This Domain For Sale. Contact us for more information.

Seven Ways to Stand Out in a Sea of Applicants

Is your résumé getting lost in a flood of résumés? Are you certain you could demonstrate your value to potential employers, if you could just get in front of them? Do you want to dramatically increase your chances of getting a follow-up call from employers? Bait your job-search hook with these seven tips and you'll catch a whale of a good job.

1. Write a focused, accomplishment-centered résumé. Make sure that your résumé includes several examples of how you added value in previous positions. Include what you did, the outcome and why that is important. I guarantee you will stand out from the crowd if you target your résumé, highlight key skills, include success stories complete with results, and make it easy on the eyes.

2. Respond to appropriate ads. The owner of a successful job-search website often hears employers complain about job seekers who apply without offering any relevant qualifica-tions. Do yourself and everyone else a favor by responding to those ads that are obvious matches for your skills. If you have the right experience but your résumé doesn't show it, write a new résumé! Are you attempting to break into a new field? Do your homework first so that you can state your qualifications and background in terms that apply to the new job or industry. Remember, it's okay to have more than one version of your résumé. There is no such thing as good generic résumé.

3. Take time to write a cover letter that addresses the specific requirements of the position. Use the job posting to identify requirements then match them to your qualifi-cations. Include examples of accomplishments that demonstrate the required skills.

4. Make the subject line compelling when sending your résumé by e-mail. Simply writing résumé in the subject line is boring, boring, boring. How many e-mails in an employer's deluge contain résumé in the subject line? Thousands, I suspect. Use your subject line to immediately engage the reader and make him or her want to open your résumé first! If it lives up to the subject line he or she may never move on to the next one.

5. Whenever possible direct your résumé and follow-up call to the person who has the power to hire you. This requires that you do some investigating to find out the name or title of the person who is the hiring manager. Yes, this takes a little more effort but the payoff is worth it.

6. Call to follow up. Most job seekers send out their résumé and never follow up. They expect the employer to call them. Demon-strate that you are a go-getter by picking up the telephone and making that all important connection. First, confirm that your résumé has been received. Then politely inquire about the position and the next steps in the process. Ask when it would be appropriate to check back with them. Treat whomever you speak with on the telephone with respect-you could be talking with the decision-maker.

7. Be prepared to sell yourself over the telephone. Most companies pre-screen applicants by telephone. Don't make the mistake of thinking this isn't a real interview. You need to shine here or you won't make it to the next level. Be prepared. Smile when you answer the telephone. It's show time!

Mary Jeanne Vincent is the author of Acing the Interview tip cards featuring answers to the top 20 "killer" interview questions. Also included are tips for interviewing in the new economy, ideas for responding to illegal and trick questions, and suggestions for avoiding 10 deadly interview mistakes. Go to http://www.2bworkwise.com for free job search articles and to sign up for the free WorkWise e-zine. For information on individual job and career coaching or to find out about other practical, easy-to-use career tools call Mary Jeanne at 831.657.9151.

More Resources

Unable to open RSS Feed $XMLfilename with error HTTP ERROR: 404, exiting

More Careers & Employment Information:

Resume Writing Dos and Donts

Hair Dressing as a Career
Since the world started hair has been a very important aspect of individual personality and with the change in time hair has emerged as a big form of self expression for both men and women.In todays world everyone wants to look beautiful, everyone wants to get compliment from their friends and its a well known fact that when you look good you feel good and then you work better.

Best Strategy Using Internet Job Search Engines
Best Strategy using Internet Job Search EnginesThere are hundreds of Internet job search engines, from super job banks monster.com, careerbuilder.

Using Recruiters: How To Get A Step Ahead Of The Crowd
When there is an opening to fill, a company has four basic approaches at their disposal:? Advertise the position on Internet job sites? Network? Probe the Internet for viable candidates? Use recruitersWhen a company advertises an opening on an Internet job site, they receive hundreds of resumes. It simply is too long of a process and financially prohibitive to review every resume and move through each step of the interviewing and selection process to fill the opening.

