• Call the company and get the department name, name of the head of the department, exact title of the person, address, phone number, and fax number - if possible call 1-800-555-1212 for free 800 listings - or find this information on the company web site.

• Department heads change very quickly so it is important to call to verify the above information.

• Try to by-pass the Human Resource Department or send a resume to more than one department.

• It is best to e-mail or fax a résumé to the Department Head or President of the company and then send a hard copy.

• One week after the résumé is mailed, call the Head of the Department that you would be working under to make sure that your information was received and try to arrange a meeting.

• If you can, purchase a new blue or gray suit for the interview - this will increase your confidence - make sure it is professional looking.

• Always give a firm handshake upon arriving and leaving the interview.

• Find out when and how you can expect to hear about the decision of the employer before you leave the interview.

• Make sure that you get the names, titles, and departments of all involved in your interview. Send a thank you/follow-up note or letter within 24 hours after the interview.

The employment industry, like any other industry, is governed by economic cycles,  fluctuation in consumer demand for skills of certain professionals, and psychological forces that come into play when certain jobs are considered "hot" and others are considered "cold."

In the past year many changes have occurred with the dot-com companies. A year ago, anyone with six months' technical experience with a dot-com organization could write his or her own ticket in making a profitable move to another Internet-based organization.  Quality of project involvement and time sensitive delivery of Web-based services were more important than tenure on the job.  "Talented techies" could interview with competitors, knowing that their demonstrated skills and successful projects could bring them significant salary increases and other impressive perks.

All that has changed!  The dot-coms are no longer the darlings of Wall Street.  The huge drop in their stock value in the past year has made investors very leery of offering additional financing.  Consequently, Internet companies have been downsizing rather than hiring, with the prospect of more job cuts in the future.

The market worth of a senior product manager, technical illustrator, or Web developer working for a dot-com is not what it was before.  No one knows how that will change in the near future.

There is no such thing as job security!

Rules For Determining Your Marketability

• Your market worth is a matter of what a prospective employer is willing to pay for your services.  You can get an idea of what the going rates are by looking at Web sites such as www.salary.com, which offers objective salary comparisons and differentials within a profession based on geographical demographics.
• Your market worth is also determined by subjective considerations of the employer based on the company needs and your specific strengths.
• Your market worth can be enhanced considerably through professional development.  Have you:

  - Earned an advanced degree or professional certification?
  - Developed new skills that enable you to make a greater
  contribution to the success of your company?
  - Received any industry or professional awards or other
  evidence of peer-recognized distinction?
  - Advanced on the job more quickly than others who
  were hired in similar positions?

• Consider the competition.  One way to do this is to work with professional recruiters who are experts in placing professionals with your background and abilities.  They have their pulse on hiring trends and can offer an objective assessment of a given candidate's marketability.  A brief informational telephone conversation or face-face meeting will allow you to identify if the recruiter thinks you are a "Hot commodity."
• Read print and online employment postings.  Scan the want ads in major newspapers and professional journals in your field.
• Try registering confidentiality with a couple of major employment portals, including IMDiversity.  Target the positions you are ideally suited for, and then ask some difficult questions:

  - What is the nationwide demand for persons with your skills?

  -  How long have certain positions been advertised and    unfilled?

  - What is the range of starting compensation for such    positions?

  - Would you qualify as an exceptional candidate question?

You can prepare to launch an effective search campaign that maximizes your chances to land your ideal position when you have answered these questions.     

Heather Stone, President of myjobsearch.com indicated in an article on Career Magazine that a survey of job seekers at myjobsearch.com revealed that 90% of all résumés sent online never get a response.  To improve your chances of getting a response you should:

