How to Secure More Job Interviews

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Have you ever applied for a job or answered an online job posting but were not asked to an interview? I’m sure it’s happened to most of us—so what can we do to get a higher response rate?

First of all, apply for jobs you are qualified for or jobs that fit your background. This seems obvious, but from my experience sifting through thousands of resumes, many people still don’t understand this concept. Just yesterday, we received a resume from a truck driver responding to a job posting that we had out for a financial controller. The majority of the resumes we receive don’t ever get to the interview stage simply because they are not qualified.

It’s human nature for people to apply for jobs that they desire, and I’m not here to discourage people from taking a shot. But in the many stages of the hiring cycle, the stage where most candidates get weeded out is the resume stage. Many people try blasting resumes out to as many postings as possible, thinking this shot-gun approach will sway the law of averages. But if your aim is way off, it doesn’t matter if you have a bazooka, you’ll still miss the target.

In this day and age, it’s possible to be more accurate in your job search than ever before. You don’t need the shotgun approach. You can take more strategic shots at job openings and get a better response rate by taking these four steps:

1. Before sending in your resume, make an accurate assessment of yourself. Outline your entire background and work experience. I’m not talking about recreating your resume. This is just a brainstorm for your own use, to properly gauge your skills. Put down everything you can think of, from technical skills to soft skills to industry experience to anything that would be relevant in any job setting.
2. Take this list and look for jobs that interest you, and select the ones in which you have a minimum of 80 percent of the requirements. Just as companies weed resumes out, you need to weed job postings out that don’t fit your background. Depending on the flow of resumes a company gets for a particular job, even resumes that do meet 100 percent of the requirements may get weeded out, so keep that in mind.
3. Once you’ve narrowed down your postings, you can take better aim at your target. It’s vital that you thoroughly research the companies you are applying to. Do your due diligence and evaluate everything, including corporate culture, work environment, management team, industry and/or niche, and hiring profile. Organizations don’t necessarily hire the “best” or most skilled candidate; they hire candidates that best fit the role and their company.
4. Now put everything together. You have to customize each resume for its job posting. If you meet 100 percent of the job requirements, it’s a no-brainer and you’ll probably get a response. But it’s likely you also want to apply for jobs where you fall short, from a qualifications standpoint, so you’ll have to fill in the gaps with the information you gathered from your research. That is why I recommend having a minimum of 80 percent of the qualifications. It’s more manageable to fill a pothole than a crater. For example, you may be able to make up for a lack of experience with a certain software package by highlighting your expertise with a comparable software. On the other hand, if you’ve never been an accountant before, and your experience revolves around driving a truck, there’s nothing that can fill that gap.

I think most of us are optimistic when we send our resume to a potential employer. But there is a big difference between optimism and delusion, so take the delusion out of your job search and be more strategic. If your aim is on target, you may only need to take one shot.

(reposted from The Epoch Times Career Corner column 10/6/12 issue: http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/life/career-corner-how-to-secure-more-job-interviews-300571.html)

Song Woo, an employment and career management expert, is the president and CEO of Lighthouse Management Group.
The Epoch Times publishes in 35 countries and in 19 languages.

Showcase Your Strengths on Social Media

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Everyone knows about Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. It seems like a new site pops up every month. So if you’re one of those individuals who have been slow to jump on the bandwagon, well, it may be time for you to embrace the fact that Social Media is here to stay. In fact, your career may depend on it.

More and more companies are using social media sites to search for and identify talent. Organizations are no longer relying on just job postings to attract talent. Hiring managers don’t have the luxury to sit back and wait for resumes in this day and age, not if they want top tier talent. What the typical person may not realize is that the pool of candidates that respond to a job posting is relatively small compared to the overall pool of the employment market. Let me clarify.

If you were content and happy in your current job would you be actively looking at job postings? Of course you wouldn’t. Now on the flipside, if you were unemployed I’m sure you would be scouring the internet for a good job. Currently the national unemployment rate is roughly 8 percent. Out of that 8 percent, we can probably safely assume that 3 percent of those individuals are chronically unemployable. Moreover, there are various surveys that try to estimate the amount of people who are employed who are actively looking for new opportunities, but the reality is no one really knows. From my experience, it tends to be about 20 percent. So when you tally that up, you’re really only talking about a pool of 25 percent.

