There are so many people in the job search market competing for interviews that in order to be noticed you must write a professional, eye-catching cover letter—one that convinces the hiring manager of the kind of person you are—someone eager to bring his or her time, talent, and trustworthiness to the company.

Stand Out From the Crowd

Show that you’re ready to assume responsibility, deliver excellent service, and do your job with energy and enthusiasm.

Example: “I am eager to join your team of financial planners. I promise to learn and listen, as well as offer my ideas for expanding the client base, increasing company profits, and most important, living up to your mission statement—Customers Come First. Period. May I come in for an interview to discuss the details and to find out more about what you’re looking for in the persons you hire?”

When a hiring manager reads a professional cover letter that is both concise and precise, he or she will certainly take a second look. In fact, such a letter will stand out from the crowd and result in a phone call for an interview in person.

It takes an extra effort to land more quality job interviews in these tough times. Your cover letter can serve as the “sales person” that presents a professional, compelling argument as to why YOU should be scheduled for the next interview.

Visit our friends at Amazing Cover Letters for your “instant” cover letter today. “In just 3½ minutes you will have an amazing cover letter guaranteed to cut through YOUR competition like a hot knife through butter!”

P = PROBLEM
A = ACTION
R = RESULT

When writing about your experience at your previous place of employment, state the PROBLEM you encountered, the ACTION you took to resolve the conflict, and the RESULT that occurred because of what you did. Use clear, focused wording and be brief so the hiring manager can take it in with a sweep of the eye.

Example #1:

I faced a disorganized, poorly managed warehouse (PROBLEM) when I went to work for XYZ Enterprises. Within six months I transformed the place into a smooth-running operation by limiting stock orders according to projected sales, letting go of three unreliable part-time employees, and automating an obsolete system of tracking sales and deliveries (ACTION), which brought about a savings for the company of $200,000 the first year (RESULT).

Example #2:

I inherited an engineering company’s outdated filing system (PROBLEM) and resolved the issues it created by introducing and training employees in the use of a simple but sophisticated functional-coding system (ACTION), which helped recover valuable, previously misplaced or lost project records, bringing about a smooth, error-free solution to a major flaw in the company’s operation.(RESULT)

Keep It Clear and Concise

Hit P-A-R each time you draft a resume by stating the Problem you faced, the Action you took, and the Result you achieved in your previous job. Such clear and concise writing will surely convince any hiring manager that you can do the same in the new position.

Remember, every company faces PROBLEMS and they are looking for their employees to take ACTION that produces bottom line RESULTS.

Eeerrrk!!!

What? Personal items presented during an interview?

Why not? Isn’t that basically what hiring companies are doing rummaging through your public social media accounts, learning more about you and your online activities?

The next few years are certainly gray, unchartered waters for jobseekers. The issue of whether a person’s personal life and involvement online should have any place in the hiring realm is definitely a topic that will be battled over for years — maybe even decades. Some might unexpectedly find themselves entangled in lawsuits, as privacy experts grow increasingly concerned that disqualifying a candidate based on information gained online can introduce certain forms of discrimination into the hiring process.

Jobseekers have every right to be concerned about protecting their online identities from prying eyes, but where should the line be drawn? Employers shouldn’t be given uninhibited access to a jobseeker’s private life, should they?

Interestingly, a recent study released at Microsoft’s 4^th Annual Data Privacy Day identified that 70% of those surveyed in the US indicated they had disqualified a candidate based on online information. What was the incriminating online information that caused the disqualification? Of course this was not made public … and behind the curtain of hiring, only HR managers and recruiters seem privy to such information.

The deeper issue is whether employers should be allowed to open that flood gate by bringing social media activities into the hiring world in the first place. I’m reminded of a line from the movie Jurassic Park. When referring to scientists, Jeff Goldblum’s character says, “Yeah, but your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should.” Maybe employers poking through a jobseeker’s online activities are so preoccupied with the fact that they could that they never stopped to think whether they should.

Ahh, but hiring companies won’t find my online activities. Think again. Technology giants have only just begun leveraging the social media phenomena; and not surprisingly, for financial gain.

Microsoft announced the integration of Social Connector software, which will be released mid-2010. The add-on software is designed to let someone like me readily see the online communications from those who send me email. Microsoft’s Group Product Manager, Dev Balasubramanian, was quoted as saying: “As you communicate you can see their social activities; you can see all the folks in your social network and it updates as you are reading your e-mail.” Certainly it appears to offer great benefits to the masses, but for jobseekers, it just might leave an unpleasant sour aftertaste.