• Conduct research on the Internet and only submit your résumé to sites for which you are qualified.  Researching an opportunity before submitting a résumé for it will cut down on the number of résumés that need to be sent.
• Use interactive chat rooms and discussion forums on company web sites to make connections within a company.  This is referred to as internetworking.  By making an online connection and being able to "link" through e-mail, web pages, and online portfolios you can demonstrate skills long before a résumé is sent.
• Restructure your résumé to meet the needs of every employer that receives it.  Make a specific objective each time you send the résumé using a bullet and the job title - Sales Manager.
• As you identify target employers, you need to find the names of the person in charge of hiring and get on the phone.  This old fashioned approach is simply and surprisingly effective.  By making a phone call, showing interest and enthusiasm, you may be able to quickly arrange an interview with the hiring manager.
• More than 80% of employers prefer to connect with job seekers by referral.  Referrals may come from meetings with employees of target companies or members of associations (see section on networking).
• Respond to e-mail responses to your résumé immediately.  Use an e-mail address that is professional, preferably with your first initial and last name.  You may want to have a separate e-mail address just for your job search.  Include all contact information in every e-mail that you send.  Employers and recruiters still prefer to respond by phone.
• Send your e-mail attachment or ASCII file cut and pasted in the body of the e-mail to yourself first to make sure that is is aligned properly and reads well.
• Always send a personalized cover letter with the résumé unless otherwise instructed.  This letter should be placed above the résumé in the body of the e-mail.  The cover letter and résumé should be sent together in one e-mail.
• If responding to an ad or a job posting, use the title and / or noted reference number as the subject of your e-mail message.
• If you find several good job listings at a specific site, consider posting your résumé there.
• Always read the specific applications instructions for any job posted online and follow the instructions carefully.  One error may result in having your résumé rejected.
• Maintain detailed records of where, when, and to whom your résumé is sent.  Otherwise you can become very confused.
• Remember, sending your résumé to a well-researched, targeted audience with an appropriate message will greatly improve your chances of getting a response from resumes sent online.
• Never use the Internet as your only method for conducting your job search, use it as one of many methods, including old-fashioned networking, responding to newspaper, magazine, and trade journal advertisements, and calling targeted companies.

Before you post your résumé:

• Once you have posted your résumé, it is a public document and you run the risk of it being seen by almost anyone.  If confidentiality is a major issue for you, think twice before posting anything on the Internet.
• Find out who has access to the database, how access is granted, and if your résumé will be forwarded to employers.  Is it possible that your employer will see the résumé?  If the answers make you uncomfortable, refrain from posting your résumé.
• Determine if the job site charges a fee for posting the résumé or for later updating the résumé.  Try to find a site that allows unlimited updates without charges.  Avoid posting on sites that limit updates and / or charge for updates.
• Use a site that will delete your résumé if it has not been updated in 3 months.
• Again, use this as only one avenue, continue using the other methods of job-hunting to ensure your success.

In a Wall Street Journal article Douglas B. Richardson, the head of an executive and career development firm in Nazareth, Pennsylvania presented an article to which I have added some of my own recommendations.

Too many résumé writers falsely believe that each and every word of the résumé that they send to an employer will be read.  Of the hundreds of résumés that cross the desks of human resource managers and executive recruiters often less than half are really read.  Most get a fast scan, a snap judgment and relegation to the re-read thoroughly, time-permitting file.  Others do better because they are developed and presented as an effective marketing tool - they entice the reader to want to read more about them.

It takes professionals who are skilled in screening résumés between 2 and 5 minutes to thoroughly read 2 single-spaced typewritten pages.  Even a quick scan takes about 40 seconds.  The following recommendations will help your résumé to be one of those that are read rather than one that is tossed:

• Avoid using huge, dark blocks of verbiage and quarter inch margins
• Use wide margins, bold headings, indentations, and bullets - anything to guide the eye quickly to the points that should grab the readers attention
• Do not use fancy fonts, weird papers, or flashy formats unless you are in the graphics trade - employers prefer conservative, classic fonts and papers that are easy to read
• Brag as effectively as you can - don't substitute format for content
• Develop a targeted résumé that shows a clear sense of direction
• Write a brief objective - a job title like Sales Manager means so much more than statements that make recruiters sick to their stomachs because they are meaningless and have been seen repeatedly - "a responsible, challenging position . . ."
• If you are changing careers or are not sure of the position that you are interested in, try using a profile or summary instead of an objective
• Don't write in the first person or the third person
• Use numbers and percentages, not qualifying adjectives that cannot be measured objectively - avoid using "major contributions," "dynamic programs," and "significant improvements."
• Give the reader the specifics rather than using high action adverbs - avoid words like "aggressively," "progressively," and "proactively." 
• If you use these words as a general statement, make sure that you back them up with specifics
• Use strong action verbs - manage, direct, execute, analyze, develop, create
• Avoid soft verbs like help, aid, and participate in
• Provide specific names of companies rather than a general statement about the kind of company.  Names just as numbers add to making a more powerful résumé
• If you can't use a specific name of a company try using "a Fortune 100 Company or "world's largest international producer of widgets"
• Research and know the market that you are targeting, ask yourself the questions that the employer would ask, and provide those answers in your résumé
• Recognize that it is the readers perception, not your intention that determines the fate of the response to your résumé.  Show the reader how the company / organization can use you and sell only what you are prepared to deliver  

