Sending out resumes, but not seeing the response you want? Whether you’ve been recently laid off or are looking for a change, there are a few things you can do to make your job search more effective.

Make a Website

If you don’t already have one, make a website. Nowadays, it’s cheap and easy. You can register with WordPress for free, or buy a domain with some version of your name for around $14/year. Sites like WordPress and Tumblr are great because they come with templates that make it easy to build a basic site. Start a blog that promotes anything and everything you’re proud of – a design, an article, a conference you helped set up, anything that shows potential employers what you’re capable of. Add your website to your signature, promote it on Facebook and LinkedIn, and list it on your resume.

Contact Recruiters

Find recruiters in your area who specialize in your field. Provide them with a copy of your resume, and find out if they have any current openings. Opening your search up to recruiting firms (good ones) can be a powerful tool. Recruiters often have jobs that are unlisted or confidential, which you won’t have access to unless the company has your resume and has met with you to talk about your search.

Be selective with which recruiting firms you work with. Do your research and only spend time contacting the people who work in your industry. Don’t go to a fashion recruiting firm looking for an IT position. (Click here to learn more about working with us!)

Target Companies

Is there a specific industry or location you’re interested in? Do some research and compile a list of companies that you’d like to work for. What are their needs, who are the hiring managers? Check to see if there are any openings on the company website. (In order to keep the number of applications down, companies don’t always post open position on major job boards).  If you don’t see any available positions on they company’s site, mail or email your resume and a tailored cover letter to someone high up the food chain.

Stay Organized

While it might seem like extra work at first, keeping a spreadsheet of all the companies you’ve applied to and people you’ve contacted will make it easier to see the progress you’ve made. This is especially helpful if you’re targeting multiple employers. JibberJobber.com is one resource that compiles all the positions you’ve applied to, but you can also just keep a basic spreadsheet.

Apply to Jobs You’re Qualified For

This might seem obvious, but applying only to jobs you’re qualified for will greatly increase your chances of being contacted. Hiring managers are overwhelmed because people apply to every position they’re even remotely qualified for, so their inboxes are flooded with people they’ll never call.  Make yourself the person whose resume gets a second look because the job is actually a good match for you. Take some time and tailor your resume to the position you’re interested in. Read our resume tips here.

Looking for a job isn’t just about responding to ads- expand your search and improve your chances of finding a great position!

This will not get you a promotion

There are two types of people in the world: those that wish, and those that do.

It’s perfectly fine to wish when you’re blowing out birthday candles or throwing a coin in the Trevi Fountain. In fact, just for fun, here’s a list of all sorts of occurrences where it’s appropriate to wish. They’re all well and good, but for the love of all things good, don’t be a wisher in the business world!

Unless you truly are at the apex of your field, there’s a pretty good chance that you want to keep climbing the ladder. If you look at the ladder and think about how great it would be to be at the top of it,  you’ll never get your feet off the ground. Take the first step, and be a doer.

People who spend their careers wishing for a promotion or a raise rarely get it. Wishers are the people in the office who are clocking out at exactly 5:00 pm every day. They have their sights set on something that benefits them but don’t want to saddle up, take the bull by the horns, and do what has to be done to get it.

Doers, on the other hand, are the ones that don’t just get the job done, but get it done well. They’re the workers who have the same sights as the wishers but forge a strong path to the goals. Doers go above and beyond, and are the first ones to ask if you need help.

Doers keep a candy bowl on their desks. And do you know why? A study several years back suggested that 90% of people who keep a candy bowl on their desk get promoted. That’s right, 90%. And who would have thought? DOERS! THAT’S WHO!

If you want to climb the ladder of success you have to be a doer. You have to be the one who gets noticed, not the one who wants to be noticed. Be diligent. Be intentional. And know that getting that promotion or raise is a two-way street.

Remember this cardinal rule: do and thou shalt receive.

Being unemployed can be a huge blow to your self-esteem. If you feel unproductive and useless, you have two options: decide you are doomed and feel sorry for yourself, or find ways to stay motivated.

