Being Unemployed Sucks» Articles

If you’ve been unemployed for a while you may be getting desperate with the lack of jobs out there…instead of giving up there’s the option for applying for jobs you are overqualified for. How to deal with this and reassure your possible employer through this HotJobs article:

1. Re-read the job description.
2. Fine-tune your resume.
3. Don’t lie about your history.
4. Check your sense of entitlement at the door.
5. Clearly explain why the job will be good for you.
6. Make circumstantial evidence work for you.

Dealing with Job Search Rejection

B.U.S. — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 20:30:01 +0000

Top 10 Ways to Deal with Job Rejection by Jan Gordon

5 Ways to Battle Job-Search Rejection by Joe Turner

How to go from Job Rejection to Job Acceptance by Donald Sears via theLadders.com

The art of coping with rejection by Adeline Iziren

How to battle job search rejection @ NineMSN.au

Avoiding Self-Blame After Constant Rejection by Alina Dizik

Ten Reasons your Job Search is Failing

B.U.S. — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 22:50:35 +0000

From MSN/Careerbuilder

Your résumé and cover letter are as articulate as Courtney Love’s Web blog.

Your cover letter is generic.

Your letter is a CliffsNotes version of your résumé.

Your letter exudes self-consciousness, not self-confidence.

You cross the line from sounding confident to sounding cocky.

Your MySpace page lists “binge-drinking” as a favorite pastime.

You assume e-mail is enough.

You assume the Internet is enough.

You misrepresent yourself.

You give up.

Résumé Resources

B.U.S. — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 03:06:08 +0000

Careerbuilder’s MSN site has several resources available to utilize for your resume and job search including:

Résumé Samples

Cover Letter Templates (Careerbuilder’s link goes directly to Office Templates)

Cover Letter Q & A

Q. How long should my cover letter be?
A. Generally, cover letters should be one page in length. This is true for approximately 90 percent of all cover letters.

There may be instances, however, when one page is not enough. If you believe that the information you are including in your letter is essential information that is not communicated in your résumé, go ahead and prepare a two-page letter. But be sure that everything you’ve included is vital to favorably presenting yourself to a company or recruiter.

Two-page letters are most frequently used by the following types of job seekers: career changers, industry changers, senior executives, scientists andtechnologists, people seeking government jobs and people seeking university and academic appointments.

6 Serious Résumé Blunders

1. Forgetting the Employer

2. Not using keywords

3. Using an objective instead of a career summary

4. Not proofreading

5. Lying

6. Not keeping up appearances

5 Things That Get Your Resume Booted

B.U.S. — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 22:57:32 +0000

Via The Resume Chick

Missing qualifications
If you’re applying for a particular job, yet the required work experience is nowhere to be found on your resume, it is destined to end up in the useless items pile. Be sure you include skills and distinct work experience that match the job description posted.
Hint of uncertainty
Avoid vague job objective statements. Clearly state the kind of job you want and play on your strengths with a firm display of confidence. Your resume should be designed to subtly “toot your own horn”. After all, you want to get noticed and land an interview, right?
Wordy is not always worthy
This is one of those times when less is definitely more. Your purpose is to grab the hiring manager’s attention not to tell stories about your childhood sweetheart, so refrain from using old fashioned, flowery words. Pitch the tone so that it gives the impression of a modern professional who is in touch with up-to-date business lingo and usage. Stick to factual words rather than descriptive adjectives; keep it brief and straightforward.
Higgledy-piggledy presentation
Don’t make the hiring manager dizzy. If he is not able to follow your resume and find what he wants, he is just going to give up and put your resume on the no-way pile. Unless specifically required, too much detailed information is redundant. The most interesting part of your resume from the hiring manager’s vantage point is your work experience. Place it at the start; and not your personal or educational background.
Unreachable jobseeker
It may sound almost like “no-brainer” but giving inaccurate contact information is a mistake some jobseekers frequently make. If your phone number has changed or your e-mail is not professional-looking, employers won’t make any effort to contact you. Be sure you update your resume accordingly.

Advice from Elle’s E. Jean

B.U.S. — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 05:30:24 +0000

CKVYNF7ETGTH

Dear E. Jean: I’m trying to make it in this knock-down-drag-out world and throwing résumé after résumé out there—and nothing. I never hear back. At this point, I’ll take any job! What am I doing wrong? I’m getting depressed! Why do I never get an interview?—Struggling for a Foothold

Dear Miss Foothold: Don’t complain; it makes you feel worse. Stay away from friends who are unemployed; it creates a—pardon me, Miss Foot—shitstorm of misery. Haul your carcass out of bed early, shower, do your makeup, go to a café, and read the industry blogs and newsletters. The only thing your future employers want to hear is that you know how to win. It’s all that matters to them. So don’t “throw” a résumé “out there.” Write to the person in charge (you will learn who the leaders are from reading the blogs) and tell her exactly why her company is a part of a winning culture and precisely how you will help her keep her company at the top. Now, give me a smile, splash on some Chanel No. 5, and go read the blogs. Good luck!