Career Management Alliance Blog

Ensure that you’re not wasting your time, or more importantly, the employer’s time, suggests Teena Rose in her article for Quint Careers, Optimizing Your Cold-Contact Cover Letter. If you’re a software engineer and the company you’re targeting outsources its entire system needs, then you’re wasting time vying for employment with that company. Know your viability factor before adding any company to your target list. Make a courtesy phone call, if necessary. If you place a call, ask for a contact name too. Why not kill two birds with one stone?

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Listen to yourself – is it time for a new job? CareerBuilder’s ads really hit the nail on the head…If you need help, contact me. Continue Reading »

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Michael writes: I have a question about the types of skills employers are searching for from job-seekers. I’m about to start my last year of college and if I can pick up a course or two during this year to make it easier for me to find a job in May when I graduate, I want to do it. So, can you help me? Continue Reading »

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I hope everyone is enjoying a great 3-day weekend. Military transition is a special focus for SHRM in NJ and at the SHRM National Conference in June. I've no doubt it is becoming a special focus for many other firms as they recognize what an untapped source of talent veterans can be. 175,000 military troops will leave the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force and Coast Guard this year. 25,000 will be looking for work. 12,000 are disabled. These numbers (just 1 year) do not include the Reserves and National Guard troops returning from overseas only to find they have no job. Specific units according to some sources have jobless rates as high as 50%. The numbers above were provided to me by a Regional Veterans Affairs official (who also had fewer than 40 employees to provide counseling for troops in 20 states.) One of my panelists at RecruitDC this past week, Carl Savino, President of Corporate Gray, offered data from another source suggesting the numbers were much larger. Continue Reading »

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Are you on your way to a Memorial Day bar-b-que? Have you considered that it is a great opportunity to network if you are looking for a job? Many new job seekers or people who haven’t looked for a job in a long time may not know about the “hidden job market.”  Sounds sinister, but all it really means is that most (70 – 80% or more!) of jobs aren’t actually filled with people applying to a job posting or announcement; they are filled via personal connections. You can see why it’s a good idea to get on this networking bandwagon!  Networking is a huge topic, and I have tons to say on the subject, but since we are in the midst of another holiday, let’s leave it at this: If you’re going to a picnic or party, you will probably have an opportunity to meet some new people. How can you introduce yourself with an eye toward seeing if there is a potential career link with your new acquaintance?  Ask someone if they did anything fun over the summer…Strike up some conversations that have NOTHING to do with your job search. You never know where you’ll meet the professional connection that will link you to a new opportunity. If you’d like a copy of my ebook about how to optimize your networking for holidays (or anytime, really), subscribe to receive my blog via email. (You must subscribe via the email link to get the eBook, although RSS is an option as well.) It’s free! Click here to subscribe and receive a free ebook. Learn how I can help you navigate your job hunt. photo by avixyz Did you miss these?

1. Holidays are great for networking.
2. Free networking ebook!
3. Free ebook: Best Career Strategies of 2009
4. Holiday Networking – Free Ebook
5. In-person networking tips and free ebook offer!

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“Don’t make the mistake on your resume or in your cover letter of claiming soft-skills competency without substantiation,” cautions Peggy Klaus in her article for Quint Careers, Are You Up To Snuff When It Comes To Soft Skills? “Providing solid examples that demonstrate your soft skills in a resume or cover letter is far more effective than making empty promises, such as: I possess solid leadership, people, and communication skills. Show me! This is especially important, given that many hiring managers — as associate publisher of Quintessential Careers Katharine Hansen points out in Top 30 Executive Resume Pet Peeves of Hiring Decision-Makers — don’t like to see a laundry list of soft skills on a resume,” Klaus writes.

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If you need a laugh, or at least (hopefully) a view of an office that is WORSE than your own – take a look at these CareerBuilder monkey ads… If they inspire you to want to make a career or job change, CONTACT me! Continue Reading »

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Adding a Postscript — a PS — to your cover letter — especially one that’s handwritten — is a great way to grab the employer’s attention. Ideally, your postscript should encapsulate your Unique Selling Proposition — the one quality that you feel will inspire employers to hire you above all other candidates. See examples of href="http://www.quintcareers.com/tutorial_49.html">cover-letter postscripts.

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Kathryn writes: I recently went to a job fair seeking a position which was exactly what I have been looking for, and matches my background perfectly…. However, after a preliminary interview I was told I would get a call the next day (No call, two business days have passed). Afterwards I felt I did not do my best. Although my background is exactly what they were looking for, there was also an aptitude test and a personality test, and I get anxious and start over thinking every little thing. Continue Reading »

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“A great interview-generating executive resume is all about differentiating yourself from others competing for the same jobs,” writes executive resume and branding expert Meg Guiseppi in her article for Quint Careers, Five Top Trends for Executive Resumes. “With constantly changing trends in strategic resume writing, new ways to accomplish this differentiation are always coming forward. If you take advantage of the latest trends before they mainstream, you are much more likely to stand out, make a positive connection, and stimulate the attention you deserve.” Read the trends here.

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