3 Resume Secrets the Pros Use

You don't write a resume every day. Not even every month or year, most likely. So you can't be expected to do it flawlessly every time, right? After all, you're not a professional.

Well, I am.

My team and I have written or edited nearly 5,000 resumes over the past nine years. And there are a handful of secrets we use to get the job done, and get our clients hired.

Now, for the first time, I'd like to share with you three of my proven methods for writing a resume that gets results. Fast.

Here they are ...

1) Focus on One Specific Job

I can't tell you how many times I've heard job seekers say, "I want a resume I can use to apply for many jobs, like Project Manager, IT Manager and HR Manager, for example."

My response: You can't.

Writing a resume that tries to be all things to all employers is like trying to ride a horse in all directions at once. You'll get nowhere fast.

Before writing one word of your resume, it's essential that you first choose one job title or function, such as project management. Then aim your resume in that direction. Every sentence in your resume should try to convince employers that you are the person to hire for that one job.

But never more than one. Because you'll only end up confusing readers with a "one-size-fits-all" resume. And a confused mind will always say no. Which can spell doom for your job search.

2) Use a "Skill Skeleton"

Once you tailor your resume with one job in mind, try to focus further and come up with a short list of skills to build the entire document around. I refer to this as a "skill skeleton."

Let me explain.

You may be an awesome project manager, for example. But what are the three or four skills that make you so special? Is it your ability to finish projects early and under budget? Your skill at leading others? A knack for negotiating the lowest prices with vendors?

These areas of expertise make up your "skill skeleton." Try to make them a recurring theme throughout your resume. Emphasize them again and again when describing your success stories on the job and in school.

Using a "skill skeleton" like this will force you to focus on a core message that's compelling and easy for employers to remember. And, of course, it should make the phone ring with job offers!

3) Be Truthful AND Believable

You already know you must be 100% truthful in your resume -- your GPA, actual degrees from actual schools, accurate dates, etc. That's basic stuff.

But it's not enough for YOU to believe what you're saying. The employer has to believe it, too. To encourage that, back up the claims in your resume any way you can, using specific numbers, dollars, percentages and dates.

Here are some wrong and right ways to make your resume more believable ...

WRONG "Many years of experience"

RIGHT "Seven years of award-winning experience"

WRONG "Saved time and money"

RIGHT "Saved $437,450 and reduced cycle time by 23 days"

See the difference?

Specific facts and figures are more believable than generalizations. Always. Every time.

For best results, get written documentation for all of your claims, then bring these documents to the interview, where you can expand on points of interest in your resume face-to-face with a hiring manager.

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.

Have You Given Up On Yourself?

Have you given up on yourself? Have you decided to take the easy road and coast for the rest of your life? Have you come to the decision that you have done all you could possibly be expected to do in your life now it is someone else's turn? As you get older you may not be able to run as fast, swim as far, hit the ball as hard or even concentrate as long as you used to but is that the reason to give up? Surely your aim should be to be the best you can at whatever age you are.

"Navratilova wants to be as good a player as she can possibly be at the age of 47, just as she wanted to be the best she could possibly be at 19, at 25, at 35". (Nick Pitt).

Whether you are like Navratilova and still working or retired and hitting a golf ball around or focussed on the garden or the grand children, nothing is stopping you from being the best you can.

Dennis has been retired for about eighteen years and still hankers back to the old days when he was?.. and capable of doing??. Although he is an avid gardener he continually gripes about the length of time things take and 'when I was younger'. The result has been a gradual, deterioration of his health over the recent past and since his wife died, about five years ago, the world has owed him a living and he appears to have got angrier and angrier with the world and people around him.

Michael, on the other hand, also retired about eighteen years ago and took the opportunity to improve his golf. When his wife died about seven years ago, after a period of mourning and self reflection, he made the conscious decision that he had to get on with his life and decided to do two things. Firstly, he decided to continue with his golf and make an effort to play at least twice a week and be the best he could. This, in his terms, means not to let anyone down and do his best in every competition.

Secondly, Michael decided that there were a lot of places in the world that he would like to visit before he died and he set about visiting Jordan, Egypt, Israel, Canada, and many other countries with the result that he is totally unaware of and unrestricted by, his age. He is good company and always willing to enter into a conversation about the present and what is going on in his life.

Last year he severely damaged his knee playing golf and had to undergo emergency surgery which resulted in many hours of physiotherapy and six months plus in the lounge chair. 'Confined to barracks's' is how Michael described it. But he took it all in his stride putting the same endeavour into getting well as he put into the other areas of his life.

As both these men are members of our family it never ceases to amaze us how different these two characters are. They both had similar life experiences but when you compare and reflect on their current situation there is one thing that stands out. Michael is determined to be the best he can be at 83, just as he wanted to be the best he could be at 40, 50 and 60. He rarely, if ever, talks about the past. He always focuses on what's happening now. He has not given up on himself.

Just to show you how amazing the human mind is:

The following text gives a good insight into the way your mind works. It may appear a bit difficult at first but please stick with it. Don't give up on yourself.

I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was raednig! THE PAOMNNEHAL PWEOR OF THE HMUAN MNID Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh? (Unfortunately we do not have the originating site.)

Your mind does have phenomenal power. If you start with the thought; to be the best you can possibly be and continually follow it with sincere action you may get a bit jumbled up from time to time but it will always see you through. There may be some unintended consequences but to have an enjoyable and rewarding life the aim must always be; to get the best out of yourself.

The point is don't give up on yourself. Be the best you can now, at whatever age you are.

Good Luck

Do Dream Jobs Really Exist?

More than four out of ten thirtysomething professionals want to change careers, but feel trapped and don't believe that they will, a new study shows.

More thirtysomethings than ever before are feeling disillusioned with their careers and openly acknowledge that they'd like to move into something more rewarding and fulfilling. They admit to a number of factors that prevent them from doing so - a third of people said that a potential drop in salary going into a new career would stop them from changing, a quarter said that they lack the confidence to change and a further quarter admitted to having no clear direction.

The research (conducted by website www.lifecoachforyou.com) polled over four hundred thirtysomethings in the UK and USA, and found that the time when people are most likely to look at changing careers is from the age of 30 to 32. The survey also found that a third of those polled don't value what they do for work, and six out of ten feel say that their work doesn't add positively to their health and wellbeing.

"There are a worrying number of people feeling trapped by their jobs," says Steve Errey, a specialist in thirtysomething careers, "growing numbers are experiencing stress and in extreme cases making themselves ill as a result."

The poll supports that view by finding that 3 out of 10 people are negatively affected by very high levels of stress in the workplace. That's a worrying number, and with workplace stress becoming more commonplace employers are having to take more responsibility for the wellbeing of their employees. "Those employers who take a realistic and holistic look at the lives of their employees will be able to retain the skills and talents they've got. Organisations that don't take this seriously are going to run into big problems." says Errey.

But individuals have to take responsibility for their own careers to ensure they get what they want. "People think of their work as something that they have to do, something they have to put up with, or they tell themselves to 'stick it out and see what happens', but life really is too short to waste your time in a job that you know isn't working for you."

Steve knows that cost himself, having gone through a 'quarter-life crisis' himself caused by stress from being in the wrong job. "I was so busy telling myself that I was alright doing what I was doing and that I couldn't do anything else, that I became ill as a result. Now I know that I can never squeeze myself into a job or a role that I know isn't who I am or what I'm about." says Steve.

Julie was a thirtysomething director of her own successful company, "I went to see Steve because I found myself getting depressed about my career. I was so unhappy and frustrated, but felt like I'd made a rod for my own back and couldn't see a way to change things.

"Getting an external perspective with Steve made me see that I did have choices and we came up with all kinds of ways to get on and make some changes. It took time and effort, and it was a huge challenge, but I've now got a great role in a company that I used to dream about working for. My life has turned round because I'm doing work that I love and my only regret is that I didn't move sooner."

Errey says there are three broad steps in changing your work situation and having career fulfilment. "First of all it's vital that you take a personal inventory of everything that you've got. I'm talking about your experience, knowledge, skills, talents, passions, ambitions and resources, and acknowledging everything you've got to offer. If you don't know what you've got to offer how's anyone else supposed to find out?

"Then it's a case of getting clarity around what you want career-wise, thinking about what lights you up in work and how you want to feel about your career. Ask questions about whether you want to move jobs or companies, or transform your current job. Think about what hours you want to work, if you want to work alone, in a team or from home. In answering questions like these you'll see patterns starting to take shape. It's those patterns that you can then start working with."

Errey believes that people focus too much on job titles and try to match themselves to jobs based on the title alone. "Instead create your job from the inside out by thinking about the qualities, activities, guidelines, boundaries and feelings you want to have, and then you can match that picture to different areas of work.

"Finally, like most things in life, it's about getting out there and making things happen. Speak to people, use your network of friends, family, colleagues and peers to see what opportunities are out there. 8 out of 10 people land their new job through a personal contact, not an advertisement, so this is the best way to learn about and pursue opportunities. You can also do things like apply speculatively to those companies you'd love to work with, research different fields of work or fill a skills gap with some training.

