Several months ago you set goals for 2012. How is it going? Maybe you have made great progress -- or like many of us, maybe you are discouraged because you have gotten off track. With more than half of the year remaining, there is plenty of time to build your momentum for a strong finish! So many times we make a resolution and by March, we have to think for a moment to remember what we resolved to do. What about that be...

There is so much advice online, on campus, and even on television. How do you discern what is the most effective résumé strategy in today’s job search market? Below we have listed a few areas of focus for a recent graduate’s résumé. We will show you what is hot and what is not. Objective: Hot or Not? NOT! Including an objective statement is the best way to announce to the reader, “It’s all about me!” Objectives are w...

Sometimes in a challenging job market, you must go where the job are. Relocation is stressful and costly, but you can minimize the risks if you follow a disciplined approach. There are multiple things to consider after you have accepted the job in a new city. However, today we are focusing on how to get a face-to-face interview with employers in your target city. With proper preparation, you have a better shot at gettin...

If you are nervous about your first job interview, you are not alone. Nervousness is a natural reaction to a new situation involving something that is important to you. If you are able to take control of the situation, you will feel more at ease and you will increase your chances of success. Follow these tips and you will feel better and perform better! Prepare Research the company. Being well-informed shows that you are...

In most situations, your résumé will be read on a screen. It could be a 17-inch screen and it could be a 2-inch screen. Hiring managers and recruiters will make instantaneous decisions about which résumé they would like to save for consideration and which to delete. The time allocated to make that decision is significantly reduced in today’s world owing to the nature of how we behave when going through emails or documents o...

A QR Code is a 2-dimensional “quick response” bar code that contains a set of data (text, numbers, or a hyperlink). This data can be decoded by QR Readers, which are widely available as Smartphone apps. Take a picture of the QR Code with the phone’s camera, and the embedded information instantly appears. If you are pumping out awesome, niche-related content, your #1 goal should be directing hiring managers to your blog. Wil...

Recently I saw a woman walk into a store with excessive accessories. Maybe it was the red rose clip in her hair, or it could have been the 1980s-style bangles and matching chandelier earrings. It was a sight to behold. If she had stopped with the earrings, she would have looked terrific. Under the barrage of bling was a really cute dress. The same is true on a résumé. You get to a point where you have the perfect amou...

Although cover letters are a long-standing part of the job search, they are not outmoded. Cover letters or cover emails are more relevant today than ever. Job seekers are facing steep competition in today’s job market. A misstep will cost you a job. Some ask, “Why is the letter so important when much of the same information is in the résumé?” There are a few reasons why you can’t afford to skip the cover letter. Your c...

Some executive résumés push people away. What is the turn-off? Many executives have marketing staff write bio statements for inclusion in corporate portfolios, websites, or proposals. These bios usually begin with something like, “Mr. Reed is the steward of the nation’s premier fiber optic network.” The bio generally continues on with more stodgy language that makes one feels as though Mr. Reed does not dare mix with us m...

Most of us, at one point in our career, fantasize about quitting a job in a bombastic, dramatic, or humorous fashion. Remember the Jerry Maguire mission statement about the sports agencies? Or, how about the “I quit song" from the movie, “That Thing You Do?” How liberating to leave in a blaze of glory! Acting out this fantasy can be a career-ending move. Two words of advice for you: be diplomatic. It is cliché but true...