When you are in Human Resources, everyone thinks you know everything there is to know about getting hired. Truth is, most HR folks stumble when implementing their own self-marketing efforts. Having coached numerous HR professionals, many find resume writing difficult and networking intimidating. So, if you think you are alone in finding job hunting a challenging task, think again. In today's tough job market, you must lear...

You read so much bad news about anyone who's a mature worker that you might think your best years are behind you if you are over 50 - WRONG! I've recently worked with several career counseling clients who are past 49 and each has had a BIG career success. Hope - and self confidence, plus some savvy know-how - seems to be the key. Wendell is a programmer in his mid 50s - a tough job title to maintain on a permanent basis,...

Social networking is all the rage, but can LinkedIn really help you get hired? Yes - with an emphasis on the word "help." I work closely with my career counseling clients, advising them on how to use this social media more effectively in their job search. LinkedIn is widely used by internal staffing departments in most high tech companies and in many Fortune 1000 companies. You may hear more about Twitter or Facebook, but...

MBA graduates often take home some of the best salaries in America. Starting grads can earn more than $100,000 right out of school. But what if you've been slaving over papers, reading dozens of books and finally you're about to earn that degree...and you have no new job in sight? Based on the career counseling calls I'm getting, that is the case for some of the MBAs seeking to advance their careers. Either their current em...

Hiring opportunities exist, but it's not the unemployed that employers are looking at first - it's their own employees. Professionals, managers, and executives are finding that the doors are open if they want to move up - internally, that is. Working with my career counseling clients - those who are employed and seeking promotions, as well as laid-off workers - I have noticed a significant increase in hiring activity during...

Losing your job is one of the most stressful things you'll ever live through. No matter how many others have survived it and even prospered, being fired is still an awful experience. Today, too many people are interpreting a layoff by thinking "my world is ending". That idea will lead you down a dark road of depression and desperation. I've worked with so many career counseling clients that have used their layoff as a spr...

Guess WHO is Hiring 10,000 new employees a month? Did you say the US government? That is correct. Kate one of my career counseling clients, is a 50-year old Marketing Communications professional. I told her the federal government was a good job prospect for her. She had not even considered the feds as an employer since she assumed for her the salary would be too low. She was wrong. Right now our federal government is...

The biggest mistake many job hunters are currently making is that they actually skip writing a cover letter when sending off a resume, says an AT&T Human Resource Manager. “Cover letters are very influential, and a well written letter can grab an interview just on its own merit. It’s too bad most job hunters are so lazy they don’t write one anymore,” notes this HR manager who’s seeing hundreds of applications a week.This is...

Your resume gets a 15 second glance according Human Resources personnel and hiring managers. 15 Seconds! You have got to garner their interest fast or you are sunk. I’ve written over 5000 resumes and hired hundreds of people personally so I’ve seen most of the errors job hunters make that torpedo their resume. In today’s competitive job market more than ever your resume can be a door opener, or a career stopper. The f...

The 60 Second Sell™ is a tool that helps you target your skills to meet the employer's needs. It allows you to summarize your most marketable strengths in a brief and concise manner. The 60 Second Sell is a customized, 60-second memorized statement that summarizes and links together your FIVE top selling points to perform that employer’s specific job. Successful job hunters praised the tool for several reasons:It was eff...