"People can easily have three or four different careers in a lifetime these days, and it's important to remember that you're never truly stuck anywhere until you believe that you are."

Job! Money! Career!

Feel somehow your life is stuck in MS-OFFICE - The reality of life for MBAs is Excel or PowerPoint , I heard Google is catching up at campus. Having gone through this myself, (I am still not out of it!), having had the nightmare of freshly minted MBAs reporting to me every year ( 90% of MBAs in their first job believe that their first Boss in Incompetent) and struggling to manage their transition to reality, guess I am now in a position to give some Gyan on assessing your job and career moves. I crystallized these thoughts while discussing these situations with a friend of mine, her issues with the first job where similar to what most of you would be facing. Job!! Money !! or Career !!

1. Money is not Important: - I do not actually mean it, not that I am asking you to struggle through an insipid low paying job. I did that for almost a year. But the rules of taxation are such that anybody earning between Rs.5.00 Lakhs to Rs. 10.00 Lakhs per annum ends up more or less with a similar quality of life. So if you are just switching jobs for a few thousand more, think twice, it may not be worth it. Do not concentrate on money right now. It is not too difficult to make money. But nobody is going to pay you a higher salary because you ask for it, organizational decision making processes are far too complex. It is not how hard you work or how you please the boss that matters! I tried this for a couple of years to no effect. The crux of the matter is what "Value" you are delivering to the organization, if the Organization as a whole (at least the people who matter) sees you deliver value they have no option but to pay for it.

2. Evaluate Payoffs: - Any Company or everybody pays you to get a job done. The choice you have to make is whether you really want to do "that" Job. Here what you need to check is- are you emotionally enjoying the job. I have seen guys struggling through high-pressure and stressful sales jobs, because of incentives, commissions and Quarterly conference at plush location when they would be much happier doing a less glamorous job that they would enjoy. This is also seen in situations when people are stuck in so called "Corporate Office" positions assisting the Senior Management with their Excel or PowerPoint, although there is a glamour attached to being in the Corporate Office etc, check whether you are actually adding to your skills. You would be better off on the Shop Floor or Field Sales at a younger age.

3. Is the job utilizing your time or adding to your skill sets: - Skill sets are both technical and behavioral. For example if your talking of a Demand Planning job, a Demand Planner who has worked on SCM packages like i2 or Oracle APO/SAP APS will at the end of the day have skills which are highly valued in the job market, but not demand planning done in "Excel". Behavioral Skill sets are complex to explain but you know the usual set like Team Working, Leadership etc etc. This happens when the job offers you opportunity to meet a lot of professionals. Sometimes you choose a job if you find it adds to Behavioral Skill - after my engineering I opted to work as a Sales Person living on full commission for 6 months before my MBA, because that was a Skill I wanted and maybe because at the age 21 you can afford to take the risk.

4. What is Work Environment /Ambiance offering you: This is particularly important for youngsters. The world around us is changing, there are a lot of Indian companies, which are changing, valuing performance instead of loyalty, having global ambitions etc. Yet there are a lot of companies who are still stuck in the protectionist economy morass. Another method of evaluation is looking at lifecycle of the Company and the Products it sells.

If a company operates in a Mature or a declining market, it changes the whole worldview of the organization. The operations of these organizations would be tuned to maximizing returns in a mature or declining market through Cost Reductions- this always has cascading effect, Pay Packets, Promotions, Training Budgets or Publicity Budgets. At individual performance level, getting a 1% change in market share in a mature market is an extremely difficult job, so you may be actually struggling and putting in your best with minimal results, which can be very demoralizing. Also there are certain businesses or kinds of industries, which attract a particular kind of people.

Although at the first instance you may not realize it, in the long term you realize a cultural dissonance. In such scenarios it would you to shift immediately, if you culturally do not fit in the organization, there are three things that may happen:

a) You will never grow - because you would at a cultural level be an outsider

b) You change yourself to make yourself culturally acceptable to the organization and repent that decision

c) You would have morphed so much trying fit yourself to the culture that you become unfit for any other organization

That in short is my line of thinking. It is quiet contrary to conventional thinking of running after Money and Position. Concentrate only on adding to your Skills Sets and Experiences. The Economy is currently booming there are new opportunities being thrown up both for professionals and entrepreneurs. So if you have the right mix of skills and experiences making money is not difficult. In fact there are a number of companies who have kept important positions vacant.

In the Economic Time dated 19th March 2005, it was reported that the position of Vice-President(Sales & Marketing) of India's largest two wheeler manufacturer has been kept vacant for more than 6 months. Amazing isn't it considering that so many marketing MBAs are minted every year.

Most importantly you should remember that all this is not very important. Career is only a means to maintain a Lifestyle and living it up is more important.

I Just Lost My Job: How Am I Going To Tell My Kids?

One of the responsibilities of a human resources professional is to let employees know that their job has been eliminated. It is seldom easy to do and often painful for the person who is hearing the news.

Just recently, I was involved in communicating a large layoff to employees at a Fortune 500 company. I sat with one woman after she had heard the news to tell her about the career transition services she could take advantage of. The woman was in shock and not ready to hear about transition services for her self. She said out loud several times, "How am I going to tell my kids this?"

When I asked her why she would not want to tell her kids, she said that her teenage son had been having a hard year in school and she did not want to upset him. She asked my advice.

Recently, my mother-in-law died. Losing a loved one and losing a job have similarities. Both involve losing something you love. Both involve change. I thought back to how my husband and I told our children that their grandmother had died. I remembered that we told them the truth, answered their questions and assured them that we would stay a strong family.

If you lose your job, here are some pointers for how to tell your children.

First, take care of you. Take stock of the talents you have to offer another employer. Take stock of the good things you have in your life.

If you have a "significant other" in your life, tell your partner before you tell your children.

Together, tell the kids. Use simple language and short sentences. Tell the truth. "I want to tell you some news. Today, my job was eliminated. The company eliminated many jobs, including mine, because they needed to save money."

Anticipate your children's concerns. Assure your children that they will be okay. "I am going to look for another job. Our family will be okay."

If you are worried about how you will survive financially, figure out how you can cut costs until you find another job.

Include your children in cutting costs but let them know it will be temporary. If your child asks you to buy him or her something and you need to wait until your finances are in better shape, say, "We can buy this for you once I find another job, okay?"

Let your children how you are feeling but also assure them that you will be okay. "I am upset that this happened but it has happened to many other people who have gone on and found other jobs. I will be fine."

Answer their questions honestly and simply.

Allow your children to talk to their friends about this. Allow them to confide in others.

Hug them.

Finally, realize that your children will be closely watching how you handle this challenge in your life. When they see you bounce back from a setback, it will give them confidence to do the same in their lives.

I told the woman I was counseling to tell her son the truth. To tell him how she was feeling. To tell him that she would be okay. To tell him that he would be okay. And to tell him that she loves him.

Find Free Resumes Online

Have you been spending money on countless job boards, only to find that they don't offer the types of candidates you need? If the answer is yes, don't fret any longer, you're about to learn crafty techniques to help you find free resumes on the net. There are numerous free resources online that offer resumes. These include: Free Resume Databases; Free Member Resumes on Association websites; Free College and Alumni resumes on University websites; Free Resume Newsgroups; Free Resume Blaster sites and active and passive resumes hosted on individual candidate websites. All of these resources can be found by using simple search techniques.

You will soon have hundreds of free resumes at your fingertips. The first step is to utilize multiple search engines since they will each offer different sites. The top 10 search engines suggested are: http://www.google.com, http://www.yahoo.com, http://www.altavista.com, http://www.excite.com, http://www.hotbot.com, http://www.alltheweb.com, http://www.galaxy.com, http://www.search.aol.com, http://www.msn.com, http://www.lycos.com. The search engines offer their own search features and they vary slightly. Therefore, it's important to always read the search tips and check out the advanced search tool for each search engine. The common search symbols used across most search engines are called Boolean phrases.

Using Boolean Phrases

The first step is to choose one of the search engines from the above list and type the address in your Internet browser. Then decide what key words would be effective for finding the type of resource you want. Once you have a list of key words, use the following Boolean techniques to run the most efficient search.

? If searching for a phrase on a webpage, place the statement between quotation marks. Example: "free resume database"

? If searching for multiple words use the word AND between each word. Make sure to capitalize all 3 letters. Example: free AND resumes AND java

? If interested in finding one or more words, use the term OR between your key words. Example: "free resumes" AND java OR oracle OR php

? If looking for resumes that have a specific word with multiple possible endings such as: manager, management, managed, use an asterisk at the end of the base word. Example: manage* This will pull websites with all of the words that start with that base word.

? If searching for specific titles, type the word title: and then fill in the title of choice. Example: title: free resumes. This will pull websites with the words Free Resumes in the html title.

? If looking for URLs that have the word resume in the URL address, type the command URL: resume.

? If looking for a website with specific text such as: free resume search, type the command text: free resume search.

