If you’re job hunting in this tough economy, take heart from the following three stories of people who found work in three to four months — about half as long as the average job search, which takes nearly 8 months (31.2 weeks) as of March 2010.
How did they do it?
By using Guerrilla Resumes (explained below), LinkedIn, and smart networking, among other tactics.
Read on to learn more from the Q&A I did with each of them …
Case Study #1: Brad Viles, from suburban Madison, WI.
Time to hire: about four months (hired …

This week, I’ll address two common job-search frustrations found in the Hundreds of emails I’ve received this year from people across America
Do either of these apply to you?
Frustration #1: There just aren’t enough jobs out there to apply for.
Solution: Let’s analyze this one …
When I speak to job hunters, in seminars, by phone, or via email, I ask the same question: “How are you looking for jobs?” Almost invariably, the answer is: “I look online or in the paper.”
So the actual frustration here is this: There aren’t enough advertised jobs …

Do you feel overwhelmed when you think about changing industries? After all, with long workweeks, job-performance demands and trying to have a personal life too it’s a wonder any professionals find the time to strategically reposition themselves for a more fulfilling opportunity.
However I have coached many professionals who have successfully done just that! And I know firsthand what works and how you can easily begin to point yourself in a different direction that brings about the positive change you have been dreaming of. Here are four steps you can take …

You think it’s tough to find a job now?
It’s been tougher.
Like in the Great Depression of the 1930s, for example.
Try to imagine a world without Twitter or Facebook, when the unemployment rate ranged from 14.3% to 24.9% (1931 to 1938).
Would you be interested in learning two ways to find that worked back then — and still work now?
Here they are …
1) Appeal to the self-interest of the employer
In the book, “Pick Your Job And Land It!” published in 1938, the authors, S.W. and M.G. Edlund, share the story of one …

I got an email recently from a man that read: “I followed all your advice but I have not gotten any job interviews. Do you have any other suggestions?”
I took a look at his LinkedIn profile and found that he hasn’t followed all of the advice I gave him.
In fact, as near as I can tell, he’s not doing anything I suggested.
And, yet, he wants more ideas from me.
So, here’s my advice to him and anyone else struggling to find a job: To get hired in this economy, you must …

As a rule, simple is good.
The iPad interface, Google, popsicles — they’re all simple things that achieve great results.
Applied to your job search, simplicity can achieve great results, too.
Example: What if you identified the people you wanted to work for, then advertised directly to them, asking for an interview?
Do you think something that simple might get you a job?
Well, it worked for one man, Alec Brownstein, an advertising copywriter from New York City.
Here’s what Brownstein did: He created Google AdWords for the names of people he wanted to work for. When each person Googled …

 If you’re job hunting in this tough economy, take heart from the following three stories of people who found work in three to four months — about half as long as the average job search, which takes nearly 8 months (31.2 weeks) as of March 2010.
How did they do it?
By using Guerrilla Resumes (explained below), LinkedIn, and smart networking, among other tactics.
Read on to learn more from the Q&A I did with each of them …
 Case Study #1:
Brad Viles, from suburban Madison, WI. 
Time to hire: about four months (hired on March 8, 2010) 
Tactics used: …

I love my assistant. She is incredibly sweet, supportive, intelligent, organized and experienced in all the technical areas that I know nothing about. I enjoy talking with her, reading her emails, I trust her and just working with her in general is an enjoyable experience.
This was one of my goals when I first knew I needed to hire an assistant – I wanted our working relationship to be easy, fun and productive. Being a sensitive person, I knew myself well enough to know that any other type of relationship in …

Sometimes the shortest route to a new job is a straight line.
That’s what one Irish “guerrilla” job hunter found in Canada, with ramifications for your job search — no matter where you live.
This story is courtesy of Curt Bolan, a career and employment consultant at Canada-Saskatchewan Career and Employment Services, in Saskatoon.
Read on to learn four ways you can get hired faster by taking the “Irish” approach …
“It was Spring 2009 when Pat first e-mailed me, from Ireland,” says Bolan. “He and his young family were interested in opportunities in …

If you’re job hunting in this tough economy, take heart from the following
three stories of people who found work in three to four months — about half
as long as the average job search, which takes nearly 8 months (31.2 weeks)
as of March 2010.
How did they do it?
By using Guerrilla Resumes (explained below), LinkedIn, and smart
networking, among other tactics.
Read on to learn more from the Q&A I did with each of them …
Case Study #1:
Brad Viles, from suburban Madison, WI.
Time to hire: about four months (hired on March 8, 2010)
Tactics used: …

