As the economy has worsened and millions of job seekers are chasing after fewer and fewer jobs, what you put on your resume has become more important than ever. Before you send your resume anywhere, run it through this quick five-point checklist to determine if it needs a tune-up or a complete overhaul. 1. Clear ObjectiveThere has been a lot of debate lately among the resume writing "chattering classes" about whether today...

Are you an "older worker"? Don't feel bad, I am too. Hanging on in today's major recession has proven to be a monumental task. Many job seekers have lost that battle already. It's a tough world today, much changed from a few short months ago. 2009 has brought with it the harsh reality of a changed landscape. According to a recent article by Michael Winerip in The New York Times, the unemployment rate for adults age 55+...

If you've read books on resume writing, you might be confused by all the "rules". In fact, during my weekly resume writing teleseminar, I correct a lot of misinformation.With the economy in the toilet these days, the last worry you need is whether you have the correct indent template or that you aren't using this year's approved action verbs. It's imperative that you deliver the right content to push a hiring manager's but...

Are your prospects dimming because you've been out of work for 3 months, 6 months, even longer?I talk with job seekers every day about their resume and job hunting strategies. Many are in this same boat and rightly concerned. As the economy continues to tank, I predict that the out-of-work gap period will only grow longer for many job hunters, making the search even harder for them. In the past, when a job hunter was out...

While it's true that not all employers will be gung-ho about hiring, or even retaining, older workers in the coming years, the overall statistics might well be on your side, if you're 50+ years. As has been reported often enough, the limited numbers of workers in the Gen-Y age group will not match the rising need for workers over the next ten years. This means that employers will be faced with more open reqs that force the...

Given the massive layoffs and shrinking numbers of jobs in many industries, it is possible, if not likely, that you will be forced to leave your industry or specialty area. To assure that you’re successful in winning a job, it is necessary to master survival skills. To this end, many job search experts and career coaches talk about transferable skills, but what does this mean to you if you're the one receiving the pink slip...

As the current credit crisis continues to deepen, global markets are reeling, prompting the universal question, "When will it end?" Since no one knows the answer, we soldier on with the knowledge that it will end sometime. According to Brian Sullivan, the CEO of the executive search firm, CTPartners, "Hiring will be especially competitive and selective in 2009." In their recently released 2009 annual list of hot executive j...

If you're expecting a performance review soon, understand that there's no place to hide nowadays.Over the years, the corporate performance review has been seen as the ticket to our annual raise or quarterly bonus. Perhaps so much that it's become almost automatic in our thinking. This will be a big mistake in the 2009 recession and continued economic downturn.This obsolete way of thinking will certainly net you less in comp...

Success in job search is easy to deal with. A job offer feels good, it validates us and allows us to move forward in life. It’s what we all want and strive for. But for most job seekers, our successes are infrequent. They're sandwiched between boatloads of indifference, rejection and apparent failure. If you've been hunting for a job very long, you know what I’m talking about. Job search is one big exercise in rejection unt...

We all know 2008 was a devastating year economically for the US. Unfortunately, 2009 looks to be filled with more layoffs and higher unemployment overall with many companies teetering on collapse. I don't need to tell you the importance of getting your act together as a job seeker sooner than later. Sure, there will be fewer jobs available, but that doesn't mean there won't be opportunities during periods of crisis and ch...