10 Key Career Success Questions
At some point in every professional or managerial career, there is a time when one start thinking: Is it time to move on or do something else? However, before you quit your job and take a fling at something else, realistically evaluate your career and potential options by asking yourself these ten career success questions:Do I really like my work or am I hanging on marking time?Am I promotable or am I seen as a disposable commodity?Am I visible to potential employers, as well as my current boss?Am I growing or stagnating or just standing still waiting for the next wave of change? How smooth are my interpersonal relationships with my boss and co-workers?Am I being rewarded at my true worth? Have I recently checked out my value in the marketplace?How valued and diversified are my skills and competencies?How can I distinguish myself from competitors?What will it take to get where I want to go from the place I am right now?While setting distinct goals is a critical factor in career advancement, remaining flexible is important too. Climbing the career ladder with blinders on could mean missed opportunity.

Making Sure You Get a Good Reference
You've had 3 interviews with a potential employer and they've asked you for references from your prior job. The problem is that you didn't leave on the best of terms and now you're a bit worried about the kind of reference they'll give.

Fuzzy Headed Job Goals Lead to a Fuzzy Headed Life!
May I clarify in this article what I believe to be "fuzzy headed" life and job decisions. I believe both are entwined: life and job.

Beat the Crowd with Winning Resume Cover Letters
Far too many people underestimate the importance of resume cover letters. In a sense, a well written cover letter works like an agent on your behalf.

How To Stay Calm in Tryng Times
That's not you? Great! Bad habits are hard to break once the addiction gets hold of us. Been there.

Salary Negotiation: How To Earn More Money and Respect From Your Employer
Despite how important fair pay is to most of us, effective salary negotiation is an often misunderstood and avoided topic. Current research indicates the average duration of a position today is 3.

Difficult Relationships at Work - Dealing with Workplace Conflict
Difficult Relationships at Work - How to Influence the UncooperativeWe rely on and spend more time with our colleagues than with most other people in our lives: yet we frequently experience conflict at work. This is a problem that is beginning to be recognised, but it is still not being dealt with either effectively or sufficiently.

Resumes OR CV : Get That Job
Your resume is your sales document. It tells the world of your achievements, capabilities and roles you have enjoyed.

Believe And Get Hired
Good things seem to come in bunches, especially in a job search. Ever wonder why?Example: ever know someone (perhaps you?) who, after many weeks in a fruitless job hunt, suddenly hit a "hot streak" and landed two or three interviews in a matter of days?What happened? What changed? Did the job market suddenly improve? Perhaps.

Be Prepared for the Unexpected
How long has it been since you last had to search for a new job? These days it's not at all unusual to change careers or jobs several times in a lifetime. The idea of retiring from the same company after a lifetime of service is much less a reality in today's world than it was a couple of decades ago.

Job Interviews & the Magic of Music
Can music help you with your next job interview? It just might! Here's how. First, it can help you during your research, preparation and practice.

Petite Modeling: What Should You Wear to Your First modeling Photo Shoot?
If you're looking into making the petite modeling industry your career and are wondering what you should bring to your first photo shoot then this article is for you.Don't take this lightly.

The Squirrel Effect
An industrious black-tailed ground squirrel has his home beneath a stump not far from my office window. I've been watching him squirrel away provisions for winter.

Ask For That Raise!
For nine years Jeff worked for company G as an engineer. Flying airplanes was his first love.

Before You Begin, Know What To Expect - How You Can Make a Living Proof Reading From Home
Proof reading from home is an excellent way to make money, right? How hard and challenging can it be to do some editing after all?In fact it can be quite challenging to find a good quality proofreader that works from their house. This is due in part to the heavy demands it places on the individual and on their family.

Job Interviews: Answering Whats Your Greatest Weakness?
Many interview guides advise candidates to answer the common "What's your greatest weakness?" question with a positive trait disguised as a weakness. For example, "I tend to expect others to work as hard as I do," or "I'm a perfectionist.