The New Year brings with it new hopes, dreams and resolutions to exact change in our lives. For many people this means finding a new job. However, years of recession and economic struggle has made the job search more difficult than ever considering the number of qualified candidates and the paucity of available jobs. So job seekers need to step it up, and though many obsess over their resumes, cover letters and building their networks, they often forget a very important element in the interviewing process.

This article explains, “Believe it or not, a thank-you card could be the deal-breaker in your hiring, according to a study conducted last year by CareerBuilder. The research found that more than one in five hiring managers is less likely to bring a potential employee on board if the interviewee did not send a thank-you note.”

Don’t let the emotionally-charged wake of post-interview stress lead to stupid mistakes. As you meet with your significant other over dinner and drinks to discuss what went right, what went wrong and your chances of landing an offer or a follow-up interview, don’t forget that you’re not done. Compose an intelligent and sincere thank you letter that reiterates your gratitude for your interviewer’s time and why you’re such an excellent fit for the job.

Remember not to walk away from the interview without the information you need to send the appropriate people a thank you letter. Ask for business cards. And, yes, it is acceptable to send your thank you letter via email. Do so within 48 hours. Don’t use form letters. Don’t rely of spell-check to edit your writing. Include some mention of something funny or poignant that occurred during your interview to refresh their memory of the interview and you. A well-crafted thank you letter may make all of the difference.

Here is an A-Z Info-graphic.. Great Info!

1. Be Willing to take Unpaid Work

College students usually don’t have a mortgage, children and many of the bigger expenses of life yet. Many can afford to take time to explore their options. Be willing to take extra measures like moving in with parents or friends and taking upaid. Be sure it’s in the industry where you hope to work. This could lead to another opportunity but most importantly, gets you experience in your field.

2. Learn to network.
One skill that will serve you best in any job market is your ability to talk to people, develop trust and be likeable. Participate in clubs, associations, groups and events that are available on campus. For more tips on networking, read the book, “Never Eat Alone.” Take advantage of all of the opportunities to hear and meet experts that regularly speak to college students at no cost.

3. Read blogs or start one.

One of the quickest ways to become familiar with an industry is to read blogs. Interested in being a chef? Read the top chef blogs. Read the blogs regularly and comment on them to develop relationships. Many bloggers are generous with their expertise and may help grads develop advanced knowledge in their field. Start at AllTop.com.

Some students start a blog of their own focused on the industry they want to work in after graduation. Use it to keep track of research, articles, and events. Just summarize the main points, add a link to the article or information and provide opinion or commentary on the information. Put a link to your blog on your resume. This helps potential employers find you and learn more about you before the interview.

4. Use the Internet.
Search for jobs on CareerLeak and do company research to find companies to work for. Prepare for interviews by getting salary and other information relating to a job. Use social networking site www.LinkedIn.com to network online. Find people who work at businesses where you hope to work. Look at the general age, background and experience of employees. See if you have any contacts that know someone who works there and ask for an introduction. When you have an interview, spend time on the site researching the people you will meet.

5. Consider alternative industries and careers.
Look at alternative industries that may be hiring for similar skills. Be open to other careers. Research employment trends through the Bureau of Labor Statistics at bls.gov. If all else fails, consider getting an advanced degree.

Eighty percent of all submitted resumes (and 100 percent of resumes sent to Fortune 1000 companies) get scanned by software commonly known as an applicant-tracking system (ATS), and such scanned resumes are stored on a server in a digitized format. Humans are seeing your resume only if it resurfaces based on a query. That’s why most job applicants don’t receive responses from companies after submitting resumes. Therefore, in order to increase your resume chances of being at least viewed by a human–even if it’s not thereafter considered suitable–you have to understand the process and beat them at their own game.

Human resources departments that use ATSs base their queries on keywords they lift from job descriptions or receive verbally from hiring managers. Based on that information, the ATS extracts appropriate resumes from the ones on file. The human resources employee’s query may result in just a few resumes or a vast number. The ATS also scores those resumes and sorts and prioritizes them. Then the employee reviews, say, 20 and submits 5 to be interviewed.

Your job is to ensure that you embed sufficient keywords in your resume. So, what’s the best way to find those magical keywords? It’s a simple, albeit somewhat tedious, exercise.

1. Search the Internet via job boards such as Monster and The Ladders.com to find 5 to 20 job descriptions of jobs advertised in the field you’re interested in.

2. Cut and paste all of the descriptions one after another into a new Word document.

3. Review the document, resetting in boldface what you consider the keywords throughout.

4. Delete everything except the boldface words.

5. Alphabetize the words, and delete duplicates.

6. Copy your resume into a new Word document, and repeat steps 3, 4, and 5 on that copy.

The two resulting lists will display which keywords from the descriptions are missing from your resume. And now comes the creative part: you incorporate the missing keywords into your resume so it seems seamless and a perfect match for the context in which the words are mentioned in the job descriptions.

