1.  Write the letter to the person you think is the one who would hire you.

2.  Research!  Demonstrate that you know something about the reader's company, something that you had to do some research to find out.  Such information can be found on web sites, in annual reports, in your local newspaper and/or business journal, in trade magazines, etc.  Customize your letter to a particular company.  This will impress and make you stand out from the pack of job-seekers.

3.  Explain what you can do for the company, not what you want the company to do for you.  Begin by stating some specific way in which you can help the company or department accomplish a particular goal, preferably giving an outstanding example of a related accomplishment.

4.  Be specific about the job you want.  Hirers want you to have already done your homework and figured out exactly what job you want.  The time to explore other opportunities within the company will come, during the interview if/when the interviewer takes the initiative to ask you about your other options.

5.  Quantify your accomplishments.  After your initial attention-grabbing statement of how you can help the company and stating your greatest related accomplishment, list four or five additional accomplishments, bulleted and quantified.  For example:  Rather than-- "Worked with sales team to increase sales effectiveness", say "Responsible for increasing team sales by 37% in two years."  Your numbers can be approximations, so long as you can explain their rationale if requested.  Think of quantifications involving estimated cost savings, contribution to a company's bottom line, employee retention, specific intitiatives, etc.

6.  Mention accomplishments that directly relate to the job you want.

7.  Keep it brief, succinct and simple.  Your cover letter should be short and to the point.  It should be just one page.  Remember, you are trying to capture the reader's interest in knowing more about you.  Telling your life story is boring.

8.  Is it visually appealing?  When you've finished writing your letter, take a "big picture" look at it.  Is it visually appealing?  Is there plenty of white space (using bullets increases the white space)?  Does it look uncrowded?  Does it look like a letter you would want to read?

9.  Close with an invitation to the reader.  You are writing this cover letter to get an interview.  Tell the reader you would like to talk or meet and include these words: "Please give me a call at such-and-such a phone number."

10.  Follow up with a phone call or a second letter.  People get busy and can get sidetracked by other priorities.  Don't assume that someone isn't interested just because she or he doesn't call you after your first letter.  Give the person a call if possible; if you can't reach him or her, write a second cover letter reminding the reader of your first letter but adding some new quantified accomplishments.  Again, ask the person to call you and give your phone number.

Executive:

Your resume needs to communicate more than just your work history, job duties, and even key results of your efforts.  At the executive level, authorities want to know more than just "what" you did; they want to know "how" and "why" so they can better assess your fit within the organization and its goals.  Executive resumes tend to be longer (two or three pages is the norm), a bit more detailed, and emphasize strategic contributions.  Everything in the resume should support a specific career target.  The entire document should present  a sharp, focused, cohesive picture of who you are and why you're valuable.

1.  Start with a summary.  Begin with an overview of your strongest selling points.  Make sure this summary clearly indicates the type and level of position you're interested in, and be certain to include highlights of your career contributions.

2.  Show your chronological work history.  You are best served by a traditional reverse-chronological format introduced by a powerful summary.  Even if you're trying to downplay some less-than-stellar recent experience in your work history, be certain to show job titles, employers and dates of employment.

3.  Write your responsibilities.  Your resume should be more about what you did than the duties of the job itself.  Briefly describe your scope of responsibility, highlight your achievements and contributions--things you did that improved revenue, profitability, productivity, customer satisfaction or contributed to other business objectives.  You should be more focused on strategic contributions than day-to-day administrative duties:  Communicate the "big picture" in your resume.  Resume readers are pretty intelligent.  They can make assumptions based on job titles and general descriptions; they don't need to have every task spelled out for them.

4.  Be specific.  Avoid vague qualifiers such as "substantially" and "significantly.  Use hard numbers to lend credibility to your accomplishment statements.

5.  Describe accomplishments.  Your accomplishments will have more impact if presented in context or in relation to a specific challenge.

6.  Be consise.  It's important to use a tight writing style so that you can communicate important information without losing your reader in a sea of text.  Edit, edit, edit, to remove information that isn't essential to your message.

7.  Format increases impact.  Use type enhancements, bullets and indentations to make your information easy to absorb.  Above all else, make sure you don't make spelling, punctuation or grammatical errors.

Professional:

1.  Attractive layout.  Use bold and italics to highlight key points.  Get creative but not crazy.  You can use a little touch of color if your are modest.

2.  Justify the text.  This will make your resume easy to follow.

3.  Font.  Times New Roman, Arial, and Verdana are some of the best fonts for a resume.  Do not use cutesy graphics.  It is NOT appropriate for business correspondence.

4.  Do not use the "I" in your resume.  Start each sentence with a powerful verb.

5.  Proper cover letter for each position.  Do not ever send out a resume without a cover letter.  This is basic business etiquette.  Personalize each cover letter directly to the position to which you are applying.

6.  Edit your resume.  Use the grammar and spell check function, but don't rely on it.

7.  Degree: List only the year that you obtained your degree.  List your dates of attendance.

8.  Format Consistency.  For example, don't list one date as 1/2004 and then list another date as 9/22/2004.  List software consistently.

