wish to work for.

Nicole Rodgers has been blogging in the technology and finance industries for three years. She encourages everyone who is on the job hunt to have a phone system that is capable of syncing your home phone to your cell phone.  Missing an important phone call about a new job opportunity could be costly.

Many workers suffer from problems outside their place of employment which could, if left unattended, impact upon their professional life. Issues such as stress or even mental illness and substance abuse constitute such afflictions. In efforts to combat these problems, which could result in absence or distractions at work, many businesses have sought to implement preventative measures and have looked at programs which aim to support their employees through their issues. Employment Assistant Programs (EAPs) are designed specifically to help employees tackle any of their problems and oftentimes provide confidential access to professional counsellors.

What issues do EAPs cover?

EAPs offer a wide range of help for various personal problems. Not only are they aimed at helping the individual afflicted for the benefit of the business, EAPs also offer support to family members of the employees too. Amongst the many areas that EAPs are willing to help include, but are not limited to, drug and alcohol rehabilitation, financial advice, relocation support, workplace stress management, bereavement and help with healthcare services.

How much do such programmes cost?

For full time employees there is usually no charge at all; EAPs are paid for by businesses and companies to help their employees and to increase productivity in the work place. Aside from the lack of cost, all EAP consultations and referrals are confidential too. There may, however, be slight restrictions on these programs and services for individuals who are not on full time contracts. This could, for example, mean that a part-time employee may only have a limited number of counselling sessions with a counsellor before additional sessions are charged for. To check the details of an individual business’s programme an employee would have to get in touch with their program administrator (whom is usually found in a company’s HR department).

Why do employees provide these services?

Although these services do help those who need them to a large degree, the reason for their implementation is not entirely altruistic. Absences caused by personal issues and lack of concentration caused by similar problems can cause huge drains on a company’s bottom line. It has been figured that offering EAPs works out saving a company money in the long run despite not charging the employees for this service. For every dollar invested in EAPs, according to the United States Department of Labor study, between five and sixteen dollars are saved. These saving come in the form of a lack of absenteeism, down by up to two thirds for treated alcohol accusers, and a one third decrease in the amount of sickness benefits claimed. Similarly work-related accidents and compensation claims have also reduced significantly where EAPs are offered.

Kieron Casey is a BA (Hons) Journalism graduate who blogs regularly on a number of topics including careers, employment and EAPs.

“INCOME POTENTIAL UNCAPPED!”

“MAKE YOUR OWN HOURS!”

“BE YOUR OWN BOSS!”

Anyone browsing the Craigslist postings for a new job is very familiar with these headlines. For the untrained eye, it is difficult to avoid clicking on such headlines because who doesn’t want an uncapped income potential, to make their own hours and to be their own boss?

These headlines are very enticing, and nine times out of ten they reference an opportunity that only pays you when a sale is completed(stuff an envelope, complete a task, etc.) Many people call it “eating what you kill”, meaning if you do not kill something and bring it home (making a sale) your family does not eat.

Since these positions do not come with a salary or hourly wage, an individual cannot afford to slack off a day, a week or a month if they are relying on the income. Many people with salaried positions can relate to having “one of those days” when you just act like you are working to keep your boss off your back. These are common during the holidays when everyone is wrapping up their Christmas shopping or planning their vacation. Many commission only professionals have the luxury of being able to slack off whenever they want without a boss coming down on them, but they also will not earn much.

Income Potential Uncapped

Yes, by definition many positions offer uncapped commission potential, but what does that really mean? It means that there are no top tiers that would limit your income once you reach a certain sales level. Often times sales positions pay on tiers, which means once you hit a specified threshold you are awarded the corresponding commission payout.

The truth is that everyone is capped at a certain point. It may not be by your company’s commission structure, but rather your time or resources. If you sell copy machines and it takes you a day to sell one, you will be limited not by what your company is willing to pay but by how long it takes for you to sell a unit. That is of course, unless you start going after larger clients that will buy in multiples.

Make Your Own Hours

These types of positions often come with the ability to work when you want and how you want. For some this is a dream come true, but for many it is a curse in disguise. In order to succeed in an environment with no structure or accountability a person must be dedicated, organized and driven. For someone considering this type of career, they need to seriously look at themselves in the mirror and give an honest assessment. Anyone can think they could be like that if they have to, but more often than not they will wash out in a few months. If you make plans to get up and clean the house every Saturday morning but end up lying in bed and watching TV instead, this is probably not the career path for you.

For those people that have what it takes to survive in this type of career, the rewards can be great. Companies tend to pay on a sliding scale when it comes to sales positions. On one side is a salary and the other side is commission. If everything else is equal, the higher the base salary the lower the commission, and vice versa. Since commission only professionals do not cost the company much in the way of personnel costs, they can afford to offer big payouts to their rock stars.

Someone looking for a fast-paced, commission-only career with huge income potential should consider financial services, insurance and the merchant services industry. They all have similarities but vary in the level of accountability. Insurance and financial services are heavily regulated industries, and therefore require quite a bit of training as well as checks and balances from people like district managers. The merchant services industry has few regulations and almost anyone can become a representative in a short period of time. Because of the low barriers to entry and the high payouts, the industry is very competitive and should not be approached lightly.

The main benefit of financial services, insurance and merchant services are what are called residual commissions. Residuals are repeat commission payouts for continued business with a client. For example, an insurance agent gets a percentage of each policy every time it renews, and a merchant services sales rep gets a percentage of the total credit cards processed by a business client. In the beginning these payouts will be small, but over a career they can add up to much more than one can make in new business alone.

Eric Stauffer is part of a small business-consulting firm that assists companies in setting up merchant processing. Their main goal is to help business owners get set up with reputable companies like First Data and Elavon. Their website focuses on reviewing credit card processing firms and suggesting which companies to do business with.

As we all know, finding a job to make ends meet is crucial, especially in today’s world. With gas prices reaching over $4.00 per gallon, and the expensive cost of living, it’s so important that we find a job that pays well, and that we get educated.

Yes, you can find great jobs without an education, but more than likely you need to know someone to snag the job. A business and/or marketing degree is a great major to consider because there are always opportunities out there.

So, if you’ve just recently graduated college with a marketing degree, or perhaps you’ve had one for years and you’re just now looking for work, here are a few different ways you can find a marketing job that’s right for you.

Networking

Networking is so important because it allows you to meet new people and have so many more opportunities. The more people you know, the more opportunities usually. Whether they want you to work with them, or they know of a great marketing job for you, networking is a great way to open the doors of opportunity.

Job Boards

The Internet is great because it allows you to do pretty much anything you’d like. You can create a website, read on any topic known to man, or you could even look for a job that’s available in the marketing industry. Job boards are a great thing to consider because you can find jobs online working with companies and/or you can find local jobs near your home.

College Career Office

If you’re having no luck looking on your own, you may want to consider going to a college career office. Leave it up to the pros to find you the job you’ve been working so hard to get. They may have several connections and may even be able to set you up with an interview.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a great website for networking, as well as looking for a job. On LinkedIn, they have job postings that regularly update. They have just about any professional job a person is looking for.

ResumeBucket Job Search

As always, there is a simple search for jobs using a job search website. In this case, ResumeBucket is great because it doesn’t just list retail jobs like others to, but instead it posts jobs for professionals, or a lot of career based jobs. You can search by category, keywords, location, etc. This is a great way to find work in your area!

As you can see, there are several ways to find a marketing job. Whether you use the Internet for job search engines, or you resort back to the old newspaper, there are plenty of ways to find the work you’re looking for! Just always keep in mind that networking is a great place to start. As stated above, the more people you know and talk with, the more opportunities you can come across!

This guest post is written by Jillian Avery. Jillian runs MyJobApps, a website that offers 1,000+ job descriptions, salaries, profiles, and much more.

Going to back to work after a prolonged period at home can be a daunting thought. The world of work changes quickly and you might be unfamiliar with the important things that have happened while you have been bringing up your children. It may have been a long time since you sat, armed with your resume, in front of that interview panel, but you should be confident and use the range of skills that you have. Now that you feel you are ready to go back to work, there are some things you can do to prepare yourself for applying and interviewing for your new job.

How to format your resume

For parents returning to work a chronological resume (the most popular kind) is probably not the best one to use. You should use a combination format which lists your skills and then your professional experience. The dates of your employment are not central on your resume which means that the employer will not immediately see the gaps. Your resume will probably only get a minute’s glance, so you will need to make sure that it creates a good impression.

Refine your work history

Think about what you have been doing during the period you have spent out of paid employment. Bringing up your children will have provided you with lots of opportunities that you can include on your resume. You may have been part of a Parent Teacher Association or done some fundraising for your child’s school/nursery. Volunteer work is incredibly valuable in terms of skill building, especially if you took on any roles with responsiblity, such as organising a team. Continuing your education is also important, so if you have been completing evening classes or other study you should include this on your resume. Lastly, if you have done any part-time work or you have been self-employed you should make sure you describe the skills you used. Remember for example, that to be self-employed you need to be motivated to carry out work unsupervised. Always be honest about your work history. If you are not including your period at home on your resume then you should explain this in your covering letter.

Should you document your time at home?

There is no need for you to invent a title for your role at home. Unless you are applying for a job in teaching or a nursery school for example, you shouldn’t need to include your period at home on your resume. Concentrate on including things which have provided you with the new skills or experience that makes you suitable for the kind of jobs you will be applying for.

The interview

Be prepared to be questioned on your gap in employment. You need to be able to explain what skills, if any, you have gained during this time. If you don’t feel you have done any relevant training recently, then you will need to describe the skills you possess that make you suitable for the role. The main thing you need to remember is to be confident about your skills; if you’re not sure you can do the job then your potential boss won’t be either.

Returning to work should be an exciting experience. It may be difficult for you if you have been at home for a long time, but think of going back to work as starting a new chapter. Be prepared for it to be tough and sometimes disappointing. Take any setbacks as opportunities to learn and put your new knowledge into continuing your search for the right job.

Emily Cotton is passionate about getting women who have put their careers on hold to raise kids back into work and sees jobs as an HR administrator as a good way to get your foot in the door of many companies ready to move up within that organisation when opportunities present themselves.

Summer-time has arrived which means students have been granted ultimate freedom until the leaves begin to brown. This may seem like a good time to doss around and sleep until noon, but making the most of your free time can leave you feeling refreshed in preparation for the new academic year. Here are some ideas of how to spice up your summertime.

Volunteer

Rather than applying for random positions which involve volunteering for organisations of little interest to you in a bid to feel a valuable member of society, apply for a charity that supports a cause that you have genuine passion to assist. You’re more likely to enjoy the work and continue your voluntary placement for longer. There are many different volunteering positions available, try to aim for a position which is relevant to your desired career path to gain some valuable experience as well as helping the charity.

Find a summer job

Many online recruitment companies have specialist sections dedicated to finding summer jobs for students. There are a variety of seasonal opportunities ranging from working part time in a local supermarket, to holiday repping abroad in a popular resort. Earning extra cash will allow you to do more activities throughout the summer or save money for future use.

Working abroad for the summer can end up being the working holiday of a lifetime. Many people return to the same resort each year and make valuable friends. You could even get your friends from home to book a holiday in the resort you’re working in and visit you.

Take a well-deserved break

Booking a holiday or vacation of some description just before the start of the new term is a great way to uplift the end-of-summer depression and set you up for the new term. The holiday could be as simple as camping for a weekend in the countryside or a holiday abroad with friends. Having something to look forward to and save cash for can keep excitement fresh and provide a work incentive throughout the summer.

Join a new class

Learn a new skill over the summer by joining a club. Theatre groups, fitness classes and short courses are just some of the many great ways to broaden your social horizons, as well as discovering new passions and talents you never knew you had. Extra-curricular pastimes and hobbies also show personality and indicate the ability to learn different skills for future employment.

Being productive over the summer can leave you feeling ready to jump back into education with a fresh mind after fulfilling your holiday period. Make sure you have an action packed summer and avoid excessive oversleeping!

This guest article was written by Stephanie Staszko on behalf of online recruitment company Blue Octopus.

Landing a job—any job—in today’s economy can be tough. Being overqualified for a job or underqualified can frustrate a job seeker just as much as having no jobs available. When you submit your resume, have a great interview and still get turned down, the frustration builds even more. Any number of reasons could cause someone else to get the offer for which you were hoping.

Resume-Related Issues

You don’t need to add detail to every job history entry on your resume. Keep the explanation to only those positions which note qualifications for the job at hand. While a one-page resume is quickly become a relic of the past if your relevant history deserves two pages, don’t force its length. Note the applicable entries toward the top of the explanations area and simply list below the other positions, noting the dates of employment, the name of the employer and your job title.

Other common resume errors include misspelled words, grammar errors and punctuation. Don’t rely on a word processing spelling and grammar check. Proofread it well; get help from others if you have weak skills.

Interview-Related Issues

You can fully and completely meet all advertised qualifications, but the people who place those ads may be extremely busy and either note the wrong qualifications or not note complete requirements. As you interview, you tailor your answers to what you know and what your background portrays. Alas, they may be looking for something slightly different, and your interview doesn’t reflect it. Someone else may get the job because of their scripting errors.

You might also meet every possible qualification, advertised or unadvertised. Your resume may be spotless, but your interview skills may be weak. You could be either overconfident and rub the interviewer the wrong way or come across as too meek or modest and undersell your abilities and expertise.

Your chosen interview dress code could be inappropriate for the work environment. As your cover letter must use appropriate language, your interview attire must meet the job requirements and dress code. If the job is in an office environment, don’t wear casual clothes even if you know the office allows workers to dress casually. Wear business attire. If you apply for a job as a medical lab technician, business attire would seem inappropriate—unless you wear a lab coat to the interview. Scrubs might be even more appropriate, but at least you look neat and that you know of standard lab attire guidelines. If in doubt, call a few days prior to your appointment and ask. You may feel foolish, but it’s far better to determine a dress code beforehand than it is to attend an interview dressed inappropriately. If you don’t choose to call, err on the side of caution and dress up a level or two from a basic position.

Other Reasons

Try to interview early in the process; set the standards others must exceed. If you apply late in the hiring process, you are compared to all others that come before you, and their names are more deeply seated in the employer’s mind.

Job requirements might change. Not all employers think to or are able to update or cancel their placement ads in a timely manner. Unfortunately, it’s the candidate that suffers.

Conclusion

Consider each interview as exchanging information, not just an attempt to sell yourself. Always have relevant questions for the interviewer and ask them as early as possible. You stand a better chance of receiving a positive response. Check your cover letter and resume, though. Don’t undermine your terrific interviewing skills.

This article was contributed by Holly Adams @ Coupon Croc. Dress the part for your job interview and save on clothing with Debenhams discount codes.

The team here got together to think of how we could celebrate the milestone.  Our initial idea was to give a job away, to which our legal guy said we couldn’t technically do that.  But we still wanted to try.  So we designed a giveaway package that we feel will get someone a job, we just can’t guarantee it.

Once our user count hits one million, one lucky ResumeBucket user will win the prize package.  The person will be picked at random from those that enter.  And all you have to do to enter is go to the official contest page and enter your ResumeBucket resume URL:

http://www.resumebucket.com/promotion

If you don’t have a ResumeBucket account, know that it is free to sign up, and even if you don’t win the contest, we have thousands of employers searching through our users resumes every day.

You can read all about the contest on the contest page.  If you have any questions, leave a comment here and I’ll respond to it as quickly as I can.

Good luck!

When you set up your personal Facebook page, complete with photos of you two-fisting margaritas on a topless beach in Cancun (your girls-gone-wild phase), you probably weren’t thinking about the fact that prospective employers might seek out your profile to see how you behave in your personal life (as a way to judge your fitness for a position with their company).  Ouch.  It’s a brave new world of interconnectedness and you should never assume that the people you interview with aren’t well aware of this fact.  On the other hand, social networking sites can also be used as a valuable tool to spark the interest of an interviewer.  It’s really up to you.  Here are just a few ways that your profile could either make or break your job hunt.

The first thing you should do is hide your personal profile.  Do you really want a bunch of skeezy strangers drooling over pics of you in a bikini anyway?  Probably not – have you seen To Catch a Predator?  The point is, you need to keep your personal information, well, personal.  So consider using a nickname rather than your full name and keeping this profile hidden from the view of anyone who is not an approved friend.  Also, make your profile pic decent just in case someone from your professional life accidentally stumbles on it.

You may not realize it, but even if you keep rather tame personal profiles on various social networking sites, there are certain things that are somewhat out of your control (such as what your friends may post).  In addition, you never really know what will turn off another person (especially one that is looking at your suitability for a job).  Suppose your “likes” include unicorns and glitter.  A potential employer may feel that this doesn’t mesh well with the cutthroat corporate mentality that they expect in their workers.  You get the idea.

What you can do instead is create a professional profile.  You don’t have to wait for interested parties to find this profile; you can direct them to it.  Instead of listing every award you ever won on your résumé (8^th grade spelling bee?) you might think about de-cluttering by posting these extras on your profile.  Then you can simply tell interviewers where to go if they want more information (or list your profile URL on the résumé).

You can also use this forum to post letters of reference.  Often you don’t want to include letters from your past employers with your application paperwork (if it’s too bulky, a busy HR rep may just dismiss the whole mess out of hand).  Instead, copy these glowing reviews from previous supervisors and colleagues on your professional profile page so that the people in charge of hiring can easily peruse them if and when they desire.

These days you have to be more careful than ever what you release into the digital world; it can easily come back to bite you (you know where).  Instead of leaving it up to chance, control your virtual image by creating separate spaces for your personal and professional information through social networking, and controlling the traffic to your profiles.  It could just help you land your dream job (rather than losing it).

Sarah Danielson writes for Midwest HR Illinois PEO Blog. Midwest HR offers innovative HR solutions to organizations that are focused on productivity, profitability, and growth.

Since the financial sector collapsed in late 2008, Americans have watched the economy shed millions of jobs. Many have witnessed or experienced first-hand the pain and uncertainty that comes along with unemployment. Fortunately, there are a few sectors that have been able to weather the storm and provide recession-proof jobs.

Doctor
No matter what happens in the stock market, people will continue to get sick and injured. In fact, as the population continues to age, the number of yearly doctor visits is only expected to increase. Becoming a doctor is still a lucrative proposition for those willing and able to make it through the extensive training.

Registered Nurse
For those on a tighter schedule, nursing is a good option. Nurses enjoy the same job security as doctors, but spend far fewer years in school.

Physical Therapist
Physical therapists help patients regain motor function after an injury or accident, so as long as people get hurt, physical therapists will find no shortage of work. Again, the aging population plays a role. As the elderly find themselves operating with decreased mobility, they will turn to physical therapists for assistance.

Pharmacy Technician
Pharmaceutical companies are doing well despite the economic downturn, which means consumers aren’t cutting their budgets for medicine. Any time you follow a commercial’s instructions to “ask your doctor” about it, you can be sure there will be a pharmacy technician behind the scenes filling the prescription.

Veterinarian
Just as people will always get sick and injured no matter the economic climate, so will animals. People feel so much affection for their pets that many even consider them part of the family. They’ll find room in the family budget for a visit to the vet, even if it means giving up luxuries like eating out or going to the movies.

Networking Specialist
Although many technology jobs can and have been outsourced, there is still a need for specialists who can maintain local networks and perform hardware repair. When the phone company receives a complaint from a customer, they can’t send someone from another country out to the client’s house to check the wires. Given society’s dependence on Internet, television, and smartphones, this is an industry that is bound to do well despite economic troubles.

Software Engineer
As the economy turns away from manufacturing, software engineering might be the new factory floor job. Manufacturing output has been replaced by virtual products and services, so anyone who can program a computer will find a wide variety of opportunities over the next few decades.

Accountant
As both companies and families struggle to keep their finances in order, accountants will have many requests for help managing investments, balancing budgets, and securing tax refunds. Most people realize that hiring a good accountant is an investment that more than pays for itself, making it a popular service in a depressed economy.

Debt Advisor
The recent economic collapse was fueled by bad debt, so it’s no surprise that those trained in helping people maneuver through the tricky pathways of debt consolidation and reduction, financial planning, and bankruptcy aren’t having a hard time finding business.

Public Relations Specialist
As big companies struggle through the economic storm, they often face public relations troubles. A corporation might lay off thousands of workers, but keep their PR specialist around to handle the negative attention the move is sure to attract.

Cosmetologist
A trip to the salon is a way for people to relax and boost their self-esteem with a new look. That may seem like a luxury, but it can make a big difference for someone who is trying to look their best right before an important job interview, or otherwise trying to feel good about themselves in the midst of stressful work and finance situations.

Social Worker
Social workers assist youth, adults, and families with a wide variety of problems. As the economy continues to suffer, more and more people will be laid off or have trouble making ends meet. The stress of these conditions can lead to family problems and more work for social workers.