Below you'll find suggestions of Boolean phrases and keywords to use that will help you find the free resume resources listed above. At the end of this article you will also find a suggested website that can give you access to hundreds of free resume resources instantly.

Free Resume Databases (These sites allow you to search through a database of resumes)

? "free resume database"

? "search for free" AND resumes

? "free resume search"

? text: free resumes

? free AND resume*

Association Websites offering Member Resumes (Many associations or organizations offer sections on their websites where members, who are looking for jobs, can post their resumes)

? "member resumes" AND association OR organization

? url: memberresumes

? text: search member resumes

? member AND resumes

? title: association AND resumes

Free College and Alumni resumes at University websites (Some Universities offer a section on their website where students, looking for internships, can post their resumes. Some also have pages where alumni can also post their resumes, when searching for work)

? "alumni resumes"

? url: edu AND resumes

? alumni OR student AND resumes

? text: alumni resumes

? university AND resumes OR cv

Free Resume Newsgroups (Newsgroups are email lists where people can post various things. There are several free resume newsgroups.)

? "free resumes" AND newsgroups

? newgroup* AND resumes

? url: newsgroup

? text: newsgroup

Free Resume Blaster Sites (These sites send resumes to your inbox after you fill out a form describing the types of resumes you need.)

? "resume distribution"

? "blast your resume"

Active or Passive individual candidate resumes on individual web pages. (There are thousands of personal resumes posted on the web. Some are active and some passive. Using the 4 numbers of the current year in your search can help you find more active resumes)

? url: resume AND 2005

? url: resume AND java AND oracle AND php

? resume AND experience AND education AND java OR oracle

? title: resume AND manage*

Now you're ready to begin your search for free resume resources. If you find that your busy schedule doesn't allow enough time for you to run searches to find a substantial amount of free resume resources, you should visit http://www.freeresumesites.com. They have already compiled an extensive list of hundreds of free resume databases, association websites, college resume sites, free resume newsgroups, free resume blaster sites, free job posting sites and links to pages that offer individual resumes. They charge a very minimal fee to access this list. This site can save you time and will provide you with all-of-the free resume resources mentioned in this article.

Remember, the Internet is an amazing resource for recruiters and if you don't want to spend large sums of money on useless job boards, you now have the skills it takes to find free resumes. Good luck with your recruiting efforts!

Kim Proulx is a professional Internet Researcher with 10 years of experience.

Career Change - Creating Wealth & Happiness

Whether you have a business idea or not, here's what I want you to do?

I want you to take a pen and paper and go and sit somewhere quiet in your home where you will not be distracted. Get comfortable. Take a deep breath and relax for a moment.

Now I want you to write down everything you WANT in life. That's right. Everything that you wish you had in your life. It might be a new car, a house with a walled garden, some new and beautiful clothes, a swim with the dolphins, an arctic cruise, new watch, the latest Laptop, whatever? Just write it down. At least twenty-five things, but it could be twenty pages long.

Spend some time writing down everything that you could want in this life and desire. You can also write down things that you WANT in your relationships with other people. Such as "love". You can think about the kind of relationships you have with people. Do you surround yourself with people who:

Make you feel better about yourself or worse about yourself? Tend to be stronger than you or weaker than you? Are in better or worse financial shape than you? Have more real friends than you, or fewer? Place a higher value than you on honesty, integrity and commitment? So write it all down.

The next thing I want you to do is to write down all the things that you feel you NEED to do. Things that you would need to do or would like to accomplish. This can range from organising the carpet cleaner to writing your will. It could be that you need to visit your Mum or set up a new email account for your business.

Write it all down. Things you need to do for your business and things for your personal life - just write them all down. If you can get a good unconscious 'flow', going, so much the better. Don't worry too much about going into detail, you can do that at a later stage.

Now I want you to take a new pad of paper and write down everything that you are GOOD at, problems you can solve, things you can do. It can be driving a car or organising a meeting. It can be fixing a tap or writing articles. Think of as many things as you can and write them down. (You can put 'reading for ideas', as one of them, you are reading this, after all!) Keep going until you have at least twenty five.

After you have brain dumped everything you are good at, you need to write down things that you LOVE doing or are interested in. So for example you might love horses, travel, parachuting, socialising with friends, persuading people or using a computer. If you find that you enjoy doing just a few things, then list those things in more detail. So, for example, if you love reading, ask yourself 'What books' exactly - categories, titles, authors, genre/ Write all of them down, as many as you can.

The final thing I want you to do is to write down all the business IDEAS that you have - whether it's ideas for creating new products, for your existing business, running some new promotion or new ideas for a business. Write them all down.

You will find that putting together combinations of what you are GOOD at and what you LOVE doing, will inspire business IDEAS for you. This way you can be sure you have explored all your potential job preferences.

After you have written down all those things that you WANT (both material and relationship), everything you feel that you NEED to do and all of the business IDEAS you have then you need to start transferring these to another writing pad. You are going to create a list of the top five WANTS, NEEDS, IDEAS and the ACTIONS you can take to accomplish these.

Once you have identified the TOP FIVE items in each list of WANTS, NEEDS and IDEAS, you can list ACTIONS to take for each of them. This is an easy way of PRIORITISING what you need to do to accomplish first, then second, and so on until your last item is the last thing you should be doing when everything else is accomplished.

You should now have a list of your five top job or business IDEAS. Now a really great way of deciding on which job or business idea you should start with is to take each IDEA on your list and RANK it out of 5 (5 is high) for 1) Your level of interest. 2) Your knowledge of the how to do the job. 3) Level of experience. Create a table like this and you will be able to see at a glance what you need to do in order to bring your skills and experience :

Job Preferences Interest Knowledge Experience 1. Corporate Executive Coach 5 4/5 4 2. Training Consultant 5 3 2 3. Project Management Expert 5 3 4 4. Interim Management Agency 4/5 2 2 5. Online Pet Wholesalers 5 2 1

It's much better to do this exercise in writing and keep the list next to your computer so you can see it ALL the time. Now start with number one on your list of ACTIONS to take and when you have finished it - strike it though with a pen.

Some of your wants are obviously going to have to wait until you have the money for them. You will need to achieve your financial milestones with your business. But you will and then you can buy these WANTS along the way and strike them off your list as you go.

After you have done this whole exercise of getting things down on paper, you'll feel brilliant. Not only will it allow you to free-up your mind, so that you are no longer focusing on a hundred things at once, allow you to think more clearly but it immediately creates an ACTION list that you can immediately start accomplishing. You'll be surprised how fast you can get things done. The faster you get things done, the faster your business will grow and the faster you will be able to strike off those WANTS.

Hi I'm Margaret Stead - a Dream Architect, helping individuals, executives and business owners market themselves online into new jobs, careers - building customer-employer relationships and increasing their job satisfaction.

Job Interviews and The Secret of Selling Yourself

A very effective and persuasive tactic when selling something is to promote its benefits as well as its features.

Very simply, features are what something has; benefits are what those features do for you.

For example, if you're selling your used Oldsmobile, one of the features you might mention is its large trunk.

If you focus only on the feature, you'll say, "This car has a large trunk." (Yawn) But if you promote that feature with its benefit, you could say, "The trunk is huge. You can get three suitcases and your golf bag in there for a trip to Disneyland and still have plenty of room for all the souvenirs you'll want to bring home!" See how that makes a more powerful impression?

The potential buyer can visualize how this car with its large trunk can make packing for his next trip much easier. Use the same tactic for each feature of the car, and (Ka-ching!) you have a much quicker sale.

When you're preparing your resume or answering questions during an interview, you're selling yourself, so use that same tactic: sell your benefits along with your features! Here's how:

Consider these typical "features" a job applicant might mention during an interview:

? 10 Years of Experience

? Ability to Type 90 Words Per Minute

? Strong Organizational Skills

? Dedicated

? Excellent Communicator

? 2004 Administrator of the Year, Acme International Inc.

Those are pretty impressive. Now let's see how you can turn those "features" into "benefits:"

? Feature: 10 Years of Experience. Benefits: "I know what to expect in this type of position; I've handled this type of work before; I won't need much training or supervision; I'll hit the ground running and will start producing right away."

? Feature: Ability to Type 90 Words Per Minute. Benefits: "I can get your 10-page reports done in less than an hour; I will speed up your work flow."

? Feature: Strong Organizational Skills. Benefits: "I'll keep track of your schedule so you'll always be on time and have the materials you need; I will be able to quickly retrieve any document; I will prioritize my workload to ensure the most critical projects are don e first; I will save you time; I'll help you make your boss happy."

? Feature: Dedicated. Benefits: "I will support the company's overall mission and do whatever I can to help achieve it; I won't complain about hard work or long hours; I will faithfully do my job to the best of my ability."

? Feature: Excellent Communicator. Benefits: "I will easily be able to give you and your staff the information you and they need, whether in verbal or written form; I will be able to compose much of your correspondence, relieving you of that duty; I will save you time and effort."

