5 Steps to a New Job

The economy is picking up, budgets are new, positions are open and companies are hiring. Now is the time to rev up your job search efforts. Use these tips to dramatically improve your results.

Get on the job boards and make sure you setup search agents so you get a daily e-mail whenever a new job is posted that meets your criteria. Look for niche boards that focus on your profession.

Make sure your resume is great. If your resume has been posted for a while and you have not been getting calls, then run, don't walk, to a professional resume writing service. This is one of the best hiring times of the year and an investment of a couple of hundred dollars to have a resume that gets you noticed is well worth it.

Identify companies that you like and focus on opportunities with them. When you find one, see if you can find the name of the hiring manager. Then, after researching the company, call the manager and say something like, "A friend told me you might be looking for a XYZ. I have over 8 years in XYZ and have been very successful with such companies as (NAMEDROP)." Then, and this is important, ask him intelligent probing questions that demonstrate your knowledge. By building some rapport with the hiring manager, you will be on the top of his mind when he is looking at resumes.

Network, network, network. Ask people you know who they know and get 2 names from each of them. Don't make it sound like you will be bugging people to help you get a job, but position your contact as a discussion to get sound advice. Join organizations and meet as many new people as you can. Have personal business cards made up that tell people in a nutshell what you offer.

Find small and medium sized firms you'd like to work for. Most of the hiring is done by these firms and they usually don't advertise prominently. That means you will have far less competition. Go to the library and look at reference books to find companies that interest you. Then craft a good cover letter showing you know something about them and how you might be able to help. Follow up with a telephone call and ask for an interview. If they are not hiring, ask for names of people who are (network, network, network).

To get a job today, you need to be aggressive and creative. Follow these steps and your efforts will be well rewarded.

Don Goodman is a nationally known career expert and President of About Jobs (http://www.gotthejob.com) a Resume Writing and Job Search Assistance firm. Contact him at 800-909-0109 or by e-mail at success@gotthejob.com.

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Google News Updated : Wed, 08 Oct 2008 02:50:04 GMT Nashville Knockout: What To Watch For - Washington Post Vancouver Sun Nashville Knockout: What To Watch For Washington Post - 4 hours ago Riggers lift scaffolding into place in front of the Curb Events event site at Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn., Monday, Oct. 6, 2008, as preparations continue for Tuesday's presidential debate. WRAPUP 5-Obama, McCain battle over taxes, economy Reuters Presidential debate: minute by minute Los Angeles Times The Associated Press - New York Times - Newsweek - Newsday all 1,781 news articles Publ.Date : Tue, 07 Oct 2008 22:08:13 GMT Tehran confirms seizure of aircraft - Financial Times AFP Tehran confirms seizure of aircraft Financial Times - 42 minutes ago By Thomas Escritt in Budapest and Najmeh Bozorgmehr in,Tehran Iran yesterday revealed that it had forced a Hungarian-crewed transport aircraft to land after it strayed into the Islamic republic's airspace at the end of last month. Iran Withdraws Claim on US Plane New York Times US Military: Tense Encounters With Iran Occur Almost Daily FOXNews CNN International - AHN - United Press International - The Associated Press all 684 news articles Publ.Date : Wed, 08 Oct 2008 02:08:03 GMT ACORN office in Vegas raided in voter-fraud probe - The Associated Press ABC News ACORN office in Vegas raided in voter-fraud probe The Associated Press - 2 hours ago LAS VEGAS (AP) - Nevada authorities seized records Tuesday from a group they accused of submitting fraudulent voter-registration forms - including for the starting lineup of the Dallas Cowboys. Non-Profit Raided In Voter Fraud Probe CBS News ACORN Nevada Office Raided Washington Post MarketWatch - CNN Political Ticker - USA Today - Cleveland Leader all 197 news articles Publ.Date : Wed, 08 Oct 2008 00:01:25 GMT Study Shows Weak Circumcision/HIV Benefit for Gay/Bisexual Men - WebMD AFP Study Shows Weak Circumcision/HIV Benefit for Gay/Bisexual Men WebMD - 1 hour ago By Daniel J. DeNoon Oct. 7, 2008 -- Circumcision offers little HIV protection to gay/bisexual men -- overall. But it might cut HIV risk in predominantly insertive partners. Circumcision HIV impact doubted BBC News AIDS Benefits of Circumcision Are Limited, Study Finds New York Times U.S. News & World Report - Bloomberg - TIME - MedPage Today all 45 news articles Publ.Date : Wed, 08 Oct 2008 01:24:47 GMT McCain, Obama discuss possible Treasury secretary picks - Reuters Wall Street Journal Blogs McCain, Obama discuss possible Treasury secretary picks Reuters - 43 minutes ago NASHVILLE, Oct 7 (Reuters) - US presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama both mentioned investor Warren Buffett as a possible pick for Treasury secretary on Tuesday but both spoke in only general terms about the qualities they would seek ... McCain, Obama agree that Buffett could lead US treasury (Extra) Monsters and Critics.com A Strong eBay, A Strong Government Forbes Wall Street Journal Blogs - CNN Political Ticker - Boston Herald - Bloomberg all 24 news articles Publ.Date : Wed, 08 Oct 2008 02:06:13 GMT With Outlook Dim, Bernanke Says Fed May Act on Rates - New York Times Boston Globe With Outlook Dim, Bernanke Says Fed May Act on Rates New York Times - 2 hours ago By DAVID STOUT and EDMUND L. ANDREWS WASHINGTON - The Federal Reserve chairman, Ben S. Bernanke, said on Tuesday that the turmoil in the financial markets had increased the risk to overall growth and that federal regulators would have to be vigilant to ... Video: Bernanke signals possible rate cut ReutersVideo Bernanke hints at possible interest rate cut MarketWatch Bloomberg - TheStreet.com - Forex Market all 1,140 news articles Publ.Date : Wed, 08 Oct 2008 00:40:38 GMT Uneasy calm in Bangkok after day of deadly riots - Reuters The Age Uneasy calm in Bangkok after day of deadly riots Reuters - 1 hour ago BANGKOK, Oct 8 (Reuters) - An uneasy calm settled over the Thai capital on Wednesday after the worst street violence in 16 years the day before, when two people died and nearly 400 were injured in clashes between police and anti-government protesters. Video: Raw Video: Tear Gas Fired at Thai Protestors AssociatedPress Two dead as Thai troops battle protesters guardian.co.uk Xinhua - Sin Chew Jit Poh - Washington Post - Radio Australia all 1,463 news articles Publ.Date : Wed, 08 Oct 2008 01:18:31 GMT Add RSS Feeds To My Web Pages Increase Website Traffic

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