Stick to a schedule

When you were employed, you woke up at the same time every day and got dressed. Now that you don’t have a set time to wake up, you are free to lounge on the couch all day in your pajamas. While you will certainly have days like this, it should not become a habit.

One of the best ways to stay focused and positive during a job search is to keep a routine. Looking for a job is a full-time job, so treat it like one. This means you should wake up at the same time you’re used to, have your morning coffee, get dressed and start your day at a reasonable time.

Set up a home office

Set up a home office space where you can keep all your materials in one place. If you live in a small apartment, avoid the temptation to work on your bed or anywhere else you associate with relaxation. Working in a coffee shop can be one way to combat loneliness and isolation, and especially if you live in a small space, can be an effective way to get some work done with minimal distractions.

Make to-do lists

Make to-do lists full of specific, short and long-term goals so you can see the progress you are making. Tasks can be s as simple as a list of job boards to visit throughout the day, or even errands you need to run unrelated to your job search. Make sure you are realistic with your goals so you get a sense of satisfaction from checking things off.

Remember to take breaks

If you are starting to feel frustrated, take a break, but make sure you set time limits so you know when you need to return to work. Get outside and go for a walk or get some exercise. Take a workout class, or call a  friend to vent your frustrations.

Socialize

Because making connections is one of the best ways to find work nowadays, make sure you are out of the house and talking to people. While you might hate answering the “what do you do?” question right now, don’t be afraid to tell everyone you know that you need a job. You never know where your next opportunity is waiting, and no one will know you’re looking unless you tell them.

Volunteer

Volunteering, while not a way to relieve financial stress, can be a great way to keep you spirits up and put things in perspective. Find a charity that works for a cause you’re interested in, and seek out opportunities. Getting out of the house everyday

Keep your head up, and good luck!

You should never leave an interview thinking, “I should have asked them that.”

Most people see an interview as the person behind the desk asking all the questions. The reality is, an interview is a meeting of people, with the prefix “inter” meaning mutually or between. If you’re not asking questions during your interview, you’ll feel as though you’re on the receiving end of a firing squad rather than hunting for a job. When you’re looking for a job, your interviewer shouldn’t be the only one asking questions.

If you don’t get a clear picture of your potential responsibilities, ask for more information. Just because you’ve held a similar position before doesn’t mean that the one you are interviewing for will be the same. Find out how frequently the position has changed hands. If it’s been very volatile, ask why. Ask them to give you an idea of the role that the particular department you’re interviewing for plays in the overall organization.

Just because a position looks great today doesn’t mean it will five years down the road. You never want to be stagnant in the business world, so inquire to see if the position fits nicely with your career aspirations. Does the firm encourage or even fund continued education? What have previous employees in the same position gone on to do? Will you be able to grow from within the firm, or is it a dead end? Be wary of any employees who can’t give you a clear role that the position plays in a career path, and look for a position that encourages growth.

Salary discussion usually doesn’t come until you have a job offer. That being said, don’t be afraid to ask what the range is for the position, and don’t shy away from smaller details about compensation. If the interviewer isn’t forward about it, ask about health and retirement plans. Does the company have health coverage? Do employees have access to a 401(k) plan? If bonuses are part of your compensation, what is the criteria? Are they performance based? The more you know about how compensation works before you are offered a position gives you a better perspective of how strong the offer is.

Lastly, be sure to gain some knowledge on how the company is doing and where it’s headed. Is the company living up to its mission? Is it meeting its revenue goals? How are business operations funded? If the answer to that question is venture capital and bank loans and the revenue goals aren’t being met, there’s a very good chance changes are brewing. Asking to review the firms business plan isn’t a bad idea if you’re applying for a senior position either. You’ll be able to compare what the firm wants to do and what it’s actually doing.

If you’ve been on the hunt for a job for a while it can be easy to jump at the first offer that comes your way. Look before you leap; don’t accept anything before you have a good feel for the company as a whole. Asking questions during your interview conveys your interest in the position and encourages the interviewer to believe that you’re dedicated and success-driven. Regardless of what your elementary school teacher told you, there are such things as stupid questions, but you can avoid asking them by going into an interview with a prepared set of questions designed to cover the bases that the interviewer doesn’t.

