Two Online Career Events Empower Job-Seekers to Find New Employment

Two online events in November are designed to provide job-seekers with critical advice and insights from top career professionals around the country. Both events are sponsored by Quintessential Careers (quintcareers.com), a leading career information portal.


"Jobs are scarce. Many employers are not hiring; in fact, a number of employers are again laying off employees," said Dr. Randall Hansen, publisher and CEO of Quintessential Careers. "We may no longer be in an economic recession, but we are certainly in a jobs recession - and these two events are designed to empower all job-seekers, from recent college grads to baby boomers."

The fourth annual Job Action Day takes place on Monday, Nov. 7, and includes expert and empowering articles, tips, and blog posts that give both workers and job-seekers information, ideas, and concrete steps that they can take to secure their futures -- both in the short-term and in the long-term. Job Action Day 2011 focuses on three themes:

Skill Up: The skills mismatch is a huge issue in the current jobs crisis. Thousands of jobs are going begging because employers can't find skilled employees. This theme focuses on what job-seekers can do to attain the skills that will help land these jobs (including retraining, internships, apprenticeships, lateral job moves, and more).

Start Up: Refers not only to starting small businesses as an alternative to traditional jobs or unemployment, but a whole new mindset of being the CEO of your career -- having a portfolio of portable skills, a great network, flexibility, a project-mentality; not sitting at the computer visiting job boards, but getting out there and meeting people, knocking on doors, taking ownership of your career path.

Speak Up: Job-seekers need to be more vocal and demand action from our elected officials -- using the media to push a jobs agenda and demanding better media coverage of the jobs crisis -- as well as from the so-called job creators to create more jobs.

More information about Job Action Day can be found here:http://www.jobactionday.com/

The second event takes place a week later on Nov. 14, when Quintessential Careers celebrates its 15 years of serving job-seekers with the unveiling of tips, insights, and advice from 15 of the country's top career experts. Other features, according to Hansen, will include the 15 best career books, samples, tools, and more. "These 15 career experts together have an amazing breadth and depth of career and job-hunting know-how - and a passion for sharing that knowledge with job-seekers, career-changers, and the entire career community," Hansen said.

Some of the career experts providing insights include Richard Bolles, author of the best-selling career book in history, What Color is Your Parachute?; Tory Johnson of Women for Hire, a top career site for women; author and Generation Y expert Lindsey Pollak; Steve Rothberg, founder of the top college job board, CollegeRecruiter.com; and Eric Shannon, CEO of LatPro, a specialty job board for Hispanic and Spanish/English and Portuguese/English bilinguals. The full list of experts can be found here: http://www.quintcareers.com/Career_Masterminds.html

About Quintessential Careers: For almost 15 years, this comprehensive career development site has been empowering job-seekers of all ages find their ideal careers and jobs. With more than 5,000 pages of content -- from articles, quizzes, and tutorials -- Quintessential Careers offers visitors no-cost content that can improve their lives.

About Randall S. Hansen, Ph.D.: Randall Hansen is the founder and publisher of Quintessential Careers. He has been involved in the career industry for more than 20 years, and is the authors of numerous career-related articles, tutorials, and books.

Source: http://www.mmdnewswire.com/two-online-career-events-empowe-73575.html

Why Women Need To Step Up To The Microphone

“Does this speech make my butt look fat?”

A new book, The Well-Spoken Woman: Your Guide to Looking and Sounding Your Best, starts with that line and, after my initial laugh, I realized it really struck a chord. What woman can’t relate to worrying about something completely absurd while standing in front of a group of people?

I used to worry about a button on my blouse coming undone while speaking, which is why I never wear blouses. Jennifer Morozowich, who runs INideas, a Toronto-based company that offers strategic planning for advertising agencies, says she never eats before public events, thanks to an incident early in her career in which a bit of food was stuck in her teeth during a televised event. For others, the inevitable blush that streaks across the face can hinder professional aspirations.

If you find yourself sitting silently in your seat during important meetings, however, your opportunity for advancement may sneak out the back door.

In The Well-Spoken Woman, author Christine Jahnke, a Washington, D.C.-based speech coach who has worked with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Michelle Obama and many corporate CEOs, offers tips and examples for women trying to overcome their fear. The author draws on her own experiences and her observations of female politicians and businesswomen, such as former Texas governor Ann Richards and PepsiCo Inc. CEO Indra Nooyi.

Successful presenters, Ms. Jahnke said in an interview, possess three common characteristics.

