Career Strategies

Here is a great tip which will show you how to bypass the traditional job sites and get ahead of the game.

Right now the job market is very competitive. Emailing or posting your resume on job boards just might not be enough. There are thousands of other jobs hunters doing the exact same thing each vying for the same position. So how does one stand out? In my experience as a career strategist a resume is not always a good indicator of who you are and your skills. Unfortunately, it is used to determine whether or not you will be invited for an interview. Even worse, since the hiring manager is inundated with resumes your nicely put together resume may not be seen. One technique that I have found to work is to drop by the company unannounced. That's right! Get dressed in your best suit, take your resume and go to the company. If you can get passed security go directly to the reception desk and let them know that you were in the neighborhood would like to drop off your resume. Add to that the fact that you've heard a lot of good things about the company and were interested in seeing thye operation firsthand. This is the door-to-door approach and I've seen it work many times. Usually, if you sell yourself right, the receptionist will call the manager who will come out to meet you personally. Doing this puts you ahead of everyone else who might apply for the position online. I have actually used this myself and have gotten hired! So try this technique and let me know how it works for you.

Many people make the mistake of creating just one resume and sending it out to a bunch of job listings. If you are doing this then you must change your strategy. Employers are looking for specifics and if you are not targeting your resume with the breakdown that they are looking for, you are probably wasting your time. In this market companies can afford to be very selective. This means they want the best. So they will be scanning for resumes that match exactly the requirements they have posted. Bottom line, your resume has to be a chameleon changing according to the needs and demands of the job description. First, go through the listing looking for those keywords and phrases. Second, incorporate those into your resume. This will make you seem like the ideal candidate. It will actually separate your resume from the pile which are not targeted to their requirements. Of course this involves a lot of time and effort on your part but the results are well worth it.