Thus, if you have an opening and are looking for top talent, would you want to rely on that pool of candidates alone? The probability of you finding the best candidate in that pool is slim. Naturally, you would want to open your search up to the entire pool and not just a pool of candidates that are either unemployed or dissatisfied in their current situations. Because of this, companies are more aggressive than ever when they are on the hunt to fill one of their openings.

As a head-hunter, I’ve come to learn that the best candidates, the most qualified candidates, typically are employed and are very content in their current job. They aren’t even looking to leave unless an extraordinary opportunity comes along. So if these people aren’t looking, how can hiring managers find them or vice versa? Well, we can thank technology and social media for that. Sites like LinkedIn have capitalized on this paradigm shift and have given hiring managers all over the world access to candidates more readily than before. In the white collar world of business, if you don’t have a LinkedIn or Facebook profile, it’s almost as if you don’t exist.

Therefore it’s important you have a social media presence. If you’re new to the social media game, here are five basic rules to follow when creating your professional profile:
1. Create a compelling headline or summary. This is the first thing people will notice when they do a search or come across your profile. You want to stand out from the crowd.
2. Upload a professional photo. Make sure you don’t have a picture of yourself drinking a margarita. You want to present a professional image, not an image of someone at a frat party.
3. Spelling and grammar check. This may seem elementary, but you would be surprised how often I come across a profile with spelling and grammar errors. No one wants to hire anyone who isn’t detail-oriented.
4. Include relevant skills and accomplishments. Similar to a resume, highlight specific items that are relevant in your field and industry.
5. Add recommendations. To any potential employer, recommendations are references in advance and add more credibility to your background.

It’s never too late to jump on the social media bandwagon. As it continues to grow and gain more momentum, you don’t want to be left behind and miss out on the dream job that you may not even be looking for. You don’t even have to look anymore; you just have to be found.

(reposted from The Epoch Times Career Corner column 9/20/12 issue: http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/life/career-corner-showcase-your-strengths-on-social-media-294669.html)

Make a Commitment to Achieve New Heights

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Do you ever wonder why the same few teams seem to be at the top every year in every major sport? The Yankees, the Patriots, and the Lakers are always in contention to win a championship. It’s not by accident, it’s by design. What they have more than most others is a “winning attitude.” They want to be successful. They expect to be successful. Anything less would be unacceptable. It’s this type of attitude that determines their level of success.

Vince Lombardi once said, “The quality of a person’s life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor.”

If you’re content with coming in second, third, fourth, etc. that is the extent that you are willing to commit to. Likewise, if you are happy with your current status at work or in your career, that is the extent of your commitment level. On the other hand, if you want more, if you want to further your career along to new heights, your commitment level will have to increase in direct proportion.

I have a friend who is successful but has the talent to be even more successful if only he wouldn’t put barriers in his head. He would often say, “If only I were single” or “If only I didn’t have kids,” when discussing his commitment level, “I would be more successful.” These comments always seemed odd to me because having a family shouldn’t hold you back from reaching your full potential. You just have to figure out a way to work around whatever “life” issues you may have to get the results you desire. I tried to point out to my friend that if everyone thought this way then all the CEO’s or executives in this world would be single and have no kids.

Achieving success isn’t easy and gets even harder as you continue to progress. What I’ve realized over the years is how difficult it is for people to push themselves. Most people really don’t know what their limits are because they have never really pushed themselves. You can’t reach new heights if you don’t go beyond your own comfort zone. I’ve always stressed to people that you have to be comfortable with being uncomfortable or you’ll never test yourself. Attempting to do something and coming up short isn’t always bad. It shows you what you need to work on or what you must improve to be successful next time.

That is where formulating a plan is necessary to push yourself to the next level in your career. Removing mental barriers is key but you also need to plan for success. Referring back to my friend regarding commitment and family, I suggested he should organize not only his work schedule but organize his “life” schedule to allow him the ability to find pockets of time to do what he needs to do to achieve his objectives. In my mind, there is always a solution for something. Nothing should ever hold you back. Doing whatever it takes, that is how I define a “winning attitude.” It’s that “winning attitude” that will always determine your level of success. Charlie Sheen shouldn’t be the only person “winning.”

