Very few professionals these days have the luxury of staying with the same company, much less job, for more than 5 years. Considering the statistics are stacked against you, I advise updating your resume annually if not every six months. The biggest mistake that many professionals make today is thinking that they only need a resume when they are in a job search. If you’re one of those professionals, here are some compelling...

I don’t know if it’s just because it’s spring and everything is brighter, but I get the feeling that there’s truly a feeling of optimism emerging among job seekers. Honestly, I don’t think that we’re going to see a huge boom, but I’m beginning to see signs of hope. As usual, I’m going to try to give some practical and helpful advice to give you some strategies on how to take advantage of this optimism.1) Test the waters wit...

I have referenced Linkedin and methods on how to use social networking for your job search. I’d like to take some time to emphasize how important utilizing these tools are to your job search. Recently I invited some recruiters to sit down with job seekers as part of a job club that I lead in the Annapolis, MD area. There was a small group of us and we were very fortunate to be able to speak candidly about what they look fo...

A job seeker posted this question on a LinkedIn discussion board. “How do you get by on only one resume. When I was looking for a job I rewrote/edited my resume for every different job being sure to call out everything they were looking for in the description. How do you do it any other way?”Job seekers need to remember that you have a job title...SALES PROFESSIONALOnce you understand that, you must start thinking like a ma...

I know that another think that frustrates job seekers is the lack of response they receive from HR. I recently encountered a situation with a client that can and will prevent potential employers from contacting you. She had an automated spam blocker and response section on her e-mail. The problem was that the ISP she was using for e-mail did not make the spam blocker user-friendly. I had to input it my information multiple...

Now that the Great Recession, as I’ve heard it dubbed, is officially over, your job search should be taking off, right? Well that’s what several people are hoping for but I’m still receiving emails and phone calls from frustrated job seekers wondering what is wrong with “those employers.” Ok, let’s think about it...those who are still gainfully employed are totally overwhelmed and probably would love to have extra help, but...

I’m sure that many job seekers are wondering, Should I contact a Professional Resume Writer? Of course, I’m slightly biased on this subject. However, I’ll do my best to give you some unbiased strategies of when and how to contact a resume writer and help you determine whether or not you should contact one.1. Do I need a Professional Resume Writer?There are several advantages of working with a professional resume writer. The...

As a job seeker, what are you trying to stress about your expertise, experience, or accomplishments. If you’re only brand is that you are a job seeker, then there’s nothing about your brand that is distinguishing you from the millions of other currently unemployed people out there. Ask yourself, “what “uniqueness” do you want to highlight? Perhaps I should spell that “YOUniqueness”.Capture the unique brand everywhere you po...

While recently sitting in a seminar on social networking, it occurred to me that job seekers have a tool today that didn’t exist a few years ago; Social Networking. With so many opportunities out there to increase your online presence, it’s crucial to make sure that your online presence is consistent. Let’s face it, employers know about these tools and regularly use them to research candidates as part of the reference check...

When talking to clients on the initial front I can always tell who has done their homework and who hasn’t. For instance, one client may say, “I may need a generic resume that I can use for sales, consulting, medical billing work, and launching a pet grooming business.” Obviously, this makes no sense. Why would someone want to use the same résumé for sales, consulting, medical billing, and launching a pet grooming business...