Write a Persuasive Cover Letter

You put a lot of thought and work into developing a professional resume, but may lose steam when it comes to the cover letter. When you submit a resume for a job posting or to a referral, you may be asked to submit a cover letter. There is at least a 50% chance that your cover letter will actually be read.

A well-written persuasive cover letter is a powerful addition to your suite of career marketing documents. So transform your existing cover letter from boring to attention-grabbing in five steps.

See the five steps with examples in the full article here.

100 Potential Interview Questions

While there are as many different possible interview questions as there are interviewers, it always helps to be ready for anything. So here is a list of 100 potential interview questions. Will you face them all? No interviewer would be that cruel. Will you face a few? Probably.

You be well-served by being ready even if you're not asked these exact questions.  In reviewing these questions try to formulate an answer or be ready with a personal example you can elaborate on.  

Find the complete list here. 

Strategies for a Career Change

People are becoming more apt to take action to become upwardly mobile. According to the Wall Street Journal, nearly 40 percent of all people seeking new jobs are also trying to change careers.

Think through the process or method you will use to accomplish your goals; accept that there is a level of risk involved. Younger workers have an easier time changing career, but if you have been in a profession for several decades, it may be difficult to match your current salary with an entry-level position.

The article outlines three key elements of the process:

• Accept the Risk
• Avoid the Traps
• New Career Choices

For more on these topics, see the complete article here.

Benefits of career networking

Networking is the key to obtaining a new job. It is also the key to advancing in your currently employed position. Using networking while employed is a career strategy.

For many people, professional networking feels forced and uncomfortable. In industries where who you know is as important as what you can do, however, networking is a crucial business skill. It can lead to new job opportunities, mutually beneficial partnerships and exciting business ideas. With a few simple strategies, you can develop better networking abilities quickly.

To see three networking strategies to use to advance your current career, see the complete article here.

Job Search Site List

The internet provides a vast resource of information relating to job searching. In order to make effective use of these resources an organized and disciplined approach to your job search is appropriate.  While job leads are necessary, the fact remains that networking and personal contacts are the most effective path to a job interview and ultimately an offer. Using the internet to identify available job openings and then using networking to get an inside track can provide a powerful search strategy.

The following compilation of sites was prepared by Karla Nuzman, an employment Specialist.  It presents an extensive set of site addresses broken into useful career categories.

COMPANIES	CONSTRUCTION	ENERGY
ENGINEERING	FELONS	FINANCE – BANKING
GENERAL	GOVERNMENT JOBS	HEALTHCARE
HOSPITALITY	IT– TECHNOLOGY	JOURNALISM – BROADCASTING
	REGIONS – LOCATIONS

For multiple web sites for Job Searches by career, click here.

Top 10 Best Job Sites

 Looking for a good position is never easy, especially in tough employment markets. But even so, there are hundreds of thousands of jobs available at any given time, if one knows where to look. Many of them are posted on job boards.

A job board’s primary function is to connect companies with potential employees. And as recent studies show, companies find nearly 25% of their external new hires through these sites. Surveys have also found that up to 32% of job seekers found their jobs by either responding to an ad or posting a resume on a job board.

To see the top sites click here.

Smart career moves to make by 30

For people in their twenties, life can be a rich time for personal self-discovery—a period when you’re more willing to take risks and maybe even make mistakes along the way. These can also be some of the most formative years for your career.

When you graduate, you may have an idea of what you want to be when you “grow up,” but may not have an idea of just how to get there. You don’t want to leave everything to chance - especially if it affects your future earning power.

Career experts and coaches have their opinions on the top dos—and don’ts—for the younger generation of career builders. For those past ‘twenty something’ look to see what you did right, or not so. Here are 30 savvy moves to make at each stage of your career before you hit 30, or might be able to catch up on after. See the complete article here.