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Having the right keywords on your resume and in your LinkedIn profile is the hottest trend right now for job hunters. There are a plethora of free articles online telling you that your resume will be tossed in the trash if you don't have the right industry-specific buzzwords. The same advice goes for your LinkedIn profile and having enough skills listed to boost its SEO performance.

Yes, it's true that many applicant tracking systems are scanning and parsing your resume for essential keywords that are found in the job description. "Keyword stuffing," as it’s called, is the practice of having a long list of keywords at the top of your resume. This will help you get past the applicant tracking system and get your resume ...

When I coach clients on LinkedIn, I always make the distinction that LinkedIn serves as a networking tool first, and job board second. Its primary purpose is to help you make new connections and nurture your current ones, in order to support your long-term career growth.

Since Microsoft purchased LinkedIn, we've seen a number of new features rolled out. The latest is Career Advice. This feature helps you to identify mentors within your industry who can provide advice, and possibly other connections. You fill out a short form about what type of advice you are seeking and LinkedIn will send you notifications with people who can support you. The concept of a mentor can be useful whether you are a job seeker, business owner, or otherwise.

With or without this feature, seeking out mentors in your line of ...

In the sales world, there is an acronym that is widely used to describe how to get a prospect to buy from you. It's KLT, or the "Know, Like and Trust" factor. It's believed that people buy from you when they know you, like and trust you. Some would say that's even more important than the quality of the product or service itself.

As I've said many times, a job search is identical to sales. You are the service and the employer is the buyer. The employer will hire the person that they know, like and trust to do a quality job (and who they believe will fit in with the culture).

This principle also applies to getting referred for a job. It has been proven time and time again to be the most effective strategy. Your network ...

 

I go through the same cycle with clients every year. November approaches and they get caught up with the holidays. They assume that no one is hiring.....and they wait. They wait and tell themselves that they're going to "go hard" in January with their job search.

Is this you?

Here's what people don't think about: the average job search takes several months, and that does not include preparation for a job search, such as updating your resume and LinkedIn.

Right now (when things are quiet and half of the office is on a holiday vacation) is THE BEST TIME to start preparing for your search. That way, when January comes you won't lose time like everyone else.

Here are three reasons why you should NOT postpone ...

I heard the phrase recently that "your network is your net worth," and it stopped me in my tracks. Not only is it catchy, but it's SO true. To be honest, I never used to believe in networking. In my earlier career, before I became a career coach, I had no idea how people were getting jobs by networking. I kept hearing about how great it was and how it was the missing piece to everyone's job search. It sounded great, but I had NO IDEA what people were talking about. It was great for everyone but me.

Fast forward a few years and one new business later, now I get it. I really get it. If you don't believe in networking, then you probably just don't understand it. You've been sold the idea that it's about going to events, passing out business cards, shaking a ...

 

When I redesigned my program options recently, I wanted to increase the effectiveness of the program for YOU as the job seeker. That means going beyond the resume. By far, my most popular program is the Career Jumpstart. Why? Because it covers every first impression that the employer typically has of you: the resume, the cover letter, and the LinkedIn profile. This is especially true in the modern age of online applications.

You will need all three of these documents at some point in your search. There a few industries where I'd say you don't need a LinkedIn profile, but not most. And yes, I still want you to have a cover letter on hand in case the application asks for it.

So here's something else to consider. Having the same person write all three ...

 

If I had to take all of the mistakes that I see job seekers make and boil it down to one critical item, it would be this: Relying 100% on the resume. The resume alone is not enough to get you a job in most cases, and this is THE SINGLE BIGGEST MISTAKE THAT JOB SEEKERS MAKE. Yes, you need to have a great resume and the hiring manager will eventually read it, or at least most of it. However, doing nothing but firing off resumes online rarely gets anyone a job.

The path of least effort= the path of least results.

This also is where a resume writer or career coach can add tremendous value and save you a significant amount of time. My staff knows how to write a quality resume quickly. This saves ...

 

According to LinkedIn themselves, once a recruiter is on your profile, the summary is the #1 most-read section. As a job seeker, you cannot afford to go light on this section. I tell clients all the time that your LinkedIn summary is your new cover letter. The traditional cover letter is morphing into what's called an "E-note," which basically just refers to electronic communications such as email and LinkedIn messages.

If you are getting overwhelmed in your search and need to prioritize your time (who doesn't?), then I'd rather you focus your time on your LinkedIn profile than your cover letter.

Let me take the stress out of your writing your summary and share three simple tips. These tips will help you write a KILLER profile without being a professional writer.

Keep ...

 

How many people are prepared right now for an unexpected job loss? Are you? What does "being prepared" even mean?

In my own career, I've was laid off four times by the age of 30. Yes, you read that right. Thankfully, I attacked my job searches pretty hard from day one and was never unemployed longer than five weeks. But that's not what happens to most people. Hardly anyone thinks about updating their resume or reconnecting with their network until they have to.

I cannot urge you enough to be proactive and to always be vigilant in your career. Long-term job loss can cripple your finances, and not to mention your confidence.

So what do you need to do to be prepared? Keep your resume updated. When you accept a new job, ...

 

When you focus intensely on any one goal or intention, it's almost inevitable that burnout will follow. Anyone who's been in a job search more than few weeks can relate. It's all cute and fun in the beginning until you apply, apply and apply and then....nothing. Or, you interview, interview, and interview but... no offers. If you ever experienced this, you are NOT alone. And no, you don't have a disease either. The application system is flawed in so many ways.

It's only natural to lose motivation (and shreds of sanity) when you do the work and don't see results. It's enough to make anyone crazy. You send off your resume, update your LinkedIn, and do all of the things that you think you are supposed to. And still...nothing. This is SO common.

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