? Feature: Administrator of the Year, 2003, Acme International Inc. Benefits: "I'm very good at what I do, and you don't have to take my word for it - here's proof that others have recognized my skill, professionalism, and outstanding contributions."

Even more impressive! See how that works? A "feature" is nice. But even better is answering the hiring manager's unspoken question, "So why is that important?" You do that by selling your "benefits."

Make a list of your own features and their corresponding benefits. Learn to promote these benefits to your potential employer. Do this in your cover letter, your resume, and during your interview to make a powerful impression.

You will SELL yourself into a new job!

Effective Resumes

A resume is normally the first contact point between an employer and a job seeker. It serves the purpose of providing a summary of why a candidate is suitable for a job (cover-letter) and his relevant qualifications/experience.

In this article, advice about creating effective cover letters will be provided and followed by the rest of the resume.

An Effective Cover Letter:

An effective cover letter is a 1-page introduction of your resume that has the ultimate goal of helping the job seeker get the first interview from a job advertisement. This is easier said than done as HR Managers have to go through quite a number of job applications. If your cover letter is rather formulaic and your only concern is that the printing is smudge-free, then here are more useful tips:

Basics:

Be careful to direct your resume to the right person. If you address the wrong person in your cover letter, you may not get a response. Along the same lines, quote the correct reference number that is highlighted in job advertisement and ensure that you have applied for the correct position that corresponds to your expertise.

Academic Qualifications:

In you cover letter, you should just state your highest relevant academic qualification. You need not get into the specifics like the grades of your final semester. An exception is if you have won an academic prize or attained a prestigious scholarship. The rest of your academic achievements can be placed after your cover letter.

Relevant Working Experience and Skills:

You can include a paragraph in your cover letter about how your relevant working experience will directly benefit the goals of the department. In this area you have to spend time researching about the company through the internet and offline materials.

Be A Team Player:

Your cover letter must not come across as an opportunity to highlight your achievements in isolation. You must communicate that you are a team player and are willing to undergo continual skills upgrading.

Overseas Travel:

With the current workplace interconnectivity, it will not be surprising if your job requires occasional overseas trip. If you are agreeable of this requirement, it will be appropriate if you state your willingness to travel overseas in the cover letter.

Do a Spell-Check:

Remember to run a spell-check to ensure that there are no grammatical mistakes in your cover letter. A good exercise is to print out a draft copy and scrutinize for mistakes.

Get that First Interview:

This point sounds rather superfluous but your cover letter has to help you get an interview. It will not help if you provide a wrong contact number or appear to be too busy to come for an interview.

Do not be critical:

Do not be critical about your previous employer or your previous work environment. It is more forward-looking and professional to explain about how your previous job has provided you with relevant working experience.

2) The Rest of Your Resume

State your Academic Qualifications in Chronological Order:

It is important to state your academic qualification in chronological order for ease of viewing. It is also optional to send photocopy of exam results. Your interviewer will request them during the interview.

State Relevant Training Courses:

It will be advantageous for you to state the relevant training courses that you have attended. This will signal to your prospective employer that you are proactive in upgrading your skills and directly improve the productivity of your organization.

Referees:

Your choice of referees is crucial in providing extra information about your abilities. Remember to inform your referees that they may be called to furnish information. It is advisable to provide their email addresses if they are frequently outstation.

Broadcast your website:

You can provide the link to your personal website to add more information about yourself. An added benefit is that you can provide links from your site that you feel will help your boost your chances. A good example is to include your feature in the newspapers/magazines. However, your site should not be a replica of your resume.

What is Absolutely the Best Day to go on a Job Interview?

First of all, to fully understand and appreciate the answer, a couple of givens must be taken into account. What I believe to be the most important item for dealing with an interview successfully is, your attitude. Your attitude determines the outcome of every interview. The core competencies must be there in order for you to get the interview in the first place but, your attitude during the interview will be what ultimately gets you accepted or rejected for the position. If it was as simple as, "I can do the job", there would be no need for an interview in the first place - the employer would just hire based upon the resume.

Now that we have determined that attitude will determine the success of the interview, lets more deeply understand the answer to the question. Unequivocally, without a doubt, the best day to interview is not Monday, it's not Friday, it's not Wednesday, like 95% of the people answer when I ask that question. The best day of the week to go on an interview is...drumroll please...the day after you get a job offer.

Again, understand that attitude determines your level of success on an interview and, when you have achieved success, that is, have obtained a job offer, your attitude generally is never higher. When you have already received a job offer, your confidence level is at it's highest. You are no longer worried about how you are going to pay your bills. You feel successful because others obviously believe in your abilities - otherwise you wouldn't have gotten the offer. Thus, you are "higher than a kite" at this time. This is the time to continue your search and just hammer away at as many interviews as you can possibly setup.

It is important at this stage in career development to take advantage of the synergy of the momentum or the incredibly good luck streak that you are currently on and, the way you do that is to continue to interview once you have gotten your first offer.

The positive momentum gained when you have a job offer in your back pocket is very strong. In fact, you can attack the remaining interviews with a can't lose mentality. This will allow you to see things clearly and to make the best possible decision for you and your family and for your career. There is no reason to stop interviewing after you get a job offer, and in fact, in "Hiring Secrets Revealed" this is one of the $10,000 secrets I'm sharing with you.

There is not a Human Resources Manager or Hiring Manager and especially not a Recruiter or a Recruiting Firm or Consulting Firm that will ever tell you the best time to interview is the day after you get a job offer - it's just not in their best interest to allow you to keep interviewing. Each and every one of the aforementioned decision makers wants to have a commitment immediately. They want to place you in a job now and collect their fee. They have no vested interest in helping you or advising you to continue with your interviewing process.

In subsequent chapters I will show you how to maintain an open dialogue with your recruiter and how to time your interviewing so that all of these things come together so you can make decisions in a timely fashion. The point is, do not stretch out the interviews because that could go on forever. Your objective is to have choices. And you need to strike while the iron is hot.

By following this one simple secret, you will give yourself choices. The best part about interviewing after you have already gotten a job offer is - now you are confident. You have a job. You can ask for an negotiate the salary you truly wish to have and you have nothing to lose if they say no. What to you care if the second, or third, or fourth company says no to your salary requests, you already have a job.

However, since that is precisely what your attitude is? you most likely will be able to negotiate the salary you wish because the interviewers will feel your confidence and believe that you are worth the money. That's the power of being able to walk away from the negotiating table.

Everyone senses that you are ultimately the person in control of this situation - nothing has to be said to imply this - it is felt due to your high level of confidence. This one idea alone can be the one that gets you the $10,000.00 or $20,000.00 raise.

Look at each job offer carefully, and decide appropriately, but do it in a timely fashion. Your objective is to make this happen as quickly as possible. I have learned that no one will give you anything unless you ask for it. Heck, if an employer thinks they can hire you for $55,000.00, why in their right-mind would they offer you more? Get it? If, however, they believe that you are worth $65,000.00 or $75,000.00, and you ask for it, they are definitely going to be inclined to pay that to get you.

A friend of mine worked for a company that was bought-out by a bigger firm. The bigger firm actually bought 12 other smaller companies just like my friend's company. All the ex-owners of the smaller companies were paid a three month severance upon their exit from the larger company. My friend wanted to take the summer off and he thought he deserved more so, he called the President and asked him for six months of severance. It was given to him with barely the blink of an eye. Why? Because he asked for it. If you don't ask, you won't get it - guaranteed.

That's why you need to keep interviewing immediately upon getting your first job offer. Your confidence will be sky high and you will not be afraid to ask for more because you have nothing to lose.

Michael Donovin Recruiter, Author and Web Blog publisher I have written 2 books and counseled thousands of people in the art of the job search. After all these years of helping people on the phone and in person I decided to write it down and share this knowledge with as many people as possible.

Testimonials: Bob H.,Yardley, PA., "I've been in the telecom business for thirty years and have interviewed a lot during my career. What you're saying really makes good sense. Your succinct and straight-forward way of communicating is very refreshing and I eagerly recommend this important work for any and all job seekers. Thanks for getting this information onto your website and making it available to us.

Useless Resume Objectives

What's wrong with an objective on a resume? The problem with objectives on resumes is that a typical objective is self-centered and self-serving; therefore, it is useless. Instead of an objective, use a power statement.

Let me illustrate what I mean by giving examples of both objectives and power statements. Here is a typical objective, one that HR personnel see on top of resumes all the time:

"Customer Service Representative position allowing me to fully utilize my skills and attributes and providing professional advancement opportunities."

What did this objective tell me? The above objective communicated to me basically nothing but for the sake of this case study here are a few points:

The person is looking for a Customer Service position. (No problem with that.)

The individual's priority seems to be his/her professional advancement within the organization. (Oops, that's not the way to treat a potential employer. That's not what the company wants to hear. They want to hear how you will BENEFIT THEM, not yourself.)

The candidate didn't specify skills and attributes thus didn't give any glimpse into what he/she can do for the company. (Not good because employers want specifics.)

