Every job seeker knows that you often submit résumés without hearing anything in return. You wind up sitting by the phone or computer desperate to know if the human resources people have received your resume, especially since you can’t just call up and say, “Hey, did you get it or not?”

Resumés are often lost or overlooked so while you’re assuming that your résumé has been received and reviewed and that they have declined you, they may not even know you exist. This is another reason why follow-up is so important. You may wind up needing to resubmit your résumé.

Fortunately, there are effective, professional ways of finding out if the company you’re interested in has received your résumé. Finding out presents an opportunity for you to restate your desire to pursue the position and remind them of your qualifications and why you are the ideal person for the job.

Whom should I call? Figuring out who you should call is just as important as making the follow-up connection. You will have to identify the hiring manager responsible for screening and selecting prospective candidates for the position. If it’s a small company you can usually call the main number and ask anyone who answers to provide you with the name and contact information for the appropriate person. Among the options:

1. Call the main number and ask to be connected to human resources. Sometimes an assistant will answer, and you’ll be able to ask for the name of the person you’re trying to reach. Always ask for the name of the assistant and create a connection with him or her by expressing your gratitude. You can also ask for advice on the best time to try to reach the person you want to contact.

2. Visit the careers or jobs section of the company website to look for contact names and/or email addresses and phone numbers. Some employers list this information by department or region.

3. Look at the corporate press releases or a listing of top executives on the company website to determine who is the head of the division that interests you. (For public companies this information can be found on hoovers.com.) When you call the main switchboard, ask to be connected to that person’s office. When an assistant answers, politely ask if she or he would kindly tell you who is responsible for recruiting for positions in the line of business you’re pursuing. For example, if the position you’re seeking is account manager in the consumer products division, ask who handles that recruitment responsibility. You do not have to identify yourself as a jobseeker unless asked.

4. Ask a current employee to find out for you the name of the human-resources person you should connect with.

Your first and last name
Mailing Address
City, State ZIP
Telephone Number(s)
Email Address

Current Date

Prospective Employer
Professional Title
company Name
Mailing Address

Dear (Address target formally-Mr., Mrs., Professor, etc. – unless you were instructed to use first name):

Introduce yourself by explaining briefly why you are interested in this person, company, or position. Do not begin with, “Hi. My name is….” Make a closer connection by stating how you heard about the person, company, or position by referencing a referral, an article, or an industry event, for example. For the body paragraph, give your background briefly. Make sure it applies to why you are interested in this person or company. State what you want from the recipient. For example, I would like fifteen minutes of your time to discuss… . Explain that you’d be very appreciative of their valuable time and advice.

The closing paragraph should offer a specific action for following up. For example, “I will call your assistant to see if I can schedule an appointment with you.” If you state a specific action, make sure you follow through with it. Thank the recipient for his or her time and attention.

Sincerely,

Your signature in blue or black ink

Your printed name

Extra Tips:

- Avoid rewriting your résumé in your cover letter. Only include specific things you would like to highlight about your experience as it relates to the desired position.

- Keep it simple. Avoid long, drawn out sentences with complicated vocabulary.

- Be accurate. Address the right people and check spelling. Avoid generic letters.

- Limit your cover letter to one page with three to five targeted paragraphs.

- Use some of the words included in the job description when writing a cover letter.

- Proofread your letter. Have other colleagues check for mistakes as well.

- Be confident in yourself and your skills.

From having a personal blog for fun to the necessity of a business blog for profit, there’s the need for a virtual home on the web.

I’m talking about something more than a Facebook profile of course. I’m talking about having You.com.

If you’ve never thought that you would ever register a domain name and set up your own website, I hope to convince you otherwise.

If you’re relying on profile pages on social networks to represent you on the web, you’ve probably faced the same problems I have. Every social network has limitations. There’s no one profile format that allows you to share and display information in the way you’d really like to.

Several years ago, I registered my full name as a dot com. It gives me freedom to create an online profile of my own design, and it gives me a nice vanity email address: me@myname.com.

If you search for me online, this website will pop up in the first position. I like that. It puts me in control of what others learn about me. On this personal website, I have listed my other websites, shared my contact information, and linked to a few of my favored social networks. No one — whether an old school friend or a potential customer — ever has to work hard to reach me.

If your online reputation is important to you, securing a namesake website is a must. And even if you couldn’t care less about what the world sees or knows about you, wouldn’t it be great to have a home on the web to call your own?

One business related advantage to having my own hosted site is that I can create simple redirects for resources I frequently recommend. Such as my favorite freelancer directory for women: KellyMcCausey.com/she takes you straight to Shelancers, right through my own referral link. It’s not that I’m trying to hide my affiliate link or trick anybody, it’s just easier to remember this link.

If I wanted to, I could install a WordPress blog on the aforementioned domain. I could even install this blog in a sub-directory and only share the link with family and friends.

I know, you can start a blog anywhere — but again, I’m not a fan of free website hosting services and as usual, it always comes back to limitations. With your own hosting, you can do whatever you like and never have to worry about terms of service changing down the road or having advertising displayed to your visitors.