College Professor
Government budget cuts have made public school teaching a less secure job than it once was, but the unemployed are flocking to community colleges and graduate programs to train for new jobs and acquire new skills. Although most tenure-track jobs require a PhD, some lower-level instructor positions might be available for those with less education.

Auto Mechanic
When money is tight, people cut back on unnecessary expenses, such as buying a new car when the old one is running just fine. Of course, the more miles it racks up, the less likely it is to run “just fine.” Auto mechanics can count on a steady stream of customers who are much happier paying a few hundred dollars to get their old car fixed than a few thousand to buy a brand new one.

Funeral Director
It might be morbid, but it is a fact of life that people will die no matter what happens in the economy. It takes a certain kind of person to be able to handle so much death, dying and grief, but for those who can, funeral directors have one of the highest job securities.

Mechanical Engineer
Mechanical engineers design and build everything from folding chairs to airplanes. With defense spending at an all-time high, there is demand for engineers to design tanks, missiles, supply systems, and safety equipment for the military.

Medical Scientist
Biotechnology is one of the fastest growing sectors of the economy. With numerous companies working on new pharmaceuticals, genome sequencing, and innovative medical devices, scientists and engineers trained in the medical sciences will have no trouble landing jobs with competitive compensation.

InterFysio recruits international healthcare professionals for employment in the United States of America. They are an experienced team of healthcare professionals, lawyers, recruiters, licensing and credentialing specialists. InterFysio is dedicated to satisfying the growing need for Physical Therapist Jobs in the United States with qualified, professional candidates from around the world.

Job loss is a hard thing for nearly every adult.  We all whine and complain about how we need more time off, but when you’re suddenly confronted with a layoff that leavesyou with all the free time in the world, it can be a pretty frightening place to find yourself.  As time goes by you will almost certainly fall out of your regimented routine and into bad habits, like waking at the crack of noon, busting out the Cocoa Puffs, and sitting in front of the TV for the remainder of the day.  You might even take to watching late-night infomercials when you can’t sleep (ugh).  In short, you may just be too depressed or unmotivated to take the steps necessary to find another job.  But if you do just one thing, you can get yourself back on track for success in securing employment.  All you have to do is make yourself a schedule to manage your time.

Thinking about hunting for a job, paying your bills, and meeting your responsibilities can quickly spiral into overwhelming despair.  It can be extremely stressful because it is currently beyond your control.  That’s why you need to make a plan for something you can manage: your time.  Put thoughts of success or failure out of your head (they won’t help you now) and focus instead on creating a schedule for your day that will keep you busy, productive, and working towards your goals.  Even this small measure of control in your own life can make all the difference in the world.

Start by planning out your average day.  Set your alarm clock to get up when you normally would for a job.  Take a shower and get dressed.  Have a healthy breakfast (it’s the most important meal of the day because it gets your metabolism going and wakes up your whole body).  Then do some job hunting (yes, every day).  You can search online (new listings may be posted daily), run through your contact list, or even walk into local businesses that you would like to work at to see if they have any openings you can apply for.  You might even want to join a couple of temp agencies.  Your most productive time will be morning, so use it for your most important activity.

After lunch, stop your job search.  You do have a life that probably needs some attention and if you become obsessive about hunting for a job you will quickly get burned out.  So keep yourself active by cleaning the house (or making those little fixes you never seem to have time for), exercising, working on your garden, reading a book, meeting with friends, or even taking a class at your local community college (or online).  Doing these things is a good way to keep from cooping yourself up and giving in to despair.  You might even take on a part-time side job for a little extra cash (if it won’t interfere with your unemployment benefits).

Make every effort to stick to your schedule and even though you don’t have to be on time, try to remain punctual (it’s just a good habit to be in).  Proper time management is essential to keeping yourself out of a rut when you’ve suffered a layoff.  It’s all too easy to give in to negative emotions that will hold you back from finding a new job or otherwise realizing your potential, so take control of your life by setting a schedule and sticking to it.  Before long you’ll find that opportunities are everywhere and all you have to do is take them.

Sarah Danielson writes for Appointment Reminder (our site) where you can send out a customizable text, phone, or email reminder to your clients. Increase revenue and customer satisfaction with Appointment Reminder.

Most job seekers these days have at least one social media account, and probably use it on a daily basis. Facebook, Twitter, and blogging sites keep individuals connected to their friends and family, but many do not understand the power of this type of online networking. Those who understand this power know that leveraging social medial to land a new job can mean getting hired faster, getting a better job, or lucking into a better salary.

The easiest way to use social media in a job search is to make use of existing personal networks. Someone who has a Facebook or Twitter account obviously knows people. Those people know other people, and can help get the word out that a friend is looking for a job. Job seekers can post a short description of their skill sets and what type of work they are looking for, and may hear back about opportunities others know about.

Bloggers can share the same type of information in posts, and can also show off a bit for potential employers. Those looking for creative jobs like photography, writing, or graphic design can prove their skills by designing quality content for their blog, for example.

Of course, there are times with sharing this type of information via a personal online network may not be appropriate. Individuals who are currently employed and are attempting to be discreet in their search for a new job may not want to advertise this information. Even if privacy settings are set at high levels and the circle of friends on one’s social network is quite small, information shared online can be reposted or printed. If everyone in the world cannot know the information, it should not be on a Facebook page.

For those who are trying to be a bit more discreet, but still want to use social media in their job search, career sites like Linked In may be an option. Linked In is a site for professionals, and many people with profiles on the site are not looking for jobs. The site is a great way to communicate with people in the same industry, so if a current employer sees a name in the listings, they generally will not conclude the person is looking for another job. Being active on Linked In, however, allows individuals to network with others in the same industry. Users will be more likely to hear about openings, and may even connect with the person doing the actual hiring.

There are many great ways of leveraging social medial to land a new job. Job seekers using the internet in their search should keep all standard online safety rules in mind, and should also be aware of privacy concerns. Those looking for new jobs should be very careful what they post online, and no one should ever post anything on the internet they wouldn’t want all their friends and family–and current employers–to know about.

Nicole Rodgers has been blogging in the education, finance, and technology industries for the past three years. She believes that graduate level education separates future business leaders from the rest so she encourages everyone who is interested in getting a MBA to get in a lot of GMAT practice. In her free time, Nicole also enjoys helping others become more Internet savvy.

Graduating from college only to find yourself in a job market that is steeped in recession is not a fun prospect.  And yet, if you don’t go to school and get a degree, you might as will just don a paper hat, because your options might be limited to food service.  Even the best online schools can offer you a chance at a better job, and if you pay attention to the criteria used to determine college rankings, you can almost certainly find schools that provide the best opportunities for job placement.  But even with a degree under your belt and interested companies calling you for interviews post-graduation, you may have a hard time securing a position.  So here are just a few ways you can turn the tables in your favor and walk away from college with a job in your pocket.

Take an internship

This might just be the best way to secure employment upon graduation.  Apply for any internships your department offers until you nab one, then stick with it until you get a job offer (if they’ll have you).  Of course, you may not like the job much, and they might not like you, in which case you should try for another internship.  Eventually you’re bound to find the right fit and it could just result in an offer of employment.

Get recommendations from professors

The people who prepared you to work in your chosen profession likely have some industry contacts in their rolodex.  If you can convince them to place a call on your behalf, you might just get a foot in the door.  And when you think about it, if you can’t get your professors to give you a chance, how are you going to convince a total stranger?  Just some food for thought.

Create an amazing résumé

If you’ve never done this before, don’t just assume you know what you’re doing.  The easiest option is to go on ResumeBucket and find templates that allow you to fill in the blanks with your own information.  But if you really want to impress, think about asking your major advisor, a counselor, or professors to proofread your sample résumé and make suggestions on how you can improve it.

Apply for everything and be persistent

Don’t limit yourself to one position that you think you want to hold.  The truth is that you probably have no idea of what you actually want to do because the job rec almost never matches up to the actual work you’ll be doing.  So while you should still look for the type of job you’ve been trained for, don’t hesitate to explore other options like related positions (or even related fields) and alternative employment like online freelance work.

Pay to play

Sometimes it takes money to make money.  If you’re in a field that is somewhat specialized, consider signing up for a paid industry job-search website or forum that offers job opportunities only to members (as in exclusive postings for positions).  Try signing up for a month and applying for tons of jobs to see if you get any nibbles.  Once you’ve secured employment you can cancel your membership (you can also write it off on your taxes!).

As a recent college graduate, I am very familiar with the ins, outs, trials, tribulations, and unfortunately, the rejections of the job search process. Although it can seem like an emotional rollercoaster at times, the ending result is definitely worth it. I know some of you may be in doubt and wondering if there will ever be a light at the tunnel, so listen up: you will land a job. And after endless hours slaving away in your university library or years spent building your career at other jobs and internships, you deserve it, too.

While the process consists of many components, the most important part of the job search is building an impressive resume that not only showcases your talents, but catches your intended employer’s attention. Before we go any further, I will warn you:  resumes take time. They’re not something you just throw together and hope to get noticed. I worked for a year on crafting my resume(s) into what it is today, and after hard work, I was fortunate enough to land an amazing job a month before graduation.

To spare you long hours of resume writing, here are a few tips to boost your resume into high gear:

Get Involved

No matter how artfully crafted your resume is, it won’t really matter if you don’t have anything to put on it. With that said, you need to be involved and engaged in your jobs, internships, and activities in order to prove to employers that you understand what it takes to be a professional and talented asset for their company. Whether you’re entry-level or are already in the workforce, employers really look at experience in that particular field or position. By experience, they’re not only looking for what skills and knowledge you’ve acquired, but also your leadership positions and personal professional development, such as attending a summer workshop or conference. Having volunteer experience is also a plus, as it shows that you care about a cause, your community, and working as a team.

Know the Basics

People tend to focus too much at the beginning of resume writing on making it look attractive. While this is important, focus on the content first. Start by simply making a list of all your past jobs and experiences and detailing exactly what you did, who you interacted with, and what accomplishments you achieved. It’s alright if the lists are long and overbearing at first, because it’ll end up making your job summaries that much easier to write. To keep your resume down to the recommended one-page length, keep a maximum of three to four main points per entry. Also, although there are mixed emotions on whether or not to write an objective at the top of your resume, I’d say ditch it. Your objective should be clear enough in your cover letter and the job that you’re applying for that you needn’t be redundant.

Decide What Type to Write

There are four main types of resumes: chronological, functional, combination, and targeted. Chronological resumes list your work histories in order of most recent, functional focuses on your skills and experience rather than the order of your job experience, and combination highlights the skills you have that are relevant to the job and provide a listed work history. My most favorite and most recommended, a targeted resume, is customized specifically to highlight the job experience and skill set that applies directly to the position or field you are applying for. For example, I created two different resumes: one for writing and editing and one for special events. These types take longer and involve creating multiple versions of your resume, but they are beyond worth it! By listing the appropriate qualifications and experiences, you are directly spelling out the specifics in why you are a perfect match for that position.

Drive Action Verbs and Numbers

When talking about each job and experience, use action verbs to describe your tasks and accomplishments. Use words like “conducted, created, executed, supervised, and maintained” in your descriptions. By doing so, you’re showing employers that you made something happen and didn’t just show up to work every day. Also, employers want to see quantitative figures on your resume, because then, not only are you saying that you made something happen, but that you produced successful results. So, for example, how many clients and/or team members do you manage? How much money did you raise for your campaign? How many listeners listen to the radio station you promoted? These are vital pieces of information and will get you noticed.

Use Your Resources Wisely

Go to the career center. Ask your family. Get into contact with friends who work in HR or are supervisors. Ask them how you can enhance, rework, and make your resume the best it can be. Also, the extra sets of eyes will help pick up on spelling or grammar errors. A supervisor I know said proofreading errors are the number one deal-breaker, because “if they can’t take the time to proofread their resume, then they won’t take the time to do their job correctly.” The average employer spends between 10-30 seconds looking at a resume, so make sure it is flawless.

Follow these steps, don’t give up, and once you get those interviews because of your impressive resume, know that you are that much closer to landing your dream job.

Molly Borter graduated in May from DePauw University and now works as a writer for SunglassWarehouse.com in Indianapolis, IN. She enjoys spending time with her family, road trips with friends, blogging about fashionable accessories and women’s sunglasses, and giving advice to those who need it.

One of the most important aspects of job hunting is networking.  Getting directly connected with individuals that know of job openings or even networked with the people looking to hire has always been difficult.  For our clients, networking is often difficult because they are transitioning from military life to civilian employment.  Luckily, technology is helping bridge the gap between employers and prospect employees.

With prominent companies like Boeing using social media as an avenue for job listings, it’s important to see which social media outlets offer valuable opportunities for networking and how they can help you in your job hunt.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn is an invaluable resource for individuals looking to network directly with individuals in directly within a given company or industry.  If you haven’t been exposed to LinkedIn you really should be.  Not only does it allow you to network with people you already know, it allows you an opportunity to search by company, job posting and industry and allows individuals the opportunity to directly see your work history.  LinkedIn allows you to connect other social networks you’re a part of and even allows friends or other individuals to write recommendations for you.  For a nominal fee you are given access to email individuals you don’t have a contact in common with.

LinkedIn is a worthwhile resource if you’re looking for job postings and network opportunities.  It allows you to gain exposure directly with individuals within a company, something other social media outlets don’t provide.  What is important with LinkedIn is that you find a way to purvey your worth clearly and find ways to set yourself apart from others.  Because this is a “professional network” having recommendations can prove extremely valuable when viewed by possible employers.

Twitter

Twitter can be a good and bad resource for job hunting.   Because twitter allows you to connect with individuals you don’t know based on interests you can easily access large amounts of information quickly and easily.  The ease of placing information on twitter allows for a seemingly constant flow of information.  Because of this you can retrieve large volumes of job postings with little effort.  Where twitter becomes difficult is that networking is largely limited to “following” a company or individual.  There is no guarantee those you connect with will reciprocate the interest back to you.  If you’re looking for a tool to quickly find job listings, twitter can help.  If you’re looking to develop a deep connect and network with individuals within a company or individual, this isn’t social network option for you.  Twitter is best used as resource for searching for information, finding basic listings and interacting (although very minimally) with individuals or companies you might be interested in working with.  Just know there is no guarantee that you interest and interactions will be reciprocated.

Facebook

Like most social media avenues, companies are starting to utilize Facebook more for job listings.  Although most people use Facebook to connect directly with friends it is slowly evolving into a network used by companies as much as individuals.  With that being said, Facebook is largely the most detached social media network in regards to networking directly with individuals in companies.  More often than not companies are simply updating the page listings and doing very little interaction with individuals on the other side of the desk.  Facebook is largely static and less interactive.  Where Facebook can prove valuable for job searches is the ease of communicating with people you already know.  Within minutes you can communicate to everyone you’re connected with on Facebook your job search efforts and ask for leads.  Considering you likely know most individuals you’re connected with on Facebook, you may be able to connect with their company or another company through them.

Make Social Helpful

It’s undeniable that social media outlets are evolving into helpful resources for those on the job hunt.  If you’re looking for networking opportunities with employers and individuals within those companies, networking is slowly becoming much easier than it once was. If you’re hesitant to go social with your job hunting, consider this; each of these social media outlets has hundreds-of-millions of users.  How many of them are looking to hire or know someone looking to hire?  What’s the chance that one of them has something to offer you in your job hunt?

Contributed by Defense Placements, a job placement and executive recruiting company that specializes in helping place top-notch talent into jobs around the world.  We specialize in promoting our clients to potential employers through a variety of methods, including social media.

Receiving a phone call from a head hunter can be one of the most daunting experiences an individual can receive. Whereas such a call can represent vindication of an individual’s hard work in their industry through such recognition it can also represent an alien experience which can be nerve wracking and terrifying if not approached with the right frame of mind. There are a number of different aspects which should be taken into consideration when accepting a phone call from a head hunter which will help maximise the potential of a good outcome for all parties involved.

What do they want?

For those who are not well versed in dealing with head hunters it is easy to make the assumption that they have got in touch for the sole purpose of offering a job. This, however, is not necessarily the case. Head hunters are employed by companies to find the best possible candidate to fill a certain position; in order to do this the head hunter will no doubt have to look at a number of different candidates before making a decision on which individual to forward to the company. This means that oftentimes head hunters will be reaching out to several potential candidates simultaneously, feeling them out to see if they would be hypothetically interested in a job away from their current position. The head hunter will make a short list based on their findings from this “feeling out” process and make their selection from there.

Repeat interview process

Due to the fact a head hunter will be looking at a number of individuals at the same time it would be advisable for a candidate to do the utmost to make an impression and stick in the head hunter’s memory. This means treating every interaction with a head hunter like an interview; being the most professional, courteous and respectful individual possible will make a mark. As a head hunter will be looking at a number of potential employees all with relatively similar backgrounds and qualifications there will oftentimes be not much to separate the candidates. Individuals who lack professionalism may find themselves, as such, filtered out of the head hunter’s search on these grounds.

How to treat the initial call

One of the earliest possible moments to show a lack of professionalism is during a head hunter’s first call. Usually such a phone call will be unexpected and come from out of the blue which can throw many an individual and give them reason to panic. Oftentimes a cause for concern will be the individual worrying over who the head hunter gained the telephone number from. On many occasions the answer is often innocuous; a mutual acquaintance or colleague could have passed on these details and it is not rare for contact details to be available on internet directories. Areas other individuals find stressful are discussing the opportunities offered by the head hunter in their place of current employment. It is, as such, worth swapping phone details with the head hunter and making arrangements to speak at a different time. This also allows the potential candidate time to prepare so as to make the best possible impression. So before the end of the first phone call it may be worth asking the head hunter for a few details to look up – such as the head hunter’s place of work and  the position to be discussed  on the later date.

What to do if the position offered is unappealing

If an individual is currently happy in their place of work it would be easy to dismiss the head hunter’s call out of hand. However, in doing so this could deny a future contact which could be especially foolish if present circumstances were to change. An advisable course of action would be to perhaps recommend a colleague who would possibly be more interested in the opportunity. This way the head hunter will be appreciative and keep the individual’s name in mind for future possibilities. Always be courteous and as helpful as possible with head hunters as they may be able to return the favour in the future.

Kieron Casey is a BA (Hons) Journalism graduate who blogs regularly on a number of topics including careers, employment and head hunters.

There are some real horror stories about bully bosses who have continually abused their employees. Not many situations can be as depressing as having to go to a job each day expecting to be abused. Such abuse can change a person, not just their attitude toward work, but their whole perspective on life in general. Here are 7 tips to help neutralize the tactics of a bully boss, and assist you in coming out of the situation intact.

Always Behave Properly

One of the first mistakes many employees make is they stoop to the level of the bully boss. They may yell at the boss, launch insults or generally act in an unprofessional manner. This of course proves to be deadly for them. Remember they are the boss! If you are not fired for acting inappropriately, there will be negative consequences. For your own good don’t stoop, and always behave according to proper workplace etiquette, without exception.

Speak With a Respectful Tone

Keep in mind that although the boss may have a long history of being a bully, while you interact with them everyone is listening to your words and tone too. This may seem unfair, but it is a fact. If asked about a particular incident later, others will recollect not only the bully’s tone of voice and words, but yours as well. To protect your job and professional reputation always speak to the boss, bully or not, in a respectful tone.

Maintain a Positive Attitude

Dealing with a bully boss can be extremely frustrating, and this is why maintaining a positive attitude is so important. A positive attitude can keep you centered and focused. Think of your positive attitude as armor shielding you from the negativity which is being projected by the bully boss. At the beginning of the day find your positive mental and emotional center, remain there no matter what happens, and don’t let the bully get under your skin.

Take Personal Responsibility

In many situations the bully boss is justified for their concerns, goals may not have been reached, and quality of the job may be lacking. Unfortunately they don’t know how to handle resolution properly. Opposing a boss under these circumstances will only escalate the situation because they feel justified. To minimize any further escalation, take a look at the facts and take personal responsibility for any shortcomings, regardless how it is delivered.

Be Firm, Yet Non-aggressive

No employer has the right to treat its employees with in an abusive manner. This includes physical or verbal abuse, borderline or otherwise. Let the bully boss know in a respectful manner how inappropriately they are treating you. Avoid accepting any justification for their actions, and maintain a firm, yet non-aggressive stance that their behavior must change immediately. Being firm often is the tipping point for a bully to stop the abuse.

Remain Detached

One of the main reasons many employees are unable to deal with a boss who is a bully is they take it personally and get emotionally involved. In doing so, they lose their perspective and often act inappropriately themselves. They get personally drawn in to the conflict and are unable to refrain from responding aggressively. To prevent this from occurring to you remain emotionally detached, using your intelligence instead, and only doing what is right.

