Most careers experts will tell you to never reveal your salary requirements in an interview or when responding to an ad. Like a lot of career advice, this is fine in theory but almost impossible in practice.When the job posting states that you must give your salary requirements, or when the interviewer asks you directly, what are you supposed to say? “I’m sorry but I don’t want to answer that question” will probably not go...

I don’t know how many job seekers are strategically using Twitter to network and advance their job search, but I do know that it’s a very small percentage.If you already use Twitter, you can easily switch to the more strategic focus I am going to teach you. But if you have never used Twitter before, don’t worry. It is easy to get started. It’s completely free. And once you understand the potential, I know you’ll be eager to...

I’ve written before about how to write great LinkedIn headlines and how to create awesome summaries. Now it’s time to talk about job descriptions, because these are a key part of how you present yourself on LinkedIn and most people get them wrong.1. Don’t cut and paste from your resumeLinkedIn is not your resume. Your profile should be less formal than your resume, because web communication in general is informal. That does...

Do you think of your cover letter as a summary of your skills and experiences? If so, you’re making a common mistake. The truth is that your cover letter is a sales letter – much like the ones created by direct marketers and copywriters to sell products and services. Just like those letters, your cover note must be compelling, easy to read, and must convey clearly why you are a perfect fit. (hopefully it goes without sa...

The most important part of your LinkedIn profile may be the headline but a very close second is the summary section. This is the first thing people see when they click through to your page and it’s vital that it makes a stellar first impression on recruiters and hiring managers. I’ve been writing profiles for clients since LinkedIn first launched and along the way I’ve learned a few key pointers for making them work. Here a...

Your LinkedIn summary is one of the most important elements of your profile. LinkedIn gives you 2,000 characters (including spaces) to summarize your background and, besides your headline, your summary is the first thing people see. That means that many recruiters, hiring managers and potential business contacts will read this section even if they don’t make it all the way through your profile. To make it easy to write a pr...

So you’ve decided that you want to change careers, but you have no experience in your chosen field.If this is you, you may find yourself getting discouraged. But you mustn’t let your current lack of experience stop you from following your dreams. Instead, you’re going to need to get some … but how do you do that when no-one will give you a job?Here are 5 time-tested ways to gain the experience you need and ensure that you c...

So you’ve read lots of resume advice, and you know that your resume needs strong, results-focused bullet points. But try as you might, you don’t really know how to write those bullet points. I sympathize – it’s very hard to write about yourself in this way. Most of us have been taught to be humble and modest about our accomplishments, and now suddenly we’re required to brag about them. It feels very uncomfortable....

We professional resume writers see it every year. Christmas ends, and suddenly it seems that everyone has decided to find a new job. Most of us get so busy that we don’t come up for air until March. If you’re considering a job search in the new year, now is the time to get your resume in shape. That way you’ll be able to get a head start on all those people who wait until after the holidays. So here are 5 quick and easy tip...

Even though LinkedIn is the number one online tool for professional recruiters, it often lets them down. Many recruiters fail to find the candidates they need – not because of problems with the site itself, but because simple profile mistakes render the candidates invisible. If this is happening to you, you’re missing out on great opportunities. So here are the top 5 things recruiters wish you knew about LinkedIn. 1. A comp...