No doubt, employers will soon be given a larger spy glass — and unfortunate for jobseekers, Microsoft isn’t the only company abuzz with developing new applications that will take public social media data and translate it into something that can be researched and used, for good and evil.

Regardless, employers need to take a long look at their current hiring practices to determine whether a drunken party photo showing Joe Jobseeker has anything to do with the value Joe brings to the table professionally, and how well he performs while on the job.

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Teena Rose is a professional speaker, career coach, book author, former columnist, and top-endorsed resume writer and job strategist. She leverages job-search collateral (i.e. resume, cover letter, executive bios), applying new social networking, personal branding, online portfolios, and new technologies/tools to further benefit the careers of her clientele. She’s your first choice during a job or career change. Contact Teena Rose at (937) 325-2149 or at her website; http://www.resumebycprw.com.

What’s so ’secret’ about these precepts that surely every person knows? The secret is that number of persons live by them when it comes to landing a career interview. Many task hunters comply with these instead:

Safeguard your emotions.
Guard your privacy.
Secure your rights.

In other words, their focus is all about them, as opposed to on what could occur if they were warm, friendly, and honest about who they are and what they can bring to the career.

Abide by the initial three and seem forward to something excellent.

Secret #1: Be Ready

Get time prior to the interview to put yourself and your resume in order. Plan to dress professionally. Have copies of the resume out there in situation you meet additional than 1 interviewer. Jot down a handful of notes regarding your successes, your solutions to difficulties, even your failures—as well as what you learned from them and how you applied that knowledge to other challenges.

Secret #2: Be Yourself

As long as you tell the truth in words and behavior you’ll in no way have to cover your backside. Individuals will know who you might be and what they could anticipate from you. This tactic will also inspire other people being themselves with you. Authentic people working with authentic individuals can accomplish awesome items in a short amount of time. So express oneself in lieu of trying to impress others with words and actions that don’t fit your personality. Hiring managers are on the lookout for open-faced, friendly individuals who are quick to shake hands, ask pertinent work-related questions, and show enthusiasm for the tasks associated with the career. They’ll also desire to know what new and worthwhile abilities you’ll be able to bring to the organization, so consider about that too.

Secret #3: Be Attentive

It’s quick being distracted when you’re nervous or anxious about what’s coming at you. The best antidote is attentive listening. Seem the interviewer inside eye. Have in what he or she is saying and how it relates to you. When it’s time to respond, sit forward and speak up. Maintain your hands in your lap so you won’t be tempted to fiddle with your tie or scarf or the buttons on your jacket. The finest gift any individual can give one more person is time and attention.

As you prepare for your following task interview, maintain these secrets in mind. Then set them into practice and see where they lead—straight for the job you most desire.

Image by ?ukasz Strachanowski via Flickr

A lot of job-seekers miss the opportunity to get past first base whenever it comes to getting the career of their dreams. Just what holds them back? A damaging attitude reflected in their cover letter to potential employers.

Negative Thoughts Lead to Negative Actions!

They may really feel bitter with regards to the way in which their past job ended, or exasperated toward a prior business colleague, or damaged by an experience with a employer.

Negativity, nonetheless, drains energy, shuts down healthy feelings, and keeps one stuck. Even if you never protest outright, a hiring manager will be able to pick up a negative disposition by reading between the lines.

Anyone can overcome this block by looking up, taking walks on the sunny side of the road, identifying nice things to express about yourself as well as others, and trusting that everything works out for the best—even when you are not able to yet see the end result.

Consequently, replace your negative thoughts with positive ones, even when you don’t feel like it. Then craft a cover letter that shines with possibility and ‘positivity’ and see how the very act itself could change your perspective.

Following are a few positive ways to frame your cover letter so a hiring manager may sit up and take notice—and then make contact with you for an interview that may possibly lead to the job you’ve been dreaming about.

Positively, Absolutely!

• Thank you for posting your opening for a position in management. This is the exact position I’m looking for and I would appreciate the opportunity to interview for it.
• Iv’e heard nothing but stimulating comments from two of your employees regarding the excellent working conditions at ABC Enterprises. It would be an honor to join your family of staff members.
• I am enthusiastic to meet with you in person to talk about what you’re looking for in an administration assistant. I feel I’m an excellent match for this position and would certainly like to interview for this opening.
• Based on my performance at my prior employment I can assure you that I will bring to this job- passion, experience, and excellence.

