Five Things You Can Do This Week To Improve Your Job Search

Happy Sunday. I hope you're taking some time off today from your job search (well, except for reading this blog). Sometimes, a job search can feel like a lot of waiting around. Waiting for that perfect job lead to land in your lap. Well, to have a more successful job search, you need to take action. So, here are five things you can do this week to improve your job search.

Edit your resume to one page. Some of you can skip this because your resume is already on one page. Many, however, can not. Your resume is a marketing document with only one goal. For 99% of you, that means one-page.
Identify five companies in your target geographical area that you have not already contacted. Prepare a cover-letter and resume for each.
Have coffee (or lunch) with one person. This does not mean have coffee with someone from whom you can get something. Building your professional network isn't something that happens in one day. Start this week.
Schedule coffee or lunch with someone for next week. Get it on the calendar this week. Don't rely on spontaneity. Relationship building is too important to leave to chance.
Join one LinkedIn group and join a discussion that interests you. Search for Groups on LinkedIn that are specific to your industry or your location. If you can't find one that matches your interest, join Linking209 (additionally, our monthly get-together is Monday, 8/27 at Pizza Plus in Ripon).

Success in any endeavor takes planning. So, if you do just one thing today, take 10 minutes and schedule time to complete these things this week.

job search

How To Be Successful At A Job Fair

A job fair can be an effective way to meet hiring managers and recruiters in your community and learn about many job opportunities in one day. If you are prepared and use your time wisely, you can walk away with many strong job leads. Many job seekers make careless mistakes that can hurt their chances of success at a job fair. Here are 16 simple tips to make your next job fair a success.

my job story

My Job Story - Jenny-Faye Klooster

In this week's My Job Story, we hear from Jenny-Faye Klooster, a Photo Stylist who runs the photography department for Gibson Overseas, a large kitchenware company, a job she has held for almost four years.

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How To Be A Better Public Speaker

Do you want to differentiate yourself from your peers at work? I have a simple suggestion. All you have to do is speak up! That's right. It's time to work on your public speaking skills.

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Stop Networking!

Networking is a terrible verb to describe human interactions. For some people, networking still has that cheesy sounding ring to it. I've spent countless hours reading newspaper and magazine articles, blogs, tweets and Facebook posts from recruiters from all over the country and nearly all of them say that one of the most important job search strategies is networking.

How To Introduce Yourself Once You're Referred

Asking for a referral is important. How you handle that referral is even more important. If you want to work at XYZ Company and you know someone that works there, you should ask them to refer you to a hiring manager. Ideally, your contact will make a personal introduction, or copy you on an e-mail introduction. Sometimes, you'll just get a phone number or e-mail address of the hiring manager.

Know Your Risks, Don't Settle

Even if you've been without a job for some time, it is generally best not to settle for a job that you may not enjoy. Having said that, there are a couple of questions you should ask yourself when evaluating a job, or when determining what companies to target.

High Demand, Low Supply Blog

Five Things You Can Do This Week To Improve Your Job Search

Welcome to High Demand, Low Supply, a career and job-search blog written by Matt and Dawn Beckwith.

Finding a job can be stressful. Here, you'll find tips to increase your odds of success with finding a new job.

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