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Three Ways to Find a Job by Doing the Opposite

Want to get hired faster? You can almost always shave days, weeks -- even months -- off your job search if you stop following the herd.

In my eight years of helping people find work, I've watched too many job seekers take too long to get hired because they do the same things as everyone else. This is especially true for recent college grads.

So start doing a few things differently in your job search. And start getting called for more interviews.

Here are three ways ...

1. Look where others don't
When you began your job hunt, where's the first place you looked for openings? I'll bet my next house payment it was either the classified ads or the online job boards. That's where EVERYBODY starts their job search. And that's where you have the MOST competition for openings, like fishing off the same pier with 10,000 other people.

Change your approach.

Where's the last place most people look for job openings? Their network of contacts. Specifically, current and past employers. You know, the people who've signed your paychecks.

Think about it: if someone thought highly enough of your skills to pay you a salary every two weeks, do you think they MIGHT be willing to share job leads with you, or at least pass your name on to someone they know who's hiring?

So today -- right now -- make a list of at least 5 current or former managers you are on good terms with and whom you can contact for job leads. Then call or email them to let them know what you're looking for. Today!

2. Write a very different cover letter
Sorry, but there's no nice way to say this -- most cover letters stink like a high school gym locker.

And, without seeing yours, I can predict with 95% certainty that it has one major flaw -- it's focused too much on you and your needs.

Specifically, I'll wager the last cover letter you sent out was rife with language like this: "I am applying for a job with potential for advancement, where my skills will be utilized and where I will be challenged ..." or something similar.

This is how almost everyone writes cover letters. I know, because I've read almost 10,000 of them since 1996.

Stop it. Now.

Instead, do this: replace every "I" and "my" in your next cover letter with the word "YOU."

This will force you to shift the focus from "me, me, me -- gimme a job" to "you, you, you -- how can I help you, Mr./Ms. Employer?"

Your cover letters will be dramatically more effective. And you'll start getting more interviews as a result.

3. Follow up differently
Most folks fail to follow up effectively after sending out their resumes and cover letters -- when they follow up at all.

Instead of calling employers every week and asking, "Did you get my resume?" or "Did you make a hiring decision yet?" try to add value each time you follow up.

Examples: research the competition and write up a quick report, then send it to the hiring manager. Or share a success story from your past that's relevant to the employer's situation.

In short, try to give employers another reason to hire you every time you contact them. Nobody else is doing this, which is a screaming opportunity for you to get noticed -- and get hired.

Now. These three tips are predicted on a simple idea: why be ordinary?

You can break out of the herd -- and find a job faster -- if you do just a few things differently in your job search. Why not start today?

Now go out and make your own luck!

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Kevin Donlin owns Edina, Minn.-based Guaranteed Resumes. Since 1995, his firm has provided resumes, cover letters and online job-search assistance to clients in 48 states and 23 countries.

Kevin has been interviewed by USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, Entrepreneur Magazine, WCCO Radio, WLTE Radio and KMSP TV, among others. His articles have appeared in the National Business Employment Weekly, Home Office Computing magazine, Twin Cities Employment Weekly, the cnet online magazine and others. Kevin can be reached through his Web site Guaranteed Resumes.

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Find A Job Today is a blog sponsored by:

You Don't Know SQUAT About Job Hunting

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http://www.gresumes.otiscollier.net

http://www.otiscollier.com/

What Recruiters Hate About Resumes And Cover Letters

I’m going to share with you the awful truth about resumes and cover letters.

Here it is: Most of them stink.

I’ve read nearly 15,000 resumes and cover letters over the years and found glaring mistakes in about 85-90 percent of them.

It’s also the opinion of most of the hiring professionals I’ve spoken to over the years.

Where do most resumes and cover letters go wrong? How can you avoid the mistakes of most job seekers?

To find answers, I spoke with two experienced recruiters. Their candid advice can help you avoid typical pitfalls, and get hired faster.

Here it is ...

Don’t Use The Same Resume For Every Job
Would you grab any old suit off the rack and rush off to church to get married? No. First, you tailor the suit so it fits. That way, you don’t look ridiculous.

Unfortunately, job seekers look ridiculous applying for jobs without tailoring their resumes. It’s a real pet peeve of most hiring professionals, including Larry Harris, a Minneapolis-based recruiter and President of American Consulting (americanconsultingcompany.com).

"Why don’t candidates customize every resume they send out, to fit the job they’re applying for? That makes my job a lot easier when I forward that resume to my client, the hiring manager."

According to Tony Haley, Director of UK-based Fenton Chase International (fentonchase.com), most resumes come across as generic, with no consideration about a particular position or company.

"The most surprising group of candidates who do this is Sales Managers and Sales Directors. These people spend their days reviewing resumes from candidates and yet when it comes to their own, they cannot sell themselves," says Haley.

Solution?

Customize, customize, customize.

Tailor your resume for every different company, position, and manager. Detail experiences most relevant to each opportunity.

Don’t Be Boring
A boring resume is one of the worst sins. The rule of thumb is simple: If they snooze, you lose (because your resume will go in the trash).

Resumes filled with jargon, dry job descriptions, and lack of specific results bore the reader, according to Haley.

"Consider the reader. Remember, the people reading your resume might not be that proficient at it. If they cannot see what they are looking for almost immediately, they might reject it, and if it’s full of technical jargon, they might not understand it," says Haley.

Solution?

Read your resume to 2-3 friends to eliminate dull wording. You lost the audience if eyes glaze over or brows furrow. Revise the resume until it holds your friends’ attention to the end.

Haley offers another way to create a compelling resume: "Use the ‘So, what?’ test. Any sentence on a resume that causes a reader to think ‘So, what?’ probably means it’s waffle. Reword it or take it off."

Don’t Forget The Cover Letter
Don't alienate anyone who could help you get a job.

A missing cover letter alienates busy hiring professionals because it creates more work. They spend time trying to match your application to the open position and more time trying to uncover how you heard about the job.

Solution?

Write and include a cover letter with every resume, including those you send by e-mail. Even a one-line cover letter in an e-mail is better than nothing, according to Larry Harris.

"You could simply write, ‘I’m applying for your telemarketing software sales position. I spent five years doing that exact job. I’d be perfect for it!" he says.

Use these tips from hiring professionals to write a better resume and cover letter next time you apply for that dream job.

Now, go out and make your own luck!

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Kevin Donlin owns Edina, Minn.-based Guaranteed Resumes. Since 1995, his firm has provided resumes, cover letters and online job-search assistance to clients in 48 states and 23 countries.Kevin has been interviewed by USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, Entrepreneur Magazine, WCCO Radio, WLTE Radio and KMSP TV, among others.

His articles have appeared in the National Business Employment Weekly, Home Office Computing magazine, Twin Cities Employment Weekly, the cnet online magazine and others.Kevin can be reached through his Web site Guaranteed Resumes.

-------------------------------------------------------------

Find A Job Today is a blog sponsored by:

You Don't Know SQUAT About Job Hunting

-------------------------------------------------------------

http://www.gresumes.otiscollier.net

http://www.otiscollier.com/