There is a lot of debate about the death of the resume. Many pundits have declared the resume dead because of the advent of sites like LinkedIn and GetHired.com. Most cite LinkedIn as “the proof” that the resume is no longer needed as a job hunter’s tool. Before you throw your last shovel of dirt on the concept of the resume consider that LinkedIn does not consider the resume dead, in fact, if you are seeking a job at LinkedIn, this option is available to you: Continue Reading →

Bombarded by newscasts, newspaper articles, tweets, posts, and friendly chatter about unemployment as well as underemployment running high for many professionals and throw in a backdrop of civil unrest and countries going bankrupt; employees should take pause to consider if they have prepared for potential job loss.

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Over 25 years of employer post-interview debriefings has proven to me the disconnect that exists between the ways job seekers describe themselves in interviews and the level of position they are seeking. The job seekers/candidates did so even when they were briefed prior to their interview by my headhunter team to follow the appropriate interview protocol. They still ignored the advice or simply reverted back to old habits. Unfortunately, those candidates ended up kissing their opportunities for great jobs goodbye and I guarantee, you will too if you do not follow the following advice.

Interviewers are expecting a certain type of descriptive lingo based on the level of seniority of the applicant or candidate. In other words they are expecting you as an applicant or a candidate to describe competencies appropriate to your level of seniority. My observations are bolstered by a research report: Career Advisory Board Job Preparedness Indicator. The report was created by The Career Advisory Board and presented recently by DeVry University and Harris Interactive. Here are some of the findings from this comprehensive survey:

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The telephone interview is a standard screening practice for most employers today and it is also one of the most overlooked areas of job search preparation for a job-hunter. With so much invested in a job search and the outcome resting on a positive result to a telephone interview, it makes sense for you, as a career professional, to prepare and deliver a “slam-dunk performance. Preparing to conduct a panic free job search also requires preparing to win at the telephone interview. Continue Reading →

More and more articles are pointing to the importance of social media as part of a sound job search strategy and developing a Professional image online or Professional Branding is viewed by many, including “moi”, as one of the best ways of guaranteeing a Panic Free Job Search.

Part of your strategy should include twitter. Twitter is a microblogging site, i.e. it allows you to exchange short messages including links with other twitter users. Like most social media platforms, it has its own rules and has its own ‘culture’ which are outlined in more depth in my book, ‘The Panic Free Job Search: Unleash the Power of the Web and Social Networking to Get Hired’. These unique “manners” as well as what tactics work best to engage others are very important to understand. For example, the one thing I like about twitter over say LinkedIn is that twitter users tend to be more helpful and less concerned about protocol, status and who knows who, and typically as a group, users are willing to extend a hand to help you on your way. In this case your way is to “getting hired”. Continue Reading →