Self-oriented instead of employer oriented. (Not good at all.)

Let's translate the same objective into a power statement.

"Award-winning highly accomplished and motivated Customer Service professional with proven track record of rapport-building, resourceful problem-solving and communication skills."

What did this tell me? The power statement communicated to me that:

The person is a competent, distinguished (award-winning) Customer Service professional who has excellent working knowledge of his/her trade. (Good.)

Has a proven track record of relevant attributes. (Good.)

The reader can get a glimpse into how the person could benefit the company as a result of mentioning specific skills and abilities that are necessary to do that particular job well. (Very good.)

The power statement is employer-oriented, not focused on self.

Remember, when employers look at your resume, they read it with one thought and one thought only in mind: What Can This Person Do for Us? If you include a self-oriented objective, instead of an employer-oriented power statement at the top of your resume, you will turn off the potential employer before they even get a chance to read your entire resume.

The main difference between the objective and the power statement is that while the objective is self-serving and self-focused, the power statement is employee-oriented and results-focused. Employers only care about results - the results you will produce for them on the job whether it will be saving money, solving a problem or increasing profitability. If you can hint within your power statement in a short and compelling way how you will benefit the company, you are on your way to your interview. Go get them!

You may publish this article free of charge in your ezine, web site, ebook or print publication so long as the copyright notice and the resource paragraph (at the end of the article) are included.

So, Why Dont You Tell Me About Yourself?

"So, why don't you tell me about yourself?" is the most frequently asked interview question. It's a question that most interviewees expect and the one they have the most difficulty answering. Though one could answer this open-ended question in a myriad of ways, the key to answering this question or any other interview question is to offer a response that supports your career objective. This means that you shouldn't respond with comments about your hobbies, spouse, or extra curricular activities. Trust me, interviewers aren't interested.

Interviewers use the interview process as a vehicle to eliminate your candidacy. Every question they ask is used to differentiate your skills, experience, and personality with that of other candidates. They want to determine if what you have to offer will mesh with the organization's mission and goals.

If answered with care, your response to the question, "So, why don't you tell me about yourself?" could compliment the interviewers needs as well as support your agenda. This is a question you should be prepared to answer as opposed to attempting to "wing it".

Follow the four easy steps outlined below to ensure your response will grab the interviewers attention.

1. Provide a brief introduction. Introduce attributes that are key to the open position.

Sample introduction: During my 10 years' of experience as a sales manager, I have mastered the ability to coach, train, and motivate sales teams into reaching corporate goals.

2. Provide a career summary of your most recent work history. Your career summary is the "meat" of your response, so it must support your job objective and it must be compelling. Keep your response limited to your current experience. Don't go back more than 10 years.

Sample career summary: Most recently, at The Widget Corporation, I was challenged with turning around a stagnant territory that ranked last in sales in the Northeastern region. Using strategies that have worked in the past, I developed an aggressive sales campaign that focused on cultivating new accounts and nurturing the existing client base. The results were tremendous. Within six months my sales team and I were able to revitalize the territory and boost sales by 65%.

3. Tie your response to the needs of the hiring organization. Don't assume that the interviewer will be able to connect all the dots. It is your job as the interviewee to make sure the interviewer understands how your experiences are transferable to the position they are seeking to fill.

Sample tie-in: Because of my proven experience in leading sales teams, Craig Brown suggested I contact you regarding your need for a sales manager. Craig filled me in on the challenges your sales department is facing.

4. Ask an insightful question. By asking a question you gain control of the interview. Don't ask a question for the sake of asking. Be sure that the question will engage the interviewer in a conversation. Doing so will alleviate the stress you may feel to perform.

Sample question: What strategies are currently underway to increase sales and morale within the sales department?

There you have it - a response that meets the needs of the interviewer AND supports your agenda.

When broken down into manageable pieces, the question, "So, tell me about yourself?" isn't overwhelming. In fact, answering the question effectively gives you the opportunity to talk about your strengths, achievements, and qualifications for the position. So take this golden opportunity and run with it!

Thank-You Notes: An Integral Part of Your Career Design

There is one little practice that is vital to generating the interest of potential employers. It is critical, but very few job seekers actually do it.

What is it? The THANK YOU NOTE!

Interview experts agree that EVERY job hunter MUST send thank-you notes after EVERY interview. They also point out that most people completely ignore this bit of wisdom.

In order to have a huge advantage over the other candidates for the job you want, send thank-you notes to EVERYONE you meet the day of the interview--administrative assistants, managers, interviewers, people you met who already do the job you are targeting, and so on.

One of my resume clients (let's call him Mike) is a Certified Arborist and Tree Care Professional in the San Diego area. His goal is to move into the consulting arena.

Very soon after speaking on the phone with the owner of a prominent tree care company, Mike mailed a brief note thanking the owner for his time and consideration. Within a week, the owner called Mike and offered him an informal mentoring arrangement to help Mike learn more about the consulting side of tree care.

Mike decided to pass on the offer and continue his job search, and he recently landed a very nice position. He sent me an e-mail about his recent job-hunting activities saying, "...and just so you know, the thank-you letter has got to be the block that keeps the door open. I sent out three letters and subsequently got three offers."

If you're not convinced yet, the following reasons outline the significance of sending thank-you notes:

Sending a thank-you note demonstrates that you are good with people. You employ the most basic of people skills--a show of gratitude.

It helps companies remember you after the interview. You can restate your interest in the position, especially if the interview went well.

You can use the thank-you note to summarize a few of the main points discussed at the interview. You can also add anything you forgot to tell them.

It has the potential to increase your affinity with those who have the authority to hire you.

It shows that you are serious about your career design.

It indicates that you are organized and on top of details.

It demonstrates that you went out of your way to show interest in the company and/or position.

If they decide not to consider you for the position, perhaps they know of another opportunity that suits you. You can mention this in the thank-you note, asking them to keep you in mind.

The post-interview thank-you note doesn't have to be fancy. Here's an example:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thank you for the opportunity to speak with you today. As we discussed, my 10-years of outside sales experience is a perfect fit for XYZ Widgets as you expand into the Pacific Rim. In light of your plans for Asia, you'll find my Japanese language skills to be of great value.

Feel free to contact me at 555-1234 should you have additional questions. I am very interested in the position.

Thank you again for your time and consideration.

Regards,

Jane Doe

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

OK. You now know the impact a thank-you note can have after an employment interview. Are there other opportunities to send them?

Absolutely! The general rule is this:

After ANYONE has done you even the smallest favor during the job-hunt/career-design process, send the individual a thank-you note.

Was a receptionist at a company you phoned while doing research exceptionally helpful? Did one of your colleagues take five minutes to help you with a cover letter? Did somebody who already does the job you want to do provide you with some valuable insights? The job hunt can be frustrating. Was someone particularly encouraging?

You should send each of these individuals a brief hand-written thank-you note expressing your gratitude for their time and assistance.

To reiterate: A thank-you note goes to everyone who helps you, gives you leads, or provides advice or guidance even in the most infinitesimal way. That includes friends, people at companies or organizations you've visited while doing your research, temp agency personnel, administrative assistants, receptionists, librarians, company employees...ANYONE!

Here are a few thank-you note guidelines:

• Address the note to the specific individual with which you spoke. Personalize it. Avoid an obligatory, mechanical tone. Mention something about your conversation or how the individual treated you.

• Thank-you notes following an interview should be printed out on quality stationery with letterhead matching that of your resume. Remember to sign it!

• A conservative, handwritten thank-you card is appropriate for all those friends, colleagues, and casual contacts that have helped you along the way.

• Send thank-you notes the very next day, at the latest. If it arrives a week later, the meaning is lost.

• If you e-mail a sentiment of gratitude, follow up with a thank-you note or card in the mail.

Use your best judgment -- these are just guidelines.

The thank-you note is critical to your getting noticed and to the success of your job hunt. And because most folks either forget or just plain don't do it, you'll find yourself at a significant advantage.

Ten Things To Do If You Really, Really Hate Your Job

1. Begin focusing on what you want instead of how much you want to escape. When you find yourself sharing the latest horror story, stop in mid-sentence and say, "What I want to have is..."

2. Create an image that describes you in your job. Are you on a riverbank with no way to get to the other side? Lost in a jungle? Poking through a thorny hedge? When you get comfortable with the image, begin visualizing a change in the obstacle. Imagine building a bridge across the river or finding a path in the forest. Don't force the image or the change. When you're ready it will come.

3. Think of developing skills, not serving time. Take every course that's offered and focus on skills that can lay a foundation for your own business or next job. Can you learn HTML or PowerPoint? Can you use some evenings, weekends and lunch hours to solicit some free lance gigs?

4. Focus on satisfactory, not superior performance. Use the time difference to build your new life. People often say, "I can't do anything -- I work ten hours a day!" If you are firing yourself or expecting to be fired, your job is finding a new job. Be ethical: you owe your company the minimum you need to earn your salary." But don't be surprised if you start to accomplish more than ever and find yourself getting promoted.