The first is a signature style, which includes appearance and body language in addition to voice.

The second characteristic is a synchronized message: what is said aligns with what the audience wants to hear. In a business setting, she said, this involves answering the following questions: why are we having this meeting, what are we trying to accomplish, and how you talk about it so that your message has relevance in their lives.

The third piece of what Ms. Jahnke calls the “power persona trifecta” comes down to self-assurance and the ability to handle any obstacle. That could mean being prepared when your PowerPoint presentation goes awry or your computer crashes. “True professionals who have a Plan B in their back pocket ... can handle those types of things without skipping a beat.”

The book’s suggestions apply to men and women alike, but she singles out women because of their relative lack of representation in business and government. Women also face other obstacles when assuming a more public role. Everything from their appearance to their boldness can backfire on them.

“Study after study shows that even when you control for other variables, both men and women react more negatively to women who speak up in meetings, than they do to men,” said Denise Graveline, a public-speaking coach based in Washington, D.C., and author of the Eloquent Woman blog.

“Because men speak up more in the workplace, they're more likely to have opportunities to promote themselves and their accomplishments, which can lead to better raises and positions,” she added.

Carey-Ann Oestreicher runs a Toronto-based career development firm. She coached one woman who was worried about making a presentation to a company board, and who discovered that her fear of bringing attention to herself was holding back not only her career, but also her life outside work.

Another obstacle facing women comes down to the likeability factor. It used to be the case that women needed to exude enough toughness and confidence to show they could get the job done. Yet a recent study by the Massachusetts-based Barbara Lee Family Foundation, which focuses on women’s representation in U.S. politics, found that likeability is the most important factor in whether a woman wins an election.

Ms. Jahnke said women in the workplace have to walk a fine line: “It’s all about that tightrope – show that you are confident, show that you are a leader, but at the same time, you don’t want to be viewed as overbearing:”

It’s important to recognize and learn to overcome this double bind, because career advancement depends upon on it.

“Public speaking, and speaking well in general, is critically important to all C-level executives, not only women,” said executive recruiter Patricia Lenkov, a former Montrealer now based in New York. “I often advise women who want to sit on their first corporate board to become better known in their field and become more visible in general. One way to accomplish this is through public speaking at, for example, conferences,” she added.

An easier segue into public speaking can occur in your social setting, such as delivering the toast at an anniversary party, Ms. Jahnke said.

Most of all, she advises women to overcome the so-called imposter syndrome, that phenomenon of self-doubt. Women need to learn to stop turning down opportunities because they don’t think they know enough, she said, because men don’t hesitate.

Source: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/careers/career-advice/leah-eichler/why-women-need-to-step-up-to-the-microphone/article2217846/

Brand New Forum for Job Hunting Advice Opens

Lucille Falcone was born, grew up, and spent most of her life in what one would call a rural area. She has seen the devastation wrought when major businesses move out of an area leaving behind nothing but a broom and no place to work. That has never stopped her, or many around her from finding jobs. Ever since Falcone entered the job market 20 years ago, she has always been able to find work. Now she's ready to share her secrets with millions of people who are in the same place she's been all her life – needing a job but not exactly fitting into what is available.

“When I was little, I remember people losing their jobs because the major factories in the area were steadily moving overseas. People made longer commutes because they had a house and family to support. White collar workers always fared worse in our area, so we all knew first hand what factories moving meant.” Falcone watched as family members found jobs hundreds of miles away, and also witnessed all the changes in the area where she lived. “There is no question that my life was forever changed by the dearth of jobs in the area, as was the area itself. Nevertheless, for those who are committed to staying behind, life goes on, and must go on with self sustainability.”

According to Falcone, there are some grains of truth in the job search information available, but the vast majority of it just doesn't work when competition is high and you are not technically qualified for a specific job. “You have to think creatively and be willing to fit yourself into a new place in society. Unfortunately, far too many people are defining themselves as fitting on unemployment lines, the streets, and on social services. There are jobs available, and if people start working them, more will become available. It's just the nature of the cycle.”

Falcone also goes on to say that human resource professionals are probably the worst ones to ask about how to get a job in modern times. “Remember, the vast majority of them writing books worked in large companies, or in areas not challenged by economic downturns. They are used to seeing conventional applicants, and really don't give much thought to the exceptions that got their attention. You have to ask them a lot of questions to get a straight answer about techniques that will truly work in these times. In fact, if you probe deep enough, they will admit my tactics work.”