According to a U.S. Department of Labor survey, 70.9% of the total United States population is comprised of men and women ages 20 – 24. That’s a pretty hefty percentage who recently abandoned childhood dreams of a career as a superhero or a princess.

“Get your degree so you can get a real job,” your parents said.

But if your parents have your best interests in mind, why have you graduated and still don’t have a job?

The same survey from the Department of Labor suggests that only about 13% of 20 – 24 year-old college graduates are part of the labor force. That leaves a pretty hefty percentage of them living at home, wishing they held the mask and cape you abandoned. It may feel like it sometimes, but spending four years in college wasn’t a waste of time; if you only have a high school diploma, the unemployment rate is twice as high.

Common discourse on the economy aside, finding a job after graduation has been difficult since the 1970s. When you graduate, especially if you didn’t work during school, you have few marketable skills and little experience to show, no matter how good your grades are. Some employers simply won’t hire people right out of undergrad, opting for candidates with a Master’s degree or who paid their dues in an unpaid internship.

A recent New York Times article broke down what anyone in their 20s already knows: right after you graduate, and especially if you have a liberal arts degree, you often have to work for free. That is, if you can afford it.

So what can you do to improve your chances of finding a paid position?

Pay Your Dues While You’re Still in School

It’s in your best interest to find a part-time job or an internship while you’re still in school, preferably in a field you enjoy. This will vastly improve your job prospects and will help you make contacts that will be invaluable once you graduate. if Do this while you’re still in school, and you will have a better chance of being able to move out your mom’s house.

If you didn’t have time for an internship in college, you probably have leadership skills from a club or group that you can highlight in your resume. Unfortunately, it’s become the norm for companies to hire unpaid interns, and you may have to take a position like this if you want to advance in your field (especially if that field is media-related). The sad truth is, many people can’t afford to take an unpaid internship, and if you find yourself in that boat, you’re definitely not alone.

Make Your Resume Job-Specific

Lots of people don’t understand that it’s absolutely essential to tweak your resume for each job you apply to. The chances of having a resume make a strong impression increase exponentially when you think like an employer: use keywords that are derived from the job description, and trim out any information that is unrelated or looks like filler. If you don’t know anything about keywords, this article is a good place to start.

Apply to Jobs You’re Qualified For

Another reason Millennials aren’t finding jobs is because many are applying to jobs that aren’t suited to their skills. Desperate times call for desperate measures, but that isn’t to say that because your marketing degree isn’t getting you the job you want, you should start applying for entry-level accounting positions. You might feel it’s a catch-22: if you limit yourself to jobs that you’re continuously being rejected from you’ll never actually get hired. This isn’t always true. Focus on applying for jobs that you’re qualified for and want —you earned your degree in the field that you did for a reason. Use social media to network with people at firms that you are interested in and stay on your toes. Job hunting takes time.

Expand Your Resources

Start looking into staffing agencies (like us!) who have lots of jobs that aren’t posted online. Companies often come to us to do confidential searches, and if you’re in our network, we might be able to help you snag a gig you wouldn’t have found otherwise. Check out our job listings here.

Look for positions at startups, who are always expanding and looking for young people who are excited about their projects. Because enthusiasm is a big hiring factor, and the companies are small, don’t be afraid to reach out to the founder of the company on LinkedIn. Even if you can’t get a paid position, it will fill a hole in your resume, and you’ll make some valuable contacts.

Volunteering is another good way to find contacts and to keep you occupied while you’re unemployed. Do a quick Google search and try and find something you’re interested in.

Keep Your Social Media Accounts Polished

As much as you might like to tell yourself that employers don’t check your social media profiles, they do. Your profile isn’t as safe as you think; more and more companies are screening their applicants on Facebook or Twitter.  Do the smart thing and clean house of all those tweets about how you hate hunting for a job or how “productive” you’re being watching daytime reality TV on your couch. Also, the fact that you’re 21 means you can legally do keg stands, but can you reasonably have pictures of it on your Facebook page? Think about what’s important to you, and keep your private life private.

