Although today’s job market can be very competitive, many job seekers overlook simple techniques that will catch potential employers’ attention. Apply these eight ideas to stay ahead of your competitors and get hired now!

1. BRAND YOURSELF. Target, Macy’s, and Neiman Marcus are all retailers. But you can easily tell them apart because of their effective branding. Apply the concept of branding to your job search. How are you unique or different? What makes you a star? Continue reading →

Having a great resume is the first critical step in a successful job search. Unfortunately, most people don’t know the best ways to get that resume noticed. In today’s job market, where you are competing with hundreds of other resumes, knowing the right way to distribute your resume can make all the difference.

First of all you need to get organized and stay organized. When you get that call from the 200 resumes you sent out, you need to make sure you are ready to show that you know all about the company that’s calling. So keep a log detailing the name of the company, the position advertised and the dates you contacted them along with any notes. (Readers may request a free log by e-mailingsuccess@gotthejob.com). Continue reading →

Telephone interviews don’t just happen; they are the result of action you have taken. For example, when you are networking and the company representative becomes interested in your skills; when a company representative calls you in response to a résumé you have sent; or when you have previously set up the telephone meeting. Your goal is to achieve a face-to-face meeting at the end of the call. Continue reading →

These days, interviews don’t come easily. When you get The Call, make the most of your time — and go for it!

1. Investigate the company’s culture, markets, and finances. But resist the temptation to show off what you’ve researched: “I just read that you’re about to embark on a new product line”) unless you have a question directly related to your career. Continue reading →

A resume is a tool. It allows employers to see what skills you have and what benefits you bring to the table. When an employers looks over your resume they will most likely scan for highlighted points. Most HR people do this. This way they weed out your resume.

When writing your resume, make sure you tailor it for your specific job. You want the employer to see what you have to offer.

Put yourself in their shoes. If you were the hiring manager what would you want to see? Would you want to see that someone was able to reduce costs or was able to use a certain computer program? Continue reading →

Finding a legit telecommute job can be difficult. Telecommute jobs are in high demand and hundreds if not thousands of other people are competing for the same position.

So how do you stand apart from everyone else? Your résumé.

Your telecommute résumé the first and often the only document a potential employer has to make a hiring decision with. Here are some tips specifically for your telecommute résumé to keep it on the employer’s desk and out of “file number 13”.

I have consulted with telecommute résumé expert Jennifer Anthony of Résumé ASAP to get a list of the top five telecommute résumé mistakes. Here they are! Continue reading →

Wonder Woman makes it looks so easy. She gets up every morning, fights the good fight, calls it a day, and starts the whole process all over again. This is the way most of us begin our workday. We work hard, accomplish lots, and get up in the morning for an encore presentation.

From childhood we were told that if we put 110% into our careers that we will be shoo-ins for promotions and raises. It sounded like an excellent plan and one that you easily bought into-hard work equals a big return on investment. Good deal. Continue reading →

The best cover letters are ‘one-page wonders.’ Why? Because they suit today’s busy employers who are already overloaded and often overwhelmed. The best way to catch their attention is to ‘be brief?and be gone.’ Leave them wanting more?so they’ll call you for an interview?which is just what you hope for. Write a letter that makes your point about the job you want, displays your enthusiasm, and clearly asks for the opportunity to meet in person.

Put these SEVEN SECRETS of a ‘Short and Sweet’ Cover Letter into practice and get your phone ringing next week: Continue reading →

You’ll get wet but the reward just might be a more fulfilling ride!

In Survival is Not Enough, author Seth Godin says change is the “new normal.” Rather than thinking of work as a series of stable times interrupted by moments of change, Godin says we “must now recognize work as constant change, with only occasional moments of stability.”

For many of us this very thought stirs both a nervous anxiety and an enjoyable excitement. Even if we are fearful, we crave change: the opportunity to try something new, to build on what we know, to stretch our professional muscles. Continue reading →

“The Emperor’s New Clothes” was a favorite childhood story of mine. It made me laugh. I couldn’t believe that all those adults were standing around, watching the emperor make a fool of himself and not telling him the truth. When I grew up and went to work, I discovered it wasn’t that easy.

In twenty years in management, I noticed the majority of people operating like the Emperor’s ministers. I saw people more concerned with personally looking foolish, than venturing feedback; more concerned with what they thought they should say, than saying what needed to be said; and more concerned with figuring out what they thought the boss wanted to hear, than offering their point of view. Luckily, there were exceptions. If you want to be winning at working, find some of them. Continue reading →