LinkedIn® claims to be one of the largest professional networks in the world. With a robust presence in over 200 countries and an estimated 130 million to 200 million members, chances are that your next job or business connection might be just an introduction away.Apart from its sheer size, LinkedIn® offers some great tools to professionals, executives, and businesses. Of the hundreds of recruiters and hiring managers I kno...

Writing the perfect cover letter that screams “call me” takes practice -- a lot of practice. After having reviewed and written tens of thousands of resumes and cover letters, I can verify that for the right candidate a well-written resume and cover letter could open a world of opportunities. Unfortunately, many job seekers do not take this aspect of their job search campaign very seriously. Worse still, some choose to follo...

Technically, there are hundreds of ways to sabotage [literally] a job search campaign, but for the purpose of this discussion, I will restrict myself to three common mistakes most job seekers make. Over the past few months, I have observed a steady (and measurable) increase in the number of candidates finding “meaningful” employment opportunities. This is certainly a refreshing change from the horrendous unemployment st...

The Hidden Job Market refers to over 75% job openings that are never advertised. Yes, the employment ads (online and offline) account for just a small fraction of openings that actually exist. As a career coach and resume writer, I have observed that most of these jobs are filled through networking and other internal channels that job seekers rarely care to exploit.The Hidden Job Market is powerful, but the strategy that I...

Every day, we are bombarded with hundreds of advertisements, many with deceptively similar offerings and marketing messages. In an overcrowded marketplace, ultimately, the products or services that are most likely to cut through the clutter and win our business are the ones that deliver marketing pitches with a higher level of recall.The hiring manager’s dilemma can be likened to our own experience with television commercia...

I have sent out dozens of resumes -- why am I not getting a response from employers? As resume writers and career coaches, we hear such questions very frequently. While the economy can be a major determining factor, the truth is that job seekers can take affirmative steps to improve response rates.While many variables can impact the success of a job search campaign, four major factors merit consideration: background, resume...

As top Cola brands fought to capture and sustain market share in an oversaturated soft drinks market, some very valuable marketing and branding lessons surfaced. What we learnt from the “Cola Wars” was that the fittest brand did not always thrive. On the contrary, ultimate success was the result of a shrewd branding strategy, one that truly differentiated the product from the crowd of “me too” competitors.To combat 9.5% une...

With rising gas prices and a shrinking economy, both employers and employees are looking for creative work arrangements that will save valuable resources. Some companies have adopted four-day workweeks, while others are encouraging employees to work from home.If you have ever cherished the desire to work in your pajamas, now may be the time to pitch for it. Fortunately, technology has made it easy. With video conferencing t...

The economy is reeling under the pressures of a downturn. Unemployment rates are staggering and layoffs are at an all-time high. The current economic climate calls for a robust career management plan, one that will, despite the recession-like conditions, catapult your career to new heights.Consider the following tips:Take stockEvaluate your professional standing and key trends within your industry, company, and profession....

The entire interview process is designed to sift the average from the extraordinary and to select the candidate who will be the “right fit”. To facilitate decision-making, hiring managers often leverage behavioral interviewing (an interview technique relying on past performance as an indicator of future success). Interview success is largely dependent on how the candidate delivers responses.Consider the following tips:Commu...