(reposted from The Epoch Times Career Corner column 8/7/12 issue: http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/life/career-corner-make-a-commitment-to-achieve-new-heights-276078.html)

Improving and Evolving for Career Advancement

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Anyone who knows me understands what a sports fanatic I am. And anyone who has ever worked with me has probably heard me use sports analogies in one form or another. In fact, some may even say I overuse them, but I can’t help myself sometimes. I see so many parallels between business and sports. One in particular came to mind recently as I watched Lebron James finally win an NBA championship for his team.

I was watching the game with a friend of mine who was complaining about how he felt stagnant at work. I’ve known him for a long time and although I love him to death, there’s a reason why he hasn’t advanced much over the years. He doesn’t put in any extra time outside of business hours to work on improving himself. He puts in his nine to five at work and that’s it from a business standpoint. He’s a single guy so he enjoys his nightlife in the evenings and weekends. There’s nothing wrong with this of course, but don’t complain about your career not advancing as you would like if you’re not really doing anything extra to get the results you want.

On the other hand, although I can’t say I’m a big Lebron James fan, I can’t help but respect the man. Not just because he won, but because what he did through the years to get him to this point. Unlike my friend, Lebron has put in a whole lot of extra time to advance his career.

What the casual fan may not have noticed is that he has added something new to his skill-set every year. I don’t want to get too technical in terms of basketball, but let’s just say that early in his career he just relied on pure athleticism; however over time he has added various components to his repertoire. You can clearly see it on the court and the results speak for themselves.

It doesn’t matter what profession you’re in. Lawyer, doctor, accountant, or basketball player, if you want to continue to advance in your career, you need to continue to evolve. That means you must add new skills, improve weaknesses, or just plain increase your knowledge base. Whatever it is, you just can’t stand pat and think you can just get ahead. If you keep doing the same things over and over again, how can you expect to get different results or expect to perform better? I think someone in the past has defined that as “insanity” if I’m not mistaken.

The truth is, it’s easy for people to just chug along at work each day. One day blends into the next day and before you know it several years have gone by and you’re in the same position as you were since day one. Advancing in your career doesn’t happen by accident. It takes blood, sweat, and tears so to speak.

Improving and evolving doesn’t mean you have to go back to school or do anything dramatically different. It can start with something as small as picking up a book relevant to your profession or seeking counsel from a mentor. Growth is a learning process and you can learn something new each day.

About eight years ago, I recommended the book “How to Win Friends and Influence People” to my friend because I thought it would help him in his job. He bought it but guess what, he still hasn’t read the book. If you want to advance in your career, be less like my friend and be more like Lebron. I hope my friend isn’t reading my column this month.

(reposted from The Epoch Times Career Corner column 7/5/12 issue: http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/life/career-corner-improving-and-evolving-for-career-advancement-261308.html)

Don’t Change Jobs, Change the Workplace

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Most of us probably spend more waking moments at work than we even do in our own homes. So doesn’t it make sense to make where you work just as enjoyable as it is at home? Think about it. After a long hard day at work, I love coming home to my beautiful wife and my wonderful kids. Likewise, when I get to my office, I love interacting with my colleagues and coworkers. Throughout my career, I’ve made it an emphasis to create an environment at work as enjoyable as possible. It didn’t matter if I was brand new at a company low on the totem pole or a seasoned manager or executive. I made it a point to make the workplace enjoyable.

As a recruiter, I hear various reasons why people want to make a move, ranging from the need for more money and career growth to a desire for a shorter commute and more flexibility. However, most of these same individuals imply that the work environment is not very enjoyable either. I can bet that if they enjoyed their workplace more, they wouldn’t be in such a hurry to change jobs. On the flipside, as a headhunter trying to recruit people away from their current situations to new opportunities, even more money and growth alone can’t lure them away if they truly enjoy the workplace they are at. I believe that the majority of people would be willing to sacrifice a few bucks here and there if they found their workplace truly enjoyable.

Still, for some reason, a lot of people don’t seem to be proactive in making their surroundings better. Believe it or not, you truly can affect a positive change in your workplace. You can make more of an impact than you think. Like a mathematical equation, there are two sides. We’ve all heard of the expression, “One bad apple spoils the barrel.” If you believe that, then you should also believe the converse to be true as well. Do you ever go to a party and there’s always this one person, whenever he/she is there, the party is even better? Well that’s what I mean. You can be that person at work to make the workplace better.