Keep a Log of Incidents

Under most circumstances it is only a matter of time before a bully boss is discovered, and must face the music of superiors. But in the meantime, if the employees have done everything necessary to promote change it might be time to go over the boss’s head and report them directly to the higher authority. Keeping a log of bullying and abusive incidents which include the dates, times, and actions will help expedite an inquiry or a resolution.

This post was contributed by Andrew G. Rosen, editor of the popular career advice blog Jobacle.com and the author of How to Quit Your Job Gracefully. Follow him on Twitter @jobacle.

Where auto industry jobs are concerned, the glass is definitely half full. The days of the glass being empty are gone. What really sparked the resurrection of the US auto industry? Several things: the rise of alternative energy and technology, Americans unwilling to live through decades of hardship and joblessness, and a US company that is the icon of US industry—GM.

GM, Reaching Up, Reaching Out

Doom and gloom is always the prediction of naysayers. GM proved them wrong. An American auto industry that suffered its own Great Recession has found a light at the end of the tunnel. GM listened to its customers as well as the voices of its employees. In a display of appreciation for a government bailout, GM worked hard to accomplish what seemed the impossible—healthy sales of US automobiles. And what a collection of automobiles they are; everyone is clamoring after the new styles and designs.

Buying USA Creates Jobs USA

GM’s ingenuous idea to diversify and upgrade its product line is a winner. Their design engineers have made it possible to create state-of-the-art engines and interior designs in every vehicle that rolls off the assembly lines. This is the drawing card that increased customer base. It also means a wider variety of jobs available for mechanical designers as well as for those in the engineering fields. Healthier sales also mean an increase in production and assembly jobs, not to mention auto sales within dealerships across the country.

GM looks for innovators who help the company maintain its status as a leader in the auto industry. If their staff’s ingenuity, skills and experience are any barometer of what to expect in the future, it makes sense that the nation’s leader in the auto industry would also be the catalyst for a surge in U.S. jobs across the board.

The Leader of the Pack

The old saying, “As GM goes, so goes the US economy” is apparently true. When the leader in the auto industry reinvents itself and increases jobs, it changes the attitudes of American laborers. It inspires them to do what GM does: Reach Up and Reach Out.

If Americans are learning anything from the hardship of a long recession, they know how important it is to support their nation’s industries first. “Made in the USA” is no longer just a union label; it’s literally a badge of survival.

Okay. So, Where Are The Jobs?

Job seekers may ask: “Where are the jobs?” They overlook that the job market isn’t what it was. Today’s job market is a giant jigsaw puzzle and astute job seekers know all the puzzle pieces fit if they find the right connections. Visit most any major business website and you will find that most offer a career page filled with job opportunities. This is also true of GM’s career page. Seek and ye shall find.

Tony Simpson is an insurance consultant and content contributor for carinsurancecompanies.org, a site offering coverage by all the leading insurance companies, such as USAA car insurance for U.S. military families.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the total number of temporary-help employees has risen by nearly a half million in the past two years—that’s a 29 percent spike. That means that a large percentage of our recovery consists of temporary positions: either temporary contractor positions, or temp-to-hire positions. This is changing the whole terrain of what ‘having a job’ looks like in America. There are some obvious drawbacks to this shift. But are there are any hidden benefits?

The current job market can be really tough for a recent college graduate. With the national unemployment rate at 9.6%, breaking into the job market is harder than it has been in many decades. Many of the best positions require years of experience, leading to more competition for entry-level positions. Hiring a resume service may help you to look good; it may even help you think about new strategies and approaches in terms of how to sell yourself to a prospective employer. But no matter what you do, there’s no substitute for experience. And it leads to this unfair Catch-22: How can you be expected to gain experience if no one is hiring people without experience?

Not everything about the current job market is bad, however. Living in such tough times can have unexpected benefits, such as a return to traditional values, encouragement of entrepreneurship, the resurgence of inexpensive hobbies, the development of financial responsibility and the pursuit of higher education.

Traditional Values

With the economy suffering, people are starting to return to values that were important in the early 20th century, like thrift, valuing quality over quantity and favoring production over consumption. Knowing how to find clothing that will last for years without spending hundreds of dollars is a big benefit, especially when you’re looking for fulfilling employment. Also, being able to produce goods like clothing or food instead of purchasing them pre-made gives young people skills they can use the rest of their lives.

Entrepreneurship

Being unemployed or underemployed often leaves time for a person to focus on developing skills they can put to use making money. There are plenty of jobs you can perform that will enable you to make a little money and gain valuable experience. Gardening, art, carpentry, leatherworking, writing and computer repair are fields that can be pursued for little or no money; they can allow you to earn a little extra money on the side as you build valuable business experience. For example, many small businesses often require disaster recovery services for their computers, but seldom know where to turn. Furthermore, being the owner of a successful small business looks great on a resume – a valuable boost in this ultra-competitive job market.

Hobbies

Being able to relax is an important part of life. It helps relieve stress and provides the time required to recharge from a hard day (or week) of job hunting. Finding inexpensive hobbies is key when money is tight. Many people are finding they don’t need to buy pricey gear to have fun; instead, they play board games with friends, go hiking, visit art galleries, write, visit their local library, join a band or go dancing. Many of these activities can be enjoyed with friends, which can increase the enjoyment and result in deeper bonds of friendship.

Financial Responsibility

Having little to no money makes it necessary to develop greater budgeting skills that can be used for a lifetime. Many people are forced to live within their means, with little access to credit or the ability to buy luxury items. Though the trend in the past has been to go deeply into debt to purchase cars and homes or pursue education, many people are bucking this trend, choosing to drive more affordable vehicles, get an associate’s degree before moving on to a four-year school or rent a home while they save up a sizeable down payment for the purchase of a house.

Higher Education

Graduate school is a viable option for many recent college graduates, and has been made even more attractive by the unavailability of jobs. Though graduate school will end up costing more money, most students are able to defer their undergrad loans while they improve their employment qualifications. In addition to pursuing a graduate degree, some people are choosing to obtain a second bachelor’s degree, diversifying their qualifications; this route can be more financially difficult, however, with fewer financial aid opportunities available for second-time undergrads. Pursuing further education can also lead to internships and involvement in school activities, both of which are noticed by potential employers and can make an applicant stand out from the pack.

Though the current state of the economy makes finding adequate employment difficult for recent college graduates, many people are choosing to turn their economic hardship into opportunities for personal development. Returning to school and opening a small business are fantastic ways for the underemployed to bolster their resumes and gain valuable knowledge and experience. Finding inexpensive hobbies, developing the skill of thrift and learning to live within their means has many people experiencing less stress and working towards saving for the future. No matter how bad the economy gets, there will be ways to rise above the difficulties and live a more fulfilling, enjoyable life.

Thomas Stone used a resume service to land his current job. He began a relationship with his present, primary employer, while he continues to freelance.

The most difficult job market in recent American history has put all of the power into the hands of employers. Companies that are hiring have such a wealth of talent to choose from because of the fact that millions of American’s are out of jobs due to the economic downturn. Knowing how to write a superb resume has never been more important.

A well-written resume will not necessarily guarantee job placement, but it can tremendously increase the odds of getting a job applicant to the competitive interview rounds, which, in the current economic climate, is a real accomplishment in itself.

Resumes should be written with a specific audience in mind. As a financial professional, your audience, who is a manager in the financial industry, will be interested in different criteria and qualifications than a film industry professional. This is very important. Let’s get into specifics.

The Basics

In any skill, mastery of the basics is essential for real success. Resume writing is no different. Basic operations such as grammar, spelling, and format must be perfect. There is literally no room for error here. Grammar and spelling mistakes communicate a lack of attention for detail, which is often a significant aspect of day-to-day work as a finance professional.

Professional Accomplishments

Most finance jobs such as institutional sales at a forex broker are extremely goal-oriented. It is essential that you display your ability to set, meet, and even exceed goals in a work environment. Be specific with your accomplishments. Do not state generalities. You want to convey that you are driven.

It is also extremely important that you convey this, however, in the proper format and manner. Do not fall prey to wordiness here. It is very tempting to write way too much when describing your professional accomplishments. Instead, communicate the facts, figures, and data and trust that competent hiring managers will understand the significance.

Emphasize Technical Skill Set

In this current job market, overqualified people are applying for positions all the time. This means that companies can hand pick the best talent and most skilled workers, since there are so many qualified applicants. This means two things.

• Highlight your skills. Training new employees costs significant money and time. Consider applying for jobs where you have a high level of skill and understanding. That will save a potential employer money, which will generally draw their attention.
• Improve your skills. Take advantage of time off to pursue further education and skill development. Communicate this on the resume. This conveys that you are consciously and proactively seeking to improve yourself, which is attractive to potential employers.

Forget General Resumes

This is a major mistake. After job hunting for a period of time, it gets tempting to simply send out standard resumes to every company. Perhaps a metaphor will help drive this point. Sending out the same resume all the time is akin to fitting a circle into a square—it’s just not going to work! Instead, you need to fit a square into a square. To do this, an applicant must create the perfect resume for each specific job.

Remember, you have a different audience with each resume you send out. Why would you create the same piece of art for each audience? Find out all you can about the position, the company, management, etc, and craft your resume for this particular position.
Jason Hoerr is a market analyst and writer for Forex Traders, an online resource for the foreign exchange market.

Thousands of people are making the move from working in a traditional office environment to working from a home office as much as possible. The telecommuting craze has brought all sorts of too good to be true offers out of the woodwork, and dividing real job postings from scams is essential. One important thing to keep in mind is that there will always be more scams than legitimate offers, unless you are applying on a website that works to eliminate the scams through careful monitoring and research.

Tip #1: If it seems too good to be true, trust your instincts, because you are probably right.

As you search for a great work-at-home job, you are going to see hundreds of scam postings that promise astronomical earnings figures, such as “Joe B. made $8,000 just this month using XYZ Marketing Job, apply now!” Be realistic when you choose which home-based job to apply for, since there are so many out there that will steal your personal information and leave you with nothing to show for your work. You also run the risk of exposing your personal information to identity thieves and computer hackers.

Tip #2: Talk to other people who telecommute to find out what websites they have used that are reputable.

There are many different forums that people use to talk about work at home jobs, but be sure you are not logging on to a website that promotes one specific job specifically and solely. This is far more likely to be a scam website with spam robots to leave comments and encourage people to sign up for the service. The best advice may come from people that you know, such as friends or family members who have already made the decision to telecommute and have been at least reasonably successful.

Tip #3: You should never, ever pay to join a telecommuting website, not even a “one time” startup fee.

Although some reputable work at home job websites charge a portion of your earnings for website upkeep and maintenance, along with providing the connection between buyers and providers, but you should not have to buy products to get started. Very few legitimate telecommuting positions require an initial startup expense, especially those that deal with writing from home. Some product sales groups will charge you for the initial product shipment, but you should be even more wary of sales jobs since there are thousands of scams.

Tip #4: Check for accreditation from a company such as the Better Business Bureau before you sign up.

You should never give any of your personal information to a company that has not been accredited by the BBB. If the application does not offer any type of information about the company that you will potentially work for, it is not likely to be a legitimate opportunity. The business should always be willing to provide a little bit of background information to prospective employees, including areas on the company website such as the “About Us” tab. Check for a company name, founder information, and startup costs, not just a product name, along with ingredients or in-depth product description if you are applying for a job selling something.

Tip #5: Make sure that you have a way out in case you decide that you do not like the job later.

This is especially important if you are considering product sales, since you may receive the first product shipment and decide that you cannot or will not want to continue with the next step. Money back guarantees and return policies should be high on your priority list before you make any investment in the company. Companies that do not offer any type of guarantee, or only an extremely limited one, are more likely to be scams than one that is willing to stand behind the product or service.

Tip #6: Read the Terms of Service or Terms and Conditions page to find out what type of arbitration services the company provides.

One of the drawbacks to working from home is that you are faced with the issue of demanding payment on occasion. While working for someone in person usually almost guarantees that you will get paid, it is far more difficult to wring payment from an online source. There is no worse feeling than working for someone who conveniently disappears when it is time for payday. Look over the company policy pages to find out how they prevent this problem, both from their own end and from the customers’. Most reputable companies offer some sort of arbitration service to ensure that you are paid for your work.

Melanie Wymer has been a work-at-home specialist for more than three years in the area of freelance writing and a stay-at-home single mom for over two years. She is currently a staff writer for rangehoodhq.com, a site with reviews and information about wall mount range hoods and under cabinet range hoods. She also has experience with a variety of writing jobs, tools, and services, from oDesk to PayPal and everything in between, with a focus on writing innovations to make telecommuting easier and more streamlined.

Finding a job through a recruiter can be a great opportunity, but only if you know how to play the game. There are some fatal mistakes possible when working your way into a company through a recruiter, so it’s important to be aware and avoid blowing your chances.

Stick with One Recruiter

If you think your chances of landing a job are going to be increased by giving your resume to multiple recruiters for the same company, you couldn’t be more wrong. Why? The problem is, recruiters are paid a commission for finding employees. If more than one recruiter is submitting your resume to a company, the boss isn’t going to want to deal with the issue raised by who should be paid for finding you. Basically, to avoid conflict, your resume is going to be ignored completely. Now you’ve got no chance at being hired by the company.

Always ask a recruiter which company they’re representing, because you’ll run into a problem if the company already has your resume, as well. The problem with this scenario is the fact that you’re already being considered for a job, but, should a recruiter submit your resume, the client is now obligated to pay the recruiter if you’re hired. You could have been hired for free if the recruiter hadn’t submitted your resume, so you don’t want to get into the issue of costing a company money.

Stand Out with Keywords

Recruiters usually don’t supply you with a job description, which can be extremely useful in landing an interview and a job. Insist that a recruiter at least email you a copy of the job description, so you can be better prepared with a resume catered to the specific position. Companies are focusing more than ever on keywords, so you’ll want to pad your resume with keywords that will be determined by the information you’ve been provided by your recruiter.

Never let a recruiter get away with simply telling you what a job is about. It puts you at a disadvantage, and it doesn’t take them much effort to forward an email to you.

Don’t Get Bogged Down By Numbers

Chances are a recruiter is going to ask you to give a history of your past salaries, which is a request that you should almost always decline. The reason is that this information is going to be relayed to the company, and the company will look at your salary history and determine what to offer you. They may have a salary range in mind for the position, say $40,000 to $45,000, and your salary history could dictate that they offer you $40,000. Obviously, you want to go for the higher end of that range, so keeping your past pay under wraps could mean a big difference in your paycheck.

If the recruiter insists that you give a salary history, be vague about it by giving a range over your entire career, not an itemized list of what each company paid you. This leaves you some space to negotiate, as those salaries were likely spread out between different amounts of experience, years with a company, and possibly even job titles.

Recruiters can be a valuable tool in your efforts to land a job, but you need to know how to beat a recruiter at his own game.

Nicole Rodgers has been blogging for three years. Another way she exposed herself to recruiters was by using a free website builder to create a site to promote herself and her abilities.

People have always had a way of greeting each other either orally with a “hello” or physically by a hug, a smile, or a handshake. Even with these different types of greetings, one never stops to think about the intent behind these salutations. Not only should we wonder about the greetings we receive, but what about the ones that we give. When applying for a job or after going through an interview, handshakes are a common conclusion to the ongoing interaction. So, what does your handshake say about you?

Handshakes have always been a form of greeting, more so for men than for women. But when you are greeted in this fashion, whether male or female, the extension is reciprocated as a sign of proper etiquette. But handshakes have changed over the years along with each younger generation from the sixties up to the 21st century, as they each have put their twist on it, resulting in a trendier greeting.

Types of Handshakes

Firm handshake. When a person grabs your hand firmly, it speaks to a person’s outgoing personality. Another word that can be used is extroverts. This handshake also says that the person is open, confident, aggressive, and strong,

Weak handshake. This handclasp which is in opposition to firm, says that the person is rather shy. They also exhibit nervousness, insecurity, or they are afraid of interacting with other people.

Secret handshake. There are fraternities, clubs, and organizations that have the secret handshakes. These special secret greetings are used as signals of identification among members. Special handshakes are symbols and signs that are also used by gang members to distinguish themselves from each other.

Flirty handshake. This handshake says that someone is interested in another person. It is held longer than a normal handshake, and the hand is accepted and released in a slow fashion. It can also be accompanied with slowly shifting the grip to caress the palms, the fingers, and then the back of the hand.

Emphatic handshake. This handshake is expressing a forceful and clear statement.

Two-handed handshake. This handshake is indicates friendship, respect, trust or endearment. Instead of extending one hand, both hands are used to greet the person.

Power handshake. This handshake involves the grasping and crushing of hands in a painful grip. Some people use it as an intimidating factor, while others use it to say that they are confident, in control, and are not afraid.

Knuckle or fist bump. As generations come, go, and advance, so does the handshakes. The youth today have replaced the traditional handshake with the knuckle or fist bump. When they greet each other, two fists are bumped together, knuckles meeting knuckles. This is the trendy handshake.

Sympathy handshake. This hand grasp expresses deep concern over another’s loss and says I know what you†are going through.  This handshake is often followed by words and is deeply personal. Both hands are used but should only be used to express a condolence.

So when applying for a job, being aware of your handshake might just make that lasting impression that you want to have on your potential employer.

This guest article was contributed by Jennifer Bell from†Health Training Guide. Check out her site to learn more about certified nursing assistant training†and other exciting health careers.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate is currently over 9%. While the job market seems to be getting a little better, unemployment is still depressingly high. As too many workers already know, being unemployed is not easy. As the bills begin to pile up, many consumers are unsure of how they are going to pull through.

When a person loses their job, certain changes need to be made. Periods of unemployment can put a huge strain on a person’s finances. Skipping important payments or making poor financial decisions can affect a person for years. Fortunately, whether you are receiving unemployment payments or dipping into your savings, it is possible to successfully manage your finances until you secure new employment.

What to Do After Losing Your Job

Once a worker has lost their primary source of income, it’s time for them to take a careful look at their finances. Workers first need to determine how much money they have available to them. Consider unemployment payments, savings, and any other sources of income.

Next, determine how long this money will last when paying all of your bills. If living off of savings, how many months will your savings cover? If living off of unemployment, how long will these benefits last? Carefully create a budget that works with the amount of money you have to work with.

When determining a budget, cut out all unnecessary expenses. This is not the time to make large purchases or take advantage of your credit limit. Many people assume that they will be only be out of a job for a short time, but with the job market as competitive as it is, it’s important to plan for the worst.

How to Prioritize Bills During Unemployment

If money does get tight, consumers may need to prioritize their bills. A person’s first priority should be their secured debts, like their mortgage and car payment. Utilities and car insurance are also important expenses and should be at the top of the list.

Unsecured debts, like credit cards and student loans, should be the next priority. Not paying these bills will have a very negative impact on a person’s credit. It’s also important to remember that student loans can not be discharged through bankruptcy. If a person doesn’t pay these bills, their interest rates may increase and they will end up with expensive late charges and other fees.

During unemployment, it’s important to take advantage of all available income opportunities. As soon as a person loses their job, they need to apply for unemployment. If possible, get a part time job to help pay the bills.

When to Seek Help

If a person’s finances become unmanageable, they may want to speak with a credit counselor. Credit counselors help consumers by creating budgets and working with their creditors to reduce interest rates. They may even be able to arrange more beneficial payment plans.

If the situation becomes dire, bankruptcy may be an option. Fortunately, with careful budgeting and prioritizing, most people will be able to stay afloat, even through long periods of unemployment.

Don Jones is a contributing writer at creditcardsbankruptcy.com

In today’s economy, you may have to begin several paths of education. Depending on what type of work you do, the skills that you use today may be obsolete five years from now. If you fail to change with the times and keep yourself up to date with what’s happening in your industry, you’ll be left behind. This can be a scary subject for people to deal with, but there are ways to avoid becoming a “dinosaur.” In this article, you’ll learn about the benefits of an online education, and how it can help you in your career.

Acquiring a New Skill

The reason that you’re able to hold a job is because you have certain skills that are valuable to your employer. A programmer needs to be able to understand “languages” to create software. Even a doctor needs to stay educated to learn new medical procedures and treatment options. With an online education, you can take specific classes so that you can learn new skills and receive feedback from your instructors. People who take advantage of these educational opportunities are more likely to hold onto their jobs in tough times.

Earning a Promotion

There are many factors that employers look at when deciding on who they’ll promote. They must look at past job performance, attitude, ability to work with other people, etc. If you ask for a promotion and show your boss that you’ve enrolled in a class to improve your performance, you’ll probably be taken more seriously as a candidate for a higher position. This shows that you’re a true professional and will do what you can to add value to your company. Your company may even pay for or reimburse you the costs of an online class that is relevant to their business needs.