So what? What can Falcone do for you that you can't do for yourself? Quite simply, Falcone says she can help you find a job even in the worst job markets in the country. Aside from writing Overcoming the Overqualified Myth, which is available for the Kindle (and other readers) via Amazon.com, she has also opened up a job advice forum. All you will need to do is register for the forum to receive personalized attention on everything from reading classified ads to follow up after the interview.

http://wingedhorsevictory.com/attraction/money/job-search/overcoming-the-overqualified-myth/

“If you are ready to find a job, I'm ready to help you achieve that goal,” says Falcone. “So what are you waiting for?”

Source: http://www.pr.com/press-release/364397

Job Fair Exhibitors Offer Advice, Encouragement To People Seeking Employment

Retired Douglas County Sheriff’s Officer Sgt. Ken Fangohr spent three decades in law enforcement. In all that time, he had a lot of things to worry about on the job.

But with the steady career, he spent little time worrying about his résumé.

“It’s all new to me,” Fangohr said Friday at the third annual Community Career Connection event at Pinnacle Career Institute, 1601 W. 23rd St.

Fangohr, looking for the “perfect second career,” joined other job seekers at the event, picking up tips about interviewing, résumés and other job-searching skills.

And lot of the attendees were older workers, such as Fangohr, looking for second careers or starting over after spending decades at one job, said Tracy Bedell, a Johnson County Community College adjunct professor who was helping job searchers with mock interviews.

For those workers, the employment environment is considerably different from years ago, she said.

“The landscape has changed,” Bedell said. For some, re-entering the job market is “kind of scary.”

Despite the tight job market, there are jobs available, said Kate Turner, co-owner of Express Employment Professionals and one of the event organizers. The event featured 33 employers looking to hire, and Turner said job seekers just need to be persistent.

“There’s so many things out there, they just need to be willing to look,” she said.

Nicki Woolfolk, recruiter for Amarr Garage Doors, 3800 Greenway Circle, said her company had a wide variety of openings. She encouraged frustrated job hunters to look at companies they may have never considered before. For instance, people think Amarr only has production jobs, when in fact they’re looking for people in their accounting and customer service departments, she said.

“Expand your horizons,” she said.

Source: http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2011/oct/28/job-fair-exhibitors-offer-advice-encouragement-peo/

Fired Before Your Hired

Many job seekers fall victim to a trend that's becoming more common as the economy continues to stagnate. While companies downsize and institute hiring freezes, job seekers are finding start dates pushed back and job offers withdrawn completely.

Job offers are rescinded for a variety of reasons. Some are external, such as the overall economy, some are internal such as a department's funding is cut. There are also times when it's determined that a person is needed but it would be more cost-effective to hire one person to work in two or more departments and spread the costs.

No matter the reason your job offer is repealed, experts agree that you should respond to the situation in a professional manner and get to the bottom of what happened.

If your offer has been rescinded, you must find out what the exact reasons behind the decision were. Were they economically based or due to a background, drug or reference check? As hard as it is, gather the facts. Try to separate the people you interviewed with from the organization's decision, and keep all of your interactions professional.

So, the jobs is no longer a sure thing...Now what?
Unfortunately, you don't have many legal rights in this situation. Most states have employment-at-will policies, which means employees can be terminated at any time, for any reason. You should think long and hard before pursuing legal action if a job offer is revoked -- litigation costs will be extensive and you will undoubtedly burn bridges with your would-be employer. Consult an HR expert or lawyer in your area about your options.

It's important to handle the situation professionally if you find yourself with a rescinded job offer. Here are six steps you can take to protect yourself:

1. Find out why
Find out the exact reason behind the withdrawn offer. Ask the potential employer if it was something revealed in a reference check or if it had something to do with the economy.
Let the hiring manager know you are interested in working at the company if there are a change of circumstances. If you really are the best candidate, the hiring manager will contact you when the circumstances change.

2. Be open and honest
Once you've got a company that wants to hire you, you've cleared the tallest hurdle. How you react to a rescinded job offer can determine if that offer might return. Be open and honest with the employer about your situation. If you are still interested in the job, let them know your finances. Can you wait six months to start? Or, if you can find a way to earn some money in the interim, let the employer know you will wait for the full-time position.

If you simply can't wait for the position to re-open, don't be shy about it. You came looking for a job because you needed one. Respectively tell them so that if you are looking for a job again in the future, they will still have a high opinion of you.

3. Prepare yourself
In this economy, expect anything. Do not stop looking for work until your first day at a new job. Graham says the biggest lesson she learned was that nothing is a done deal until you are sitting in your new office or cubicle.