At the end of the day, I try to advise people to be more proactive in making improvements in their current job and exhausting all their efforts there before jumping ship to a new company. Changing jobs usually doesn’t solve workplace issues. You should always start with “you.” You have to have a perspective to work similar to being married. Just because you have an argument with your wife or husband doesn’t mean you should get a divorce and find someone new. You got married for a reason. Similarly, you accepted the job for a reason. Both are long-term commitments. No employer wants to hire a job hopper. Employers want to hire committed professionals. If you’ve had five jobs in five years, you’re going to have a hard time convincing people you are a committed employee. So before you decide to change jobs, ask yourself if you’ve done everything humanly possible to make your workplace the best it can be. If you truly make an effort you’ll love going to work just as much as you love going home. Believe me, I do.

(reposted from The Epoch Times Career Corner column 6/16/12 issue: http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/life/career-corner-don-t-change-jobs-change-the-workplace-252762.html)

Enabling Success With the Help of a Mentor

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I was recently at my alma mater speaking at a workshop for college students who were about to graduate and begin their careers in their fields of study. I was very impressed by all the students I spoke with and enjoyed their enthusiasm and ambition. They reminded me of me at that stage of my life. They all wanted an edge and the “secret formula” for success. Obviously, I reminded them that there is no “secret formula” and advised them of the usual success standards of hard work, dedication, and positive attitude – nothing earth-shattering of course. However, I did share with them something that if I didn’t have early on in my career I wouldn’t have achieved the level of success that I was able to have.

As a young professional, one of the managers at the firm I was working at took me under his wings. It wasn’t anything formal. I didn’t go up to him and formally request, “Will you be my mentor?” I was new and he had been there for a while. It just seemed natural for me to turn to him whenever I wasn’t sure what to do. That’s how the relationship started. As we got to know each other more, he started to include me on various projects he was working on even though I lacked experience. He taught me on the job on the spot literally. I didn’t realize it at the time, but I was being mentored by a rising star in the company. Whenever he was promoted he brought me along with him and I rose through the ranks in tandem with him. Being mentored by him put me on a path that brought me to where I am today.

Whenever I advise people on their careers, I always stress the importance of seeking a mentor. This doesn’t apply to only young professionals. You can be a 20 year veteran or a new college graduate. There’s always someone out there that can teach you something. You can’t be delusional and think that you know it all. Don’t let your ego get in the way of career development. Don’t be afraid either. Believe it or not, people really do want to help you. Keep in mind though mentoring is a two-way relationship; both the mentor and mentee should experience benefits. Here are five key things to pay attention to when seeking a mentor:

1. Choose a mentor whose goals are similar to your own.
2. Find someone who is on the same career path you are.
3. Do something for them (Figure out how you can help them).
4. Look for someone who is successful and has a great reputation.
5. Be loyal

Looking back, I was very fortunate to have been mentored by some great people. I think about them a lot and am forever grateful for all their help. Wherever you are in your career, it’s important that you have people on your side to support you. Your success will always be increased by the people you surround yourself with. If you don’t have a mentor now, go find one!

How to Ask Your Boss for a Raise

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It’s a no brainer; everyone wants to make more money. Unless you’re in a sales role or on a compensation plan that’s incentive laden, there is a ceiling to how much money you can typically earn. Two common ways to earn more is to either leave for a higher paying job or to ask for a raise. You would think that it would be better to stay put and ask for a raise. However, a lot of people leave for a higher paying job without even asking for a raise in the first place. Now, I’m not trying to tell you to strong-arm your current employer with an offer from another company, but rather ask for a raise before you start looking elsewhere if compensation is the only issue you have. So how do you go about doing that? Asking for more money is one of the most difficult things any employee can face. If you deserve it, then don’t be afraid to ask. You just have to be smart about it.

Be strategic and make sure the timing is right. It wouldn’t be a good idea to ask for more money if the company wasn’t doing well or stagnant from a business standpoint. In the same vein, it wouldn’t make sense to ask for a raise if you haven’t been meeting your goals either. As an employee, you should have a solid pulse of what’s going on within the organization and where you stand within the firm. Make sure the company is doing well and is profitable overall. It’s also important that your recent contributions have helped make the company more successful.