For some, the question “Have you ever been fired?” can inspire a pit in the stomach when the answer to that question is “Yes”.  You may be among an unfortunate bunch who had a horrific experience at a company (or with a certain coworker or boss), ending in a not so ideal ending.  And whether your termination was your fault or not, it can continue to haunt you in your search for future prospects.  So what is the best way to field this tough issue?

Be Honest

First things first:  don’t lie.  It may be tempting to dismiss the topic altogether, hoping that the company you’re interviewing with never finds out – but what happens if they do?  If they find out during the interview process, you’re certain not to get the job.  And if they find out a few years down the line, no matter how great an employee you are, they may still decide to let you go.  A second termination is not what you want on your record, so do yourself a favor and be upfront and honest from the get go.  It’s much safer, and you’ll stress about if far less in the long run.

Provide Some Context

Explain the circumstances surrounding the incident.  If it was a conflict of interest, let the interviewer know.  If it happened 15 years ago, tell them that you now have a lot of distance from the incident and that your stellar work performance since then speaks for itself.  If it occurred in the more recent past, explain that you have learned quite a bit from the incident, but don’t spend your time making excuses.  Lay down the facts, and focus on what you’ve done since and will do in the future to demonstrate that you are a valuable employee who understands what it takes to be an asset to a company.

Don’t Give Away Too Much

While it’s important to be forthcoming in your response to this question, you also don’t want to spend too much time addressing the matter.  Keep the focus of the interview on what makes you the ideal person to hire, and spend as little time as you can conveying what the interviewer needs to know about that particular incident.  People who feel the need to defend themselves tend to over-explain, and this can portray lack of confidence and lead you down the wrong road.  Certainly stray away from speaking ill of your former boss or company, remaining as objective and succinct as possible.

No one likes getting fired and everyone wants to find a new job.  Don’t let one obstacle in your past set the tone for the rest of your career.  Concentrate on what you need to do to land your next job and on the reasons you’re a perfect fit for it, and the rest will follow.

Welcome back to our second installment of tips for improving your networking skills.  Last time we discussed the importance of taking the time to really establish a meaningful connection with someone and of exchanging stories with the person you’re speaking to.  Both of these things help make you more memorable and create a basis for further conversation.  Read on for more tips on how to effectively chat people up at those networking events that we all love, oh, so much!

Create a Transition for Your Next Conversation

Once you’ve won over a contact at a networking event, the next battle becomes following up with them in a meaningful and relevant way.  Perhaps you feel comfortable approaching new people for the first time, but freeze up when it comes to following up with someone.  A good way to make this easier is to establish some basis for follow-up.  It can be as simple as telling them that you will get back to them with some piece of information, or paying close attention to a question they had and following up once you have an answer for them.  Or it may be as bold as scheduling a lunch meeting and actually following through with it.  Whatever it is that you decide to do, try your best to keep the conversation open when you say goodbye.

Become a Resource

It’s easy to list the ways in which others might be able to help us, and to attend networking events for the sole purpose of meeting such people.  But also try to consider how you could help others and make yourself available.  People seem most eager to follow up with someone when that other person is the gatekeeper to their next dream job or perfect connection.  Yet if you leave an event and find that there is some way in which you can aid someone you just met, try to be just as enthusiastic about getting in contact with that person.  If you do this, you will build a much richer network of contacts around yourself – ones that will be more likely to go out on a limb for you.

Embrace Social Media

As a follow-up to the in-person meeting, add your new contacts to your online social network.  The advantage of professional networking sites is that they grant your contacts access to all your information, including your resume if you choose to display it.  No matter how riveting of a conversation you had with another person, they’re not always going to remember all the details, so it’s helpful to provide that information afterward as well, and in a format that they can revisit.

Networking isn’t easy, but with these tips we hope it will be easier.  Just remember that in addition to everything, it’s important to be professional, friendly, and attentive – and hopefully this will render you unforgettable!

Until next time,

You’ve prepared well for your job interview: You researched the company, answered all of their questions thoroughly, and made a great impression. But before you run home and indulge in a celebratory box of Fig Newtons, there’s still one more thing you have to do to complete the interview process: write a thank you letter.

Okay, let’s not hyperventilate; it’s not that difficult. It should only take you a few moments and it could very well be the final touch that brings you a job offer. Human resources professionals have varied opinions regarding thank you letters; some aren’t at all swayed by them, while others consider a thank you letter to be an important component of the interview process. In either case, sending a thank you letter is a wise decision because it is courteous and it reflects your professionalism.

Let’s discuss three types of thank you letters: standard thank you letter, follow-up letter, and hiring proposal.

Standard Thank You Letter:

Just as the name implies, this type of letter expresses your appreciation to the interviewer for taking the time to interview you for the position. It does not go into great detail about you or the interview; instead it is an upbeat, concise note that simply fulfills your obligation of sending a thank you letter.

