Resume Guide Drawing

Looking for a job on the Internet can be daunting. Where do you start? What Web sites are best for your industry?

If you’re suffering from “job search overwhelm,” take heart. Remember the adage about how to eat an elephant one bite at a time.

Your quest for employment is the same.

It’s less overwhelming if you slice the online job market into bite-sized pieces instead of trying to visit 1,000 Web sites in a single day.

Here are 4 ways to divide the online employment market into smaller niches — and get hired faster.

1) Search For Local Job Sites

Like politics, most job searches are local. You’ll likely get hired by an employer within 20-30 miles of where you are now. So it pays to find Web sites that list local job openings.

Tip: look for job listings at the Web site of your local newspaper or TV station. You’ll almost always find something. Examples: startribune.com, kstp.com, detnews.com, nytimes.com. You’ll often find links to other regional job sites this way, too.

A second tactic is to type your state or city name and the word “jobs.com” into your Web browser and see what turns up. Examples: Minnesotajobs.com, Chicagojobs.com, Phillyjobs.com.

2) Search For Jobs By Industry

No matter what line of work you’re in, there’s probably a Web site with employment postings for that industry. So doing a Google search for “job title + jobs” should produce leads.

Another good Web resource is SearchSimpleton.com. It has links to more than 1,000 industry-specific Web directories, from Accounting and Finance to Travel, Hospitality and Restaurant job sites. It’s a good place to narrow your search to a specific industry or job function.

3) Search For Unadvertised Openings

Here’s a neat trick. You can get hired by companies before they even know they need you, according to Rich Milgram, founder and CEO of the 4Jobs.com Career Network.

All you have to do is think beyond your title.

“Most people take their job searches too literally. If they don’t find an exact match for the position Software Development Manager, for example, they give up. This is a mistake. Instead, look for companies hiring lots of software engineers and go pitch yourself as a manager to that company. That’s because employers tend to fill lower-level jobs first over the Internet, so you’ll be there ahead of their need for a new team manager,” says Milgram.

How do you pitch yourself to employers before they’ve listed a job opening?

Research the company, make contact with people who work there, then send a networking letter. According to Milgram, your letter should say something like: “I’ve been in your shoes before, here’s what you’re going to experience as you hire new people, and I’d be happy to talk to you about it.”

“The successful job search is not about you, but about the growth and the future of the company you want to work for,” adds Milgram.

The sooner you realize that, the sooner you’ll get hired.

4) Contact Old Classmates

You already know that networking can uncover the best job leads. It’s essential that you tell everyone you know about your job search. But don’t stop with those people.

Talk to everyone you used to know — folks you haven’t been in touch with for years.

And the easiest way is to contact people you went to high school or college with. Even if you haven’t talked to them in 20 years, you have something in common and they ought to be glad to hear from you (unless you stole their lunch money or did something equally inapt).

Two Web sites to help make contact with old school friends are Classmates.com and Linkedin.com. Also, most college Web sites will help you get in touch with fellow alumni — try yours and see.

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.

Tags: careers, cover letters, employment, finding a job, job hunting, job search, resume writing, resumescareers, cover letters, employment, finding a job, job hunting, job search, resume writing, resumes

Share This

As a job seeker, you shouldn’t overlook the importance of a cover letter. If written strategically, a cover letter increases your chances for consideration, and provides an opportunity to highlight your individuality.

A cover letter is much more than just a letter stating, “I read the job announcement in Sunday’s classified, please accept this letter as an application of interest”. It is a statement that tells the reader what they can expect from you if hired.

The challenging part of writing a cover letter is determining what information to include. After all, all the juicy information was included in the resume. What could you possibly add to the cover letter that will add substance to your qualifications?

Keep in mind that the resume and cover letter have different purposes. A resume demonstrates that you can do the job, it highlights your past accomplishments, while a cover letter points out the extent to which you match the job requirements for a specific a company and how you will fit in.

A well-written cover letter gives you an advantage over your competition because it provides another opportunity to showcase your experience and qualifications.

Cover letter basics can be mastered by following the pointers below.

Sell! Sell! Sell!

A cover letter is more than just a business letter; it is a sales letter. Begin with a strong introduction, layout the benefits you offer, and establish credibility by showcasing your accomplishments.

Write as you speak.

The cover letter should have a professional conversational tone, but sound as though a real person wrote it. Many people fall in the trap of using big word to communicate their message. Instead, write in a straightforward manner that entices the reader to review the resume. The words you choose should demonstrate enthusiasm for the position, company and industry.

Write from the reader’s perspective.

Action words should not be reserved for the resume. Begin each sentence with a power word. Don’t use a passive voice. Avoid starting sentences with the word “I.” Like the resume, the cover letter’s focus is on the hiring company, and beginning too many sentences with “I” puts the spotlight too much on you.