When filling any position a hiring manager’s biggest headache (or pain in the ass depending upon your point of view) is finding the right set of “potential” candidates to begin the interview process. After getting a pile of resumes, they have to trudge through them figuring out what these characters bring to the table.  I’m sure every hiring manager wishes and prays for the applicant that does tells them, “Here’s why you should hire me.”  Note this statement carefully.  It’s “Here’s why you should hire me” not “Here’s why I …

So far in this series I’ve covered Taking Aim of Your Target in Part 1 and Writing your Pocket Resume in Part 2.  So at this point, we’ll assume the following:

You’ve met this person who you previously didn’t know.
You’ve chatted with them socially in some way.
They are in possession of your pocket resume.

Now don’t get frustrated by the fact that your treasured pocket resume is now in some business card pile with OTHER cards that will never see the light of day.  Your job now is to get your new …

Whether you’re a new college grad or a seasoned executive, if you’re hitting the pavement in search of work this spring, here’s good news …
After more than a year in the dumpster, hiring appears to be on the upswing with employers in the Twin Cities and other metropolitan areas.
“Things are ramping up exponentially. This year, we’ve seen a lot of upper managers and directors being hired,” says Linda Forseth, President of recruiting firm IQ Staffing Solutions, in Spring Park, Minn. (www.iqstaffingsolutions.com).
Forseth reports about a 90% increase in job placement requests …

Last week, I started Part 1 of this series stressing how important it is have your job hunt or career goals clearly written down.  If you were short on goals, you don’t have a target so you’re aiming at who knows what.  That’s not a good thing.  In Part 1, I also provided some recommended resources so you can set your goals and get that part of your job search settled.  Here is a quote worth repeating from that earlier article,
“…if you even think you are unclear about your job …

How do you find a job quickly, in this rotten economy?
Hunt like a Guerrilla.
That was the experience of Mark Thomas, a systems administrator from Mesa, Ariz., who started a new job on March 8, 2010, after a search of only 6 weeks.
According to Thomas, he would have been hired sooner, but “the entire executive team was gone at a conference for a week.”
Thomas succeeded after using three unconventional job-search tactics:
1. The Job Shopping List
2. The Guerrilla Resume
3. The Coffee Cup Caper
Read on to learn how he did it …
1. The …

I wrote my Think Pocket Resume Mentality for a Better Resume and Pocket Resume: Who Would Have Thought articles about a year ago.  Since then I’ve given several presentations using the material and every time, job hunters tell me,
“I can put this to use.  This can make a real difference.”
So in this series, I’m writing a multi-step article on how to write yourself a pocket resume and get it trolling the waters (them’s saltwater fishing terms for you non-Miami folk) to get you back to work and fast.
Step 1- Taking …

You might think there’s never been a worse time to look for work in the traditional job market, with unemployment at 10.4% and no relief in sight.
But you would be only half right.
While there’s never been a worse time for traditional job-search methods, “Guerrilla” job hunters are enjoying consistent success — even in today’s awful economy.
Why?
Because Guerrillas choose not to participate in the recession.
To illustrate, here’s a recent story from our client files: Steve Cobain, from Pittsburgh, Penn.
Cobain was laid off as a financial services executive in December 2008, after …

(This lesson continues where Lesson 3 left off.)
Finding the Hiring Manager That Wants to Meet You Badly
I wrote an article about pocket resumes a while back. I first heard about them on a Linkedin group.  It mentioned that a company was offering business card size resumes for use at networking events. “What exactly can you fit on a business card?” I thought. The more and more I thought about it, the more I caught a glimpse of a mentality that if put to use can speed up a …

(This lesson continues where Lesson 1 left off.)
The Worst Ways to Find Work.  The Best Ways to Find Work

So what’s the basic information do you need to get you through your job hunt. For this I’m going to start with information from a book every job hunter needs on their bookshelf. Better yet, they need it face up, open on their desk with a whole lot of bookmarks and highlighting showing how hard it’s being used.
Talk to anyone with an HR background and they know the book. It’s …

Are you wondering if your resume best positions you to land the job of your dreams in a parallel market, new industry or higher level position? One area you want to make sure to check is your key-words.
Resume key-words are simply the words used to describe your hard and soft skills. Many companies today use key-word scanning software to organize and qualify applicant matches with available positions. Even if a company doesn’t use key-word scanning software, it’s still extremely important to mirror the key-words listed in a position as much …