Tips on landing a new job...

Finding work is one of the hardest job's you'll have, especially with the competitive market out there! I believe that you really have to search as if it's you're full time job. Below are some of my tips I've counseled people on as a career consultant, and it does work.

Everyone has my resume, including contacts, clients, and leads. I landed my new job with a direct competitor of the last staffing firm I worked for, within 2 weeks. I had 4 offers out of 12 initial interviews, 4 secondary interviews and about 6 phone interviews in Westchester, Downtown & Midtown, it was tough!

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1. Work at least 40 hours per week at getting a new job. You can divide your time between contacting potential employers and generating new leads. Don't stop until you have a written job offer in hand and you have accepted it in writing with an agreed-upon start date.

2. Research the companies you contact. In this tight market & job race the candidate who is knowledgeable about the employer has a distinct advantage. Use the internet, search engines, hoovers.com, mailing lists, even the yellow pages.

3. Contact & recontact your job leads. Follow up on the resumes you send out. Resubmit your resume after 2-6 weeks. Change the format of your resume (chronological or functional, it's always good to have 2-3 different formatted versions).

4. Maintain the records of your contacts. It will benefit not only this job search, but maybe those in the future, too.

5. Work on your self-image. Try to get physically fit, you'll feel better.

6. Give yourself a break. Don't feel guilty about taking time off from your job-hunting job. Just do it conscientiously, like if you spent Saturday researching, take Sunday off.

7. Leave the right impression. On interviewes, review the job's requirements with the interviewer, find out whether this is the only interview, ask for the next, keep yourself in contention, depart in the same polite and assured manner you entered, and don't press for an early decision. Do not discuss salary, benefits or vacation.

8. Learn from rejection. If you were passed over for a position, thank your interviewer then politely ask why you weren't chosen. Listen to the reply and don't interrupt. Develop different ways to overcome or compensate for every negative perception.

9. Always, always ask for a business card. You should email or directly mail a thank you note that very same day. Thank them for the possible opportunity, let them know that this is what you are looking for and that you are confident you can be a successful contributor to the company. Then end the thank you with, you are looking forward to the next steps. You always want to maintain that professional connection, you never know if you may cross paths in the future with them, an affiliate or associate.

10. It's really all up to you & how you sell yourself. There are no real reasons and no jobs out there for those who won't look. There are countless opportunities for those who assiduously turn over those stones.

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My fave question when called or emailed from a candidate is , "Did you find a job for me yet?" My fave reply w/a question is, "What did you do to find a job for yourself today?"

Recruiters, Staffing Consultants, or Head Hunters are not magicians...

I would like to post a Shout Out to all my friends, family, contacts, leads, clients & my own Career Consultant Angel from Maximum Management, "THANK YOU SO MUCH!!" for helping, supporting, and putting up with me :)

Special thanks to Rell ~ I owe you many, many Watermelon Martini's when we hit the streeeets!!