Make sure your LinkedIn account accurately reflects your resume and your accomplishments, and make sure you have a professional-looking picture. Companies are using LinkedIn more and more to pre-screen applicants. If you don’t have a LinkedIn, it’s time to set one up.

Try to Stay Positive

Don’t let discouragement deter you from remaining steadfast in your job search. It takes time and persistence. Remember, the market is tough right now. Make use of the connections that you have made in school and seek out new connections in the hopes that they will open doors for you. Not being able to land a job is not necessarily indicative of your abilities; it is a result of these challenging times. If you start to feel like your efforts are futile, step back and channel your inner superhero. You have the power to make things happen when you set your mind to it.

Good luck!

There are tons of career books that you can use as resource while job hunting, so much so that searching for the right book can be a job in itself. Here’s a list of a few books to try. See which one speaks to you and use it to help you land your dream job.

What Color is Your Parachute? By Richard Bolles

This book, which has sold over 11 million copies in 26 languages, has had huge success for good reason. Dick  Bolles constantly updates the book as the job seeking field advances and changes. There’s some great advice in here for job seekers of all ages at all career levels. This book includes worksheets, tools and exercises, making it a fun, interactive tool for soul-searching.

You Majored in What? Mapping Your Path from Chaos to Career By Katherine Brooks

This is for anyone who gets the question, “What are you going to do with that?” Katherine Brooks tailors her career advice to recent college graduates with liberal arts degrees. Learning how to transition into the “real world” without a direct career path can be difficult, but Brooks encourages recent graduates to “celebrate their education” and “embrace the chaos” of the job world.

Choose a Career and Discover Your Perfect Job: 105 Tips on Work Attitude and Motivation By Gary Vurnum

This interactive book outlines what Vurnum deems the best way to pick a career. His career test encourages readers to identify their own strengths and weaknesses, thus sorting out a good professional fit. Vurnum also uses advice from his own experience as an online self-improvement expert. This book is informative and transformative – a great way to determine what you need to change in order to find the career you love.

Get the Job You Want, Even When No One’s Hiring 

By Ford Myers

Myers’ book helps dispel the myth that you can’t get hired in a bad economy. Myers concedes that this is one of the toughest job markets in recent history, but he offers advice on how to search for a job in unconventional ways. Additionally, he provides a “Job Search Survival Toolkit” to supplement his advice in the book.

100 Job Search Tips From Fortune 500 Recruiters

This is a great career read for readers on a budget because it is available online for free. You can read the book online here: http://www.emc.com/collateral/article/100-job-search-tips.pdf. The book outlines an insightful collection of stories and advice from people who have been in the recruiting field and know what real employers look for in candidates. How can you turn down such valuable advice for free?

There’s an episode of The Office where Phyllis misspells the word “Launch” on a banner for a party. If you’ve seen the show, you know Angela yells a lot, so Phyllis googles “how to deal with difficult people” when she realizes her mistake.

“So, how do you feel about the fact that the banner says ‘Lunch’?” Phyllis asks.

“I feel angry. Angry at you. Angry at you for doing something stupid. Angry at me for believing you could do something not stupid,” Angela responds.

“I’m so sorry to hear that. That must be awful,” she says.

“It is awful. You’ve made this day awful.”

Angela’s erratic behavior, while exaggerated, is a technique used by people to get what they want (even if it’s subconscious),  because it defies prediction. Does your boss yell and throw things? While this may seem unprofessional, this irrationality is getting your boss what he wants.

While you’ve probably never had to deal with someone as patronizing as Angela, you’ve probably come across personality types that don’t mesh well with your own. It’s important to stand up for yourself, but often in delicate situations- such as that with a boss- there is too much on the line for you to fight back. This is when you need to be tactful and rational, choosing thoughtful communication over ways you might deal with someone you know better, such as a family member or close friend.

A quick Google search will present you with a million different ways to deal with difficult people at work, so we’ve narrowed it down to a few simple guidelines. Should you confront a difficult coworker? When is this appropriate?

Consider the following:

Does this person’s performance or behavior at work impede the goals of your company or organization?