Think and Act positively. Employers respond to passion and positivity!

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Competing with boards are aggregators — certainly taking attention away from smaller, less established job boards are meta-search engines that congregate job openings from a multitude of sources; i.e. job boards, newspaper and classified listings, associations, social networks, content sites and company career sites.

But aggregators allow companies to post and sponsor job listings, which takes advertising dollars away from others. For example, Monster has seen continuous declines in revenue between 2008 and 2009, while CareerBuilder North America has seen its own losses.

Aggregators undoubtedly seem more in tune with jobseekers, and just may be leaving older, but not wiser, sites like Monster and CareerBuilder in the dust. Take SimplyHired, for example. A virtual newcomer, going beta in 2005, SimplyHired is no stranger to providing jobseekers with what they want and need, which probably accounts for the company’s continued revenue growth — while job boards struggle.

Some believe job boards have one fundamental flaw. While they focus too heavily on job delivery, sponsored ads, visual presentation, and resume collection, jobseekers are shifting to social platforms. Although job boards are using social media to promote their boards, they are missing that jobseekers need social networking functionality too as part of the job-search experience — not a separate entity, but an inclusive entity. Simply put, one way for job boards to compete is to embrace social media into their fold of offerings.

SimplyHired’s recent addition of LinkedIn into its offerings is certainly a feature that puts job-search on a new level. Take the following example for instance. Conducting a basic search for a Chief Executive Officer position within New York City returns a number of sponsored and organic jobs to peruse.

Jobseekers can now take their search one step further. Using SimplyHired’s new feature, Who Do I Know? on LinkedIn, a jobseeker can identify those within their LinkedIn network that coincide with current job openings.

After selecting Who Do I Know?, I quickly identify the name of the HR Director at Marsh in New York City for a Chief Marketing Officer position. For jobseekers, this information is very important and useful.

A small step forward to helping jobseekers, sure, but there is room to grow. My hope is job boards recognize the need for evolution, to avoid being outdated job-search technology in a next generation job-search world.

1. Research the company you want to work for, including details regarding location, policies, work hours, pay scale, job responsibilities, and management personnel.

2.  List your strengths and skills. Be specific. Example: I’m organized, able to take the lead in tough situations, sensitive to the needs of others, willing to follow orders, and produce the desired result. Have two copies available–one for you and one for the interviewer.

3. Find out something special–if possible–about the hiring manager. Does he like fishing? Does she volunteer at a youth group? Such details will help you connect on a personal level. This will show the other person you are interested in him or her, not just the potential job.

4. Take time to get a hair cut, if necessary, and a manicure a couple of days ahead of time. Remember you only get one chance to make a great first impression.

5. Lay out your clothing and shoes before you go to bed the night before the interview. Get to sleep early so you’ll be well rested and relaxed.

6. Slip a bottle of water into your briefcase or purse to keep yourself hydrated. This will help you remain alert and focused.

Remember-people who care–prepare!  Take time today to list your priorities.  Plan for your future by carving out a nice chunk of time to get ready for the interview that could very well lead you to a new job–and a new you.

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It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the holiday buzz––shopping, decorating, gift-wrapping, over-eating, and entertaining. To avoid going over the edge, take time for some rest and reflection. Think through your goals for the new year. Then make a list, and check it twice!

If finding new employment is on that list, remember that every great job starts with a great interview! So plan now to take stock of yourself, your presentation, your ability to express yourself, your standards for the company you work for. Use the week between Christmas and New Year’s to take strategic steps to insure a bright future.

Interviews Don’t Just Happen!

They begin and end with you––even though a man or woman is sitting across from you in an office. Keep in mind that today’s hiring manager is more interested in who you are as a person than who you are as a professional. Something called ‘behavior-based’ interviewing is becoming the norm.

Employers are looking at a candidate’s past performance as a predictor of future behavior. They are not only interested in your background and experience, but also in the way you treat others and how you interact with a team or department employees, and how you’ve handled sticky situations that called for logic and leadership.

Truth or Consequences

Following are some of the hard-edged questions and directives you might receive in a behavior-based interview.

