sIt is not uncommon among job-seekers to make little mistakes that can make even The Grinch flinch, even at the thought. A clumsy move as you trip over when you reach to shake hands with the potential boss; you can’t put a name to the face of an interviewer so you give it a shot – apparently a misfired one, when you realize it’s the wrong name; or you suddenly become aware that you put the wrong telephone number to a résumé, just as you hit the “Send” button. We have all done it...

These résumé funnies...or not so funnies if this has happened to you, can precipitate more than just a few winces; they can be fatal to your chances… Read More

An effective resume is very important in landing that dream job. Most of the time, employers just look at the resume and decide who is worth the time for an interview. An effective resume will give you the chance for the interview thus giving you opportunity to in getting the job offer. Here are 15 tips to help you to create an effective resume.

1. Determine an effective job objective. The job objective will be your first impression to the employer so it must be job related and it should focus on your potential contributions to the company and not entirely for self gain only. This will have the employer think that you could be an asset… Read More

If you find yourself unhappy with your current place of employment, it may be a good idea to strategize your job search for the next one. Here are a list of things to note when searching for a job:

1.Self Awareness – How much about yourself do you really know? This doesn't necessarily mean knowing your own zodiac sign. How long do you plan on working? Why are you leaving your current job/ Why are you out of a job? Self awareness helps you deliberate the exact kind of working environment you are looking for as well as your desirability as an employee and narrows your job search down.

2.Aim for Specifics… Read More

Get outside of yourself and focus on helping others.

Doesn’t it feel nice to know you’ve helped someone land a job because you offered to be their reference? You can do even more. Introduce people who you think might benefit from the connection; make yourself the sounding board of a colleague with a problem; volunteer for the company’s charitable activities.

Make it a habit to say “thank you.”

Courtesy and gratitude seem to have lost their popularity and have become very uncommon. You can revive it by simply uttering the words “thank you” or by tucking in a neat thank you note whenever… Read More

Look how time flies. If I may be allowed to use clichés, only yesterday, it was 2009; and now it’s already the middle of January 2010. And you’re probably back on the grindstone, most likely doing your old job; or maybe continuing your quest for a new job. Whatever the case may be, keep looking ahead; there’s so much in store in the brand new year. I bet you want to make the best of it. And yes, you can make 2010 a much improved year than 2009. Here are 5 hot career resolution ideas that will undoubtedly propel you through a shining year ahead.

Build your knowledge base; make it a point to learn something new each day.… Read More

If you think that personnel hiring managers go through preliminary scans of incoming resumes to find the most qualified, think again! Here’s a funny thing about the initial resume scanning – the purpose is actually to narrow down the list and hiring managers do it to look for plausible reasons to strike out names and short list the candidates. You’re probably unaware of this; but job hopping is one of the foremost reasons for getting eliminated from the competition. That’s right; employers are still looking for some indications that the person they eventually hire is going to be a “loyal” staff.

So if you have been jumping from… Read More

Itching for a new career? Well, before you start dreaming of yourself in this new direction, overly excited and enthusiastic of the possibility, let me warn you that it’s not at all easy. Pardon me for bursting your bubble, but it’ll take a lot of effort to make that career change. But the good news is, it’s not impossible.

So if you’re contemplating on making this change then you better start working on it. Keep in mind that, a different career would most likely, if not completely, require skills or experience that you don’t possess. Quite frankly, no matter how brilliant your resume content shines, you won’t get past a system… Read More

What if you come across a job opportunity that you’re really into but lack the matching job requirements? What should you do? You then browse through resume tips all over the internet only to find that most of them, if not all, would simply tell you to write about your excellence or expertise in that particular area. What if there’s none? Should you just give up then and let every golden opportunity pass? Ofcourse not!

This is the time when you need to introduce yourself to cover letters. Think about it, there are two reasons why a job opportunity would attract you. First is because you want it, the other is because someway somehow you… Read More

I'll start this piece off with a simple fact: Your resume is one of the single most important documents you will ever have. You HAVE the time for it.

I have clients periodically tell me they just don't have the time that is why they want to hire a professional. But one client..... well he emailed first saying he didn't have the time to go thru my normal resume writing process (which takes only about 30 minutes) and that he was gonna hire me and just wanted to pay me extra to pull off info from his old resume and do it the best I could.

That blew my mind!

He didn't have the time? 30 minutes? He couldn't be bothered to work with me… Read More

I keep promoting the whole network idea and so many clients jut buck at the idea. Saying, well seriously, I am not good at speaking with people online and don't have the time for it; or well how am I possibly going to find someone in my area to network with.

I cannot believe with how much positive info out there about how to social network for a job that people aren't realizing this is the future. I think we need a dummies guide to networking for a job or something! It is just so FAR OUT of an idea for most for some reason.

My advice- always have a smashing resume on hand because you NEVER know where you will need it. Heck even the Barista… Read More