'I don't want to put a potential offer in jeopardy.' 'I don't want to be a pest.' 'I'd rather just wait and see what happens.' These are three of the most common responses I get when I advise job seekers to follow up with a potential employer about a job they’ve interviewed for. We’ve probably all had these thoughts, and you may have said these things yourself, but I’ve got news for yo...

I just had a conversation with someone around this very question. As a recruiter, I can tell you that we do look at where someone is located when reviewing his or her resume. Some of us will even screen you out if you’re too far away and we don’t offer relocation (I’ve done it). And it’s that fear of being screened out that leads some folks to put the local address of a friend or family member. I completely get it. However,...

Every line on your resume is valuable real estate. The person looking at yours is trying to get to the relevant info as quickly as possible. Part of your job is to make that easy for them, which includes leaving some things out. Here are a few quick tips on what not to include in your resume. Social Media Info Unless your job will be in social media or it’s specifically requested, you don’t need to show it on your resume. T...

I’ve made a good number of business cards over the years. Some I spent a ton of time on. You may have done the same. You sit there agonizing over the logo (if you have one), where your name goes, which phone number you put down (I be on my Google Voice flow), and how quickly they’ll arrive. Because honestly, a lot of us don’t think about business cards until there’s some event coming up where we know we’ll meet a lot of pe...

A couple days ago, I found myself in a discussion about the effectiveness of the handwritten thank you note. I was surprised to find out how many people are still sending handwritten notes or are advocates of them. The thought is that the handwritten note differentiates a candidate from the others, who are just sending a thank you email. My view is this: The medium for your thank you note isn’t as important as the content...

Networking is all the hoopla when it comes to finding new opportunities. There are 1,000 articles per day (+1 if you include this) on how to network effectively and why it’s important. I wanted to share five truths I’ve learned about networking. There are more, but I’ll leave those to you in the comments. The best time to reach out to people is when you don’t need them. Everybody knows that one person who when they get an e...

LinkedIn is a recruiter’s best friend, so that means you should get to know the platform a little better. Here are four things you may not know about LinkedIn from the recruiter perspective. Recruiters can download your LinkedIn profile in resume format I shared this tidbit on Twitter and it was evident a lot of people didn’t know this. It’s important that you treat your profile just like your resume. Don’t just list the co...

Personal branding has been the talk of the town. Whether you’re a blogger, writer, job seeker, or whatever, you need to develop your brand. At least that’s what some folks believe. I happen to be one of them.But there’s a large group of people that are tired of hearing about personal branding. They find it overrated, cliche, and a punch to the gut of real talent. Something limited to talentless bloggers with big personaliti...

One of the most common job search questions I get is how to find a job in a new city? It’s a struggle I know well. You have the skills or ability to do the job if given a chance. You’re willing to relocate. You’ll even take a less than savory salary because you want the experience. But every application you submit disappears into the belly of the internet beast — only to occasionally be burped up as a rejection message....

Positive affirmations ain’t never hurt nobody. But inaction has. I wish I could tell you how many times over the years I’ve tried “speaking it into existence.” I’ve made proclamations to the man in the mirror or to a close friend, which resulted in a “[Hell] yeah!” or “Go be great.” Then I’d swagger away — enthusiasm and endorphins flowing — intent on taking the world by storm before falling into old habits like tv and th...