1. Give me an example of a specific time you took charge of a situation that was out of control.
2. What goal have you set in a workplace and how did you achieve it?
3. How have you performed above and beyond the requirement of the job you held?
4. Provide an example of how you bailed yourself and others out of what appeared to be a hopeless situation.
5. What specifically have you done to alleviate a problem with a difficult co-worker or superior?

Expect to provide details, dialogue, and a description of what occurred and how it was resolved.

A New Year Without Fear

Give worry a good swift kick. Stand in front of a mirror and speak positive words to yourself. “You are a good manager.” “You are the one people turn to in a tough situation.” “Care more about people than problems.” “Believe in yourself.” “You are admired.”

Next, jot down a few personal stories that illustrate situations and times when you successfully resolved conflict, stood up for the truth despite criticism, or used your creativity to negotiate a challenging relationship. Then go over the job description to get a feel for the requirements, standards, and expectations of the person who is hired. Picture yourself on the job, handling day-to-day operations, fielding calls, making decisions, and dealing with co-workers.

Finally, check your emotional pulse. If you’re smiling and feeling comfortable and well suited to such a job, then go for it. If you feel stressful, confused, or overwhelmed, consider setting this opportunity aside and going for another one that is a better match for your skills and strengths.

Equipped with practical insight and emotional clarity such as this, you can walk into any interview and establish a good rapport with the hiring manager.

Afterwards, all that’s left is the question only you can ask and answer for yourself. “Is this the job for me?”

Happy Holiday and happy job-hunting!

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For example, resolving conflict among subordinates is a good thing-but it doesn’t show how that ability affects the company’s bottom line.

So what do you do? Leave that skill off your resume? Absolutely not! Instead reword it so it highlights the benefit.

Here’s an example:

Sales Manager

Resolves conflicts among subordinates. Result: Less staff turnover. Company benefit: Money and time saved on training new personnel.

Administrative Assistant

Hired one fast word processor. Result: Eliminated two part-time word processing jobs. Company benefit: Saved department $10,000 in unnecessary wages.

Marketing Director

Split-tested two sales letters against each other for 30 days and found one to improve sales by 25%. Result: Added $20,000 per month in additional profit by switching to the new sales letter.

Give some serious thought as to how you can save money and/or make money for a particular company. At the end of the business day it’s all about bottom line results and what YOU can bring to the table.

There is a time to toot your horn and there is a time to blow it softly. A resume is the time to toot! Speak up for yourself when what you have to offer will be a benefit to the company you hope to work for. Follow the examples above and you’ll see an increase in the requests you receive for quality job interviews.

Job Interview Tip #1: Sprinkle some talcum powder in your pocket ahead of time and massage a little onto your palms before shaking hands with those you meet.

Job Interview Tip #2: Break the Barrier with a Sincere Smile

Franklin, a professional sales and marketing consultant shared with a friend recently that in this job-search climate he’s always on the lookout for such useful tips. Besides a warm, dry hand he claims a sincere and optimistic attitude, a smile, and looking the person in the eye, go a long way to break down initial barriers. Being friendly and forthright helps one relax and puts the hiring managers on your side.

You may even want to go a step further. Find out at least one unique detail about the person who will be interviewing you. For example, one job seeker learned that a woman hiring manager was crazy about cats. He mentioned his own cat in the discussion about the job. Her eyes lit up. They had something in common besides the opening in the company. Another job seeker discovered the man who contacted him for an interview was an opera buff. During a question and answer session, the job seeker mentioned how he liked to relax on a Friday night after work by attending the opera and even suggested the company purchase a block of tickets and sell to employees at a discount. This idea sparked an interesting discussion of how to provide cultural experiences for employees.

Job Interview Tip #3: You Can Be Personal AND Professional

Looking to add some sort of personal touch to each interview is bound to engage at least one or two hiring managers and could make the difference between being overlooked and being hired. Here’s an example of how to move the conversation in this direction. Take the lead. “I noticed in your company brochure that you take good care of your employees and as a result they have a high level of loyalty to your organization. In my last job I was in charge of the annual sales meeting one summer at a resort with an Olympic-sized swimming pool. I suggested we hold our session poolside. We then invited attendees to stay afterward for a swim and drinks on the company. We even provided bathing suits in assorted sizes for those who didn’t bring theirs. Employees talked about this event for months afterward.”

A conversation-starter such as this will provide so much more information and insight about you, your creativity, personality, and client relations than stock answers to typical interview questions. So make a plan now to be friendly, be confident, be creative, and spark the discussion with personal details that draw in the hiring manager.