4. Do your homework
Before accepting a job offer, it's important to evaluate what's been offered. Ask about the employer's financial health and find out if the position is approved. Ask if the company has ever withdrawn an offer and if so, what the company has done in the past. If the withdrawal of a vacant position is a real threat, ask if your offer letter can state what the company will do if the job offer is withdrawn.

5. Negotiate
If you left an old job to work for a new company and your offer was retracted due to the economy, you can try to negotiate unemployment benefits or a severance package from the employer. Or, if you really want this job, you can try negotiating for a lower salary or position. Some companies may opt to help you out as the right thing to do.

6. Move on
If nothing comes from negotiating with your would-be employer, it's time to move on. Contact companies who have expressed interest in the past and let them know you are still available. Whatever you do, resist the temptation to badmouth the organization that pulled back your offer.

It is important to maintain your positivity in spite of the circumstances. Know that something viable will eventually come your way if you don't give up.

My Hours Were Cut At Work!!

Has your employer recently reduced your hours at your hourly or part-time job? You’re not alone. In this recession, reduced hours are affecting young workers more than any other age group. If your boss cuts your hours, it’s not an easy time to pick up and find new work. There are, however, a few steps you can take to try to win some hours back.

1. Be Flexible
The most important thing you can do to show your boss you want more hours is to be available to take them. Of course, you may not be able to skip a college class to pick up an extra shift. On the other hand, if you’ve taken Saturday nights off for social reasons, consider amending your availability. Also, if your employer has multiple locations, indicate that you’re willing to work at more than one if it means a fuller schedule.

2. Be Better Than Your Coworkers
Employers often cut everybody’s hours in lieu of laying off a small number of employees. That saves a few jobs, but it hurts everybody’s budgets. At any job, and in this economy more than ever, you must look out for yourself. That means you must do excellent work, show enthusiasm, and go above and beyond. (And make sure your boss knows about it.) If you stand out among your peers at work, you’ll be first in line when hours come back.

3. Be Persistent
Never assume that your boss knows you want more hours. Believe it or not, she may just assume that if nobody says anything, everybody’s okay with the cutbacks. Tell your boss regularly that you’re looking for extra hours. Do it every week, or even every shift. Don’t be a nag, but slide it into conversation whenever you can. The squeaky wheel does get the grease.

4. Be Creative
Think outside of your job description. Ask your boss—or even your company’s owner (if it’s a small business)—if there are additional responsibilities you could take on a few hours a week. This can be an especially smart strategy if you have specific skills that your current position doesn’t take advantage of, but you think the company could use. Sell your boss or the company’s owner on how paying you a few extra hours could increase business.

Networking to Land a Job

As you know, landing the job you want can be more about who you know than what you know. Networking is critical. But just as there are good ways and bad ways to meet a prospective girlfriend or boyfriend, there are good ways — and not so good ways — to fuse business relationships that could someday boost your career. Here are the 10 dos and don’ts of networking:

Do keep your business cards handy.
You never know when you might find yourself in a conversation that leads back to what you do — and where your career is going. You could be out on a Friday night, in an airport, or at church.
Keep a few business cards neatly tucked in your pocket. Also, write your personal email address and cell phone number on a few cards. If you’re aiming to find a new job in a year or two, you want any new professional allies to be able to contact you wherever you may roam.

Don’t hand your business card out recklessly.
I once worked with a guy who was a master salesman, and he would hand out his card to everybody he met. (One time, he even gave his business card to a bouncer who was kicking him out of a bar).

While many top sellers use every interaction as an opportunity to make a sale, trying to network with everybody can make you look sleazy — or desperate. Have your cards at the ready, but only exchange them if asked, or if you’re already talking about business or careers.

Do keep in touch with former coworkers and managers.
One of the most important networking moves you can make is to regularly stay in touch with your former coworkers and supervisors. You can do this with a few emails throughout the year, a holiday card, or even a five or ten minute phone call just to see how they are doing (Friday afternoons make a great time for such calls, when most people are looking for ways to avoid any hard work the last few hours of the week).

Don’t call them only when you need a job.
While your former colleagues can be a goldmine of future career opportunities, don’t expect them to hire you when you call them out of the blue for the first time in three years. Nothing says “I only care about you because you can help me” quite like it.

Do utilize social networking and blogs.
Sites like Doostang and LinkedIn take professional networking online and make it easier to network than ever before. Just like Facebook or MySpace, you can create a profile, upload your resume, and create connections with past and present colleagues. Then, your connections can find easily find you if they have a position open, plus employers can search for you by keyword. Writing a blog in your area of expertise is another smart move that can bring potential employers to your doorstep.

