Ninja Job Interview Tactics - Tough Times Call For Tough Strategies!

Hi all! I just finished another short series of articles and "Squidoo" lenses about job hunting - in particular - job interview tactics. Here is the direct link to my "Ninja Job Interview Tactics" lens - but in a nutshell, what I talk about is the idea of "bringing" something to the interview table that helps you rise heads and shoulders above the rest of the crowd.

The way I see it (and you may or may not agree with me) is this: If you ARE getting job interviews but are NOT getting job offers, then something is wrong.

That is: if you are 1) definitely qualified, and you are 2) pretty darned confident that you have what it takes to do the job - and if you are 3) pretty sure that you interviewed well but are still not hearing those 2 magical words, "You're Hired!" - then something needs to change.

After all, who said that "the definition of insanity is doing the same things over and over and expecting different results?" Well, it's true!

If you keep on interviewing, and don't change your approach, then why would you expect different results?

As I said in the title here: "Tough Times Call For Tough Strategies." Look. You absolutely must change the way you approach the interview. I think that you should go in as though you already have the job, and show them how you will do it.

Check out what I wrote at the Squidoo page here => Ninja Job Interview Tactics

And, I also published an article over at Ezine@rticles.com on the same topic here => Ninja Job Interview Tactics for Serious Job Seekers (a little different slant).

Then, go ahead and implement what you read along with the tools here at => www.JobInterviewTechnique.net - I truly believe that this advice is the best there is to help you start getting job offers. I promise! I have used this technique myself, so I KNOW it works!

The Informational Interview

If you are job hunting these days, you probably already know that you need an edge. Almost all of us know someone who is looking for work, or is afraid of losing their jobs. If you are already job hunting, but are running out of leads or need some fresh perspective, I highly recommend planning informational interviews as a way to network and also get a handle on what's important in your target industry right now.

In a nutshell, an informational interview is a meeting between you (the potential job hunter), and a specific company that interests you for the purpose of familiarizing you with a company and its culture WITHOUT actually applying for a job there.

An informational interview allows you not only to learn about the company (information which you can use if you decide to apply for a job there), but to also potentially get your foot in the door since you will be meeting people and becoming a known face and name to them. In other words, an informational interview is an "information gathering" activity that can be exceptionally valuable in your job search.

Because there is SO MUCH to learn about this particular activity, I have written two long informational articles about this topic which you can see over at Squidoo. It's just too much to fit into my blog here. I'll be writing more about the topic, and will post updates here.

My first article (or "lens" as they call it at Squidoo) is The Informational Interview - Job Interview Technique #2 in a series.

The second article/lens is Preparing for an Informational Interview - Job Interview Technique #3 in a series.

You'll find information about how to formulate informational interview questions as well as how to make a request for informational interview.

There is a LOT of information there, so please pop on over and give it a read! I would also love to hear your comments. Thanks for visiting!

PS: If you want a VERY GOOD Job Interview Strategy, visit www.JobInterviewTechnique.net for what I believe is the best advice I've ever heard!

Cover Letter Writing Tip

Ok folks, here is one of my favorite cover letter writing tips: Put a "headline" in your cover letter that practically screams to the employer "Wow! This is one person we HAVE to bring in!"

So, what do I mean by that? Let's say you are applying to work behind the deli counter at the local grocery store. You've had 5 years experience working with food, maybe you were a line cook, etc. You also have a certificate that shows you went through food safety and kitchen sanitation training.

Why not make that a big selling point? Make your letter look something like this:

To: Ms. Janice Burns, Deli Manager
GrocerMart
1313 Mockingbird Lane
Yourtown, STATE 00000

"2 reasons why I may be the perfect person to work at the GrocerMart Deli:"

Dear Ms. Burns,

Here are the 2 reasons why I may be the perfect person to fill the counter clerk at the GrocerMart Deli:

• Food Safety - It's extremely important in commercial kitchens, and I've got the training and experience to keep the food safe and clean.
• Sanitation Training - If you want someone who is certified and experienced in keeping a commercial kitchen like GrocerMart Deli clean, spotless, safe, and ready at any time for a visit from the health inspector, I'm your person.

See how that works? Stay tuned for MORE cover letter writing tips and suggestions!

Visit www.CoverLetterWriting.net for more cover letter writing help and outstanding tools to get you that interview!

Until next time... Have a great day! :)

Creating a Resume - 3 Excellent Starting Points ANYONE Can Use

Yippee! Just got word that one of my Ezine Articles just got published. This is a pretty good one, called:

"Creating a Resume - 3 Excellent Starting Points ANYONE Can Use."

Please hop over and read it - it's a lot longer than my little blog entries, but it's got some great stuff in it!

Again, that link: Creating a Resume - 3 Excellent Starting Points ANYONE Can Use.

I love it when they publish my stuff. Definitely good for the ego! :)

CreatingaResume.info is also available for you - they've even got a nice little free pdf report on cover letters. Quite good!

And, if you want VERY good info on cover letter writing, visit www.CoverLetterWriting.net

Writing a Resume? Action...Action...We Want Action!

Ok. We're in agreement that you're writing a resume. "Writing" means "words." When you begin writing your resume - and if you really want it to be an effective resume, you need action words.

As you're getting your pencils sharpened, and your skills and accomplishments lined up, begin thinking of them in terms of "action"words and keywords. Rather than run an exhaustive list here, I'm handing you over to a nice site that has a terrific listing available here = > Resume Keywords.

Obviously you won't use most of these! But, as you look at the list, you'll begin to see a few that sound good. You'll say, "Advocated! Yes! That's exactly what I did at ABC Agency!" and you'll jot it down. Stuff like that.

So, get moving on thinking in terms of action words - no namby-pamby passive words. For example, instead of "I was involved with selling and wound up selling about 10,250 widgets last year..." you would say:

"Sold 10,000+ widgets in 2008."

Ok, got the idea? Practice that!

This tip brought to you by CreatingaResume.info! Stop by now for a great deal on a great resume building tool!

Effective Resume Writing Help is Here! Welcome!

Welcome to my Effective Resume Writing Help blog!

Over the course of the next few days and weeks, I hope to give you all some good, rock-solid and effective resume writing help.

I also hope to be able to steer you to other resources that I have found to be helpful as well. One of the reasons I'm also posting information here at the Blogger platform is that I can move text around, and emphasize certain points a little easier than I can in some of my other writings.

For today, I just want to give you a quick point to ponder about resumes. Although this is no mystery, it appears that people have the misconception that the purpose of a resume is to get them a job.

This is incorrect, so we need to collectively get this notion out of our minds!

If you've ever read any of my articles or Squidoo lenses, you'll probably hear me say this more than once. But it bears repeating:

The purpose of your resume is to get you an interview.

That's it! Doesn't that make you feel better already!?

I've got a lot of preparation to do on this blog, so I'll leave you with a link to one of my Squidoo lenses - Creating a Resume - in case you have a hankering to see what I've been up to, along with the link to one of my favorite resume development tools that you can find over at Creating a Resume.info!