Increasing Management Skills

The ability to manage people is a skill unto itself, and it requires specialized training and continual practice. If you’re looking to become a manager in your company, you may want to enroll in a business management program online. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a full degree program – it could simply be a small number of classes you take to improve your management skills. Many online education providers offer these types of programs, and you could be eligible to earn a certificate in this area of study. This could be exactly what you need to climb into a management position.

Training for a New Career

While the previous paragraphs have applied to people working to improve their skills in their current careers, you may be in a position where you want to change your career completely. If this is the case, you can always begin taking online classes in the subject area that you’d like to work in. The benefit of an online education is that you can work around your current work schedule; you don’t have to quit your job and dedicate the next four years of your life solely to school. The great thing is that you can take the classes during the time of day that’s right for you.

Networking with Classmates

When most people think of networking, they think of it in a professional setting, not in an educational setting. Many online classes now include group projects, in which you work with a small group of classmates to complete assignments. This could provide with you a great opportunity to network with fellow students and build relationships. Sometimes it takes just one good connection to land a great job, and this could be your chance. Make sure to build real relationships with these people and help them in any way that you can. They’ll be happy to return the favor when the time comes!

Be sure to do your research on the school, its accreditation, even try to connect with alumni for their input. Realize online testimonials or gripes can be slanted, so look for real input. Make certain any higher institutions you plan to attend give full credit for courses from the online school you decide upon.

Mickey Anderson is a career counselor and content contributor to various career sites. With the health field opening up recently, he recommends getting your “foot in the door” with a CNA certification. Check out CNA jobs to get an idea of career paths available for this profession.

Do you know that blogging can be helpful when it comes to searching for a job? Indeed your blog can be an instrumental tool to help you find the job of your dream if only you know how to promote yourself on your blog. You should continue reading this article if you want to learn more on this.

Share your knowledge

The first thing that you need to ensure is that your blog actually displays the knowledge that you have of a particular subject. For instance if you are a marketing graduate, you might want to set up a blog where you will be offering information about the latest development in the marketing field. One good idea will be to analyze current marketing campaigns and to provide your own input as a form of case study. This will help establish you as an expert in the field and thus attract the eyes of recruiters.

Blog as a resume

In our days where all resume are beginning to look the same, a blog can really help you to stand out of the crowd. Indeed a blog can allow you to show real-life example of what you can accomplish and even more. Think about photos, videos and recommendations that you can show on your blog. You are no more limited to paper and you will just be able to show whatever you want.

Post often

One key requirement is that you post often on your blog. Don’t think that just posting a few articles will help you land the job of your dream. You will need to make sure that your blog is updated often with quality content and that really add value to your readers.

Promotion

Even if you have the most interesting content you will need to promote your blog well if you want people to hear about it. Below I will be sharing some common ways that you could use in order to promote your own blog.

Social Media Presence

At the same time you will want to promote your blog across the different social media sites out there. One of the most recommended sites will be LinkedIn where you will be able to meet like-minded people and mostly recruiters. There are various groups that might be relevant to your industry and should be interesting for you to join.  Do not hesitate to share your blog posts with your LinkedIn contacts as well so as to build your reputation online.

Blog Commenting

Be careful here. I am not speaking about spamming other blogs to death to get a link. Basically you will find other relevant blogs within your niche and post some nice comment there with your name and a link back to your site. This will help place you under the radar of influential people within your niche. If you do it quite often you will begin to build a relationship with these persons and this can improve your chance of landing your dream job.

Besides this topic, Robert Bellarmine also write for Visitask.com where he deals with the subject of project management .

Jobs are hard to find these days and even tougher to get – it’s now a fact of life. The job search is daunting – even the highly skilled and highly educated can find themselves out of work for months as they search for a career. If you find yourself at an interview for a highly sought-after job, you will also likely find yourself in a pool of many candidates. This can mean that the hiring manager could see twenty or more resumes and host ten or more interviews in a day. You need a great way to stand apart from the crowd? Following up with the person who interviewed you is one way to keep your name and interview fresh on their mind.

There is a professional way and a non-professional way to follow up with a potential employer. A non-professional way would be to try to friend the hiring manager on Facebook following your interview. Instead, making a quick phone call or compose a brief email to let the hiring manager know that you are appreciative of the opportunity and look forward to hearing back from them.

To give more specific examples, when making a phone call, be prepared to express the following. (And don’t be afraid to rehearse for a little confidence, that will only serve you better during the call.)

• Remind the hiring manager of who you are, what job you interviewed for and when the interview took place
• Tell them that you are appreciative of the opportunity to meet with them
• Then reiterate how you could best address their challenges and goals based on your education, experience or capabilities

The most important thing to remember is keep it brief. You don’t want to hold that person up from their own job, so a quick, polite call to follow up with what you said during the interview can go a long way.

When choosing to email instead, stick to the same ideas of content: Remind , be appreciative, and reiterate your fit for the job.

An example email might read:

Dear Mr. Cooper,
Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to interview for the corporate sales position at TAO Communications. I feel my prior experience as a sales consultant in the print publication business can positively serve the corporate sales associate position at TAO. After 12 years of media sales, I believe I am an ideal candidate for the position at TAO and am confident that my knowledge base will generate positive results in the sales department.

If you have any questions or wish to discuss anything further with me, please feel free to contact me at (123)456-7890 or email me at JohnW@ johnw.com. I look forward to discussing how I can best meet the goals and challenges of the sales associate position.

Sincerely,

John West

If you interviewed with more than one person, consider approaching the person you most recently interviewed with, as this is likely to be the decision maker.

By following up either by phone or email, you ensure that you stand out that much more than the people who didn’t bother to follow up at all. The job search is tough, and following up is one more way to gain a competitive edge. The follow-up expresses confidence and interests and assures the hiring manager that you are genuinely interested and not afraid to stand out.

Diane Johnson graduated from the University of Utah with a degree in political science. When she’s not traveling she enjoys writing articles about online education, reading books and shopping.

Ageism exists. Despite the fact that it’s illegal for employers to disregard prospective employees based on age, it happens. Combating ageism could cost a lot of money, especially if you decide to pursue it in court and, because ageism can sometimes be difficult to prove, chances are you might not win.

But, that doesn’t mean you can’t combat ageism and score a great job. You can by keeping a few simple techniques in mind.

Stay positive

Just about everyone knows the frustration and anger of being unfairly judged – whether it’s on the basis of looks, economic status, or age. The key to beating ageism in the job hunt is not to let that anger and frustration show, at least in front of the prospective employer. Go into a job interview positive and enthusiastic about the position. The quickest way to lose out on a job opportunity is to display bitterness and anger or even to say that you’ve been discriminated against because of your age. Go into every interview positive and enthusiastic, and the prospective employer is more likely to pay attention to your attitude rather than your age.

Focus on your experience

Your age, as the old saying goes, is nothing more than a number, so forget about it when you walk into a job interview. Focus on your experience. What do you bring to the company? Whether you believe it or not, you actually have an advantage over your younger competitors, especially those just out of college. Think about all of your attributes – attention to detail, career accomplishments, education, and experience – and use all of that to sell yourself at the interview.

Stay up-to-date with technology

We live in a high tech world, and employers expect job applicants to have the skills necessary to operate a computer, for example, to successfully navigate the internet, and to use popular computer programs. If your skills are rusty or you don’t have the necessary skills, invest the time and the money to get them. Many community colleges offer credit and non-credit classes at reasonable fees that will allow you to polish your technological skills.

Polish your resume

Your resume plays an important role in you landing a job interview. Have you looked at it lately? Before you send it out again, do a thorough review of it, and ask yourself several questions:

• Is the layout clean and professional?
• Is the layout modern? Go online to check out the popular resume formats today.
• Did you list all of your jobs or just those that are relevant to the position for which you are applying? You should only include those that are relevant to the jobs for which you are applying, and employment experts recommend going back approximately 15 years with your employment history rather than providing your whole history.
• Have you included the dates of your employment? Not putting dates you worked at companies can be a red flag to employers.

If you are having trouble getting your resume started or would like to see what works for others, be sure to check out our sample resumes section.

Ageism doesn’t have to define your job search. You define your job search and your place in the job market. Show your self-confidence, be positive, and take the steps necessary – polishing your resume and updating your skills – needed to impress an employer regardless of your age, and you increase your chances of landing a job sooner rather than later.

The following is from a new series in which we take a look at the inner workings of a particular career industry.  Each article in this series will feature a guest contribution from an industry insider.

I have spent three years as a Customer Service Supervisor

My typical day consists of coming in and running through my daily reports. I then take the trends I find to my Customer Service Reps (CSRs) to go over their previous days performance. I try to spend at least 50% of my day on the floor answering questions and coaching as needs be, but some days meetings prevent me from doing so.

I’m a white male, but I do not feel that has held the progression of my career back any. I work for a nation-wide, American bank which focuses on diversity, but also promotion based on performance. Anyone who works, performs and adds to the bottom line can move up regardless of their race, sex, or any other diverse aspect they may bring to the table.

I would rate my job as a five. There are a lot of office politics played where I work. The problem is a lot of the managers incentives are based off of attrition goals. The lower their attrition numbers, the bigger their incentive. In theory, low attrition is a good thing, but when management consistently turns a blind eye to unethical behavior to protect that incentive, it makes for an unproductive and disheartening work environment.

I learned the hard way early on in my time in this position to choose my battles carefully. When I started I was young and stupid. If I felt someway about something, I had no problem expressing my opinion about it. I ticked off a few higher ranking people, and in the short run had to eat some crow to get back in their good graces. Looking back, it was just me making rookie mistakes. I will still speak up about things, but I have learned to do it in a tactful manner, and only on things about which I’m truly passionate.

Piggybacking on that last response, I wish there was a class in school which taught you how to view things in a more strategic manner, and also be able to read the underlying issues of the situation. That would have aided in me keeping my mouth shut on the more trivial things of our office.

I moved up through the ranks to get to where I’m today. I started in Collections, and was a phone collector for three years. I got tired of harassing people and moved over to our Customer Service department. After a few years on the phones there I wanted to make more money and get off the phones, so I began pursuing the supervisor job path. If I could go back and do it again, I wouldn’t change much because I’m happy with where I am now and where I’m going.

One of the strangest things that happened to me was we had a team member who was rather larger and would randomly faint. No real serious issue caused this, it would just happen. While out on the floor one time we were walking towards each other and sure enough she fainted. I did my best to catch her, but being bigger than me, we both ended up on the floor with her on top of me. We had the Senior Management team in town that day, and they came around the corner to find this large woman laying on me in the middle of the floor. Explaining that took a bit of tact, and we all had a good laugh after the fact, but it was still pretty strange.

The best feeling I have on days when things go well is when my team is out performing everyone else and I get to buy them lunch on the company dime to say thank you. It is fun to have a free lunch, especially when everyone else on the floor gets to see it and knows it is because we rock!

I don’t like dealing with team members who are just there to collect a check. The bulk of my performance is based on their performance, and if they truly don’t want to be there, it is hard to motivate them to do better than the minimum.

My job can be stressful if I make it that way, but I take one day at a time and most things with a grain of salt. I have a great support system of family and friends, and when that five o’ clock whistle blows, I’m out the door to be with them.

I currently make about $45K/year, with a monthly bonus between $400-$600 after taxes. In reality, for what I do, this is a really good wage.

Prior to the Bank Bailouts, my company used to sponsor an all-expenses paid trip for the top 100 employees every year. I won this a few years ago and was able to take my wife with me. It was a huge honor and one of the highlights of my career.

I think the most challenging moment I faced was when we had a team member suffer a heart attack and die on the floor. Although I was off when it happened, my peers who were there handled it poorly so we had to deal with the backlash from that after the fact as well as grieve and help our team members to be able to grieve. That was horrible, and I hope I don’t ever have to do it again.

I have found a lot of success in my ability to communicate and help my team through our every changing environment. I also have a heart for people. This has helped me immensely. If I ever get to the point I find myself not caring about my people, I’ll know it is time for me to find another line of work.

If I had a friend wanting to get into management, I would tell them, you have to love people, and want the best for them.  If they’re getting into it for the money, they will be sadly disappointed.

With this position, I get five weeks of paid vacation, and I take it all. Whereas I like what I do, this job can burn you out if you let it. My time away from the office is very important to me.

One of the common misconceptions, and running joke around the office, is that supervisors are nothing more than adult babysitters. Some days this can be very true, but I try not to buy into that because I don’t want to become jaded about what I do.

A lot of days this job does move me. Especially when I can promote one of my team members or see them succeed, or in those instances where we are speaking with a customer who is in a tough spot and we can help find them a resolution. On those days, it really is fun to be me.

In five years I would like to be a little further up the management chain. The more people I can work with from a management standpoint, the more people I can potentially impact for the good. I would also like to think being a little further up the ladder would allow me to change some of the things which are pain points for us today.

I’m nothing special, although my friends and family might argue differently. I was raised with a strong work ethic which I have employed to get me to where I am today. I would like to think that same ethic would continue to propel me further in my career. I’d also like to think anyone else who works as hard as me can find similar success as well.

Considered working as an Lab Technician? This interview will take you through the ups and downs you can expect in the position, what it takes to land the job, what you can expect to earn and more. This is a true career story as told to LatPro.com for its What They Don’t Teach series and a collection of interviews with Hispanic and bilingual professionals from a Division Leader to a Digital Marketing Contractor, and everything in between.

Since most economies are in a recession, many people have stopped looking for work and instead are looking to education.  Many hope that an MBA will put them into a better position, or get them a position, while we’re getting out of this recession.

Before you jump in though, consider these four options carefully

Where do I want my career to go?

This is the real question you must answer, and not just for the admissions essay.  Without an honest answer to this question, it becomes too easy to miss the little opportunities which will pop up while you study.  Knowing the path you want to take in the next 5-10 years will direct you toward the best school, the right courses and the most relevant networking activities.

How do I expect an MBA to help me?

Is an MBA the right course of action?  If you know what you want from your career, there could be a better route.  There are plenty of excellent Master’s programmes which may actually help more than an MBA.  Programs tightly focused on specific areas of interest, such as Technology Management, Human Resources, Innovation or Marketing offer expertise and differentiation.

Or… maybe the time is not right.  A few extra years in your field may give you deeper business exposure which will yield benefits as you’re learning business theories, debating case studies or just talking with your classmates.  Experience has always been the best teacher.

Which program will help my career the most?

Some schools are better than others in areas of business such as Marketing, Strategy, Entrepreneurship, etc.  After gaining enough experience, an Executive MBA offers the theory and the chance to learn with other senior leaders with less impact on the office.

Ask the first two questions, ask them again, then do your research.

What are my constraints?

Constrained by location? Financial commitments? Language considerations?

MBA tuition fees vary greatly by school.  Don’t think though that you need to pay a lot of money for a quality education.  Return on investment is an important consideration, most especially for a full time programme.

Part time programmes are available at many institutions.  Take a look at those as well.  While you’re looking at them, keep in mind that the in-company project is almost always with your own employer.  Will you have a project to work on?  And most importantly, you may need to negotiate extra time off.  Many employers are happy to accommodate something.

Location is slowly sliding away as a consideration, as online programmes become world-class.  If you’re motivated and disciplined enough for the self-study needed for an online programme, this is a great opportunity to check out some schools in other countries.  Your network will grow while you continue to work.

These questions are a starting point to finding the best education to enhance your career.  This kind of educational decision will have significant career impact, so the more a course of study dovetails with career goals, the better the outcome.

Melissa Langeman is a Business Analyst on sabbatical in Belgium, fresh from a posting in India. An MBA student, her business blog covers careers, travel and the MBA experience in a foreign land.

There’s no denying it. If you are out of work, it can be very difficult to find another one. You are probably already upset at the loss of income and security, and you’ve read each day that unemployment figures are not promising. It’s more important than ever to present yourself to a prospective employer in the best light possible. That starts with the first thing any Human Resource Department or position supervisor reads—the cover letter preceding your resume.

Writing a killer cover letter is far easier than most people think. Some general principles apply, regardless of your occupation speciality or the industry. Within those, additional specifics can further spotlight your background, experience, and potential worth to the company.

Generalities

Common sense rules many of the generally applied principles.

Spelling

While many word processing programs provide a built-in dictionary, it is not complete or comprehensive. It also cannot tell whether you mean ‘two,’ ‘to,’ or ‘too.’ Each word is correctly spelled, but each means something entirely different. With most word processors, the document dictionary will accept any of the three options and not flag a misspelling. However, a human reading it will notice that you used the wrong word. You don’t need to know how to spell every word in the English language, but the words you do use should be the right ones and spelled correctly.

Punctuation

A nemesis for many, poorly punctuated cover letters and even resumes can transform your documents from killer to killed. Make sure you use contractions properly, note commas where appropriate and never use exclamation points. You are presenting fact in your cover letter that draw the reader’s attention—not selling a how-to e-book. Convince the reader to continue reading through to your resume by presenting a calm, factual letter.

Highlight

No, this doesn’t mean taking a marker and over-stroking letter content. If you have a special skill or an accomplishment that 1) applies directly to the position for which you are applying, and 2) is unique or beyond normal standards in the field, definitely mention it specifically. An example might read, “As you will see on my attached resume, I redesigned the computer file retrieval system at XYZ Corporation. Users no longer had to search for electronically stored documents by title name but now can by subject or creation date as well, minimizing wasted time and effort.”

Make sure that your experience, duties and accomplishments at XYZ Corporation are clearly noted on your resume.

Direct Address Name

Never open a cover letter with the salutation “To Whom It May Concern.”

If you were reading that opening, and you were pressed for time because you have 100 identical document sets to read, how much attention would you pay to a cover letter and resume sent to no one? The reader could easily think that he or she certainly isn’t ‘concerned’ and toss your information into the trash bin. If a contact name is noted in the job ad, address the cover letter directly to that person. If it lists just a department, make one telephone call and ask the name of the person in charge of that department. Address the envelope to the person. On the next line, note the department name. On the next, the company name and finally the address. On the cover letter, pay the person respect by writing “Dear Mrs. Brown” or appropriate address.

That touch of personalisation immediately tells the reader that you pay attention and that you went a few steps beyond what the ‘Concerned’ users did. That just put your information on the top of the Look Closer pile.

This post was written by Sara Woods of Coupon Croc, where you can save on your business trips and travel plans with a Travelodge discount code.

The past year has seen tens of thousands of people lose their jobs as the recession savagely took hold in Britain. Businesses folded, and not just the small ones – entire banks and franchises went bust overnight, leaving scores of people wondering how they’re going to pay the mortgage. If you or your partner has been affected, it can feel like all is lost. However, help is available and you are certainly not alone in your situation.

If you’re lucky enough to have retained your job, you’ll know as well as anyone that the economy is not out of the woods yet. There are a number of strategies you can adopt to make sure you still have a job long after the market has finished stabilizing.

Consider moving companies.

This is contrary to almost all advice given about the recession, but guides often overlook the situations where it is recommended to leave your current position. While this course of action always carries a certain element of risk, it is sometimes advisable to assess your options and possibly jump ship.

If your company is facing widespread redundancies, start looking for another job the second you catch wind of this information. A large-scale job loss will result in a market-place flooding of professionals from your sector in the commutable region. If you find yourself getting axed with them, the competition for any vacancies you may subsequently find will be dramatically increased (as will your chances of being out of work for longer).

If you happen to gain an interview with a prospective new employer, be sure to ask questions as to how the position came up. Was your predecessor made redundant? If so, they may be hiring you as a way of cutting wages and your job security in this role will be less than enough to transfer from. However, if it is a new position then the company is probably doing well through the recession and expanding successfully – something which may be worth moving to.

Head down, eyes forward

Stop over achieving. If you’re a go-getter who constantly dazzles your employers by going above and beyond the call of duty, then kudos to you – but now is not the time.

Once again, this may seem counter-intuitive. Surely it is more important than ever to prove your worth to the company? Yes and no, but the general rule of thumb is that any behaviour which may attract attention should be avoided at all costs.

Your superiors, particularly middle management, will feel edgy around over-achievers who threaten their own position and make them look inadequate by comparison. The best advice is to blend in with the crowd and become ‘another number’ – and don’t worry, you will have your opportunity to shine later.

Bury the hatchet

Similar to the last point: remove yourself from office politics. If you’ve made enemies amongst co-workers, do whatever is necessary to right any wrongs (without making a spectacle of the whole affair) and get on an even keel, regardless of how much it pains you. The idea is to be ‘nice’ to everyone – don’t try to get one over on any party or parties in an effort to advance your career, and don’t be overly friendly either.

Everyone, from the guy in the post room to your boss, is capable of undermining you. Don’t make yourself a target for character assassination, because when the chips are down your colleagues wouldn’t think twice about betraying you for the sake of their own livelihood.