9.  Pay attention to punctuation and capitalization.

Time, energy, thought and care spent on resume development is an excellent investment in yourself and your career.  Your resume is important.  If it's powerful and focused, it can help advance your career.

Good Luck!

All your hard work putting the finishing touches on your resume, networking and job searching has finally paid off.

Be Prepared.  You've made extra copies of your resume and have researched the industry and company, as well as thought about how your skills match the responsibilities of the position.

Dress to impress.  Your interview attire should be tastefully simple, clean and wrinkle-free.

Be on time.  Being on time for an interview really means arriving at least 15 minutes before your scheduled interview.

Make eye contact.  Greet  your interviewer with a firm handshake, warm smile and direct eye contact.

Show enthusiasm.  If you're locked in a dead heat for a job with other candidates, you need a way to stand out.  In a tight candidate race, the most enthusiastic almost always gets the job.  Your enthusiasm for the job tells the recruiter you will be a highly-motivated employee.

Demonstrate that you're a team player.  Employers want a team worker who can take direction.  Employers are looking for someone who can galvanize a team to work toward a common goal.  Give some examples of how you worked together with colleagues to tackle a large project or service an important client.

Sell yourself.  Have a list of things you want to make sure the interviewer knows about you and be ready to bring specific topics up on your own if they are not adequately touched on in the interview.

Be honest.  You should never stretch the truth on your resume or during the interview.  Remember, companies are looking to fill a position.  They just want the right person for the job.

Be professional.  Sit up straight and conduct yourself with a professional demeanor at all times.

Ask questions.  An interview is a fact-finding mission for both the interviewer and the interviewee.  Ask questions about the responsibilities of the job, clients or projects.  If you do not engage the interviewer, you appear weak and ineffective.

"Thank you."  Close the interview with a firm handshake, a "thank you" and a smile.  Ask when their decision will be made, and if you should follow-up.  Send a note or e-mail thanking the interviewer for the time spent and letting them know you are interested in the position and will contact them again soon.

Group Interviews- Standing Out in The Crowd

1.  Be ready to impress.  Before any interview, list three characteristics associated with the job description and prepare to demonstrate that you possess them during the session.

2.  Be prepared.  A group interview can involve multiple job candidates, as well as multiple hiring managers.  Don't assume the person who is quietly observing possesses no clout; often, the least talkative person is the ultimate decision maker.  Get a sense of the hierarchy by observing whom your interviewers make eye contact with as they speak; typically, employees will watch for their managers' reactions to what they are saying.  Regardless of who appears to be in charge, show equal respect and professionalism to everyone in the room, including other applicants.

3.  Be assertive.  If the interview is structured as an open dialogue, make sure your voice is heard--but never at the expense of interrupting others, which is a sign of poor sportsmanship.  If you have something meaningful to say and someone else is speaking, wait your turn.  At the same time, avoid dominating the conversation--another sign of poor team play.

4. Show grace under fire.  You may not have much time to formulate your responses to questions posed by an interviewer.  If others start chiming in, and you're still considering your answer, resist the urge to immediately insert your thoughts; a poorly phrased answer can do more damage than saying nothing at all.

5.  The unexpected.  With more than one person vying for the spotlight, don't be surprised if someone makes your point first.  If this happens, think of a statement that adds to the conversation; this will show the hiring manager you can listen well and think on your feet.

6.  Show your people skills.  During a group interview, a hiring manager may split the group into small teams and assign a hypothetical problem or case for each to resolve.  The interviewer is likely looking to see who takes charge, how well the person delegates tasks and how the other members react to his or her leadership.  The hiring manager might also observe how well individuals improvise, use their reasoning powers to win others over, and give and receive criticism.

7.  Pose insightful questions.  Interviewers often favor candidates who ask meaningful questions because this shows a prospective employer that applicants are genuinely interested in the organization and have done their research.  Posing insightful questions is an easy way to stand out in a group interview.  To develop thoughtful questions, study the job description and research the company beforehand.

The key to succeeding in a group interview, however, is acknowledging the other applicants, and acting strategically to distinguish yourself as the candidate of choice.

Good Luck!

Being able to remember names is a valuable asset in both the business and social arenas.

1. Be interested.  Many of us don't even catch the other person's name when being introduced.  Pay attention as you are introduced.

2.  Verify the name.  Unless people have introduced themselves to you, verify what they wish to be called.  Ask what they prefer (e.g., "Jeff introduced you as Debbie, is that what you prefer to be called?") will not only cement the name in your mind, but ensure you are using the name that pleases them.

3.  Picture the name written.  Imagine seeing the name written across the person's forehead.  It's helpful if you visualize the name written in your favorite color of Magic Marker and/or imagine writing the name.

4.  Relational.  Try to associate a person's name with a familiar image or famous person. 

5.  Frequently use the name.  Try to use the name three or four times during your conversation.  Use it when you first meet, when you ask a question and in your departure.

6. Create a "new contacts" file.  Keep a record of new contact names and information, including where and when you met.  Review it now and then.