5. What conflict are you escaping? Dishonesty? Corporate greed? Hypocrisy? Allow yourself to wonder if these qualities are mirrored in your own life -- or even in your mind. If everyone around you seems dishonest, are you being dishonest with yourself? With others? After you resolve your own conflict, you may find the workplace has changed or you have been catapulted into a new, more satisfying life.

6. Put on your shield and armor when you enter your workplace. Everyone should learn how to create a psychic shield. Imagine that you are surrounded by an outer shell that is made of a solid material -- so strong that nothing can get through to hurt you. Some people prefer to imagine a protective golden light, but I think the solid shield is stronger. Take two or three minutes to put on your shield, every day, before you enter the workplace.

7. Give yourself a gift every day -- a splurge of time or sensual taste buds. Read a book, talk to a friend, eat your favorite food. Don't deaden your senses with alcohol (although if you're a wine connoisseur, your special wine can be a gift) or spend big bucks at the mall. Think simple.

8. Find at least one thing in your life to appreciate: the softness of your cat's fur, the winter sky, the spontaneous hug from a friend. Appreciate as much as possible about your job: the money, the view from the window, the new computer, friendly conversations with the guy down the hall. Savor the experience. Appreciation is the engine that attracts good things into your life.

9. Tune in to your intuition before deciding what to do next. Meditate and listen to the world around you. The saying "frying pan into the fire" is real. If your goals and desires do not come from a secure place within yourself, you will find yourself paying undue attention to wet blankets ("If you quit you'll never get another job") and false friends ("Just quit! Move to Tahiti! You won't starve!"). Sometimes the same "advisor" proposes both ideas in the same week. A good coach or counselor will give you confidence in your own intuition, not impose their views of what you should do now.

10. Write this down somewhere: After you've left -- and you will -- all that time will seem to have gone in the blink of an eye. You will have trouble remembering what bothered you so much. The rest of your life will still be ahead of you.

Interview Thank-You Letters

The number one etiquette tip for interviews is writing a thank-you letter. This is not a tool commonly used by job seekers right now. If you are looking for an advantage and a way to stick out above the other job applicants then follow up your interview by showing appreciation and courtesy.

The letter should be written and sent within 24 hours of your interview and sent to all people who either interviewed you or helped you out in the process. If it is not appropriate to send a letter to everyone who was involved with your interview, then just send one to the highest-ranking interviewer.

Writing to the employer is another way to showcase skills and competency in communication and your career. Make sure your letter is understandable, easy to read and professional yet personal. Now that you have met the person or people you are writing to it is okay to include some personalization.

The letter format should include the following:

* First, express your sincere appreciation for the interview.

* Second, reemphasize your best qualifications for the position requirements.

* Third, reiterate your enthusiasm and interest in the job. At this time you may want to offer additional information not previously given.

* Fourth, once again mention your appreciation.

SAMPLE LETTER:

Address

Date

Interviewer's Name
Title
Business
Address

Dear Mr. Henley,

I want to thank you for the chance to be interviewed for the assistant project manager position yesterday. It was a pleasure to meet you and become more familiar with your business and its services.

My interest in working for you and meeting all your needs and requirements for the position increased after the interview. I think my past experience and education has prepared me well to fill the position and I would work hard to make a significant contribution to your business.

I want to restate my interest in the position and become a part of your team. The position holds many opportunities that I am seeking. If you need, please don't hesitate to contact me at 511-555-1151 or fclancy@e-mail.com for any additional information.

Thanks again for your time and consideration.

7 Secrets of a Highly-Effective Resume Cover Letter

Just like the late, great Rodney Dangerfield, the "humble" cover letter gets no respect.

Job-seekers spend so much time and energy on their resumes they've got nothing left to offer their poor, neglected cover letters.

Big, BIG mistake!

It is the well-written cover letter not the resume that can single-handedly land you more job interviews. The cover letter is your one chance to really "market" yourself to an employer using proven marketing strategies rarely found in the typical cover letter.

Conversely, there's only so much you can do with the traditional CV or resume. I believe the carefully crafted cover letter is more important to your job search success than any other written document, including the resume.

As a direct marketing professional for over 20 years, I bring to you my 7 secrets of a highly-effective resume cover letter:

1. ADDRESS your cover letter to a specific person. Do your best to find out "To Whom" you should address your cover letter. "Dear Manager" is lifeless.

2. OPEN with an attention-grabbing first sentence to really grip the reader. This will almost guarantee your cover letter and resume get a closer look.

3. REMEMBER less is more. The best cover letters have plenty of white space. Cover letters that are clear, focused, short and sweet land more job interviews period.

4. FOCUS on what you can do for the employer. How can you benefit the company specifically? Do a little research and relate this simply and clearly in your letter.

5. CHOOSE WORDS that show enthusiasm and passion for the position you seek... (big, big secret!) Then, carry this passion into the interview with you.

6. REQUEST ONE ACTION you want the employer to take: "I would really like the opportunity for a personal interview this week." (You never know until you ASK.)

7. END your cover letter with something enthusiastic and telling like, "I look forward to being interviewed at your earliest convenience. Thank you so much for this opportunity." Sincerely, Jane Jobseeker. (Notice how Jane assumes she'll land the interview? This is clever, smart, and it works like a charm).

Think of your cover letter as a sales letter. The only purpose of your resume cover letter is to land you more job interviews. That's the bottom line. By using the proven marketing strategies I've outlined above you will land more quality job interviews than your competition.

You must find a way to get your "foot in the company door" to have any chance of landing the job. With the right cover letter you can blow the doors of opportunity wide open. And remember, more job interviews translate to (drum roll please)... more job offers.

Finally, the most important advice I can offer you is this: FOLLOW-UP every job lead, contact, and communication. Following up is the "golden key" to getting hired for the job of your dreams. Use follow-up cover letters, thank you letters, even follow-up phone calls. Following-up can literally double your chance for success. It is also the one secret ingredient missing from 99% of every job-seeker's playbook.

Good news for you!

The Telecommuting Tightrope

For many of us, telecommuting seems like the ideal situation. You wake up, shuffle over to your home office, work at your own pace. You take a break when it suits you, you end your day when you're ready to. You can rearrange your work schedule to fit around your personal life.

Or can you?

What motivates most people to seek telecommuting is the need for a balance between work and play. Ironically, it's often this desire for balance that leads people to the realization that telecommuting is not for them.

Take Meg Rottman. Now the President of her own Public Relations company, StylePR, Meg once thought that telecommuting was the perfect solution.

At the time, she was working as a Fashion Editor for a company located in New York. Since she was on the West Coast, and her job didn't require her presence in an office, she felt it was a natural fit to work from home.

"At first, it seemed like a great opportunity," says Meg. "Ultimately, I found that I didn't have 'work time' and 'play time'. It morphed into just 'time'".

"I found that there was no beginning or ending to my day. And there was no time off. I would jump out of bed in the morning with an idea and go directly to the computer. And then, often I would still be typing at 11:00 at night. It was almost like being on call. I wanted my time to be more compartmentalized".

This is a common side effect of working from home. It takes no small amount of discipline to structure your day- and stick to it. The funny thing is, having the ability to take a break and do other things in the middle of the workday is the reason many people want to telecommute in the first place.

Meg realized this. "If you really schedule your day, then how can you justify taking a walk, or putting a roast in? You can't," she says. "Maybe you're giving up what made working at home so great to begin with."

It wasn't all bad though. Meg did discover some things about herself. "I really did not need supervision, I was completely self-motivated. The surprising thing was that I worked more".

Not surprising is the fact that Meg now owns her own company. "[Telecommuting] definitely gave me the feeling that I was already working for myself, so why not do that?" she says. "Yes I have to drive to my office now, but it is easier for me to separate work and home and create a more balanced life."

Mystery Shopping

Mystery shopping is an excellent way to make extra money. In fact, some people make a full time living doing it.

There are many mystery shopping companies that will pay you to shop, eat at restaurants and take part in focus groups.

A mystery shop consists of getting paid to go into a business without the employee's knowledge and reporting back to the mystery shopping company.

A focus group is when you get paid to sit down with other people who are also getting paid and discuss new products or services.

Mystery shopping jobs and focus groups are easier to find if you live in or near a large metropolitan area.

After you do a mystery shop you answer some questions and file your report with the mystery shopping company. These reports are usually set up as a series of questions and often can be completed quickly.

The reason they have mystery shops and focus groups is so that companies can get feedback on their employees, products and services. That way they can see where there might be problems and make the necessary changes to improve things.

A few years ago I had some free time and I wanted to make some extra money. I took a course, How to Become a Mystery Shopper, at a local community college. After completing the course I registered with a few mystery shopping companies online.

You can do a search on Google for "mystery shopping." Bypass the mystery shopping websites that are trying to sell something. You want to find the mystery shopping websites for the actual mystery shopping companies. These mystery shopping companies will never charge you any type of fee to register or to do mystery shops or focus groups.