Don’t overexpose yourself online.
When it comes to online social networking, you can get too much of a good thing. Especially when you are actively networking online, you can expect any potential employers to see your online self…all of it. These days, most hiring managers are just as likely to look you up on Facebook as they are on LinkedIn. That means it’s high time for those Spring Break 2002 photos to come down. Not only can prospective employers find scandalous personal revelations on your profiles today, thanks to Google, those blog comments about how much you hated your last boss will be easily searchable for many years to come.

Do listen to recruiters.
It can be quite flattering to receive a call from a recruiter asking if you if you would be interested in an exciting new opportunity they have available. There’s no harm in talking (as long as your current boss doesn’t overhear). Even if the position isn’t for you, it can be handy on the radar of a handful or recruiters in your field. It’s just another tool to excelling in your career.
Don’t believe they’re on your side.

That said, remember the cardinal rule of working with a recruiter: remember who is paying them. Recruiters are paid to fill openings, not be your career coach. Don’t let a recruiter — or anybody — pressure you into a position that isn’t right for you.

Do ask friends, family, and colleagues for career advice.
If you’re searching for your career’s direction or wonder what it’s like to have a friend’s job, don’t be afraid to ask. Most people love to talk about themselves — their jobs included. Plus, mentioning that you’re interested in what they do can plant a seed that could lead to a further opportunities down the road.

Don’t talk only about your career.
Sometimes you hate your current job so much all you talk about is getting out. While this may be at the forefront of your mind, it can seem like complaining — or desperate networking — to those around you. Unless you’re already unemployed (in which case talking about job prospects 24/7 might not be a a bad idea), keep your career queries to once every couple of conversations.

How to Use Online Networking to Get a Job

Here are five tips for leveraging online networking tools in your career.

Back the Winner, and Focus Your Effort – We Web users are fickle when it comes to social networking sites. Anyone remember Friendster? It soared and then soured as MySpace, and now Facebook, took over as kings of the hill.

Make sure you’re networking in the right place, and keep your ear to the ground for the best place to connect with potential employers.

Then, choose the social networking site that best aligns with your career goals, and focus your efforts there. Here’s a hint: LinkedIn is probably the most widely used professional networking site, though Facebook can be good for recent grads. Doostang is by invite only and focuses on careerists with elite degrees and advanced skills.

Be Proactive – Just as if you were at a real life swizzle, don’t expect everybody to talk to you – or befriend you. Use social networking site tools to cull your inbox for contacts – or seek them out yourself – and ask them to link up with you. For professional contacts, it helps to send a brief, personalized email first, saying “I saw your profile on LinkedIn and am going to request you connect with me. I hope you do!”

Polish Your Profile – When you use social networking professionally, your profile becomes your online resume, so write it accordingly. Feel free to highlight your interests, but leave out the photos of your five-year fraternity reunion. Don’t forget to fully describe your academic and professional accomplishments, and to spell check!If you aiming for a specific job, make tweaks that highlight why you would be a good fit for the position – just as you would with your resume.

Don’t Push – There is a difference between a phone call to inquire about potential career opportunities in a contact’s organization and daily calls to see if anything has changed. Don’t be an online pest, either. People use social networking differently, and just because somebody hasn’t added you or responded to a message you sent may not mean they are ignoring you. If you really want to contact somebody and they haven’t responded through a networking site in a couple of weeks, consider another avenue.

Give Back – Don’t just use social networking selfishly. Look for ways to help other people in your network, or even others you don’t know. Provide career advice, forward job opportunities, and connect with people who are up and coming in your current organization or at past employers. Remember that old adage: they could be your boss someday.

Standing out in a Competitive Job Market

Anybody looking for a job right now knows—it’s a jungle out there. Unless you are looking in recession-proof fields, jobs are few and far between, and thousands of workers are losing their jobs every day. Put simply, competition is cutthroat. Don’t despair. Whether you are fresh out of school or have several years of experience and are recovering from a layoff—it’s still possible to stand out from the competition and land a great gig.

Make Your Cover Letter Shine.
According to a July 2008 report by HR.BLR.com, 86% of executives say cover letters are important when evaluating a job candidate. One hiring manager described submitting a resume without a cover letter as “not shaking hands when meeting somebody for the first time.”
Your cover letter makes your very first impression, not your resume, so spend time on every letter you send out. To make a cover letter extraordinary, tell the prospective employer how you would help them succeed with specific examples.
You’ll also want to:

Make your cover letter easy-to-read, using short paragraphs and bulleted lists.

