Stepping into 2010, as the economic conditions still on a downturn, one of the major challenges that lots of people will be facing is finding a job.  Whether you were laid off or a fresh college grad, we at the Wealth Alchemist are happy to share some successful job search tips.

What gets you hired?

• What matter most is the communication skills and personal professional “brand” you can create for yourself
• Interview and resume are selling tools, and the product you are selling is ‘YOU’
• You have to be professionally sociable - learn to network your professional relationships including your colleagues, ex-coworkers, bosses, friends, family, and even acquaintances you meet randomly

The Resume

If you do not want your resume to go to your future employers’ trash can, you have to write an outstanding resume. Excellent resumes will get you interviews, which is the forum that allows you to demonstrate and sell youself:

• Use result-driven sentences; quantify your achievements when possible using $ and %
• Keep your resume to 1 page only (and only on experiences that are relevant); for those with extensive backgrounds and grad school experience, 2 pages are the max
• Review, revise, and fine tune every word
• Always include an Executive Summary (4-5 sentences) at the top of your resume since this is where the recruiters first read and decide if they would like to continue on
• Use result-oriented sentence keywords, e.g. ‘Attained 25% increase of business efficiency by stream-lining….’ instead of ‘Acted as a business assistant…’
• Avoid using passive words; use an active voice in your resume
• Here is a more complete list of keywords.

Excellent Cover Letter Example

http://blog.guykawasaki.com/2006/08/dear_libby.html

The Interview

• Develop confidence and conciseness when introducing yourself in the first 30 seconds, known as the “elevator pitch”
• Always prepare and practice for the commonly asked interview questions; here’s an example http://www.1st-writer.com/tough-interview-questions.htm
• Do not just answer the questions; anticipate and implicitly link your answers to your strengths and quality that the recruiter are looking for (e.g. intelligence, diligence, integrity, accountability, value-add, revenue driving, cost saving, results oriented, etc.)
• Prepare to answer the dreaded question of: ‘What are your weaknesses’; respond in a way that turns all weaknesses on a positive spin and link them implicitly to your strengths
• Always ask intelligent follow up questions at the end of interview given your knowledge of the company/market, etc.
• Make sure you leave an impression on them; don’t be afraid to take risks during an interview so you may stand out from all the other qualified candidates

Your Professional Network

• Get to know the industry people or clients and massage the relationship by providing referrals, information, leads that they are interested in
• Find things in common with your contacts (e.g. alumni clubs, associations, hobbies, etc)
• Visit online communities (e.g. Facebook, LinkedIn, Doostang) to grow your professional networks

Career Preparation

To better prepare yourself for this prolonged economic downturn and to survive all the job cuts, here are some important resources to leverage on during this recession and global economic contraction:

www.personaldna.com - to know what you are good at is the key to finding the right career.

www.jobhuntersbible.com - you must read the book “What color is your parachute” - it will enlighten you enroute to your ideal job.

www.payscale.com - insight into careers and links to pay levels.

http://hotjobs.yahoo.com/careertools - links to career tools that will help you round out what you need from resume to interview tips.

http://career-advice.monster.com/ - links to career path decisions including what to major in during college.

www.upmo.com - for those who care about their “upward mobility”; made for the ambitious and the over-achievers.  See our blog on the service.