Get a Clue

Losing your job is one of the most devastating things that can happen to someone. Whether it’s avoidable or not, it doesn’t always have to be unpredictable.

Keep your eyes and ears tuned in to what’s going on around you. Clues about forthcoming job cuts can be taken from instinct, such as management subtly changing their approach or attitude, but more often than not you’ll be able to find concrete evidence as to the state of play.

It’s the job of journalists to dig out information, so keep one eye on the press and pay attention to any articles and announcements not only about your company but also the competition. If you’re savvy enough to interpret them, stock and share figures are a good source of getting a general feel for where the market is heading.

Become Indispensable

Without contravening the first point (ruling against excelling in the workplace), it’s a good idea to shift gears and get yourself into a position of worth. You may think you are indispensable already, but the unfortunate news is that you’re probably not.

Try to pick up extra tasks. Benefit from company training and enlist yourself on as many workshops as possible. If there isn’t an extra job you can do, make one up – think long and hard about what you can bring to the company and carry out (basically, actually do everything you said you would back in the interview!)

It goes without saying, but if the company is faced with cutting loose the employee who troubleshoots for the IT department or the one who troubleshoots for both the IT and graphics departments, it’s a no-brainer which management would choose.

This short guide was provided by reclining sofas supplier sofasandsectionals.com.

The demand for workers in health related fields has been growing exponentially over the past decade. Analysts expect that growth to continue at least another 20 years. One of the main causes for the increase in health care jobs is that the Baby Boomer population is beginning to reach retirement age. As the largest demographic in the United States continues to age, they will need more health care specialists to help them deal with the health problems that naturally go along with getting older.

Physician and Dental Assistant Work Growing

Two of the fastest growing fields in today’s health care market are as physician assistants and dental assistants. Unlike a medical assistant, a physician assistant can diagnose patients, run lab tests, and perform routine examinations. To become a physician assistant, you must complete a formally accredited program through a college or university, as well as pass a licensing exam. Dental assistants perform many of the routine duties in a dentist’s office, including teeth cleaning and taking x-rays. You can become a dental assistant without formal training, but you will have a better chance at advancing in the career if you attend some training courses.

Rising Demand for Registered Nurses

Economists expect the demand for new registered nurses to grow by as much as 22 percent over the next 10 years. A registered nurse performs duties that range from administering medication to keeping track of a patient’s progress over time. Some registered nurses work in hospital settings, while others work in smaller clinics or urgent care settings. The educational requirements for becoming a registered nurse generally take four years to complete. You will need to pass a certification exam before you will be able to work as a registered nurse. You can find work as a nurse’s aide to gain more experience until you complete training.

Cardiovascular Related Jobs

Heart disease is one of the leading causes of illness and death in the United States today. The cardiovascular field has a high demand for technicians and technologists, and demand should continue well into the next decade. Cardiovascular technologists and technicians prepare patients for heart surgery and assist the surgeon during the procedure. As the aging population becomes larger, more patients will need cardiovascular treatment from licensed cardiovascular technicians and technologists. You can begin working in this field after completing a 2-year degree program through a technical school or community college, although 4-year degrees are available and will help you begin at a higher salary.

Health Related Clerical Positions

Health care job growth is not limited to those who work directly with patients. There is a growing need for people who can handle the paperwork related to health care service. Medical billing, data entry, and insurance specialists are all important to making sure the business side of health care is operating correctly. You can begin working in a clerical role with very little training, but your best chance for a long-term career will be to receive specialized training in a specific area of medical administration.

Jessica Bosari writes about careers and health topics for AlliedHealthWorld.com. The site matches students to the best programs in healthcare, offering healthcare administration salary and other health career information.

1. Get general information about your potential employer. You can use the internet to research the business operations of the organization that you want to work with by looking at their recent articles posted on the press or their annual reports. You can also find information about the businesses that they compete with and with this information; you will cause your interviewer to have a feeling of admiration and respect for you.

2. Find information about the businesses that offer stiff competition to the organization you want to work with so that you will display this information in your job interview. You can get information about competitors by researching the companies that sell similar goods or services to the company you want to work with. Having this information will be impressive especially if your interviewer is a manager.

3. Find adequate information about the job you want to get. You can do this by getting detailed information about the specifications of the job from other employees working for the organization. For example, you can ask an employee working for the human resources department about the vacancy and its relationship with other jobs in the organization. You can also get such information from people who work in the field that you want to pursue and find out about what interviewers want job seekers to have when interviewing for such positions.

4. Find information about the values and ideas that the employees of the organization you want to work for regard highly. For example, they may regard values such as entrepreneurship and consensus highly and this can influence the organization to hire different types of people. It will be good for you to talk to other people and find out about these values before your interview date.

5. Get information about the employees who work for the organization you want to apply for a job at and find out the kind of people who do well in the organization. You can do this by using your network of friends to find information about the people who work for the company and you can get information that will help you pass your interview.

6. Find information about the current challenges facing the organization you want to work for from employees. You can have your friends refer you to people who work at the firm and then get this information. It will help you ask and answer interview question efficiently and impress your interviewer.

7. Get some information about your interviewer by searching for the person’s name on websites such as Facebook or Linked In. You can also ask other people if they know about the person. Most interviewers will be impressed if you know something about them.

Having this information with you as you participate in the interview will enable you to portray a good image to your interviewer and increase your chances of getting the job significantly.

Today is the start of a new feature on the ResumeBucket Blog, the Secret Jobs series.

For anyone that has been out of work and looking for a decent amount of time it may feel like you’ve exhausted all avenues for looking for work.  You’ve searched every job board, asked all of your friends if they know of openings, and spent hours perfecting your ResumeBucket and LinkedIn profiles.

But in times like these, a little creativity goes a long way.  And it is in that spirit that this series will explain some secretive and less well-known techniques that we’ve seen people use to help them in their job search.

Finding where your industry hangs out

This week’s entry for Secret Jobs involves online communities and how forming meaningful relationships online can earn you unpublished job leads and unusual industry insight.

The first thing we need to do though is find where people from your industry are hanging out.  And this might be the most difficult part of the process.

I can’t show examples from every industry under the sun, but I’ve chosen a couple that I think are general enough to give you ideas for your own industry search; marketing and sales.

Marketing is a pretty broad moniker, but let’s keep our prospects open; if you are looking for a job in online marketing wouldn’t you also be interested in a position for print marketing too?  Sales is a similar industry, experience in any form of sales usually transfers pretty well to other types of sales.

Reddit

The first place to search is Reddit.  It is most commonly known as a place to share links, but Reddit is also arguably the largest online community.  Within the site there are also sub-communities that can sometimes serve as the largest community for some career industries.

First, see if your industry has its own sub-Reddit, example:

http://www.reddit.com/r/marketing

http://www.reddit.com/r/sales

Marketing has a 2,000 member strong community on Reddit.  However, with the sales sub-Reddit’s last submission over a month ago it would appear as if this community is no longer active.

If you do find a populated sub-Reddit you can begin to interact here and get to know the members.  Make sure you become VERY familiar with the rules of the community and lurk a bit before you jump in.  But once you learn the ropes send messages to active members, submit questions, and add to the conversation.

Reddit also has a couple of communities that are geared specifically for helping people find work.  Once again, get a feel for how the community works before jumping into the conversation.  But even if you just check these once a day you could find positions not found anywhere else.

http://www.reddit.com/r/jobs

http://www.reddit.com/r/forhire

http://www.reddit.com/r/work

Twitter

If you don’t have an account with Twitter, get one now.  I’m not asking you to share with the world every mundane detail of your life, but look at it like another online job profile you need to create.

Once you have a profile complete with photo, bio, and location you can start finding people to follow.  Using the search function you want to look for people who are talking about things in your industry.  If there are current events happening in your industry, I would start by searching for these.  People who are discussion such recent events will probably be the most active in your industry on Twitter.

Once you have followed them keep an eye on their tweets, check your timeline a few times a day.  If you find something particularly interesting send them an @ reply with your own insight.  The goal is to form online friendships so down the road you could potentially ask them about any openings they know of.

And don’t forget to tweet yourself.  Make your tweets applicable to your industry; share news stories, comment about recent trends, etc.  When they see you are following them, you want them to see a fellow industry professional with plenty to share.

Google

Of course you can always find industry communities using the world’s most popular search engine.  I decided to start with Reddit and Twitter because Google can often be filled with clutter.

But if you search using some of the following queries you might just get lucky (replace Industry with your own industry).

Industry forum
Industry community
Industry Meet-up
Industry organization

Putting in work

Now that you have a target community the next step is to become one of them.

You shouldn’t exactly go into this community thinking you are infiltrating them just to find a job.  Even if you successfully find employment through the community, these are still places you should want to continue participating in.

With that in mind, participating in your community and making friends should be pretty straightforward.  The big question is how long do you need to wait before asking if there are employment opportunities here.  I think each community will be different and this is something you need to feel out on your own.  But I would say a good starting number would be a month.  Put in at least a month’s worth of relationship building before you ever bring up your self-interest.

The goal

Once you have made friends in your new community the optimal result is that they tell you about job opportunities unsolicited.  But if this hasn’t happened, simply ask them in a very polite way if they know of any openings at the moment.

These communities are built to help each other and every encounter I have ever had with an online industry community has been a positive one.  And once you do find a job, don’t forget to turn around and help someone else in the same way someone helped you.

Recent numbers show that employers in the United States are beginning to hire more workers. Hiring rates for college graduates increased by 5% this spring, and early projections show that the expected hiring increase for the next year should be near the 20% mark. The hiring increase is a positive sign that more college graduates should expect to find work soon after graduation in the coming years. The hottest industries right now are health care and technology, especially biotechnology and data analyzing.

Start Job Searches Early

You don’t have to wait until you finish your last semester at school to begin searching for the right job. Job-hunting can take months, so it is a good idea to get a head start. Put together your resume and begin to canvas network connections while you are still in school for a better chance of finding work closer to graduation. The job market has picked up right now, but there are no promises that it will remain positive indefinitely. It is wise to jump into your job hunt since so many employers are hiring right now.

Take Advantage of Available Help

As a college student, you have several resources for finding work in your preferred industry. Your college should have an alumni placement department connected with many of the local businesses. There may be alumni who are interested in hiring graduates or students specifically from your school. The college’s career center can help you put together a resume and can offer suggestions for successful interviewing techniques. You could even approach your professor to ask if he or she knows of any job openings that are available in your field of study. Anyone with ties to your business is a potential resource for helping you find work.

Consider Part-Time or Internships

When you first graduate from college, you are excited to begin your career in a full-time position with benefits right away. Unfortunately, that is not always possible. If you’re having trouble finding work, maybe you should look into the possibility of working part time or becoming an intern for a company that interests you. Part time work and internships provide valuable hands-on experience that can set you apart from other applicants. Employers prefer to hire workers who have practical experience as well as a college degree, so you could enhance your resume by doing any kind of work in your field.

College Degrees Still Pay Off

Don’t be discouraged by how tough the job market has been over the last few years. Statistics show that college graduates still earn over $100 more each week than non-graduates. The unemployment rate for college graduates is lower than the rate for non-graduates, too. Those who did not attend college have recently had an unemployment rate of 9.7%, while college graduates were unemployed at a rate of 4.5%. The numbers show that it is worth the time and expense of a college education, even when the economy is struggling as it has in the last few years.

Jessica Bosari writes blog posts and articles for Education-Colleges.org, a site that helps students locate the best education colleges and teaching degree programs.

In the current economy, unemployment is a common problem that many people face. There are a number of considerations to keep in mind to ensure that the right job is obtained in a reasonable amount of time.

Stop Being Upset

Unemployment can happen for a number of reasons. Whether it is for performance issues or due to corporate downsizing, there is no changing the situation. It is not worth the time and effort to blame oneself or to be upset about the situation. It is best to move on and look for new opportunities.

Make New Contacts

Today, jobs are filled through a variety of different methods. One of the more prevalent methods would be through word of mouth and referrals. During the period of unemployment, it is important to make new contacts in the desired industry. This will certainly improve the chances of landing a job quicker. There are a lot of social networking sites that are great at doing this.

Stay Focused

One pitfall to avoid would be applying to too wide a variety of jobs. Simply looking for anything in any different industry is not wise. People generally do this initially because they are panicked from losing their job. Staying focused and driven is usually best. The right position will come along.

Stay Busy

During periods of unemployment, the most important thing is to make money. If there are no part-time positions available, this time should not be spent on the couch. Doing this only leads to depression and is not productive. Time should be spent wisely. This is a perfect time to catch up on projects that have been delayed or spent time volunteering for a favorite charity.

Hone the Interview Skills

For many people, interviewing is not something that is enjoyed or done well. Because it is a matter of selling oneself to a potential employer, updating and refreshing the interview skills is essential. This will allow one to be more confident and more polished when the interviews come. Practicing with a friend or spouse is a good way at getting more comfortable with interview questions.

Check With Former Employers

One thing that most people do not consider would be checking with former employers to see if there are any part-time opportunities that are available. This will not necessarily transform into a full-time job but may offer additional income.

Stay Upbeat

People do not choose to be unemployed. For many, this is often a frustrating, disappointing and difficult time. Regardless of this, it is best to remain positive as well as focused. Potential employers will want to see an upbeat person.

With the right attitude, patience and perseverance, overcoming unemployment is something that can be done.

James Hansen works for IncomeProtection.org, a site that helps you cover yourself and your income against redundancies or sickness, allowing you to stop worrying and get on with your life.

Showing you have the relevant job skills

Your entire goal for the phone interview is to show you have the job skills to do the work. If you show you have the job skills, you can get a face-to-face interview.

This is the time to bold, highlight, and underscore that you possess the skill sets the employer is looking for.

Tie your job skills to business results

Most people can talk about their job skills. Very few take the necessary next step and tie the job skill to a business result they have achieved. That negotiation job skill they have? Great, but then show how that negotiation skill helped resolve a business conflict and helped the business reach a goal. Superior experience in finance? Explain how that experience improved the relevant aspects of your previous department and those around you.

Without this tie between job skills and business results, you won’t make as great an impact on the person doing the interview. Connect your job skills plus business results and you have a competitive advantage over almost all others.

Have interview stories that show using job skills to get results

People remember stories. They may or may not remember facts. After the interviewer has done a full afternoon phone interviews and begins to make recommendations for who to move forward to the next interview phase, who will they remember the best? Most likely the one that told the story of job skills producing business results. They will associate the story with you. So make the interview about job skills and the ways you used them to create results through stories or similar creative methods.

Print out your resume

Phone interviews typically go along with the chronology of the resume. What’s on page one gets asked about first, then the next page. If you’ve done several versions of resumes to more accurately show your work for a given position, having the resume you submitted for that job in front of you will not only help you understand the context of the question asked, but also help you see what is coming next. This improves your answers compared to your competition.

It’s no secret that finding a full-time job is difficult in today’s market. The economy is not necessarily at the height of its splendor. Nevertheless, getting a job is possible.

Resumes and Cover Letters

Do you use the same pickup line on every girl you meet? Do you use the same topics of conversation with every boy that takes you to dinner? If so, good luck starting a relationship! Looking for work is no different. Different employers want different things in their future employees. Using the same cover letter for every potential employer will lower your chances of being hired by any of them. Read each job posting carefully, paying attention to the requirements listed. Highlight your relevant qualifications in your cover letter using the same language listed in the job posting if possible

Career Centers

College career centers have plenty of resources available to students searching for employment. Check in with your college career center to find job openings. You might also be able to get their help revising your resume and cover letter. For many employers, typos are unforgivable. Be sure to be honest in both your cover letter and on your resume. Some employers might let a typo or two slip in a job application but no employer will forgive dishonesty.

Career centers can also provide useful advice on how to interview well and how to negotiate your salary and benefits. Career centers often host job fairs — excellent opportunities to become familiar with different companies and network with employers.

Job Interviews

Interviewing is a skill that, like any other skill, needs to be practiced, honed, and tweaked. Compile a list of questions you think an employer might ask you and prepare your answers. After you have your list, ask a roommate, friend, boyfriend, girlfriend, or family member to practice interviewing you. Whoever it is, make sure they give you an honest appraisal of your performance: learning what a good interviewee you are won’t help you find out where you need to improve. Practice with a variety of people, get feedback, work to improve your weaknesses and practice again.

Find out all you can about your potential employer, prior to going into the interview. What is the history of the company? What are its objectives? How has it performed over the past few months? Who are its competitors? Who are you replacing? What is the dress code? All of these are valuable things to find out about your future workplace. Not only will this help you know how to act in an interview setting, it will help you know if you even want the job prior to applying.

Soon after each interview, write a thank-you note to the person who interviewed you. Briefly express your gratitude to them for the time they took. Don’t write under any pretense; simply say thanks. Remember to ask how long it will be before a decision is made. If you don’t hear a response less than two days after that date, send an email, politely asking if the employer has made their choice. Pestering HR representatives or other employees doesn’t usually yield good results.

Be Patient

Don’t become discouraged if your first day on the hunt doesn’t yield work. Avoid falling into a job search routine as it might cause your hunt to become boring. Mix it up a bit. Try different ideas every day to help keep it interesting. If all of your efforts prove fruitless, you may need to settle for a lower-paying job. Don’t turn down a less-preferable part-time job in order to bide your time while searching for your dream job. Looking for work is tough, but if you’re smart, patient, and persistent, you will find work.

About the Author: Derek Gurr is a writer for MyCollegesandCareers.com. My Colleges and Careers helps people determine if an online education is right for them and helps them understand which online courses and online schools they can choose from to reach their goals.

Having a plan is always important to success, but it is especially critical now because you have less time to go off on tangents. You need to clearly define what you want to accomplish during your job search and exactly how that will be executed.

Be selective.

Because your time is more limited, you need to pick and choose the activities that will give you the biggest bang for your buck. Maybe that will entail belonging to a professional organization and attending the monthly/quarterly meetings, joining an industry group on LinkedIn, taking a class to learn about a new development in your field, or taking on a volunteer opportunity that closely aligns with what you do for your profession. Remember, it’s quality, not quantity.

Keep a schedule.

Utilize one of the many free calendar / to-do lists that allow you to identify what parts of each day, or week, you can allot to seeking out new career opportunities. It’s best to get in the habit of using these type of software programs in your everyday life. Many of them such as Evernote sync up with smart phones so you’ll always be able to view, add, and edit your schedule.

Always be networking.

Literally every time that you are out and about, you should be networking — at the gym, at your kids’ activities, in the grocery store. That doesn’t mean you will be doing some sort of narcissistic broadcast of what your needs are. But you never know who you may strike up a conversation with and if a connection will take root in one of those chance meetings. Every relationship starts with a seed, and you need to cultivate that seed until it grows into a plant. A little corny metaphor but it helps to think of networking as a process you need to work at.

Remember discretion.

This point really underscores all that you do. You have a job, so you want to make sure that your activities don’t put that in jeopardy. Be very careful who you divulge things too, you never know the extent of other peoples network. That guy at the gym could be the husband to your HR rep. Likely? Probably not, but it’s always best to stay on the safe side so you don’t find yourself completely unemployed. Basically before disclosing too much, make sure you know enough about them to ensure that you aren’t shooting yourself in the foot at your current job.

Having a hard day? Boss on your back about those reports you were supposed to have finished yesterday? Nothing to look forward to but a skipped lunch hour and a laborious drive home through rush hour traffic?

Well it could be worse, much worse. How? Try doing one of these jobs and you’ll soon find out.

Mosquito Researcher

It’s a widely reported fact that, in the history of the world, more people have been killed by diseases contracted through mosquito bites than all of the casualties of every war combined. One of the worst diseases that mosquitoes spread is malaria. In order to fight the spread of this, too often fatal disease, scientists must study the biting habits of mosquitoes. To do this, they must first trap them.

In Africa, this is done using various devices that the mosquito can be lured into using light and wind. However, in Brazil there lives an all together wilier breed of mosquito, Anopheles Darlingi. This little fellow won’t fall for the traps used elsewhere and will only come near scientist for one reason. Lunch.

As a result scientists are forced to offer themselves up as bait, sitting in a mosquito net with a hole at the bottom. Once the mosquitoes are in, they are trapped. The scientist simply has to collect them up in a tube and deposit them into a container. Whilst being bitten…About 17 times a minute…Sometimes for 180 minutes on end… Running the risk of catching malaria. Easy.

Cat Food Quality Controller

Do you find that cat food makes your stomach turn? Do you hate the way it slops out of the can, held together by what can only be described as (to coin a phrase from Shakespeare) “vile jelly”, looking like some sort of defunct, grotesque organ?

Well, how would you like to put your face into a huge tub of the stuff, sniffing it to ensure it’s fresh? No? How about plunging your arms, elbow deep, into a vat of it, searching for any bones that may be in the mixture? Then, there’s a final test, which is to spread a dollop of it onto a flat surface and prod it. This is done to test how much gristle is in there, naturally.