There is a small cost involved, but it’s an investment in yourself and your business. Domains are registered on an annual basis for under $10. There will also be the matter of hosting. I personally prefer not to use free hosting services. Unless you’re going to host a significant number of large-sized photographs or videos, you can grab reliable hosting for about $5 per month.

Since it’s so affordable, what are you waiting for? If you can grab it, go for your full name. If your name isn’t available, try including your middle name or initial. You can get creative if you have to. Of course, I personally recommend that you stick with a dot com versus a dot net or otherwise.

Have some fun with it. Express yourself. You may discover that You.com becomes an enjoyable digital scrapbook of your life and career.

Alright, we’ve all heard the horror stories about Craigslist. People get ripped off, people get stood up, and there have been a number of Craigslist related crime stories in the news over the past year. All of those things may make Craigslist sound scary, but the truth of the matter is that is’s actually a very useful tool for the unemployed when used correctly. Craigslist can help you pull in some money while you’re on a job hunt, and it can also help you find a new job, but only if you use it correctly.

Clean Out The Attic

When you’re job hunting, it’s always nice to have a few extra bucks in your wallet to help ensure financial stability. A lot of people have basements, attics, and closets full of things they’re not using, and aren’t likely to use ever again. If you fall into that category, Craigslist can help you clean out your storage spaces, and pull in a few extra bucks at the same time. Start by figuring out which things you want to sell. Once you have a nice pile of things to sell on Craigslist, take some pictures of each item so that you can show potential buyers what condition your items are in. Before you actually create the listing, take a look on Craigslist, and see if anyone else is selling the same item as you. Chances are you’ll find someone selling the same thing, or something similar. Look at the kind of prices the item is going for, and choose your price accordingly. The condition of your item will effect it’s value to potential buyers, so keep that in mind when setting your price. Now that you know what you’re selling, and what you’re selling it for, it’s time to create a listing. If you don’t already have one, you’ll want to set up an account with Craigslist. Signing up is quick and easy, and shouldn’t take you more than five minutes. When setting up your listing, be sure to place your item in the correct category, and make sure to use terms people are likely to search for in both the title, and the listing itself. If you’re in a hurry to get rid of the stuff you’re selling, be sure to put a contact number in the listing. That way, people can reach you quickly in order to set up a time to purchase the item. Be descriptive, and honest about the condition of your items, and include two or three pictures of each thing you’re selling. If you take the time to build a good listing, your items will sell quickly, and you’ll have a little extra money in your pocket before you know it.

Use Your Skills To Pay The Bills

Do you have a practical, marketable talent to share? Things like graphic design, website design, and computer repairs do very well on Craigslist. Take a look around Craigslist, and see what other people are charging for the same service you are looking to offer. You don’t want to charge more than the most expensive of your competitors, nor do you want to charge less than the least expensive. Charging too much will severely limit the number of people who take you up on your offer, and charging too little will en sure that you don’t get paid enough for your time. Depending on what service you’re offering, and how many other people are offering it, you may have to charge a little less than you’d like to, but remember, you’re doing this temporarily while you’re job hunting – not making a living out of it. Try to consider it as extra cash in your pocket, and leave it at that. When you’re selling a service, it’s important to make your listing stand out from your competition. Craigslist supports some basic HTML, so take the time to create a stylish listing that incorporates colors and imagery your competitors aren’t using. You don’t have to go overboard, but you should definitely do something other than a plain text listing. That way, your listing will stand out to potential customers, and even if they don’t take you up on your offer  today, they might remember you later.

Post Your Resume

Craigslist has a section for resume postings, and it’s a good idea to use it. A lot of employers will search Craigslist for potential employees because it’s a great, cheap source of job applicants. While it’s usually a good idea to list all of your contact info on a resume, Craigslist is an exception to that rule. Anyone with an internet connection can see your resume, not just potential employers, so it’s a good idea to leave your address, and possibly your phone number off of the listing. Other than that, treat it like a regular resume, and include your work history, and any relevant skills you want to share with potential employers.

Repost Regularly

Craigslist will allow you to run the same ad every 48 hours, and it’s highly recommended that you do so. If you’re selling an item, keep reposting it until it sells. If you’re selling a service, keep reposting until  you don’t intend to offer the service any longer. By keeping your ad near the top of  its category, you can ensure more people will see it. The more people that see your listing, the better it will do.

Find Work

A lot of companies post listings for jobs on Craigslist either in place of, or in addition to other job sites. The reason being price: Craigslist is much more affordable to post a job opening on than a lot of other services. Unfortunately, that also means there is a higher risk that fraudulent job offers will be posted. Be careful to only apply to offers that sound legit. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is, and you probably shouldn’t waste your time applying for it. Also look out for poorly written listings. This isn’t always a bad sign, but it can often mean that the listing was thrown together in a hurry, which could indicate a fraudulent listing. If you’re uncertain about how credible a listing is, take a few minutes and research the company who posted it, and see if they’re a real, legit company. If there isn’t any info about the company in the listing, do a Google search for the contact info listed in the job posting. If there isn’t any sort of contact info, or company info, it’s probably safest to just pass the listing by.

