Job Search Do's and Don'ts

"If Plan A didn't work, the alphabet has 25 more letters."   

Do

• Be realistic

• Follow up. Thank you notes are a must!

• Think outside the box

• Look online, apply in person

• Stay positive

Don't

• Use the economy as an excuse

• Be above any job

• Be afraid of rejection and don't take it personally.

• Make assumptions

• Be afraid of change

***Looking for a tool to help you find jobs that may only be posted on a company’s career page? LinkUp is a search engine for jobs it pulls from company websites, not the “boards”.***

Great Articles and Web Links

Resumes, Cover Letters, and Other Communications

• How to Write About Accomplishments on Your Resume

• Explain an Illness-Related Resume Gap in 3 Simple Ways

• 3 resume Format Tips and Tricks Every Job Seeker Should Know

• The Cover Letters That Make Hiring Manager Smile (Then Call You)

• How to Write a Resume Headline

• How to Overcome Lack of Experience on Your Resume

• Resume Headline Examples and Writing Tips

• The Best Ways to Show Skills on Your Resume

• Rewriting Your Resume? Don't Forget These 7 Impressive Skills

• The Letter to Write When You Don't Get the Job

• Here’s a neat tip to move your resume to the top of the pile.

• How to Manage the Red Flags on Your Resume

• Customize your resume to match each job.  Click here for advice

• 7 Cover Letter Mistakes You Make When Applying Via E-Mail

• Cover letters - new ideas click here

• The Long Lost Art of Following Up

• 10 Reasons Why I Ignored Your Resume

• 10 Ways Social Media Shows You are the Perfect Candidate

• 16 Things You Should Remove From Your Resume

• 3 Assumptions You Should Never Make About Your Resume

• Powerful Phrases That Will Transform Your Resume

Interviewing

• When Answering Interview Questions, Don’t Talk Too Much

• Company Culture Interview Questions

• Is This the Reason You Keep Getting Interviews That Don’t Turn Into Offers?

• How to Ask Why You Didn't Get the Job

• How to answer the question - "Tell Me About Yourself"

• Phone Interview: Tips and Tricks

• Top 9 Tricks for Crushing Your Next Phone Interview

• Get Some Great Phone Interview Tips

• 10 Interview Questions Usually Asked and How to Answer Them

• The STAR Method (for behavioral interview questions)

• What to do about an employment gap click here and body language during interviews click here

• 13 Unexpected Tips for a Successful Job Interview

• Do's and Don'ts:  Interview Body Language Techniques

• How to Answer this Question - What's Your Greatest Strength?

• 10 Ways to Overcome Pre-Job Interview Jitters

• Your Body Language Shapes Who You Are (great Ted Talks video)

• 5 Things You Should Always Bring to the Interview (and What to Leave Behind)

Applications

• Following Up on the Status of a Job Application

• This Is the Best Time of Day to Submit an Online Job Application

• How To Tell When an Applicant Tracking System is Reading Your Resume

• Follow up on your application using these simple guidelines.

• Read and/or listen to "How companies weed out your online job applications" from The Daily Circuit show on MPR Thursday, 2/28.  It was very informative!

• How to Pass a Background Check

• Five Career and Life Lessons Learned From Failure

• Be strategic with your job applications. Don't apply to every one you see! Read more here.

Job Search Strategies

• 7 Steps to Maintain Job Search Momentum During the Pandemic

• Search Smarter: 7 Great Ways to Leverage Google's Power for Your Job Search

• No One Said It Would Be Easy To Find the Hiring Manager

• Staying On-Track and Optimistic in Your Job Search

• What to Do When You're Fired

• Why Ageism Isn't Your Real Problem

• Email Best Practices: How to Make a Great First Impression with Employers

• 10 Things Employers Love To See

• Job Search: How To Stay Sane (and Employable) While Looking for a Job 

• Six Ways to Crack the 'Hidden' Job Market

• Good career advice - read "The Best Career Advice I Ever Heard:  'Dream Big,' 'Don't Fret About Things You Can't Change' and 18 Other Gems."

• Beware These 7 Pieces of Old School Career Advice

• Is Your Job Search Too Old-Fashioned?

• The Top 15 Candidate Traits That Will Get You Hired

• 5 Ways to Job Search Jump Start (Hold the Job Postings)

• Invest Your Job Search Time Wisely

• Six Ways to Turn a Love of Pets into Income

• 7 Job-Search Worries You Can Stop Stressing About

Networking/LinkedIn

• Create a LinkedIn Profile

• Tips for Writing a Great LinkedIn Summary

• The 10 Secrets That Make Networking Easy, Fun, and Ridiculously Effective

At Work

• 5 Tips for Successfully Recovering from a Job Layoff

• If You Were Laid Off, You Weren't Fired -- How to Handle Either

• 5 Free and Easy Ways to Improve Your Computer Skills

• 5 Productivity Tips From Famously Productive People

• Most Important Qualities in a New Employer

• 12 Daily Habits That Will Make You Happier at Work

• 14 Things Positive People Don't Do

• 9 Ways to Be a Great Coworker Everyday

• Get Back on Track: 7 Strategies to Help You Bounce Back After Slipping Up