Often you see job postings with a request such as “Send resume with salary history to?” I don’t know about you but the first thing that pops into my mind is what do they expect to pay? The next question I ponder is whether or not it’s legal to request this information. Who will see my salary history when my resume and accompanying documents are received? Will it be the hiring manager, someone in the human resources department, or will it be a notoriously nosy employee whose job it is to open the mail? Will that individual broadcast my confidential information to other employees? Continue reading →

The rapid changes that have mainly been brought about by the information age are numerous and irreversible. They have affected our way of life on virtually every front and have left many old companies in ruins while causing other new ones to swiftly emerge and grow to great unprecedented profitability, literally overnight.

But despite everything, there are still a few things that have not changed. For example computers cannot think for themselves and make the appropriate decisions, at least not yet. So a human needs to analyze the data and then based on the information, to make a decision on what to do before finally feeding the computer with instructions for implementation. Continue reading →

If you are not busy living, then you must be busy dying. Most of us do this subconsciously and are unaware of which side of this equation we reside on. It must follow then that if you have lots of money, you are probably busy living and living well. Everybody wants more money. But is it the money itself or is it the freedom it buys? Lots of money = lots of freedom.

On the opposite side are the people busy dying. It must follow then that their income falls short of the mark. They cannot meet their obligations, their debts are growing, and there is more month at the end of their money. Yet fuel prices, housing costs, taxes, even groceries keep rising. How do you budget an inadequate income? So they add on a part-time job to make up the deficit. Lack of money = lack of freedom. Continue reading →

A problem most freelance translators are facing with is how to receive payment. In particular: How to receive payment for small jobs. Many translation agencies are reluctant to pay small fees via wire transfer due to the transaction fees; often they will send you a check instead. And I suppose I don’t have to tell you: The banks charge an enormous commission when you come and want to cash in your check. Continue reading →

A legendary marketing genius once said that, if he had to write a killer sales letter, he would imagine he had a gun pointed at his head and that he would be shot if his advertising didn’t deliver.

This motivated him to create some of the world’s most-profitable ads.

Example: one of his sales letters was mailed more than 300 million times in the 1970s and produced up to $300,000 a day in sales. Not bad.

So I got to thinking, if I had a gun to MY head and had to get a job fast, or risk execution, what would I do?

I quickly came up with a list of three things …

1) Meet more hiring authorities.

It’s been said by at least one employment expert (OK, me) that nobody in human history was ever hired by a computer. Sure, you can use a computer to find job openings, and employers can use computers to find you. But ultimately, you’ll have to go belly-to-belly with a live human to get a job offer.

So why not stack the odds in your favor and start meeting more people who can hire you, starting today?

It boggles my mind to see how many folks can find 20-30 hours a week to answer Internet job postings, yet can’t find another two hours to meet with networking contacts over coffee.

I think it’s a fear of rejection — or plain old sloth — that keeps most job seekers chained to their keyboards, furiously firing off electronic resumes, when they could be pressing the flesh and building their network until they meet a hiring manager with a job offer.

Whatever the reason, if I had a gun to MY head, I’d spend about an hour a day on the computer and the remaining 7 hours calling, talking to and meeting people. Because they’re the ones who can hire you.

2) Do only what works. Dump the rest.

Last week I got an email from an irate New York man who’s been unemployed for nearly a year. He wrote: “I’ve sent out 430 resumes and received only one interview since last September!” To which I could have replied, “Why did you wait nearly one year and 430 resumes to bring this to my attention?”

Doing anything more than 400 times and expecting your results to suddenly improve qualifies, I think, as mild insanity. It’s what can happen when you lose sight of what you’re really trying to accomplish in your job search. Do you want to send out as many resumes as possible, or do you want to get hired as quickly as possible?

If the latter is your goal, then it behooves you to analyze what you’re doing at least once a week. Have an actual meeting with yourself. Sit down with a pad of paper and ask yourself these three questions:

1) What am I doing that’s producing job leads? Do more of that.
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2) What am I doing that’s NOT producing leads? Change it or stop doing it.

3) What am I going to do next? Plan your week so you can do more of what’s working.

Note: when you analyze what you’re doing, assume nothing and look at EVERYTHING: your resume, cover letters, how you answer the phone, your voicemail message, how you follow up with employers, etc.

3) Ace the interview.

There’s absolutely no excuse for writing the perfect resume, applying for the perfect job, getting called for the interview … and then blowing it by showing up unprepared.

Two points here.

First, you should never, ever have trouble answering common interview questions like, “Why did you leave your last job?” or “How much salary are you looking for?” The answers are out there. Try this web site for a start – interview.monster.com.

Also, it takes all of five minutes to visit Amazon.com and check out the reader feedback on top-selling interview books. If a book has multiple four- and five-star reviews, buy it or check it out of your local library. Cost to you: a few minutes and a few bucks (no charge if you use the library). Potential payback: thousands of dollars in new salary.

Second, you should never, ever walk into an interview not knowing the company, its products, its problems, its opportunities and its competitors. Again, the answers are out there. Use Google or your favorite search engine and spend an hour digging up enough facts to help you talk intelligently to your potential employer. Failure to do so will mark you as a half-hearted candidate … and you will lose out to other, better-prepared job seekers. Every time.

So there you have it. Three things I would do to get hired if I had a gun to my head.

I hope your situation is never so desperate. But imaging a worst-case scenario like imminent execution can concentrate the mind wonderfully — and turbo-charge your job search.

Now, go out and make your own luck!

Kevin Donlin is President of Guaranteed Resumes.

Since 1996, he and his team have provided resumes, cover letters and online job-search assistance to clients in all 50 states and 23 countries. Kevin has been interviewed by USA Today, CBS MarketWatch, The Wall Street Journal’s National Business Employment Weekly, CBS Radio, and many others.

As a reader of this publication, you’re eligible for a special offer. Get your Free Job Search Kit ($25.00 value) at the Guaranteed Resumes Web site – http://www.gresumes.com

Jack, downsized from his last job, was frozen in a place called Apathy. Had been for months now. Knew he had to get moving, had to find a job, but ? just couldn’t seem to get his act together. Oh, he’d tried ? a little. But his lack of immediate success just made him that much more apathetic.

Listless, almost indifferent, he dithered, wasting time on unrelated tasks. Found excuses not to move forward. Procrastinated ? and hated himself for it. His family and friends tried to be supportive, but that only seemed to deepen his gloomy outlook. He was stuck. Continue reading →

She was waiting for me when I returned from a meeting. Standing outside my office door, I could tell by her downward glance, Jodie was not there to give me good news on the project. Despite her confident, enthusiastic and definitive style, she failed to deliver what she had pitched. It was not the first time. Continue reading →

What are you interested in? We all have a passion for something. So, what is your passion?

Are you actively seeking information about your passion? Knowledge, providing it is correct knowledge, will increase your power.

In this century there is an increasing demand for experts in so many fields. Everything is becoming more and more specialized. Continue reading →

To learn a language for career advancement is one of the best ways to get ahead in the job market. In the 21st century you will need every advantage you can get to keep yourself competitive in the marketplace, and adding foreign language skills is a great way to gain an advantage. Here are just some of the reasons to learn a second language : Continue reading →

Online distance learning has gained rapid popularity with the advent of the internet, which has proven to offer great supporting facilities and convenience for online education. However, just like everything else with pros and cons, the internet has also opened doors for the widespread sale of bogus online degrees. According a report by USA Today, there were already 400 diploma mills in the year 2003 and the numbers are rising. In fact, many of these unscrupulous operations are run by organizations in an industry that is worth $500 million a year. Continue reading →