Bet those report don’t seem so daunting now, right?

Roadkill Remover

A lot of people decide form an early age that they’d really love to work with animals. If you barge into any 6th birthday party (not something I’d advise you do) and ask what the kids want to be when they grow up, you’ll find, amongst the aspiring astronauts, ballerinas and quarterbacks, a number of vets.

If those ambitions don’t work out there’s always the less glamorous, more futile job (form a medical stand point) of roadkill removal. Duties involve scrapping carcases of the asphalt whilst trying not to make matters worse by getting run down by traffic yourself.

Not one for the faint of heart, a strong stomach is required to deal with the cocktail of tyre tracks an offal. Strong arms are also required, for all that dead-weight.

Ape Urine Collector

Alive or dead, animals cause problems in all sorts of professions, but hey, nobody said being an ape urine collector would be easy.

It should be stressed that this work is done for the benefit of science and the word ‘collector’ here should by no means be understood in the ‘comic book collector’ sense. These hardworking men and women aren’t geeks, fanatical about monkey pee. The urine is collected to be used as samples for scientific analysis.

Whilst the guys in the white coats wait patiently in their neat, air conditioned lab for the sample to come in, the collectors are out, tracking down apes, laying down plastic sheets or attaching bags to poles for the apes to pee on/ into.

I wonder if they ever switch roles…

Isolation Chamber Tester

Space is the final frontier. It’s also really, really big and really, really empty. It’s funny how many kids grow up wanting to be astronauts, a job which, assuming you get to go on a space mission, will entail spending months, or maybe even years, travelling in a cramped vehicle with no scenery to look at or even a cheesy radio station to listen to, yet these same kids raise hell if you try to take them on a two hour car journey to visit the grand parents…the hypocrisy!

To make sure NASA has a firmer understanding of the physical and psychological tests that the isolation and claustrophobia of space travel involves it has space engineers, who are responsible for life support systems, spend months in isolation chambers, testing the equipment. And you thought your office cubicle was lonely…

Matthew Pointer is a recruitment specialist in the field of driving jobs but also writes more widely about careers in general, especially those jobs that are out of the ordinary.

Knowing this could make some candidates feel so afraid that they don’t even want to apply for jobs. Don’t feel afraid, though. Instead, take a look at four things to know about background checks:

Employers Need Permission to Conduct One

Employers need your permission to have third-party agencies conduct background searches, according to the Federal Trade Commission’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. Because most don’t have their own background screening capabilities, you will have to sign a form granting them permission. But if you have made it through the interviewing process and haven’t been asked to sign a form, it’s not a bad idea—for your own knowledge—to ask the employer outright if they plan to conduct a check.

Severity of a Crime is Often a Factor

If you have a criminal history, it’s important to note this information on your job application if asked—especially since it will likely pop up during a background check. But it’s good to also note that many employers take a subjective approach to a criminal history. They may look at the severity and timeframe of the crime (DUI in college vs. three DUIs in the past two years) to decide whether to hire you.

Background Check Could Occur After an Employment Offer

One thing to note is that some employers don’t stop their background checks after you’ve been offered a job. You might learn that your new employer is known for conducting frequent and random checks, especially if you are ever considered for a promotion.

Employers Need Permission Only Once

Keep in mind that once you’ve given an employer permission to conduct a background check, they typically don’t need your permission again if they’re conducting the same type of check and it’s within the same company.

A background check can sound like a scary process, especially if you have made mistakes in the past. But if you’re honest, upfront, and are prepared to explain blemishes, you may be surprised by how understanding an employer could be.

One of the biggest mistakes while making a motivational letter is that candidates do not address the hiring authorities properly. They start the letter by writing “Dear Sir” which doesn’t cut it for them. A candidate should try to find out the name of the authority that is going to receive the CV and hire the individual. Candidate can do this by contacting the company and ask them the name of the hiring authority.

Trying to be humorous

Most of the candidates try to show that they are over smart by showing wittiness in cover letter. Trying to be a little humorous as they think that the hiring manager or authority will like it, this is not so. This act is discouraged by the hiring authorities and they think the candidate does not take the job seriously. A motivational letter should be a serious one like a business letter.

Rephrasing the resume

Most of the people have a misconception about the motivational letters, they write the same details which they have already mentioned in the CV. This gives a feeling that they have rephrased the resume again and the hiring authorities consider it a foolish act. A cover letter should elaborate on your resume while explaining the skill set you’ll be brining to the table related to the new company.

Making it too short or too long

Candidates make a motivational letter too short or too long which goes against them. Too short cover letters are considered to be just fulfilling the formality whereas the motivational letters which are too long give an impression as if they are a preface of a novel, hiring managers do not even read it properly. The length and the content of the cover letter both should be appropriate.

Using same cover letter of every job

The job seekers who apply for a lot of jobs daily attach the same cover letter. Most of the generic cover letters do not speak about the job and they do not touch the corners of the organization. That gives the hiring authority an impression that you are not interested in this job and that is only a generic cover letter.

You need to immediately catch the employers’ attention. After all, they are most likely looking at hundreds of resumes each month so you need to ensure that your resume stands our from the rest. If your experience is related, even indirectly, to the job you’re applying for, try to phrase your past job titles and skills in such a way that they closely match the job.

Design

The layout of your resume is very important. Leave plenty of white space as it’s easier on the eye and don’t forget to embolden your titles and italicize important points (italicization looks a lot more professional than underlining). Choose the typeface wisely – do not pick a trendy, funny or gimmicky typeface, pick a professional and traditional one like Times. Make sure you use uniformity in your formatting styles so that you keep like with like, for example, all the headings in the Skills section should be the same size and formatted in the same way. Leave wide margins left and right as too many words in each horizontal line can be tiring to read and also wide margins are helpful in case the employer wants to make notes.

Grammar and Punctuation

Make sure that your resume contains no spelling errors and that it’s written with perfect grammar and punctuation. There is nothing more off-putting to a new employer than a badly-written resume with typos and bad grammar. This is especially true if the job you’re applying for involves writing or typing. Check and double-check your spelling and punctuation and, if necessary, ask a friend to give it the once-over too.

Create Content that Sells

Think of your resume as one big advert for yourself. With that in mind, make sure you sell yourself well! Describe your skills, work experience, hobbies and personal details in a professional manner. Avoid excessive wordiness but, at the same time, do ensure that you accurately describe everything. Content is key and a potential employer is much more likely to contact someone who has sold themselves properly through their resume’s content than someone who just threw a few words on a page in a haphazard manner.

Sell your Skills

Ensure that your skills are relevant and professional. There’s no point in simply listing your skills, instead try to sell them to the employer by pointing out the benefits these skills would bring to this new position. If you are highly skilled at marketing, don’t just state ‘I have great marketing skills’. Explain to the potential employer exactly how those marketing skills will bring value to the new role.

This is a guest article by Darren.  Talking about writing, I’ve been writing a lot on the topic on people search free and finding people online.

You don’t need to be a cheerleader, you must be energetic and lively. Act like you are very interested.  Try getting warmed up before hand. People want to work with people that bring energy to the organization not those that suck the life out of the room.

You weren’t prepared

You weren’t quite sure what the role was or you didn’t know what level the position was. Be sure you gather whatever information you might need to breeze through the interview.  If you are working with a recruiter, they can usually give you the gist of what the client wants and expects. Otherwise you will need to gather information other ways. Reading the job description is always a good start and you can peruse the job descriptions for other jobs with similar titles for additional information

You didn’t know anything about the company

There is no excuse for not looking at the hiring company’s web page, or googling them at a bare minimum.  Knowing not only what the company does, but learning something about their history and culture can always be helpful.

You talked about what you wanted

Most employers don’t really care about what you want or what they can do for you, they want to know what you can do for them.  Plain and simple, your prospective next company wants to know what you bring to the table – Tell them clearly why you are a good value, i.e. you are worth more than they are going to pay you.

You couldn’t discuss your accomplishments

You had better be ready to answer questions about your resume and your background.  Far to often candidates can’t elaborate on their own resume. Remember: the resume is just an outline of yourself, you need to be able to fill in the blanks during an interview.  Read your resume over and over until you know it upside down and backwards.  Be prepared to provide additional details for everything on your resume and in your cover letter.

You didn’t ask any questions

Asking questions about the company, the role, etc. is expected; asking about salary or benefits is not.  Prepare 3-5 questions beforehand.  Be engaged in the process.  It will help you stand out from the crowd.

When it comes to impressing a prospective employer, anything you can bring to the table which may give you the edge over competing interviewees is a plus. We’ve all got our faults (regardless of what we say in the interview room,) and some of them are difficult to resolve – a poor communicator will almost always remain a poor communicator, and if you’re one of the many people who is hopeless at math, nothing short of serious tuition will improve the situation.

Thankfully, one of the more sought-after skills in the modern workplace is also the easiest to pick up. The need for IT proficiency is a sign of the times, and isn’t purely reserved for the office environment – almost every vocation imaginable employs some degree of IT in order to increase efficiency. But this is the tricky thing – at which point does ’using technology’ become ’IT skills’?

Of course, there’s a vast gulf between being able to send an e-mail and knowing how to compile a data management program from scratch using C++ . The majority of us know how to create a Word document or find an address using Google, but there’s a much overlooked and powerful program which is not only easy to learn but a valuable asset on anyone’s resume.

Enter Excel

Excel was originally released in ‘85 as part of the Office package. The easy-to-use yet immensely customisable application outstripped the leading competitor, Lotus’ 3-2-1, which had (up until then) been the only mainstream spreadsheet program. In fact, Excel arguably did as much as the Windows operating system in giving Microsoft the lion’s share of the computing market.

The program has changed little over the last 25 years, other than a few cosmetic alterations and functional add-ons. Essentially, if you’ve ever used Excel in the past, it won’t take more than half an hour to get up to speed with the latest version.

Who the Heck Uses Spreadsheets, Anyway?

Excel isn’t just used to knock up data graphs for those tedious company presentations. Let’s look at a few possible applications and you’ll see how versatile it can be:

- Personnel rotas can be created pretty swiftly in Excel and fiddled with until your heart’s content (and staff are finally happy!) Any work setting where a number of people are employed can utilise this, from retail stores, offices, warehouses, etc. And it is not just limited to working out shift patterns – such a spreadsheet can do anything from keep pay dates organised in HR to simply sorting out squabbles over who takes which lunch hour.

- Ironically, Excel is also a useful way to get un-technical: if you’re not comfortable working out sales figures and percentages using a calculator, just plug it straight into Excel and let it do the hard work. Very little maths skills are needed in order to set up a complex algebra framework which will save bundles of time if you’re working with a lot of raw data. You can then, if so inclined, turn it into a pretty graph and display it in a tedious company presentation.

- Live updating is also a useful tool in Excel. If you want your data to update automatically should there be any changes to a website or another Excel document, a few clicks and it’s done. This can be used to unify data between departments (since everyone can track changes as they occur on openly-shared documents) and is very handy if you work in an environment which requires the handling and accuracy of a large volume of information. Once again, with Excel this is very easy to implement.

Why On Earth Do Businesses Care?

At the risk of sounding cliché, time equals money. One of the primary aims of IT is to increase efficiency, and programs such as Excel have been a huge success chiefly because they are designed to save a company time and funds which would otherwise be wasted.

Admittedly this is not a very romantic notion, but that’s the world of business. If an employee can display good spreadsheet skills, they will not only appear keen to constantly update their skill set but also be mindful of how they can go the extra mile for the company.

The converse is also true – if someone does not seem to have even a basic grasp of programs such as Excel (which has been around for some time,) why would an prospective employer choose them over a less-stagnant competitor? In the current economic client, businesses are more likely to hire someone who can both keep themselves organised as well as being able to handle other aspects of the ‘bigger picture’ – in nearly all cases, this will involve some level of IT proficiency.

I See Your Point – So Where Can I Brush Up On My Excel Skills?

As with many things, one of the best resources for learning is the Internet. There are countless pages out there in both video and text format which can help you learn the very basics right up to programming with Excel. One word of advice would be to make sure the tutorial you’re reading is based on the same version of Excel you own – although most of the lessons you’ll learn apply to all versions, program layouts have changed throughout the years.

If you’re currently in employment, an alternative is to ask your manager or IT department for some additional training on Excel. Even if there are no resources for this at your place of work, asking will do no harm and will show you’re taking initiative.

Hopefully this short guide was of some use and you’re well on the road to job success. The guide itself was provided for free by the guys at Sofas and Sectionals, who also know a thing or two about Palliser furniture.

A dental hygienist doesn’t require any special degree, just good experience in a dental office. They usually work side-by-side with a dentist.

• Average Annual Income : $67,340
• Top 10% : $93,000 (Experienced)

2. Commercial Pilot

To be a commercial pilot, you just need proper training from a certified school (and quite a bit of training hours). You can earn a handsome earning from this position.

• Average Annual Income : $66,000
• Top 10% : $120,500 (Experienced)

3. Detective and Criminal Investigator

This job or profession also doesn’t require any special qualifications or degrees. You have to be very sharp minded and clever thinker, nothing else.

• Average Annual Income : $62,000
• Top 10% : $99,900 (Experienced)

4. Real Estate Broker

This trade profession based only on PR and active information about your around. You can earn a good amount by just guiding a person to his destination property.

• Average Annual Income : $55,700
• Top 10% : $166,000 (Experienced)

5. Funeral Director

You don’t need to have any special degree for the eligibility of this post.  He is the person who involved in the business of funeral rites. Their common tasks often include embalming and burial or cremation of the dead, and also the arrangements of the actual funeral ceremony.

• Average Annual Income : $54,300
• Top 10% : $94,000 (Experienced)

People often ask me when making their resume if they should include specific keywords, and if that would help get their resume noticed.  The answer is obviously yes, as sites like ResumeBucket use keyword based search algorithms to match employers search queries with appropriate resumes.

With that in mind, here is a fun graphic showing our data for most popular job search keywords.

Feel free to share this graphic on your own site, and hopefully give us some credit as the source.

Due to the generally weak economy in today’s world, many individuals have unexpectedly lost their jobs or are unable to secure their first job posts. In either case, a job applicant needs to be properly prepared for an employment interview, because the competition is fierce. The first thing a job applicant needs to do is secure a job interview, and a well-written resume can help. A job seeker who is lucky enough to be granted an interview needs to look and act professional. The right clothing, along with a stylish pair of glasses, can help a job applicant secure the desired position.

Look of Intelligence

Do employers think potential employees who wear glasses are more qualified? The fact is that glasses do make individuals look more intelligent, and wearing glasses to job interviews can help convince prospective employers that this is the case. It might sound a bit old-fashioned, but most people still regard a person who wears glasses as being a level higher in the intelligence department. An employer wants to hire a person who stands out in a crowd, and is not the typical run-of-the-mill employee, and a nice pair of fashionable glasses can often be extremely persuasive.

Confidence

In addition to giving the appearance of a person who possesses immense amounts of brainpower, glasses can help a person to have more self-confidence, which, in turn, can influence a prospective employer to see confidence exuding from the job applicant. Most employers wish to hire intelligent individuals who have high self-esteem and look professional. Employees who have less than perfect job histories or educational backgrounds can boost the images they project when they wear glasses. However, a pair of glasses should be fashionable, and also needs to match the employee’s better qualities.

Reasonable

Eyeglasses can benefit both men and women who are looking for suitable employment. Even the most mundane job that does not require the highest brain capacity might occasionally require superior intelligence. The business owner or manager is looking for someone who is capable of figuring out solutions to possible problems that might occur in the workplace, and a pair of glasses can serve to enhance the job applicant’s image. Jobs that require long hours of manual labor also occasionally require intelligent reasoning, so someone who looks strong, as well as bright, is more likely to be hired.

Alternatives for Those Who Do Not Need Glasses

Individuals who do not need to wear spectacles can buy frames with clear, nonprescription lenses that look exactly the same as prescription eyeglasses. These glasses can be found in either a neighborhood optician’s office or online. It is best to study photographs of modern, fashionable frames before making a purchase. Additionally, the selected frames should match the person’s face and character traits. Is wearing a pair of glasses a 100 percent guarantee that the job applicant will be hired? No, but the odds are sure to increase. Besides, wearing glasses at a job interview certainly cannot do any harm to the prospective employee, so why not give it a try?

Sara Roberts writes for Just Eyewear, a discount eyeglasses and prescription sunglasses online retailer.

Job seekers, you have to go the extra mile to show employers you are the right fit. A few years ago, employers could handle the risk of hiring the wrong fit, but today it is very different. The cost to let an employee go and hire another is very high. Employers want to pick the right fit the first time around.

Here are some tips to help you stand out:

1. What is your brand and value proposition?

What will you bring to the employer? What makes you better than the rest? This needs to be communicated in your resume, cover letter, interview and even as you network. Have your elevator speech down. If you met the CEO of your dream company and had 30 seconds to talk about yourself, what would you say?

2. Utilized the free career-related workshops offered in your city.

Services that can cost hundreds of dollars are available at no cost (or very small fees) from organizations looking to help out job seekers in transition. Do your research! You might be able to get assistance with resume development, interview preparation, networking effectively, and much more for free. If you are in Portland or Washington, stay tuned to my site for information regarding events coming up in the area.

3. Research every organization before you submit your resume.

You need to know about these companies well before an interview. It shows your professionalism and more importantly your interest in the company. Employers want employees who will love their company not just the job. This will help you stand out by showing you are genuinely interested in the organization and you will be ready to hit the ground running day one.

Do not just check out the company’s website. Read articles on the company and create Google news alerts for companies you wish to work for. Your goal is to impress the employer with your knowledge of their company.

4. Joining LinkedIn is a requirement.

Job seekers are having amazing luck on LinkedIn. Recruiters, headhunters, hiring managers and others with hiring decision power are recruiting via this site. Make sure you are taking advantage of every aspect of LinkedIn. Many resumes and business cards will have a link to a LinkedIn profile. This is a requirement. Create your profile today.

You can also use LinkedIn to find out more about a company and their employees. I know some job seekers use the site to become more familiar with the person they will be interviewing with. You can also use it as a powerful networking tool and meet people who have similar interests as your own.

5. Your documents need to be flawless.

Resumes, cover letters, thank you letters, websites, social networking sites, portfolios and any other tool you are using to market yourself must be perfect. I know this seems like an apparent one, but typos and grammar issues are pet peeves of employers today. If you can, get the advice of someone in the industry you are looking to go into. Again, all marketing tools need to be 100% error free and be relevant to the industry you are applying for.

1. Make yourself findable first. Google yourself right now. Did your LinkedIn profile come up? ResumeBucket? If not build one nad make it public. If you have a preferred method of contact be sure to include it. Set up a separate e-mail account to easily manage your social networking profiles.

2. Make yourself even more findable. Post your resume on ResumeBucket.com, omit your home address and perhaps telephone number if it makes you feel more comfortable. Set up all the profiles we’ve outline in our previous blog “How to build your personal brand online”

3. Make sure when you build those profiles you use every keyword that applies to you. If you like to call yourself a researcher but your title is Strategic Recruiting Manager… and if you are anticipating a job hunt and tweaking a profile you should make sure every word related to recruiting and research both are enmeshed in my online profile.

4. Use job boards! Lucky for you you’re already on one. Head to the ResumeBucket.com sign up page and begin fleshing out your profile using the concepts in this blog.

5. Find someone who works at your targeted company who can pass your resume along, outside of the applicant tracking system. You want to be looked at by the hiring manager. You don’t want to be dumped in the black hole of resumes, so give yourself a fighting chance and work your network.

6. If you’re not interested in an opportunity sent your way but want to start building some relationships with recruiters let the recruiter know that “this one isn’t a fit” but what you’d really like is X, Y, and Z. They’ll keep that information because it’s valuable to them. Also, pass the opening on to your network. Referrals are gold in recruiting, and your recruiter will remember your helpfulness.

If you don’t have a Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn account, you should seriously consider opening an account immediately. Social networks aren’t simply to help you maintain contact with old friends and relatives, at least not anymore. When understood, these resources can greatly influence your professional career and/or business.

Below are some suggestions referring to each social network and how you can utilize it effectively to build your personal “brand.”

Twitter

What can you say in less than 140 characters? It could be news, a product launch, a link to a funny picture or video, pretty much anything you want. As an example, a politician may “tweet” (meaning: write about) his campaign and appearances on television. Anyone who “follows” him will get this information and it can easily be shared with others. If you haven’t started a Twitter account yet, start now. It’s easy, fun and fast. You can stick with business related tweets, or more personal things. It’s up to you! Just make them good enough to where people will like what you say and want to follow your tweets.

