Tips for job seekers

Thanks, Allison, for sharing these job search tips:

"LOS ANGELES, CA -- To land a job over the competition, you have to work smarter. The hard part is to get your resume into the hands of the hiring manager first! Good jobs aren't on the market very long. To succeed your resume has to be available to the employer the moment they decide to fill a position.

One easy way to be found by employers who are looking to hire someone with your skills, is to post your resume on all the top career websites. As soon as an employer needs someone, this is the first place they look. It's a proven, documented method of successful job searching. While it may take a fair amount of time to find and fill out the forms of all these websites, you will definitely multiply your chances of landing a job."


Is your resume as unique as you are?
Abridged: SF Examiner

"SAN FRANCISCO, CA -- Job seekers commonly tackle resume writing from the same stance with which they would undertake completing a job application. It's important to realize that the purpose of a resume differs greatly from the purpose of a job application. Your resume is a marketing tool and as such should focus on your accomplishments and achievements in the workplace.

While your resume will contain information which describes your typical job duties, the bulk of the resume should illustrate the unique contributions you made to the overall success of the organization. Your resume must portray those behaviors that will interest a potential employer, the behaviors that lead to career success. These are the attributes that look best on a resume. A job application falls short when it comes to assessing a candidate's soft skills. As you construct your resume, keep these qualities in mind and find ways to demonstrate them. Your resume should be a snapshot of who you are as an employee.

Remember, you are not your job title. Your job description does not define you. Each of us possesses a wealth of experiences and knowledge as well as a unique perspective. These are the characteristics that set you apart from other job seekers. Your resume is your way of introducing a potential employer to all of those wonderful traits and aptitudes that make you who you are. Your resume should be as unique as your thumbprint."


Five tips for your job search
Abridged: KansasCity.com

"KANSAS CITY, KS -- It's hard to get noticed in this job market...and it's even harder to land a job. Here are five tips to weather the down time from Beth Kobliner, author of Get a Financial Life: Personal Finance in Your Twenties and Thirties. Her book is aimed at young workers, but the advice is good for all generations.

Plan on an average job search taking six months; don't get discouraged if something doesn't happen immediately. Go out on your own. If you can't find a job, try to create one, building on the skills you have to offer. Go back to school. Focus on classes that will help your career readiness, including building computer skills you may not have.

Consider part-time or temporary work and sign up with staffing agencies. It may help get your foot in the door for a full-time position later. Relocate. If there's nothing for you where you live now, move to where the prospects are better. Nearly one in five people who landed jobs this summer moved to do so, according to Challenger, Gray & Christmas."







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