result

Albert Einstein said, "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results." That applies to your job search. No cookie-cutter approach works for everyone every time so if you are getting the same results for all your efforts, it may be due to your doing the same thing time and again and you've got to make a change. Get started here:

Resume: You can have a basic resume for each type of position you are seeking. Here's the key - when you go to use it, you absolutely must customize it to the needs of the employer. Whether it's changing or rearranging the selected accomplishments or reworking your professional profile to reflect qualities expressed in a job ad, your response has to align with an employer's challenges to get any traction.

Cover letters: Definitely worth the time and effort, a cover letter is an opportunity to highlight areas of expertise directly targeting specifics in the job ad or news item to which you are responding. It's also a way of expressing some personality or an interest in the industry or company that is not reflected in a resume. Being able to communicate in writing in an articulate and cohesive manner can impress a potential employer by showing maturity, knowledge and communication skills. If you are using a generic cover letter, you are missing your chance to stand out. To avoid re-creating all the content each time? Try creating bullet points about different aspects of your work and hold them in a Word document on your computer so you can use them as you need them. Then it's as easy as choosing the right promotional content for each circumstance.

Spot Opportunities: Just because a company doesn't list a job on their web site or have one posted on a job board doesn't mean they don't have opportunities coming up. If you have only been looking on a job board it's time to get your head out of the sand and start looking at movement within companies as a signal that there may be hiring ahead.

Reading a job ad: Read the ad thoroughly and several times. Look for themes that tell you what the employer really needs. Do they mention management or research or team collaboration or a set of technical skills in multiple places in the ad? If they do, then you should address those needs in your resume and cover letter. Don't make the employer dig for the information or assume you do or do not have the skills they need. It's important that they stand out. If you are using a template upon which you base all your letters and just change the addressee and the title of the job, you are wasting your time, the recipient's time and some very valuable advertising space. Just as you customize the resume to meet the employer's challenges, so must you customize the letter.

Expand Your Horizons: If you only look up job titles, try looking up a specific qualification instead. That will bring up other jobs that require that qualification that you may find interesting. Try reaching beyond your current geographical parameters. You may find a job, company or spot opportunity that's not too far away or, after researching, you may find out it has a more local affiliation or location.

Research: This cannot be stressed enough - you must do research on the company before you send any communication to them. If you don't know who they are, what they do or what they need, how can you approach them intelligently? Organize your resume, cover letter and research material in a way that allows you instant access to everything you need to handle a phone screen because you never know when that's going to come. If you aren't prepared for a phone call, why did you reach out to them? If you aren't prepared for the phone call, you probably won't hear from them again.

Fit: Ever get the response that there just wasn't a fit with the company? That can mean many things to many people so what can you do the change that perception? Really do your homework about the company culture and what the company supports, like community partnerships and charities. Reach out to your network for any information about how the company works and the people you are going to be meeting. Make sure you bring these elements out so you will be perceived as someone who is compatible with their vision, not just the business goals.

Networking: Talking to the same people or saying the same things can be boring as well as unproductive. If you already spoke to someone about your talents, you're going to have to be creative the next time you speak with them. Keep it fresh, interesting and enthusiastic. Ask them different questions, request new information, tell them what you have been doing since the last time you spoke. Make them want to help you.

Stopping the insanity means changing what you are doing and, ultimately, getting different results. It's that simple. Every effort will produce different results and some efforts will be more effective than others depending on the person and circumstance. The one thing that remains true, though, is that if you always do what you always did, you'll always get what you always got. Think about it.

iAutoblog the premier autoblogger software