Be sure to read all the free mystery shopping information you come across. There is an art to being a good mystery shopper. Basically you are like a reporter. You will never add your feelings or what you think to a mystery shopping report. Your job is to just answer the questions, report the facts and describe what actually happened during your shop.

You never want to give your own recommendations. That is not why you are hired. If the mystery shopping company wants a consultant, they will hire one. All they want you to do is to answer questions with just the facts of your mystery shopping assignment.

Once you find a few mystery shopping companies you can then register with them. They'll contact you by email whenever they have a mystery shopping job in your area. You'll only respond to the emails when you want to do the shop. Otherwise you can just delete the email. You get to pick and choose the shops you want to do.

A couple of years ago I did some apartment shops for the Jancyn Evaluation Company that took me about half an hour to complete. Since they paid $25, I was basically being paid $50 an hour.

You can register with the Jancyn Evaluation Shops Company. They may pay more than $25 today for apartment shops since it has been about two years since I've done an apartment shop for them.

Jancyn also does a lot of shops and surveys for the Ross Dress for Less retail stores. I'm not sure if Jancyn still has a business relationship with Ross, but I once handed out survey forms in one of the local Ross stores here in the Seattle area and made $500 for about 30 hours of work.

Here's the URL for Jancyn if you'd like to register with them to do some shops. http://www.jancyn.com/

Another mystery shopping company that I get a lot of email requests for shops for is the Secret Shopper Company. They seem to specialize in shops for Veterinary Clinics. They pay $15 plus up to $100 payment NOT including tip + $10. The only catch is that you have to own a cat or dog, which I don't, but maybe you do. Here's their URL http://www.secretshopper.com

OK, I've saved the best for last. Fieldwork specializes in setting up focus groups for some of the biggest companies in the US. They pay $50 to $75 for a focus group meeting that usually lasts about an hour.

The last one I did with them was for some research for eBay. They were trying to come up with a name for a new category on their website.

Fieldwork is located throughout the US in major metropolitan areas. You'll have to visit their website to see if they are located near where you live.

It's great if you have children since Fieldwork does a lot of focus groups involving children. Perhaps you can talk your kids into splitting the fee with you. Again, the pay usually works out to be about $50 to $75 an hour.

Unfortunately I have no children, but the next time I get an email for a focus group for children I'll borrow a couple of my neighbor's children.

Resume That Effectively Promotes You!

Imagine for a moment that you have created a wonderful product. You are excited at the possibilities of attaining name, fame and wealth marketing this product. You create a business plan and a marketing plan. You plan an excellent packaging and a presentation that would do justice to the benefits the product offers to the world and you get all set to market it.

Let us get back to reality. You are that wonderful product. You have created the product after years of studying, qualifications and building up your personality.

Aren't you excited about marketing it!

Your resume is the place to start with which needs to be an excellent presentation - Your Sales Page. It needs to be presented with all the benefits that it offers to the customer - your employer. Then you as the product is all set to achieve a dream run.

Do you get the picture? Your resume is your advertisement, your presentation is your sales letter and your packaging is what gives the world the first impression of you as the product.

Here are a few of the important aspects to focus while creating your resume.

Writing a powerful objective in two short lines which will explain clearly what you are seeking. It should be a statement about your career direction. This is the headline of your advertisement.

A well formatted list of your qualifications and certifications in reverse chronological order gives your resume a sense of organization.

Properly presenting your skills and accomplishments can make the difference in getting an interview call or not. This is the key to your appointment for the interview as the interviewer is more interested in what you can do for them than your qualifications.

Using powerful words in your resume makes it more energetic and exciting. Using powerful words also projects your abilities as a good communicator.

Use plenty of key words picked up from the advertisement and the job profile. Most of the resumes are sorted digitally using the words used in the job description.

Reading and revising your resume as often as possible. Because every reading will help you perfect your resume, polish it and make it a power document projecting you in brilliant hues. Be rest assured you are ahead of the pack if you have an excellently written resume.

There are plenty of good websites providing resume articles and tips including www.ezinearticles.com. Check them out to learn more.

Every improvement to your resume will make your interview call rates to take a quantum leap. That is half the battle won in getting your dream job.

Turning the Table: Questions for Your Interviewer

(DES MOINES, Iowa - January 26, 2005) The fateful final question of all interviewers may carry more weight than you would think. Upon hearing "Now, do you have any questions," you are given a chance to show the quality of your character and interest in the company. No matter how well the interview went, passively responding to this question with a shake of the head and a polite smile will only communicate to the employer that you are not interested in inquiring about the job, the company, and your place within their organization. Your approach to this Question & Answer time will directly impact the interviewer's assessment of you and the interview.

When thinking of questions the first things that probably come to mind regard your salary, hours, vacation, and benefits. It is not a good idea to ask these types of questions during this time. It would only express to the employer that you are more concerned about yourself than learning about the company. These kinds of questions are valid only when a job offer has been made.

When preparing for this part of the interview develop questions regarding the company or the organization. This will positively influence your interview by showing that you care more about the company and the job than just how much they will pay you. Good questions to ask are:

* How would you describe your company culture?

* What is the typical career path for someone in this position?

* What is your company's biggest challenge?

* Where do you see this industry in the next five years?

* Who is your competition and how do you compare?

* How does your company measure success?

* What skills are the most important for this position?

* Describe your ideal employee.

* Tell me about the people I'd be working with.

Not only will these questions indicate to the interviewer if you are right for the job, but their answers will indicate to you if the job is what you're looking for. Just as you may not be a perfect fit for all companies, not all companies are a perfect fit for you. Just as you try to sell yourself to a company, a company should try to sell themselves to you. In this case you should ask questions like:

* Are there any plans for a corporate merger or outsourcing initiatives?

With mergers and outsourcing often come layoffs. Before accepting a position you may want to be aware of this. Many job seekers are under the impression that only unsuccessful companies downsize. That is not always true.

* Are promotions based on seniority or accomplishments?

Some companies still operate on seniority. No matter the accomplishments or lack of accomplishments they are offered advancing positions before a new hire is. You should know that if you put in 110% that you will receive what you are due.

* If you could change one thing about how this company functions, what would it be? Not every company functions perfectly and you may want to be aware of where their weaknesses lie.

The interviewer will recognize questions that have been prepared after thoughtful consideration. Take the time to determine what is important to you and what you highly value in a company so you can ask appropriate and intelligent questions.

Unlimit Your Life!

Do you have a tendency to think in absolutes?

Is everything good or bad, black or white?

This type of thinking can severely limit your options. Or worse, prevent you from getting an accurate picture of what's possible.

Most people are uncomfortable hanging out in the "I don't know" space. The anxiety of not knowing triggers a rush to decision making. However, learning how to deal with periods of uncertainty while weighing your options will afford you the time to make a superior choice.

So how do you do this? Try a new approach and get support.

Broaden Your Reach

Suppose you wanted to explore career options. If you usually get advice from one or two people, instead make a list of every possible person who might provide information. If you get a knot in your stomach at the thought of contacting these people, you're on the right track! You're out of your comfort zone, and that's good. To build up your courage before tackling this list, ask a trusted friend for encouragement and moral support.

As a further challenge, attempt to connect with a person who has achieved prominence in their field. While getting an appointment with a successful individual or receiving a return e-mail may take time, the effort could result in valuable insight and net you a future mentor.

Ideally, speak with one person working in each of the ranks (upper, middle and/or lower) of the career area you are exploring. Keep the information flowing by asking your contact for another name.

Besides getting a more detailed picture of what you can expect from this career choice, you'll begin to get a view of all the permutations that are possible. Each person's opinion will broaden your view and knowledge.

Explore The Gray Area

It is in this huge "gray area" where a wonderful new career might be waiting for you. You could even discover that you already possess many of the requisite skills, making a career transition easier than you thought.

In the end, the choices you make will improve if you do the research and take the time for reflection. Don't panic or rush the process. In this case, faster is not better, slower is. And a wonderful by-product of this process is a newfound sense of self-confidence and fresh possibilities!

Why Employers Want an Employee with a Degree

You wake up in the morning, head to work, and find out your company is downsizing and you are being laid off. No big deal you think, you have experience, you've worked at the same company for years. You think companies will WANT to hire you. Guess what, your wrong. It's a new day and age, while you may potentially find work. It's a lot more difficult than you may think to get a job these days. Most reputable companies are looking for qualified people who also have an education.

Through the companies eyes, they see an education as a sign of dedication to a career/field. Without an education, you are liable to get up and move to a different career in a heart beat as you don't have years of education backing you up. A company knows that when you have an education you are in for the long haul.

People with an education are a commodity these days, if you don't have one, many companies won't even go beyond glancing at your resume. So what can you do, to prevent a situation like the one I've outlined above from happening? If you currently have a job, you can start working on attaining some form of education at one of the many accredited online schools.

Get Inspired About Your Career

Get Inspired about Your Career

Do you linger in bed long after your alarm goes off on work mornings? Do you dread Sunday nights because they lead to Monday mornings? Do you watch the clock and wonder if the day will ever end? Do you look outside your workplace and ask, "Is there more to life than just this job?"