Do this person’s actions impede your own success?

Is this problem causing you anxiety or diminishing your quality of life?

If you answered yes to any of the questions above, it’s probably time for a game plan. But before you put the energy into a confrontation, consider that you may be contributing to the problem too. It’s often hard to see outside ourselves, but the reality is that you may be putting the situation though a distorted lens. Ask yourself what the facts are, and try to figure out why you feel that you are under attack. You may find that the situation isn’t even about your coworker – it’s about you. It’s in our nature to feel defensive when we don’t feel that we are valuable or valued. Make sure you aren’t playing the victim card, or blaming this person for how you are feeling as a way of protecting yourself. Take a moment and try to see where they are coming from.

If you do decide that you need to talk to the difficult person, remember a few key guidelines to keep the interaction as smooth as possible.

No one can read your mind, so it’s very important that you state how you see the situation. Don’t assume that this person knows what you’re talking about. Say what’s bothering you in a few words, and stick to the point.

Don’t condescend. People will listen better if they feel you aren’t talking down to them. Concentrate on stating the effects this person’s behavior is having on you or your team.

Frame what you are going through in a positive light, and don’t dwell on what this person is doing wrong. Suggesting ways that they can change, instead of blaming them for multiple mistakes, will be a better way for you to get what you want.

In the end, you have to decide for yourself what the best way is to deal with someone who’s giving you trouble at work. Approaching the situation tactfully will usually help you get the results you want.

Further reading:

9 Useful Strategies for Dealing with Difficult People at Work

Rise Above the Fray: How to Deal With Difficult People at Work

With so much competition in the job market, it’s important to write a resume that stands out. And while your skills are invaluable, being aware of what recruiters are looking for when you apply to a certain position will help you immensely in your job search. If you’ve been out of the job market for a while (and even if you haven’t), staying on top of resume trends will keep you at the top of a hiring manager’s list.

Applicant Tracking Systems are Evolving

Sending out multiple resumes with little success? Your resume might be missing keywords relevant to your industry. With so many applications to sift through, most recruiters use a parser (a program which receives input and breaks it up into parts) to find what the computer deems the best resumes for a particular job. When looking to fill a position, hiring managers will sort through resumes by keyword, sometimes found in the job description, allowing the most qualified applicants to rise to the top of the pile. When you apply for jobs in the same field, take note of common words and phrases used in similar job postings. Using keywords will also help you tailor your resume of the job you’re applying to. Learn more about keywords here.

Infographics

Using an infographic can be a great way to stand out, especially if you are in a creative field such as design, writing or fashion. Sites such as vizualize.me give your text resume a fun makeover that still allows you to present relevant skills in a professional way.  Remember that Automated Tracking systems won’t read graphics, so you’ll need to adjust your resume when applying online. Keep your charts available when you know you’re sending them directly to a hiring manager, or hand them out at career fairs. There are also services such as Loft Resumes, which will help you create a visually appealing alternative to a standard Word document.

Using LinkedIn Wisely

It’s time to delete that “references available upon request” line at the end of your resume. Use LinkedIn to have former employers and coworkers promote your skills and even write you recommendations. This allows hiring managers to see quickly that your skills are valuable. Make sure you have a professional photo for your profile, and make sure all your information reflects your resume. LinkedIn can also be a great way to connect directly with hiring managers.

Tips for any Decade

- Always highlight accomplishments rather than make a straight list of former duties and responsibilities. Using action words keeps your resume targeted.

- Readability is key. Try reading your resume on a phone or tablet to see how the formatting transfers over. If hiring managers can’t read your resume on a mobile device, it’s possible you’re losing points.

- A powerful resume does not list every single accomplishment from the last 10 years. Throw out the fluff and stick to what’s most important. Your resume should be short, concise and to the point.

No one likes waiting, especially if you are waiting to hear whether you got the job or not. Maybe you thought the interview was going to be the most stressful part of the hiring process. But you are soon realizing that the time between the interview and when you find out if you are the right fit for the position is even more stressful. It almost feels like when you are waiting for a date to call you back- you start second guessing everything and then wondering if you should call or if there is anything else you could have done. Good news – it does not have to be like this at all. So just take a breath while we detail a step by step process on what to do after the interview is over.