Follow-up Letter:

More in-depth than a standard thank you, a follow-up letter discusses specific issues that were brought up during the interview. Now that you’ve had a chance to learn about the employer’s concerns and needs, you can use the follow-up letter as an opportunity to demonstrate why you are the perfect person for the position. You can highlight the qualifications you believe match the position, overcome any objections that arose during the interview, and provide any other supporting information that will help your cause. Follow-up letters are generally one or two pages.

Hiring Proposal:

Here is where it gets interesting. A hiring proposal is a detailed report that states exactly what you intend to do if hired by the company. If you choose to write a proposal of this nature, you must have a full understanding of the company’s goals, capabilities, and resources. You clearly state what results you will accomplish and how you plan on accomplishing them.  When I create hiring proposals for my clients, I like to break it into 30-day, 90-day, and one-year goals. If you really want to make an impact to a prospective employer, commit to achieving measurable results and milestones within specified timeframes.

Is it better to mail or e-mail your thank you letter? Either way is fine; just make sure you send it. If you have been corresponding with the company via e-mail, then continue to do so. A mailed thank you letter is more formal, but still appropriate.

When should you send the thank you letter? A few days later? A week? The answer: Right away. The minute you get home. This is not a situation where you want to play hard to get. Write and send the letter immediately to let the employer know you are serious and enthusiastic about the job. If you wait a week, the job may already be filled.

So now your work is done. The interview went well, the thank you letter was sent. Feel free to raid the cupboard and lapse into a Fig Newtons frenzy. You deserve it!

One of the most common interview questions that clients ask me for help in answering is a bold question, and of course relates to cost.  The question is,” What are your salary expectations?”   There really is no standard correct answer, however when you do answer this question the employer is listening carefully, it comes after they have already asked the other important questions – find them here.

As I was sitting today with a client this was the question they have asked me with help to answer.   Then they followed that question up with a very difficult question for me to answer, “Have you not written a blog posting about this yet?”  So I had some internal dialogue with myself and decided that I need to do just that.

The question of salary earnings is a difficult one, and what an employer is looking for are a few key items.  The first thing that the employer is looking for is an answer to the question if they can afford you are not.   In this challenging economic time, there are several very qualified candidates looking for a new job.   Companies also realize this fact  and they are right now shopping for bargains, whether it is new employees, existing workers or negotiating new collective agreements.

For whatever reason, if your job search has been going on for a long time you may want to settle for the next job that comes your way. This is a mistake, as all you’re doing is making a bargain with yourself and what really happens is that your self-esteem also takes a discount.   You know what you are worth, and you know what your minimum point of earnings is to maintain your standard of living.

Your first point of action needs to be to decide what your minimum bargaining point is.   If you have worked in this particular field before, you should have a rough idea of what the going rate is for someone of your station.   If you’re looking to transition into a new field, you need to do some research.   There are several websites where you can do research, among the first of them should be on LinkedIn.   (If you are new to LinkedIn, connect up with a few open networkers like me to greatly increase your network instantly).  Reach out to your network, look for people that are performing work with a title that you want to perform work in, and perform an informational interview.   I would not suggest that you directly ask them what they are making, but what somebody with your experience in the field might expect to make and you can rely on their expertise to help fix a price point.   You can also use some of the job boards such as monster.com or some of the online salary wizards, however I would suggest in this fluctuating market that the best resource is an actual person.

When the employer is asking this question, one of the things that they want to know is how much you think you are worth. If you undersell yourself, they will think that you don’t have very high regard for your performance.   If you oversell yourself, they will think you’re well out of touch with the current labour market information.   Performing research on the company is a crucial point, and you should perform a good amount of research well before you even apply for a job.   This research includes such thing as pay scale, current and future projects, trends and this sector, opportunities that you can add value to, and to talk to people that are either working at the company or have in depth knowledge of the company so you can make a good decision.

When you’re giving an answer to this question, and never given absolute number.   It is a mistake to say that you are looking for a specific amount, because that’s all you will be offered if you are offered anything at all.   Always can arrange, and always support this range with a statement that indicates you have done some research. ” according to my research into the local market, a person with my experience in this particular sector is earning between X and Y.   That being the case, I understand that there are considerations every business must make and I am willing to work within your budget so that we can both be happy with the end result.”

Do not forget to leave the employer with the impression that you are looking for more than a paycheck.   You can also follow up this question of salary expectations with a question of your own asking when you might be able to meet the rest of the team.   The reality of the situation is that no amount of money makes a difficult person easy to work with, so you can identify that you’re also looking for fit on the team as well as a paycheck.

What would you think is also important to discuss at this point?  Put yourself in the shoes of the employer, and think what else they might want to know about a hiring decision. They are asking about salary, so there is an offer that is coming soon.  Other than monetary compensation, what is important for you in a job?

About the Author: With a total network that is the 38th largest in Canada, and a network spanning Australia, India, China, the UK, Germany,  USA, Canada, and even Iran, Chris Kulbaba is a LinkedIn Heavy Weight, and his wish is to help you become one too!  Chris is able to assist you to craft  your Unique Value Proposal which shows how your values can align with others to create the “fit factor”  and enable you to achieve real momentum in your career.