Getting smarter with your job search

Job seekers there is no doubt that you are facing a very challenging time. Whether you have 20 years of experience or only a year, the pressure is on. But realize it is not impossible to find opportunities, despite our current economic standing.

Job seekers, you have to take the extra mile to show employers that you are the right fit. A few years ago, employers could handle the risk of hiring the wrong fit, but today it is very different. The cost to let an employee go and hire another is very costly. Employers want to pick the right fit the first time around. Here are some tips to help you stand out from the competition.

1. What will you bring to the employer? What makes you better than the rest? This needs to be communicated in your resume, cover letter, interview and even as you network.
2. Utilize the free career related workshops offered in your city. Services that can cost hundreds of dollars are available at no cost (or very small fees) from organizations looking to help out job seekers in transition.
3. Joining LinkedIn is a requirement. Recruiters, headhunters, hiring managers and others with hiring decision power are recruiting via this site.
4. However, do watch your exposure on myspace.com as well as facebook - whatever can be used against you, will be used against you. Clean up your profiles there - recruiters are well known to Google for your name and check popular social networking platforms!
5. Your documents need to be flawless: Resumes, cover letters, thank you letters, websites, social networking sites, portfolio and any other tool you are using to market yourself.

These days, finding a position that matches your ideas, salary range and eventually location, has become more challenging as ever before. Due to the massive unemployment, companies do currently not have the need to look across the USA to find the best talent, but mostly locate a matching candidate right in their city.

Patience is key. Networking is key. Flawless documents and keyword driven resumes are key.

In short, these days you'll have to be near perfect to make it to the top of the stack of resumes that attract a recruiter's attention.

Review your material and eventually ask for assistance!

Best of luck!