Many job seekers pursue networking contacts and events diligently each day. They connect with new people, consistently ask for referrals, attend networking meetings, trade association meetings, and professional associations regularly. These are all excellent, and critical for an effective job search.However, if you’re looking for an idea that can produce more consistent leads and results, if you’re ready to crank up your ne...

When networking, following up on an application, reconnecting after an interview, or for virtually any other aspect of a job search… talking to someone is always better than an email.A professional voice on the phone is much harder to ignore than one of dozens of emails.However, for most people, the majority of calls you make will initially result in leaving a voicemail than actually being able to catch someone on the phone...

I had lunch with a friend yesterday who recently began to market himself as an independent business operations consultant. He’s very highly qualified, however, understands clients won’t be suddenly flocking to his door. He needs to network effectively to find opportunities. He never considered himself a “networker”, but he does it very well.As we got to talking about his success so far, it reminded me how applicable his exp...

In an age of online application processes, and emailed resumes, why do so many companies still have you fill out a paper job application when you arrive for an interview or before they make you an offer?You would think they have all the information they need from you already, why is it necessary to have you fill out the paper form?Is it necessary to duplicate everything on your resume onto the application? What exactly, are...

Anyone who’s been using LinkedIn for their job search for a while understands the great value it can be. It’s tremendous for creating a profile in order to be found, for finding contacts at companies you are pursuing, and for preparing for an interview by learning about your interviewer and others at the organization.However, people often miss another way LinkedIn can be used to help them greatly in pursuing their job searc...

As recent college graduates hit the job market, and time goes by for some of them without any prospects, I often hear the expressions of “shock and awe” that they spent four or more years earning a degree and now they can’t seem to find a job! For many, they are surprised that they are not being considered for jobs when they thought that coveted sheepskin was the ticket to success and prosperity. What happened?Certainly the...

CNN.com posted an article titled “In the job hunt, the stigma of being laid off is hard to erase”. In it, Stephanie Chen, writes: “As if securing work in a jobless recovery isn't tricky enough, being labeled unemployed brings additional obstacles.” I was privileged to be interviewed by Stephanie for this article and quoted briefly: “Many companies will consider hiring jobless applicants, said Harry Urschel, an inde...

Over the past 5 years, having taught over 20 – 8 week classes on job transition skills, I’ve consistently seen many people resist applying the ideas and techniques I talk about.Although they nod in agreement in class, they rarely, if ever, change any of their activities throughout the week. They continue doing the same things they’ve always done and expect different results (isn’t that a definition of insanity?).Why do they...

In your job search, if you are interviewing regularly, it’s highly likely that sooner or later you will be asked a question that may seem inappropriate or legally dubious. How you view that question, and how you respond will very likely have a great impact on your success.I recently had someone in my job search class tell me about an interview he had at a small company. The hiring manager asked what year he graduated from...

I was recently asked about the difference between a resume and an online career profile. Is there a difference? Should there be a difference? Are they considered in different ways? What should be included or avoided?Good question...short answer...YES! They are different.There are a number of things to consider when creating a professional profile online vs. creating a resume to email or present to a company, or when applyin...