Facebook

Facebook pages are a huge resource for any business, or professional looking to build a bigger fan base and reach more people. At no cost to you, a Facebook page easily enables you to find and communicate people who are interested in what you have. Also, Facebook has an excellent advertising system set up which enables you to choose very specific target audiences. There is also a section found in the Facebook marketplace where people can post and lookup jobs in their area.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn is basically the business version of Facebook. You can look up people you currently work with or have worked with in the past. They can recommend you to others who might be looking into doing business with you. Potential employers can see what your previous work experience and education were with detailed descriptions and without calls or emails. 73 of the Fortune 100 companies use LinkedIn to hire employees, and more are joining every day.  A profile on LinkedIn will greatly increase your professional credibility and open your options to many other companies you would have otherwise never had contact with. Use LinkedIn to network with individuals that you think may be beneficial to maintain a relationship with. It is so easy that even a seasoned piano-tuner can effortlessly make a profile and start connecting with other people who might be interested in his services.

Social media has become a part of our everyday lives, especially the professional aspects. Whether it be laziness, or a fear of not knowing what to do, there are no excuses for not having accounts with Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. These tools will enable you to build your career in ways you would have otherwise never been able to. The networking capabilities are also greatly beneficial and will help you all throughout your life.

About the Author

Parker Boyack is a writer for MyCollegesandCareers.com. My Colleges and Careers helps people determine if an online education is right for them and helps them search for online degrees that can help them reach their goals.

Have you ever feel like the poor interviewee in this video? However qualified you are and whatever value your experience could bring to the right role, it sometimes seems as if you just hit a wall with certain recruiters and employers if you are above a certain age.

It doesn’t have to be like this. Whatever age you are, it pays to get smart about your job search. ResumeBucket.com has thousands of job postings for people of all ages across hundreds of industries. Get clear on what you want and what your priorities are, many people don’t realize that these things change as you get older. Spend the time thinking these things out then create a plan of attack.

If you need help and advice in shaping your career as an older worker, we here at ResumeBucketBlog.com write at least three job search related articles per week. You can manually search our archives for useful topics or just browse through the categories listed on the right hand side. If you have a specific question about an article feel free to post in the comments section or send an e-mail to aaron@resumebucket.com

1. One of the most common misconceptions is that recruiters help people find jobs. While it is true that recruiters do place people in some very excellent positions, recruiters are primarily responsible to the clients they represent.
2. It is the job of a recruiter to find a candidate to fill a position.  As such, recruiters seldom market candidates to companies, and when they do, they only select the most ideal candidate based on what they know about the role and the hiring employer.
3. Roughly about 5% of the revenue a recruiter makes is from placing a candidate into a company.  95% of the revenue is from finding a good candidate to fill a specific open role.  Recruiters either work on contingency or are on contract by the employer.
4. If you are in career transition, have changed positions frequently, or if you have worked in multiple industries, it is less likely that a recruiter will be able help you. The recruiter may want to help you, again the recruiter is bound by the restrictions given to them by the company they are filling for. It’s best to talk over all possible options with a recruiter if you may fall into this category.
5. Networking with recruiters who are in your niche market is a very good idea. There are many industry specific recruiting firms, especially in major metropolises. For instance NeoHire.com, a partner with us at ResumeBucket.com recruits on contract specifically for the tech/web industry in the state of California. If you establish a positive relationship with a talented recruiter, they will remember you the next time a suitable opening does come across their desk.

Recruiters can be an important part of a search strategy, which should also include networking with people in and outside of your network, participating in related industry groups or social networks on the Internet.

1. Setting goals based on outcome instead of performance. Focusing on outcome forces you to look for a quick way to get to the end result instead of taking your time to go through the appropriate steps of goals setting. When you set goals properly you will be doing it in a step by step manner. Furthermore, failing to achieve an outcome based goal for reasons outside your control can lead to a loss of enthusiasm and feelings of failure. Always set performance goals instead as this will give you a higher chance of succeeding.
2. Setting unrealistically high goals. This is a set up for failure: When a goal is perceived to be unreachable, no effort will be made to achieve it. Before you even get started, you have set your self at a disadvantage. Set realistic goals so that you can best decide how to go about achieving them. In retrospect to the above, goals can be set so low that you feel no benefit in achieving the goal. Always set goals that are challenging enough to be worth the effort, but not out of reach.
3. Setting vague and ambiguous goals. Goals that are not specific enough to lead to action are useless. How can you tell whether these types of goals have been achieved? If achievement can’t be measured against your expectations, you cannot observe progress towards a greater goal. And without being able to measure progress, goal setting becomes pointless. Key: Set precise and quantitative goals.
4. Not having an organized approach for setting and measuring goals.
   This leads to certain goals being forgotten, any achievement of goals will not be measured, and there will be no feedback for shaping new goals. Goals should be organized and attempted in a systematic approach. This will help you identify what does and doesn’t work.
5. Setting too many goals. With too many goals it will be hard to prioritize. This can lead to a feeling overwhelmed. If working towards your goals becomes too taxing, it will be easy to put off the smallest of task required as the next step. The key here is to have balance and harmony. Working towards your goals is just a part of your life. And your goals will best be achieved when they are in harmony and not conflict with the rest of your life. Remember that you deserve time to relax and enjoy being alive and not solely focused on your goals and achievements.

When goal setting does go wrong, not only are the benefits of goal setting lost, but the whole process of goal setting will seem useless, like a waste of time. You can avoid this and set goals effectively by being mindful of the 5 pitfalls listed above.

One of the hardest obstacles to overcome when looking for a job is being unemployed in the first place. The discomfort and possible insecurity that particular entry on a résumé can generate can often demoralize and demotivate an energetic job search.

Whether you were ‘downsized,’ you were fired or you resigned, cover those employment gaps in the cover letter before they’re ‘accidentally discovered.’ Forthright honesty can often provide the leverage into a job instead of out of one.

Downsized

One of the easiest unemployment reasons to cover, downsizing can usually be explained simply and concisely, but do not exaggerate or lie. Mention the unemployed period in the cover letter. Tell the receiver about it before they discover it on your résumé.

Being a victim of downsizing is often beyond the individual’s control. Mention specifically that your position was eliminated when the employer reduced its workforce, whether you were on good terms with the employer and if you enjoy a rehire status, should a similar position become available.

A sample sentence might read:

My position as Engineering Team Leader was eliminated when XYZ Corporation reduced its workforce in September 2010. Because I left on good terms, I am eligible for rehire but have chosen to pursue other options which has led me to the opportunity with your organization.

If you don’t know if you have a rehire status, contact the former employer and ask. Most people, however, know when they’re let go if they qualify.

Terminated

More difficult to overcome than a lay-off, the keys to resolving this issue starts at the same point. You should be the one to mention it first. The reason for leaving the position listed on the application should be truthful, and your addressing it early may be just enough to earn at least an interview.

When mentioning that you were fired, give a concise outline of the exact reason. Admit exactly what you did wrong and what you learned from it—how you would handle that situation or outright avoid it in the future. Hard lessons are learned more deeply, and you’ve learned yours well.

Introducing the issue in your cover letter is no guarantee that you would progress along the hiring trail, but at least you hid nothing that could later get you fired for presenting false information, and your bravery would be admired.

Medical Leave

You are not required in any circumstances to explain the medical condition that prompted your medically-based departure. No employer can require you to surrender your right to privacy of medical matters.

However, explain that your medical condition prompted reconsideration of your employment—if you weren’t fired for absenteeism. Note that the issue is no longer acute or that you have been cleared to return to work.

Resignation

If you’re the parent who resigned a position to stay at home with the children, note that. Detail in the cover letter what functions you performed, qualities you developed or skills learned from the experience that would benefit the prospective employer.

If you left on moral grounds, state simply that you disagreed with certain administrative, supervisory, or financial policies and chose to leave the employer after a two-week notice. Do not disclose or discuss confidential information. You might be well tempted to divulge the details, but you’d be gossiping—not a good thing in either a cover letter or an interview.

Summary

These tips are effective enough more often than not to gain a foothold into the position—receiving an invitation to interview.

Always note periods of unemployment on a résumé between periods of employment. List as many related tasks performed during that period as legitimately possible. As always, honesty is the best policy.

About the Author

JC Ryan is a freelance writer for MyCollegesandCareers.com. My Colleges and Careers helps people determine if an online education is right for them and helps them search for online degrees that can help them reach their goals.

1. Times where you either made money or saved money for your current or previous company

2. A crisis in your life or job and how you responded or recovered from it.

3. A time where you functioned as part of a team and what your contribution was.

4. A time in your career or job where you had to overcome stress.

5. A time in your job where you provided successful leadership or sense of direction.

6. A failure that occurred in your job and how you overcame it.

7. Any seminal events that happened during your career to cause you to change direction and how that worked out.

Remember the interviewer is not only looking for great answers but also a good first impression. Make them feel comfortable by being professional yet casual. Interviewing is also stressful for them and understanding that will help take some of their power away creating a much more friendly environment.

Billboards in video games

The SIS (Secret Intelligence Service) which is the equivalent to the CIA in the United States contacted the production studio of a popular military based video game and put up billboards and other simulation real world advertisements in the games environment in an attempt to target their prime recruiting demographic.

Mathematical equation phone number

An engineering firm put these flyers on local college campuses. The tear-off phone number is a complex mathematical equation that turns into a nine digit phone number when correctly solved. Those who are unable to solve it correctly are likely not qualified for the open position.

Unique Ad placement

The Transportation Security Administration, or the TSA as they are better known, thought that they could grab the attention of job seekers more effectively by placing their employment opportunities in unique places. In the above picture they’ve chosen a to place their ad on a pizza box.

“How technical are you?”

A cell phone engineering company sent out this package to technical schools across the nation with a note inside asking, “How technical are you?” If the student correctly assembled the phone and powered it on, a message would appear saying “Hi! You seem to be technical. Call us at +1-987-448-2323″

Sneaky coffee mugs

A company somehow managed to sneak in coffee mugs into their competitors break room. While the cups looked the same, once the liquid was gone a message was revealed saying “The Coffee is highly recommended elsewhere.” Further inspection of the mug had the contact information of the rival company on the bottom. A clever way to poach your competition!

Jessica Hernandez, president and CEO of Great Resumes Fast and a former HR manager says the following. “When I was a hiring manager, applicants would often call to check on their status. It was frustrating and daunting, I didn’t have enough hours in the day to speak to every single person.”

In the current job market you definitely don’t want to risk bugging anyone who has the power to hire you.

Steve Kobs, a Human Resources Manager offers a solution. “If you call me on the phone and ask if we’ve made a hiring decision, you put me in an awkward position if I have to tell you bad news … or if I’ve forgotten who you are. Candidates who follow up by e-mail show respect for my time, which I appreciate.”

You want to avoid sending a follow up e-mail immediately after the application. Hiring managers already have overloaded inbox’s and if they see that you’ve submitted an application and right above it have another e-mail from you asking “Did you get my application?!?!” you are likely to leave a bad taste in their mouth.

The safest way to follow up on an online job application is to wait about a week then politely send a brief e-mail asking about the status of your recent application. Include the date and time you originally applied so they can easily search for you. Then just be patient and wait for a reply and refrain from following up more than once.

Be aware that there are scammers are looking to make a profit off of your job search are not confined to just online, you can find these low-lifes preying on job seekers in print publications such as classified ads and flyers.

The best way not to fall victim to these scams is to familiarize yourself with them. One of the most common methods scammers use associated with job hunting involves having the victim make a deposit on their behalf. These “job descriptions” will usually involve posting an advertisement or writing an article that favorably mentions a certain product or company . The victim is then told that the initial deposit is for “materials”, “job training” or some type of application “processing fee”. More recently the scam has evolved to where the company will initially send the victim a check and tell them to deposit it into their bank account and purchase something with the money, usually “advertising space”. They will give excuses as to why they can’t purchase the ad space themselves such as living in a different country. The scam here is that the check is invalid and will end up bouncing after the victim has spent the money. This not only hurts financially it can also have longer lasting scars such as diminished credit ratings. Anytime a payment is involved up front take it as a red flag and remove yourself from the situation.

Sometimes when the bogus check arrives the victim will then be told to do something completely different than what was originally agreed upon such as getting a money order from a post office (post office money orders cannot be tracked or refunded). Anytime the exchange of money is involved you are dealing with a scammer.

Another mainstream scam that can be particularly brutal to ones personal life are “fake jobs”. This scam is a little more tricky and works because the victim thinks they’ve been hired for a job that doesn’t really exist. The “employer” will set up some sort of mock interview and explain that the victim has been hired and the next step is to fill out the necessary “legal” forms. These forms will require the victim to put down their bank account number for a direct deposit, one the scammer has this information they likely never be heard from again, and if the victim handed over enough information they could sucessfully steal your identity.

Using common sense and always exerting your best judgment while not being impulsive is a great way to avoid falling for these scams. The old saying “If it sounds to good to be true, then it is” applies to these situations. It’s unfortunate that there are those who feed off of others but the fact is that they do exist and we want all of our users to not only be aware of these scams but to immediately report them to us if one happens to get through on ResumeBucket.com. We screen every employer and job posting that gets listed on our site but we are human and sometimes a clever one can even make it past us. Contact support@resumebucket.com if you suspect something of being a fishy, and put “SCAM” in the title so we can investigate it immediately.

Sandwich Board Job Seeker

Job seeker Paul Nawrocki was down on his luck so he took to the streets of New York city armed only with a sandwich board and a resume. Well, his resume was written on the sandwich board. The amazing thing about this story is that Paul walked around Manhattan for over a year before someone offered him a job. Talk about dedication.

Unconventional but Creative Resume

Graphic designers have more leeway than most when it comes to creating creative resume’s. This example is from designer Chuck De Lay who used a 1960s phone book throw back style to grab the readers attention. Unfortunatly resumes like this probably would only hurt your chances of getting a call back in more ’serious’ industries.

Put Your Resume On A T-Shirt

What to job search even when you are out running errands? Head over to DamnINeedaJob.com and you can get your resume printed onto the back of your t-shirt. Now waiting in line at the grocery story could land you a job!

Send A Singing Telegram

What better way to get the attention of your desired employer by sending a singing telegram into their office. You might think this is a joke but in 2009 this actually landed job seeker Phillip Burkozi a job. Warning: this may actually annoy most employers.

Pay Someone to Find a Job For You

Michael Checkoway needed a new job but didn’t want to do any of that pesky and tedious job hunting, so he set up a website http://www.michaelcheckoway.com/and offered to send people on luxurious vacations if they found him a job. He even made different tiers of destinations based on the salary he would be getting at the offered job. In May 2010 Mr Checkoway got a job and sent one lucky job hunter on a very expensive vacation to Cancun.

Set up Google Alerts

Google Alerts allows you to monitor the web for interesting and new content. Anytime the keywords you input are mentioned anywhere online you’ll get an e-mail with a link to where it is located. Set up alerts for the companies or industry you have your eye on so you can keep up with current trends as they happen. Consider putting your location along with your job title in to get notifications on job postings the second they go up. As you get more familiar with Google Alerts you’ll be able to tweak the search parameters to more specific and relevant things based on the results you are receiving. Check out the Google Alerts: Getting Started Guide for a more comprehensive walk-through.

Weekly Profile Updates

Be active in the networks you are apart of. By changing your status updates at least once a week you keep yourself in the mind of other people without being pushy or annoying. Set up a system to remind yourself to log into your LinkedIn, ResumeBucket, Facebook, and any other social networks you are apart of to update your status. The key to social media success is a give and take relationship. Don’t only bombard your followers with updates, you also need to take some time to give back and interact with them. The most efficient way to do this is to get involved in their discussion by replying to their status updates. The results you get from social media are directly related to the effort you put into it.

Be Proactive

Create your own little PR firm. When you are online you promoting your personal brand for others to see. To do this successfully you’ll need to be able to manage and control what information can be found about you online. The difference between getting your ideal job and being unemployed could be one satisfied person in your network. Take the time to explore the little nooks and crannies of the web and report your information back to your network for others to see. This will keep people interested in what you have to say and show them that you are a proactive and involved person. Just creating profiles on LinkedIn or ResumeBucket is a great start but the people who are actually seeing results from these websites are the ones who explore and interact with others using the tools provided to them. Best of all you’ll find that once you begin to understand how everything works and intertwines together you’ll find yourself having a lot of fun.

The Greeting : Get a name, any name. Sometimes you’ll be provided this information and other times you’ll need to do some research online or make a few phone calls. Try to avoid using “To whom it may concern or Dear hiring manager.”

Dear John Smith:

The Intro: Your opening paragraph is your introduction and presents the reader with some immediate and focused information regarding the position you are pursuing and a few core competencies that demonstrate your strength:

Having contributed as an operations and general business leader, I am writing to express my interest in [Name of Position] with [Name of Company]. You will see on the enclosed resume that I turned around an underperforming business, substantially improved productivity and employee morale, and possess critical and creative thinking skills that will facilitate my swift contribution to your sustained growth.

The Hook: This paragraph should define some examples of the work performed and results achieved. This paragraph should highlight your resume. This does not mean that you should copy verbatim what is in the resume. Rather, use this area to expand on some of the bullet points in your resume. You can also use this section to add anything that was left out in your resume such as awards or honors relevant to this position. Use bullets to define key areas of achievement and highlight what you bring:

My professional experiences include my recent position with XYZ Corporation as Operations Manager, and previous positions with ABC Corporation, and DEF Corporation. In all of my roles I guided the professional development of staff and gained consensus for the adoption of new ideas due to my demonstrated ability to clearly present value added recommendations. The following is a brief sample of the expertise I offer:

■  Implemented an innovative business strategy whereby inventory was maintained at vendor locations, resulting in the effective use of the system and annual savings of $250,000 for XYZ Corporation.

■  Established operating procedures that reduced employee downtime by 15%. In addition to conducting cross-training initiatives, I created an environment predicated on accountability for results, which improved the team’s commitment to the attainment of short- and long-term goals.

What You Know: This is where your background research on the company should be presented and tied into your specific skills. This shows the reader that you did some preliminary homework and understand the company’s goals and how you will help them get there.

After researching 123 Company, I understand that your immediate goal is to improve business performance and establish key benchmarks within ABC Company. Given my professional achievements, I am in a position to help you quickly achieve your goals.

Be as specific as possible. This is where you should really be selling yourself as the perfect fit for their company.

The Closing Paragraph: In the closing paragraph quickly summarize what you offer and close by either suggesting a meeting or indicating that you will call in a certain number of days. If you choose the latter approach, make sure you follow-up within the timeframe you reference.

I bring a tool kit comprised of leadership, strategic planning, and analytical skills; and I would be pleased to review my credentials with you to personally explore how I can contribute as a member of your senior leadership team. Please feel free to contact me at the number above to arrange a time to speak.

Sincerely,

Full Name

Research the company you are applying for

Heading into an interview armed with information about the company that you can tie into your responses and parallel your experience to not only helps you become more fluid and relevant with your answers, it shows the interviewer that you are a prepared individual. Being able to noticeably impress a hiring manager will immediately boost your confidence and ease up some of the anxiety in the room. If you’re able to steer the interview to something that more resembles a conversation you’ll find yourself in a much more comfortable position, making an excellent first impression.

Practice makes perfect

While it may be a bit silly, practicing in front of a mirror or with a friend will help you fine tune your responses. This trick is used by people who need assistance overcoming their fear of public speaking (the #1 cause of fear in the United States) and public speaking ins’t so different than interviewing. Both are high pressure, high anxiety situations where the speaker is looking to convey a specific point and make a good impression. Verbalizing the clutter in your mind is a proven way of sorting everything out into a more clear and concise manner.

Brush up on current industry trends and common interview questions

It’s likely that you are not switching industries but that doesn’t mean you are 100% caught up with the current trends. With the economy slowly emerging from this past recession it’s not business as usual anymore. Many businesses have changed the way things are done across the board and you need to be caught up with all of it. It’s very likely that you’ll be asked questions about these new changes and it’s up to you to impress the interviewer with your replies. Remember, the more prepared you are the better. Take this time to brush up on the common interview questions such as “Where do you see yourself in 5 years” and “What assets can you as an individual bring to this company”. Google.com is your friend in this situation. Many HR managers and recruiters now have industry specific blogs where they talk about the answers to all the questions you may potentially get asked.

Memorize your resume

This may seem like a no-brainer but it’s vital that you review your resume and read in-between the lines. If you have any gaps in your work history you will be asked about them and you need to be prepared with an answer that won’t get you into hot water. Being able to read your resume without looking down is a great start. Be ready to expand in detail on even the smallest bullet point in your work history along with knowing each one of the skills you’ve listed inside outside and backwards. Failure to do this will get you raised eyebrows and likely cost you a job. Remember, the resume is the only reason you got in the door.