An article by Douglas B. Richardson, posted on the Computer World web site discusses the advantages and disadvantages of e-mail, voice mail, and the Internet for job seekers.  Though modern technology makes communicating easier, faster, and more pervasive than ever, it lacks the human touch and can never convey "fit" to an employer.  To communicate your traits and personality, you must know how to use and by-pass communication technology and meet personally with contacts.

Employers look for more than technical or specific job-related skills when hiring new employees.  Certain characteristics have been found to be essential in developing an effective team that contributes to the growth and success of the organization.  Employers look for these characteristics during the hiring process.  Knowing these characteristics and being able to identify them in yourself, will enhance your effectiveness at interviews and increase your chances of getting the job that you want.

In a recent book entitled If My Careers is on the Fast Track, Where Do I Get a Road Map?, Anne Fisher says that employers look for three things: 

• A knack for problem-solving and dogged self-motivation
• The ability to listen well and get along with other people
• Strong communication skills, including reading and writing

In addition, according to a survey of executives at 1,000 U.S. companies conducted by Caliper, a human resource consulting firm, employers are interested in employees with:

• Imagination
• Dedication
• Conscientiousness
• Openness to new ideas
• Versatility
• The ability to handle stress
• Leadership skills
• Client relationship skills

A study of 1,400 companies by Office Team identified 6 key soft skills employers say they need:

• Problem-solving
• Open-mindedness
• Ethics
• Persuasiveness
• Leadership
• Educational interests, willingness to pursue training and acquire knowledge in unfamiliar areas

In a poll taken by Select Appointments North America, skills were ranked according to those most needed by new hires: 

• Listening (80% of executives ranked this #1)
• Interpersonal skills
• Problem-solving
• Technical skills
• Well thought out, well-written, and concise written communication

Strong writing skills can often be the tiebreaker in selecting a new employee if all other skills are equal. Sometimes the cover letter accompanying your résumé is used to determine your writing skills.

Employers repeatedly said that following-up each interview with a hand-written thank you note indicates attention-to-detail, good business manners, and enthusiasm for the job which could be the tiebreaker if everything else is equal.  

Knowing your soft skills, using them on your résumé, being able to expound on them in an interview, and following-up with a well-written  thank you note within 24 hours after each interview may greatly enhance your chances of securing a job offer.

Having good "people skills" will help you get the job that you want and  build the career that you desire.  Very few people are born knowing how to relate well to others.  Michael Crom, in an article for USA Today entitled "Having Good People Skills Can Help Your Career," provided these basic tips to enable you to develop skills so that others see you as a positive, friendly person:

• Smile - A smile shows that you like yourself, you like your current place in the world, and you are happy with the people you are interacting with.  No one will say you are crabby if you are smiling.  Practice smiling as you work on your computer or walk to your car and it will become second nature to you.

• Be a good listener - Most people prefer to talk rather than listen.  Encourage others to talk about themselves.  If you are nervous and talk too much about yourself, it can be interpreted as arrogance.  If you want to develop "people skills," you don't really have to say much at all.  Ask an open-ended question and let the other person begin talking.  Look them in the eye, nod your head, say "uh huh" a few times, and suddenly you'll find you are more popular.  

• Remember names - A person's name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language.  You can never say someone's name too much.  Actually, this is the secret to convincing people that you are not arrogant.  Using others names as you talk will let them know that you are enough to remember this important fact about them.  They also will know that you are thinking about them first and yourself second.

• Look co-workers in the eye - Whenever someone begins a conversation with you, look them in the eye and smile first, then get on with the conversation.  Also, when you enter the room for an interview or a meeting, smile and look around at everyone.  If you want to start a conversation with one person or a group, walk up to them and smile.