Better Safe Than Sorry

Remember, you’re dealing with real people that may or may not be who they seem when you do business on Craigslist. Whenever possible, pick a public place to conduct your transactions in. Also, try to get their name and number before meeting up to sell your product or service. The horror stories about Craigslist are the minority of Craigslist experiences, but they do still exist, so be sure to exercise caution.

If you use it right, Craigslist can help you find a new job, and it can provide a little extra income until you do. Create a strong listing for your product, service, or resume, and be careful about who you deal with, and you’ll be able to make the most of Craigslist.

Job hunting can be extremely daunting. The economy is in a bad place, and that makes the job market that much more competitive. Companies are downsizing, and unemployment is on the rise. All of those factors can make it really easy to get down about job hunting, but there are some things you can do to keep your attitude positive as you fight your way through this perilous job market.

Treat Job Hunting Like A Job

When you’re unemployed and looking for work, job hunting is your job, and you have to treat it as such. Dedicate a set amount of time every day to looking for work, sending out resumes, and going on interviews. Once you reach the end of your “work” day, then it’s time to leave job hunting behind, and spend some time relaxing. Don’t give yourself a hard time for taking some time to relax. If you put in a full day hob hunting, then you’ve done what you can for the day, and you should spend some time recharging your batteries so to speak, so that you will be ready and able to get right back into job hunting the next day.

Don’t Dwell On Your Last Job

Getting laid off can be a real downer, but spending your time brooding over your lay off isn’t going to do you any good in your job hunt. Take some time to think about what went right, and what went wrong with your last job. Think about the skills you gained, and the experiences you had that will help to make you better at your next job. Think about any mistakes you made, and how you can improve on them. Think about what you can do better in your next job.  Once you’ve sorted all of that out, move on. Dwelling on a bad lay off will only fuel a bad attitude that you don’t need to have while job hunting.

Don’t Get Stuck In A Rut

If the monotony of job hunting is bringing you down, it’s important to break out of it for a little while. Spend some time doing a project around the house you never got around to. Schedule that doctor’s appointment you’ve been putting off. There are probably no less than a hundred things you’ve been meaning to get around to, and if you’re feeling like you’re stuck in a rut, doing some of those things might be a good way to break out of it. Don’t ignore job hunting completely, but rather schedule yourself some time to do these things in between job hunting. That way, you can work your way back out of the rut without feeling guilty about taking the time off from job hunting.

Make Plans

If you feel like you’ve been job hunting for a little while and not getting the right amount of attention, take some time to form a new plan of attack. The simple act of planning can help you to feel better about the situation. It’s often easier to be optimistic if you have a step by step guide to finding new work in front of you. Think about the places you’ve been applying, your resume, the methods you’ve been using to find work, and the industry you’re looking for work in. With all of those things in mind, write out a plan for getting a new job. Outline each step you’ll have to take in order to get the kind of job you want, and start following your new outline.

Be Prepared

Every new skill you can add to your repertoire while job hunting will help you get a new job. Take a class, read a book, or get a new certification. Any activity that you can engage in that might leave you with a new skill is worth your time. Don’t feel guilty for doing these things when you’re “supposed to be” job hunting – building up your skill set will help you find a new job in the long run. Certifications, and other such credentials can only serve to make your resume stronger, and in a competitive job market, every advantage you can give yourself is more than worth the time spent getting that advantage.

Know When To Take A Day Off

Sometimes the stress of job hunting is going to become overwhelming. There’s no avoiding that fact, so you’re just going to have to come to terms with it. When the stress of job hunting really starts to get you down, take a day off for yourself. Go out, take a walk in the park, spend time with your family and friends, or just read a book you’ve been meaning to read. There’s no shame in taking some time for yourself when things get too stressful. If you just keep pressing on through the stress, you’re likely to make mistakes when applying for work, or you might even come across as having a bad attitude in a job interview, and that’s only going to make job hunting take longer than it should.

Meet New People

Often, the job of your dreams will find you rather than you finding it. This usually happens because someone you know told you about an opening at their company, or offered you an interview. That’s why it’s a good idea to make friends in your industry. Join local clubs related to your industry, join Facebook groups related to your industry and your geographic location, and be active on Linkedin. You never know who might give you a tip that might lead to a job, so put yourself out there, and make friends in your industry whenever you can. In the end, job hunting is all about who you know. If you get to know a lot of people in your industry, you might find yourself with a new job faster than you think. Getting out, and meeting new people can also be a great way to keep a positive attitude about things while you are looking for work. Having someone who has worked in your industry to talk to can help you keep things in perspective, and ultimately it can help you to keep a positive attitude.

Don’t Get Discouraged

It’s easy to get down about job hunting if you get rejected for a job you interviewed for. Try to remember that a rejection doesn’t necessarily mean you’re a bad candidate for that job or any other, it just means you weren’t exactly what that company was looking for at that time. Getting rejected for a job just means the employer was looking for something different at the time, and it’s not a personal reflection on you or your skills. Remember that, and move on to the next job interview. Don’t get down in the dumps over a rejection – it’s not worth it.

Job hunting can be a very depressing process, but it doesn’t have to be. Keep these tips in mind, and you’ll be able to keep a positive attitude as you continue your job search.