Write a brief, catchy first sentence that makes them want to read more.

Give specifics about their business to show that you have researched them.

Avoid repeating what’s on your resume.

A final cover letter rule of thumb: If you can’t spend an hour writing a tailored cover letter for a job opening, don’t waste the fifteen minutes it takes to send a resume and a generic cover letter—these days, you can almost be assured the generic application won’t be noticed.

Don’t Appear Desperate.
The best time to look for a job is when you already have one. That, of course, means that the worst time to look for a job is when you—and lots of others—are unemployed. When employers know their candidates don’t have other options, they’ll be more included to offer a lower salary, fewer benefits, and even delay the hiring process. So never appear desperate to potential employers.

The good news? You can bet that at least some of your competitors will be practically begging for a job. Most employers will prefer a candidate that appears cool, collected, and confident. Even if you’re at the first job interview you’ve had in a month, make it seem like you have a half dozen lined up this week alone—you want prospective employers to think that they need to fight to recruit you, even if it’s far from the truth.

Work Your Connections.
Although it is possible to land a job by applying through an online posting, your chances of getting a gig are infinitely higher if you have an connection on the inside. Make calling everybody you know a regular part of your job search. If you’re in a new city, find ways to meet new people such as volunteering, joining a church, or attending group meetings in areas of your interest. Network, network, network!

Be Willing to Take Risks.
Big risks often yield huge rewards. Still, most people would rather take few risks in exchange for a steady paycheck. Starting your own business or freelancing full-time is one way to use risk to combat a slow job market, with potentially huge rewards, both financial and personal.

Not up for owning your own business? There are still job opportunities out there that most people consider “too risky”. If you have the right qualifications and can stomach a bit of risk, you might be able to walk right through the door. The most common “risk-reward” job opportunities are in sales, in which most of your compensation is commission-based. Risky, sure; but if you’re fearless and hard-working, you’ll probably do just fine.

Another option is to look for start-up businesses that need help. Many may be looking to hire employees or contractors in exchange for equity. If you have a specific talent that can help a new business grow (and you can live without income fro a while), this is a great way to develop experience and the potential for a huge payday.

Work Harder, Faster, Smarter.
Looking for a new job is a full-time job, and you should treat it like one. If you’re unemployed and not spending about eight hours a day researching openings, applying, and going on interviews, rest assured that you have hundreds or thousands of competitors that are. The faster you seek out new job openings and the better you make your resume and application materials, the faster you’ll land a great new job, even in this slow economy.

Your Resume - The Key to Landing that Job

Whether you’re actively aiming for a new gig or just floating a few resumes here and there, following these critical resume tips can make the difference between landing your dream job and never even getting into an interview chair.

1. Provide an employer benefit.
Tell prospective employers what you can do for them (especially in terms of money you can make them or money/time you can save them) and they will put your name at the top of the list. If you do nothing else, do this. Consider a one-sentence resume that reads:
Based upon my studies at ABC University and my three years of experience analyzing the manufacturing of widgets at ACME Widgets, Inc., I can save your company $400,000 in six months.

Compared to a three-page resume that never indicates what the job candidate might do for the employer—who do you think will get an interview?

2. Be personal.
The days of the one-size-fits-all resume are long gone. If a job opportunity doesn’t inspire you enough to tweak your resume and write a brief cover letter, don’t even both applying.

3. Proofread!
Maybe they’ll notice a typo, maybe they won’t. But if they do, your chances of getting through the door will go way, way down.

4. Be honest.
It can be tempting to fib a bit on your resume. Maybe you embellish past responsibilities or “tweak” employment dates to cover brief periods of unemployment. Unless you blatantly misrepresent you credentials (such as falsely claiming a university degree), you may not get caught, but even trivial details can cost you your job. Honesty is always the best policy, and it can cost you a lot of trouble down the road.

5. Be succinct.
Whenever possible, keep your resume on just one page. Consolidate multiple positions at one employer under one heading, and leave off details of older experiences or ones that aren’t relevant to the job for which you are applying. The shorter your resume, the more likely an employer will read it.

6. Be specific.
Since you want to be concise, choose your words carefully. When you do so, be as specific as possible. Before you write each entry on you resume, ask yourself: What, exactly, did you accomplish? And why, exactly, will that experience benefit your prospective employer?