Be presentable

Look sharp for the interview. Studies have shown that feeling good about the way you look radiates confidence and hiring managers are looking for confidence. Depending on how important the interview is for you it might be worthwhile to invest in some brand new clothes. Remember to smile, but not so much that it’s creepy (there is a fine line). Come prepared with a hard copy of your resume and any other materials you may be asked to bring such as a portfolio. Don’t just throw these in cardboard folder or a manila envelope, put the extra effort into making yourself look professional and the rest will follow.

Interviewing can be an unpleasant process but keep yourself in a positive mindset and put the extra effort in and you’ll see your anxiety, stress, and fears lower. Remember your resume got you in the door, the interview will get you the job, and it’s really just a small formality in the grand scheme of your career.

Any specific interview question should go in the comments. We are prompt to respond!

You have probably read every online article and magazine tip rundown on getting an employers attention that has been written in the last several years. I know that I have. But I have noticed that the same advice is constantly given: firm handshake, eye contact, seem relaxed but diligent, remain pleasant but not too casual, ask questions about the job, ect. What they fail to mention is how to show that you are better for a position than all of the other people using the same tactics.

That is always the problem that people forget when it comes to interviews or applications, whether in the workforce or freelance. It isn’t about impressing with confidence, at least not that alone. It is about making it clear that you have something that you can bring to the table that no one else can. In the end, what you are selling is your uniqueness.

Finding Your Unique Abilities

Being clear with someone else is impossible if you don’t first know what you have yourself. Before you present your application to a client or employer, you need to take some time to list all of those special things that make you you. What can you bring to the job that no one else can? What make you unique? What qualities do you possess that they should come to appreciate and rely on?

This can be anything that is listed as a skill, talent or personality trait. If you are dedicated, tell them so. Reliable and upbeat, tenacious when dealing with a problem, or just pleasant to work with. When listing skills, be explicit but honest. Don’t say that you can type 90 words per minute if you mean 60. Don’t say you can take on more work than is realistic. Never lie about work you never did. The trick is to impress them with real qualities you possess.

Showing Off Your Uniqueness

Everything you say will need to be proven. Some of it will be over time (such as with your personality traits), but some can be shown easily right away. Some ways you can do this are:

• References to past clients or employers.
• Websites that you have designed.
• Articles that you have written have ownership of or a byline attached to.
• A description of a former job or project.
• Screen caps, copies, prints of samples of a completed work.
• An online or physical portfolio.
• A networking profile with connected employers and clients, such as LinkedIn.
• Providing a discounted or free sample in the genre of their choice.

Filling in the Details

If you have stories of past projects or jobs that went well, have a couple of stories ready to regale them with. If it is related to the position you are applying for, all the better. Just make sure to be honest, never embellish the details, and be specific.

If you are asked to explain why a position ended, such as being fired, quitting or being laid off, be open about the details. Never point the finger of blame and be gentle with your explanation. If you made a mistake own up to it, but tell them how you learned from the experience and it will help you in your future endeavors.

Giving these details can be highly beneficial. It paints a more complete picture of who you are, and can help them to build trust while getting to know why you are the best person for the job.

Showing You Have What it Takes

When it comes to a job in the workforce, you are usually safe with being direct about past experiences. They can fill in the blanks by speaking to people who you worked for in the past, contacting references and asking questions. But when you are a freelancing looking for contracts or minor projects, you have to show them a different way.

What you should do is come up with examples of how you worked through other projects. The areas you want to focus on are your reliability, your ability to work to deadline and how you can solve problems on your own. These are all very important on independent contracts, as you are completely responsible for everything from the beginning to the final product.

Freelance or Workforce, Show You’re Unique!

In the end, you are showing that you are special, you have what it takes to get the job done better than anyone else, and you can deliver results. This is all based on you being unique, and so you should always show how those qualities that make you you are the ones that will get things completed the right way.

If you are able to get that across, then there is nothing you cannot achieve.

Annie is an online entrepreneur and stay-at-home mom. She blogs on viral marketing, green tools, web-based apps and healthy lifestyle. Her favorite free web application is Home Loan Finder, the largest home loans comparison tool in the world (mind that it is Australia-based)

1. Abraham Lincoln: Ferryboat Operator

Sure, I can see it. Leading a boat across a river over and over again is just like running a country… right? He also used to be the postmaster – that may make more sense if you consider the time period of his presidency. Postmasters were pretty important back in Lincoln’s time, and I’m sure Honest Abe had the integrity it took for such a position. I just can’t imagine the guy wearing anything other than a top hat!

2. William Harrison – Clerk of Hamilton County
Not a very exciting job… but how did President Harrison go from that role DIRECTLY to President of the United States? Man… that must have been some serious campaigning.

3. Zachary Taylor – Soldier
But here’s the thing – President Taylor was only a soldier. That’s it. Soldier, and President. I think that’s awesome – talk about serving your country your entire life! I’ve got a lot of respect for our armed forces, and talk about a great career move. I’ve got a few friends in the military, emergency city services (i.e. Firefighters) and the Coast Guard, and I can tell you they’re the friends losing the least amount of their hair during this recession.

4. Gerald Ford – Busboy, Male Model
Wait. Gerald Ford. Male Model? Are you kidding me? No seriously. Look at that guy. Although I suppose physical charisma goes a long way towards being our country’s leader. Although I personally think Clinton deserves to rot in hell, Tim Ferriss has a great article on what made Clinton great.

5. Harry Truman – Haberdasher
I just love the name “Haberdasher” Truman was actually one of several presidents who came from clothing and tailoring, since the industry was such a huge boon to our young Country. I just didn’t see any of the others referred to as “Haberdasher” – awesome.

6. Jimmy Carter – Peanut Farmer
I didn’t know Georgia was where Peanuts were grown. It must have been passed down from his family. Farmers have long term residual income that can sustain a family for generations. I’ve always been an admirer of this lifestyle – you earn what you grow. It’s as simple as that (if you’re a farmer, please don’t write me an angry email. I know it’s not that simple).

7. Ronald Reagan – Actor, Lifeguard, Radio Announcer

This is an easy one. Reagan holds arguably the most well-known former professions out of all our illustrious Presidents. Again… it’s all in the charisma. If you can sell an audience, you can sell a country. It’s not Voodoo. Get it? Yeah… sorry.

8. James Garfield – Carpenter, Janitor

Wait. Janitor? This one just doesn’t make much sense. I can’t see how anything relates to Presidential duties… oh, except for cleaning up other people’s messes, of course. I imagine our next President will certainly have his fair share of cleaning up to do!

9. Herbert Hoover – Geologist
Worrying about the earth… to worrying about the earth! Total natural transition.. right?

10. Calvin Coolidge – Toymaker

I’m pretty sure Calvin Coolidge produced Indian Bats – and that makes him the coolest President of them all.

What is the solution to such a situation? Transferable skills, silly. That’s right; you have a veritable goldmine of goodies that are very valuable to employers. Class has now commenced. Today’s lesson is a crash course in showcasing multiple talents to your maximum advantage.

Make Your List And Check It Twice

Your first task is constructing a comprehensive list of all skills obtained and maintained in your current or past jobs. Don’t forget related tasks not explicitly stated in the job description. For instance, competent medical professionals must be highly organized and detail-oriented.

Likewise, secretaries and switchboard operators have exceptional communications and analytical skills. Sales professionals have highly-honed persuasive skills. Construction workers have physical endurance and stamina that make fabulous fits for factory foreman jobs.

After conducting a thorough inventory of transferable skills, take stock of your accumulated knowledge. You may have heard the oft-quoted truism that “knowledge is power.” Class, this truism is total truth. It is more accurate in today’s Information Age than ever before. Knowing about things is worth a lot more than you may think.

Think about it: if a major piece of machinery malfunctions at a huge industrial plant, how much dough do you think it costs that company? Such snafus often add up to huge sums wasted on paying idle workers. Lost revenues due to disrupted production complete the sad picture. Prior assembly line experience would prove invaluable, as practical expertise could affect a quick cure.

Technology-based jobs are especially fertile fodder for those seeking significant adjustments to their vocational sights. If you are a former graphics designer, website designing may be just the right field to design your new career plans around. Are you a bored journalist who is burned out on the hustle and bustle of the news scene? Break onto a new scene as an online writer.

Whether you follow the freelance or captive route, you may freely select the subjects that are especially dear to your heart. Take pride in plying the trade of accurate information dissemination to millions of internet-surfing inquiring minds. With luck and persistence, you may soon see your name in lights as you make major headlines with your very own site or blog column.

The possibilities are endless. Accountants emerge as actuaries; secretaries undergo major metamorphoses into magazine editors; displaced loan officers develop into economics instructors.

A Helping Hand From Uncle Sam

The Dictionary of Occupational Titles (“DOT”) is an official publication of the U.S. Department of Labor. Guess what, class? It is the same exact book employed by vocational experts in analyzing someone’s employment history. The process is known as “transferable skills analysis” (“TSA”). For an in-depth explanation of TSA and a free download of the DOT manual, visit dol.gov.

Job-related things and activities are categorized by materials, products, subject matter, and services. These four data designations are then developed into a general “profile” that identifies a probable range of suitable career paths. Specialized software can help further refine the range of options by factoring in your individual level of proficiency in specific aptitudes such as math, language, and reading.

Varying work conditions and job-related functions may also be added to the mix. MVQS (McCroskey Vocational Quotient System), Skilltran, and OASYS are a few such software packages.

Formulate your plan of attack with proper planning and advance analysis. Rigorously adhere to a recipe of combined tenacity, persistence, and creativity. By doing so, you can be off and running after a smooth landing onto the runway of your new occupational surroundings. Happy flying; I wish you a safe, satisfying, and very rewarding trip. Class is hereby dismissed.

Crissie C. Luckey is a freelance writer for MyCollegesandCareers.com. My Colleges and Careers helps people determine if an online education is right for them and helps them understand which online courses and online schools they can choose from to reach their goals.

Google your name and analyze the results.

Notice what comes up but also recognize what doesn’t come up. That is what you’ll want to work on. The following 5 steps won’t give you overnight results but if you stick with it you’ll be well on your way to dominating the first page of Google results in no time. The following are all strong link-building sites which are the corner stones of constructing your own search engine results page.

If you are looking to expand your personal brand online then it goes without saying that all of your results should be professional, but just in case: keep your personal online presence at the professional level that is expected in your industry.

LinkedIN

Create a profile and make sure it’s branded, searchable, and 100% complete. LinkedIN is go-to website  online recruiters use when sourcing potential candidates. The reason for this is because LinkedIN is specifically designed for business networking and their strict rules keep the spammers and illegitimate users away. Facebook is to your personal life as LinkedIN is to your business life. Your LinkedIN profile will be viewed by past employers, hiring managers, and future employers so do not claim anything that you can’t backup if questioned.

Google Profile

One of the strongest things you can do for your personal brand is to create a Google profile for yourself. This automatically holds a bunch of weight with the Google.com search engine practically guaranteeing yourself a first page rank for your name. Be sure to use some strategic keywords when you are filling out your profile such as mentioning your job title(s) and name drop big achievements, companies, or projects you’ve been apart of. This will help you come up on those search result pages. Remember you are fleshing out your real life personality on the Internet.

ResumeBucket

Build out a profile on ResumeBucket.com and upload the most recent version of your resume. ResumeBucket provides a free service that not only connects hiring managers with job seekers but allows users resumes to be searchable online. Having a ResumeBucket.com account also unlocks a large variety of free media tools which allow you to become a one-person marketing department. Practically everything an employer will want to know about you will be housed in this one place.

Twitter

Professionally use Twitter. Twitter.com is a very strong link building website but is also sometimes controversial in the job search market. Your handle should be your full name and be smart about what you post on Twitter. It’s a great way to connect with people in your industry because most companies have entire departments dedicated to monitoring major social media websites like Twitter. Use this to your advantage and interact with them. Key to visibility success on Twitter (and any social media website) is to participate in the discussion while sharing useful content.

The next popular degrees on the list according to the most recent Digest of Education Statistics, which is put out by the U.S. Department of Education are as follows:

• Social sciences
• Health professions and related clinical sciences
• Education
• Visual and preforming arts
• Engineering and engineering technologies
• Communication and communication technologies
• Biological and biomedical sciences

If you are thinking about earning your bachelor’s degree in any of the above fields, here are some possible careers and jobs on ResumeBucket.com that line up with current market demands and are fits for anyone fresh out of college.
Tip: If you see a job opening you like but they require experience, send a message to the hiring manager asking about any internship possibilities to get your foot in the door.

Business
Degree: Marketing, Management, Finance

Career: Marketing Manager

Marketing Management is a business discipline which is focused on the practical application of marketing techniques and the management of a firm’s marketing resources and activities. Rapidly emerging forces of globalization have compelled firms to market beyond the borders of their home country making International marketing highly significant and an integral part of a firm’s marketing strategy. Marketing managers are often responsible for influencing the level, timing, and composition of customer demand accepted definition of the term. In part, this is because the role of a marketing manager can vary significantly based on a business’ size, corporate culture, and industry context.
- Source

ResumeBucket.com Related Job Postings
Jr. Marketing Manager for fuhu.com • Digital Marketing Specialist for Valiant Enterprises

Career: Human Resources

Individuals who make up the workforce of an organization, although it is also applied in labor economics to, for example, business sectors or even whole nations. Human resources is also the name of the function within an organization charged with the overall responsibility for implementing strategies and policies relating to the management of individuals (i.e. the human resources).
- Source

ResumeBucket.com Related Job Postings
Student Recruiter for TIPS • Account Support Administrator

Social Science
Degree: Psychology, Sociology

Career: Social Worker

The field works towards research and practice to improve the quality of life and to the development of the potential of each individual, group and community of a society. Social workers perform interventions through research, policy, community organizing, direct practice and teaching. Research is often focused on areas such as human development, social policy, public administration, program evaluation and international and community development. Social workers are organized into local, national, continental and international professional bodies.
-Source

ResumeBucket.com Related Job Postings
Social Worker for Phoenix City Services • Case Manager for the Institute for Children & Family Health • Research Assistant for Child Trends

Communication Technologies
Degree: Advertising, Public Relations, Journalism

Career: Social Media Marketing

A recent addition to organizations’ integrated marketing communications plans. Integrated marketing communications is a practice organizations follow to connect with their target markets. Integrated marketing communications coordinates promotional elements:advertising, personal selling, public relations, publicity, direct marketing and sales promotion.
- Source

ResumeBucket.com Related Job Postings
Social Media Guru for BUMP.com • Project Manager in Social Media for Hirestrategy

Career: Publicist

Generate and manage publicity for a public figure, especially a celebrity, a business, or for a work such as a book, film or album. Most top-level publicists work in private practice, handling multiple clients.
- Source

ResumeBucket.com Related Job Postings
Research Writer for Party Earth • Blogger for Fresh Healthy

Start With The Basics

Basically, your resume’s contents can be categorized into two fundamental features: substance and form. As you’ve undoubtedly deduced, the former is the real meat of the matter. The latter is often mistakenly treated as a mere afterthought of secondary skeletal shaping. Proper attention to both basic characteristics is necessary to make the proper initial impact upon prospective employers, however.

Actual substantive content certainly counts. Human resources representatives are highly trained at recognizing hype, hoopla, padding and fluff. They are seeking much more substantial stuff. Devote sufficient time and toil into rounding up all relevant facts. This will result in a well-rounded resume that will most assuredly capture the attention and interest of your intended audience.

Focus For a Good Fit

A major oversight many hopeful job hunters make is over generalizing. Jobs with similar or identical descriptions vary substantially among employers, subspecialties and work environments.

Each such subdivision has its own particular verbiage and vocabulary. Employers typically employ specialized search engines or software to hone in on specific keywords and phrases that pertain to a particular position. By seamlessly weaving such terminology into your resume, you are more likely to get noticed.

Begin With a Bang

Set the right tone for the rest of your resume with a good summary presentation of past job performance. This may be the most challenging part of your entire resume preparation effort. The powerful punch it packs for your overall presentation is well worthwhile, though.

An example of a good job summary would be something like: “Led sales team to a 348 percent increase in business volume.”

Showcase Skills With Specificity

In your “Job History” section, use detailed data. Example: “Oversaw administration of $5 million annual budget,” or “Efficiently managed 18-member staff for 250 percent increase in production output.”

If You’ve Got It, Flaunt It

The extremely competitive job market calls for aggressive self-marketing by applicants. Show off any awards, honors or other recognition that will set you apart from the crowd.

Example: “Received Million-Dollar Producer Award for Four Consecutive Years.” Recent graduates with grade point averages at or above 3.5 should state this fact on their resume. Likewise, membership in Phi Beta Kappa or “summa cum laude” designations should be noted.

How It All Shapes Up

At this point, you have laboriously listed your talents and skills. You’ve expended great sweat, blood and tears to tie all your strengths and assets together. Pat yourself on the back and take a very brief break. You must wrap it all up in an attractive package. Here are some guidelines to avoid the most common resume production errors:

- Avoid fancy paper. Select a high-quality heavyweight bond paper. Choose a smooth, plain finish without “shine“ or “gloss.” A conservative color is most appropriate. A slight hint of cream is okay, but stay away from other flashy hues.

- Don’t forget the font. Common software applications such as Microsoft Word and Microsoft Works feature dozens of fonts to choose from. Experiment until you find one that provides good word spacing and letter spacing that fits your particular needs. Also, choose the font size with care. Don’t make the mistake of trying to cram data into a reduced space with tiny writing. In truth, most corporate hiring officers do not possess perfect 20/20 vision. When confronted with a mass of miniature meanderings, your resume’s likely destination is the shredder.

- Leave off excessive imagery. Forget about huge insignia or logos designed to capture an employer’s attention. Such gaudy “attractions” are actually major detractions from your resume’s primary purpose.

- Stick with portrait. Many applicants employ a landscape resume format. Rather than being taken as a sign of innovation and initiative, hiring managers find it more of an irritation. Having to turn and rotate to read the first word of your resume is highly annoying. Moreover, many firms file resumes for possible subsequent review. So, stick with horizontal.

Having finished your massive effort, don’t forget to spell check and proofread for punctuation or grammatical errors.

Employing the above strategies in your resume preparation campaign will greatly enhance your chances for employment. Although a piece of paper, your resume carries far more weight than other documents. If you respect this fact by taking proper care in its production, it is guaranteed to take very good care of you.

Crissie C. Luckey, JD is a freelance writer for MyCollegesandCareers.com.  My Colleges and Careers helps people determine if an online education is right for them and helps them understand which online courses and online schools they can choose from to reach their goals.

Following these listed tips will significantly increase the amount of attention hiring managers will give your resume.

• Create a small keyword bank in the footer of your resume and use alternative job titles for the position you are applying for. For example if you list your position as “Secretary” but the hiring manager is doing a search for “Administrative Assistant” you might be scanned over and miss out on a potential job opportunity.
• When applying for open positions read the job description very carefully and stress your qualifications that match the posting using the same language as the ad.
• Submit your resume and cover letters in the .doc file type but always have a .pdf version of both in case the hiring manager requests one or the other.
• Include a concise summary of your unique qualifications for that specific job opening, giving the hiring manager a good reason to continue reading the entire resume.
• Figure in any awards and honors you may have received that a relevant to the job description and quantify these achievements.
• Format your resume and cover letter in a way that is easy to read and one doesn’t have to go searching for information. ResumeBucket.com provides hundreds of excellent resume templates and samples you can use. Careless formating is the number one non-content related that resumes end up in a hiring managers trash bin.

Having multiple resumes is a requirement in this tough job market. Take the time to edit each one to cater specifically to each job you are applying for. Putting in the extra effort it takes to follow the above steps will put candidates considerably ahead of their competition in this demanding job market.

If this is your first job, it’s even more of a challenge because you haven’t done it at all yet.

So if you are writing your first resume or wondering how to tailor your job experience to fit a new job application, who can you ask for help with your resume?
That can depend on your situation, and there are a few sources of help you can turn to.

School or College

Colleges usually have people on staff who can help graduating students create a resume for their job search, and this is also true in some cases of high schools. The best approach here is to gather all your information before you meet with the advisor.

For example, consider the courses you have taken in college and what skills they helped you develop. What are your areas of strength? Have you taken part in any extra-curricular activities that might also give you job skills? Make a list of all these things, and the advisor will help you put them together in the best way.

If you show up unprepared, you’ll waste everyone’s time and you’re less likely to get the help you need.

Recruiting Agencies

Recruiters expect you to have done at least some work on your resume before you approach them for representation on your job search. In fact, some won’t even take you on unless you have done a decent job on your resume.

But it’s in their interests to present their candidates in the best light, and most are willing to help you tweak and improve your resume. You should have at least a draft with all the pertinent information on it, so that they just need to help you with the format and tweaking the information to suit the job you are going after.

Skilled recruiters may also see potential advan