If you suffer from any of these symptoms, it is time for you to create a new career! In her CD book, Advanced Energy Anatomy, Carolyn Myss, Ph.D. lays out a seven-step process for bringing an idea to physical creation. Here's that seven-step process applied to creating a new career inspiration.

1. Get Inspired. Inspiration comes from the Latin words that mean, "to breathe in". To infuse your career creation with life, passion, and excitement, ask yourself,

* What would I do if money were not an object?

* What did I love to do as a child but left behind?

* What activity do I do so intently that I don't notice time passing?

* Am I interested in turning down the road not taken at a past career fork in the road?

Dig deeply, don't censor your answers and write each inspiration on a separate piece of paper.

2. What Do You Think? Run each of your inspirations through your head! Ask,

* Can I see myself doing this?

* Does it make sense?

* Do I think I can do it?

* Am I willing to think about it?

Be honest in answering these questions, and record your answers on each idea's page. Rule out the inspirations that don't survive here.

3. What About Your Will? Run each of the surviving ideas through your will! Your will houses your mental capabilities for choosing, intending, wishing and desiring. Ask yourself,

* Will I be able to do this?

* Am I able to communicate it?

* Am I able to make the right choices and decisions to do this?

Again, write down your answers for each idea. Narrow your list of ideas once more to the ones you believe you'll be able to do, communicate or make the right choices for.

4. What Do You Feel? Run your survivors through your heart! Ask yourself,

* How do I feel about this?

* Does it feel right to me?

* Can I follow my heart on these inspirations?

Write the answers to these questions for each idea; rule out the ones your heart isn't into.

Here's where the going gets tough. The first four steps are energetic. They're ephemeral, they don't affect your physical life, and they're cheap and easy. The next three steps involve assessing your surviving career ideas in the physical world.

5. What Will Others Think? Run your surviving inspirations through your self-esteem. Ask yourself,

* Can I endure criticism for this choice?

* Will others think I'm foolish?

* What if others laugh at me?

Write your answers for each of the surviving ideas and go to the next step.

6. Can I Afford It? Run your surviving inspirations through your financial life. Ask yourself,

* What will it cost to change?

* Can I live on what I could make in this new career?

* Can I learn to live with less?

Record your answers and go to the next step.

7. Am I Willing to Deal With My Fears? What, you have no career ideas or inspirations that survived? Congratulations, you have met your fears!

Relax, you're not alone!

It's important that your mind, will and heart are all aligned, or you'll run into problems. Careers your mind likes but your heart doesn't will be short-lived. Careers your heart might like don't even get consideration if your mind allows its fears to stop you dead in your tracks. Your will doesn't have clear direction if your head and heart aren't aligned.

Run each of your inspirations through your mind, will and heart. Release those inspirations that don't have energy in all three of your mind, will and heart. You won't have enough energy to try them effectively. Hold onto the inspirations for which your mind, will and heart are aligned.

Run those inspirations through your self-esteem. Ask yourself,

* Do I have the guts to pull off this career change, even if others disapprove?

* Can I grow up and not need others approval to change?

* Am I willing to change my social group to pursue this new career?

Now that you're feeling bold and independent, run the ideas that survived through your financial screen again. Weigh your desire for a career that satisfies you with your need to remain unchanged economically. Ask yourself these tough questions:

* What economic changes must I make in order for this career to be feasible?

* Would living more simply (read: less expensively) feel better if I felt better about my career?

* What expenses that help me cope with my current career won't be necessary if I change?

* What's more important -- feeling good about myself or having things?

Finally, take the hardy career inspirations that remain and ask,

* Can I see myself putting this inspiration into practice?

* Am I ready to birth this career inspiration into the world?

* Am I ready to share the energy of my career idea with the world?

Shake the tree of your fertile imagination and see what career inspiration falls from it. Some ideas are ripe for picking; others need a bit more time on the tree to ripen. Hold onto those inspirations that didn't survive - you'll want to review them when you change careers next time!

Knowing and Guessing

The line between average and exceptional work performance is dotted with ordinary day-by-day behaviors. I was reminded of that line recently. My husband was explaining to a nurse how he'd inadvertently taken the last dose of the live typhoid virus on the wrong day and wondered if he needed to retake the sequence prior to our Africa trip. "No," she commented, "I think you'll be fine." We both knew she was guessing.

While rolling down my sleeve from the next set of immunizations, a different nurse poked her head into the room. "I overheard your conversation at the desk." she said to Dan. "We've never had that situation, so I thought it best to call the drug manufacturer for advice. Turns out you need to retake the entire dosage." We were grateful she took the extra step.

It's not possible to know all the answers to all the questions you'll get tossed in the workplace. But, be willing to say when you don't. That's better than giving out misinformation or guessing at an answer without making it clear it's a guess. People who are winning at working add four words - "but I'll find out." And they do find out and get back to the person. That extra step differentiates their performance in the workplace.

Jeff was already in the department when I was hired to manage it. "I don't know" was his typical response when queried beyond the surface status reports of his projects. At first, I expected Jeff to automatically find out the answers to my questions and inform me, his new boss. But he never did. Jeff managed to train me to follow up to his "I don't know," with "please find out and tell me."

Jeff worked for me for two years and at the time I moved on, I was still asking him to find out. For Jeff and people like Jeff, "I don't know" is a habitual way to reduce their task list. To them, "I don't know" ends it. What they don't realize is what else it ends in the minds of their bosses, clients or customers.

It baffles me that someone thinks saying "I don't know" suffices when it involves their work responsibilities. It baffles me how frequently people offer their best guesses like factual answers. And it baffles me, in my twenty years in management, how surprisingly few people took the small step to find out. Those who did stood out. They went from guessing to knowing. Find out answers and you'll build knowledge that differentiates you.

Want to be winning at working? Stop guessing; start knowing. The next time you find yourself venturing a guess on an important answer, pause. Then reframe your response with, "I don't know for sure, but I'll find out for you." Not only will you be adding to your knowledge base, but when you find out and follow up with the person, you'll be building your credibility and crossing an important performance line.

Career Change Success Is Yours If you Follow The Formula

Recent surveys suggest that, given the chance, about four out of 10 people would change career tomorrow and a further two might. The most popular reason given would be to earn more. But others want a new challenge, to do something more fulfilling, or to have a better quality of life. If you are one of these who might, what's stopping you?

Simply stated there are only two things stopping you from making the successful career change you dream of - belief and action. Or in my terms: PMA + SMA = Career Change Success

But everyone goes on about PMA - Positive Mental Attitude, don't they? What does it mean?

To some extent we all have some influence over the things that happen to us. I don't mean to say that we can make everything work out right all of the time, but we can hold an attitude of expecting things to go right.

It also means belief in yourself; that you have the skills and experience; qualities and attributes that will benefit a new employer. The one who wins isn't necessarily the one who can, but the one who thinks he can. So if you are going to make that career change, you must think you can.

Belief in yourself is also about being true to yourself and your core values. It's not about short-term gains, 'acing' interviews or 'finessing' your way into a high-paying job that you've no real hope of holding down. The move you make must be consistent with your core values otherwise you won't achieve that all important career satisfaction. If you get there by the wrong means, you'll probably end up as one of the four in ten again!

So you should start your career change process by being clear in your mind about:

? what you really enjoy doing;

? what makes your work satisfying, great fun, fraught, or dull;

? what you're good at and want to continue doing;

? what's important to you;

? and how your decisions affect those close to you.

You can work out the answers to these questions from my advice on your skills analysis, your contributions and your values - then your career change becomes career reality!

But only if you use the second part of my formula - SMA by which I mean Sustained Meaningful Activity. In other words do the things you need to do, for as long as you need to do them, until the career change you want to achieve becomes career reality.

What are the things you need to do?

? Follow all the advice you can get and be clear that you have the skills and capacity to present a compelling case to a new employer.

? Work out how you will make your case come alive by preparing scenarios and stories that colourfully illustrate how your experience brings value and benefits to the new organization.

? Be prepared for disappointment - you may not get there first time - but stay positive and don't just give up. Move on to the next one right away.

? Build up your network of people who can support, advise and challenge you; most people will be very pleased to help.

? Get your CV or resume updated and reviewed by someone you respect.

? Research potential businesses that may have the right type of opportunity, but are also likely to be consistent with your values.

? Ask questions at interview so you can gauge whether the opportunity is right or simply 'there'.

? Make sure your writing skills are up to the task of producing not only excellent application cover letters, but also carefully crafted target letters for the direct approach to employers.

? Be clear how you can access the 'unadvertised' jobs market, by networking, research and targeting.

? Maintain your confidence and optimism and never quit, give up or give in - you know you can do it, so keep going till you get there.

It will be worth it!

With over 25 years running 'people' businesses, and as a Career Coach, Consultant and Author, Peter Fisher is well placed to guide job seekers through the steps needed in order to achieve that all important new position.

He has personally coached thousands of individuals to career success.