Step 1: The thank you note

You need to send some sort of thank you note within 24 hours after the interview. This will keep you fresh in the interviewer’s mind, especially if he or she interviewed more than one candidate that day. Some companies appreciate the traditional hand-written letters the best. But most companies will be fine with an email. You have to feel the company out for yourself and decide which method would be most appropriate. Most experts believe you should send a three paragraph thank you note. It is supposed to read like a sales letter. The first paragraph should thank them for their time and reassert how interested you are in the position after hearing more about it. The second paragraph is where you should make specific references to the interview which will make the note more personal. You can also include some of your strengths here that will directly cater to the company. The last paragraph is where you can make any clarifications or ask any questions. Don’t let these paragraphs get too lengthy or you risk losing the interviewer’s attention.

Step 2: Wait

You should wait until the tentative date the interviewer said they will contact you during the interview before reaching out again. If the interviewer does not call you back within around three days of that date, feel free to call the company. Many people assume that if the company does not contact you immediately, that they did not get the job. The reality is that everyone gets busy and the aforementioned date may have slipped the interviewer’s mind. Therefore, you should feel comfortable calling the company and inquiring about the position. Don’t be aggressive or accusatory during this call; remain positive and interested in the position. If you have to leave a message and no one is calling you back, you can try again in a few days. If the company does not get back to you after multiple messages, it’s time move on. If this is the case, do not get discouraged.

As we said before this process is like dating, it sometimes takes a while to find a relationship that is right for both parties. Every interview you have is an experience that can help you grow as a candidate and narrow down what you really want in a job. 

The likelihood of you working for the same company over the course of your entire professional career is virtually nonexistent. The Bureau of Labor Statistics suggests that today’s average worker maintains his or her job for 4.4 years, yet the average for younger employees is approximately half of that figure. This “job-hopping” can seem glamorous with all of the new opportunities that it poses, but it casts a potentially daunting shadow over your résumé.

Chances are potential employers are scanning over your résumé looking for defining characteristics and red flags. One such red flag can be a list of jobs that lasted anywhere from 1-2 years. Short periods of employment are not always indicative of poor performance and termination, especially given the challenging economic state over the past decade, but they can certainly give the impression that you are a job hopper, a rabbit in the field. In striving to avoid this negative connotation, here are a few ways to reassure an employer that you didn’t simply bound from firm to firm.

1. Acknowledge Changes

With mergers and acquisitions being so common in the business world, companies are changing, moving, shutting down, and laying off. If a structural change beyond your control lead to your no longer being employed by a company, make a note on your résumé that informs an employer of the situation. In the event that a company’s name changed during your employment, do not list it as two separate employers, rather list it as the current name and indicate its former name(s) in parenthesis.

2. Pool Consulting Positions

Finding permanent positions is extremely challenging, driving many job candidates into temporary consulting assignments. If you took on a plethora of such employment opportunities it is best to pool them together on your résumé as “Consultant” as opposed to listing each assignment. You may choose to highlight some of the more distinguishing roles or experiences underneath this section.

3. Forget About the Months

If you stipulate that you were employed from “September 2010-March 2012” on your résumé it displays that you only worked at a firm for 18 months, or a year and a half. BUT, if you simply list the years of your employment, “2010-2012” is less clearly 18 months and more like 2 years. This is not to suggest fabricating the dates of your employment, rather using a technique to appear less transient.

Caution: This is only suggested if you have several short term positions on your resume. Otherwise it is recommended to indicate the months.

4. Overshadow Dates with Contributions

Sometimes the only way for you to send the right message to an employer is to highlight the contributions you made and accomplishments you achieved at a firm in the hopes of them overshadowing your relatively brief period of employment. This ties into the adage of quality over quantity. If you can show that you were effective and successful while working for a firm your past performance will show to be more valuable than the short period of time you were there.

Want to read more on this topic? Careerealism goes further into detail on some helpful tips to avoid the job hopper classification.