Don’t rehash your resume.

Be creative when presenting your qualifications and accomplishments. You don’t want to bore the reader by simply repeating the information you included in your resume. Find different ways to communicate the same message. The best way to do this is by selecting three to five major selling points and highlighting them in the body of the cover letter. Doing so will entice the reader to do more than just glance at your resume.

Ask for an interview.

Be proactive. In the last paragraph tell the reader that you will be contacting him or her to setup a meeting time. After all, the purpose of applying for a job is to be invited in for an interview, so don’t be shy, go for it.

You should use every tool at your disposal to secure an interview. Targeted cover letters add to your portfolio of qualifications and deserve as much consideration as a resume.

About The Author

Recognized as a career expert, Linda Matias brings a wealth of experience to the career services field. She has been sought out for her knowledge of the employment market, outplacement, job search strategies, interview preparation, and resume writing, quoted a number of times in The Wall Street Journal, New York Newsday, Newsweek, and HR- esource.com. She is President of CareerStrides and the National Resume Writers’ Association. Visit her website at www.careerstrides.com or email her at careerstrides@bigfoot.com

Tags: careers, cover letter, job hunting, jobs, resumes, unemployment, writingcareers, cover letter, job hunting, jobs, resumes, unemployment, writing

Share This

It’s perceived to be one of the most difficult transitions in life: rejoining the workforce after an extended layoff. Maybe you were raising your children, maybe you were caring for a relative, or maybe you were downsized and had trouble finding a job. In any case, it’s a daunting proposition to pull out the business suit, polish up the resume and start looking for a job.

To be sure, it’s not an easy task, but if you prepare appropriately, and attack the search smartly, it’s not as intimidating as you may think.

With the right Mindset, the proper downtime Approach, and some specific Strategies, you can get back out there and land work.

The Mindset

You have a gap in your resume.

So what!

There is this obsession that having a gap in your resume is a horrible sin. It’s not. The fact is, it’s incredibly common these days. Layoffs unfortunately are an everyday occurrence. Work/life balance awareness has increased to the point where more people are taking time off for personal reasons.

Twenty years ago, the typical job situation had the male breadwinner getting a job out of college and spending the rest of his career working for one company until his gold-watch retirement party at age 55.

Those days are long gone.

There’s no need for you to be shy about the fact that there’s a gap in your resume. You are part of a large and growing population of job seekers that have taken time off for a variety of reasons. There’s no need to fret.

The Approach

The biggest issue that employers have with employees returning to the workforce is their perceived lack of being “out of the game.” Technology, industry trends, and job skills can all change rapidly over the course of a couple of years.

As such, you want to make sure that you can show your aptitude in some of these areas. Take computer classes, get involved with trade organizations, and stay abreast of industry happenings by reading trade publications during your time off. It does take some time, but not nearly as much as working full time.

Then when it comes time to interview you’ll be able to say something like, “I knew it would be important for me to stay current on my computer skills, so I took classes in the most recent version of Microsoft Office while I was taking care of a relative.”

The Strategy

Packaging your “gap” in a resume or on an interview takes careful consideration. Don’t try tricks like changing dates or writing about how you honed your managerial skills negotiating with three children under the age of 10. Recruiting Directors know what you do as a mom or as a caregiver. What they want to know is that you’re in the game and ready to contribute.

Of course it would always be ideal to be able to tell your story in person, but often you don’t have the luxury of meeting someone face to face. As such, the cover letter becomes a great tool to let a potential employer know about your resume gap and why it’s not a big deal.

Mention why you’re reentering the workforce now

“I had always wanted to return to the workplace, and now that my children are in school full-time, it’s the perfect opportunity.”

Talk about how you stayed in the game

“I wanted to stay involved in nonprofit as much as I could after our company closed our office, so I’ve volunteered at the American Cancer Society and took an online class in development.”

Ultimately it’s not going to be easy to get back out there. But with the right game plan, it doesn’t have to be as difficult as you think.

Good luck!

Brad Karsh is president of JobBound, a company dedicated to helping job seekers make the transition to work. Author of “Confessions of a Recruiting Director: The Insider’s Guide to Landing Your Fist Job” (Prentice Hall Press, April 2006), Brad is considered the nation’s leading expert on job searching. He’s been featured on CNN’s Paula Zahn Now, CNBC, CNNfn, and quoted in The Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Fortune, and many others. For even more job search advice, check out http://www.jobbound.com

Tags: career, careers, employment, interview, interview advice, new job, resume, resume help, resumescareer, careers, employment, interview, interview advice, new job, resume, resume help, resumes

Share This