This can range from anything between successfully completing an important project to taking on additional responsibilities. Have something noteworthy to demonstrate why you deserve it. The worst thing you can do is to ask for a raise because you need it. The fact that you can’t pay your mortgage or that you are having another child is totally irrelevant in this case.

You have to always keep in mind that this is business, not personal. If you do ask for a raise and happen to get turned down the first time, don’t get discouraged. Moreover, don’t be disgruntled. Show a positive attitude about the situation and professionally ask what it would take for a raise to happen. Try to get a clear outline on what has to take place for the increase. You may even want to proactively ask for more responsibility on the front-end without the raise. Demonstrate that you’re not just asking for money, but instead show that you are willing to do more to merit that increase. Your boss will appreciate the positive attitude and the good faith that you’ve displayed.

As someone who’s been in the employment industry for as long as I’ve been, there’s nothing more disheartening for me than to see people leaving a good situation just for an increase elsewhere. The grass isn’t always greener on the other side. If you like what you do and truly enjoy working at your current company, I encourage everyone to deal with the money situation proactively. It’s not easy, but then again, anything worth having doesn’t come easy anyway. Don’t be afraid; as Phil Knight would say, “Just Do It!”

Lessons in Leadership From Aristotle

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Aristotle once said, “He who cannot be a good follower cannot be a good leader.” Early in my career, my first true mentor told me this quote. He told me this specifically because I was not a good follower. He saw a lot of potential in me and constantly told me how talented I was, but I was my own worst enemy and until I knew how to be a good follower my growth would always be limited. Well, as a poor follower at the time, I took offense to this statement. You see, back then I was very cocky and didn’t take constructive criticism very well. I thought I knew it all and walked to the beat of my own drum thinking that’s what leaders do. Obviously, I was very delusional back then. Fortunately, I can laugh about it now.

I didn’t truly understand what it meant to be a good follower back then and why that was so important. It took some time and self-discovery for me to really understand what that was all about. As a young and ambitious individual who was anxious for career advancement, I learned some tough lessons. I saw my peers moving into leadership roles that I thought I deserved over them and didn’t understand why I was passed over. Lucky for me, I had a good mentor who showed me the light.

My limited definition of a leader at the time revolved around being different, standing out from the crowd, not letting others influence me, and making my own decisions. That is what was always engrained in me as a kid. I always thought if you performed well and outperformed others you would be more deserving of advancement into leadership roles than your peers. As I learned, there are more factors that organizations look for when advancing their employees into management roles than just performance as an individual.

Knowing that I wanted a managerial role, my mentor asked me how I expected to have others truly follow me if didn’t know how to follow other leaders myself very well. That struck a chord with me. He was right. If I wanted to be a leader, I needed to be able to teach others. I can’t teach something I can’t do myself. My entire perspective changed at that moment. How do I get people to be loyal, if I don’t know how to be loyal? How do I teach people to follow instructions if I’m always veering from instructions? How do I teach others how to be cooperative and be a team player if I’m not one myself?

I tell this story to a lot of candidates that I work with who want career advancement into management positions all the time. Especially when they tell me how good they are and that they perform better than their peers, yet they are still in individual contributing roles as opposed to leadership roles. You have to understand that companies and organizations are always looking for good leaders. That’s because there is a short supply of those types of individuals. There will always be more good producers than good leaders. Just performing well in your role isn’t good enough if you want to advance into management. They are not going to promote just anyone. If you truly want to advance into a leadership or managerial role, ask yourself this question, “Am I a good follower?”

Temporary Jobs— Hidden Gems in Disguise

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This time of year is always bittersweet. It’s my birthday but my birthday falls on the same week of the anniversary of my mom’s passing. So instead of being in a celebratory mood, it’s more of a time of reflection for me. My mom has been the most influential person in my life and needless to say, I learned a lot from her. She taught me many lessons; one in particular came to mind recently.

My mom used to tell me, “You can’t predict the outcome to everything. Some things just aren’t clear-cut and easy to see like a hidden gem. So it’s easy to let things slip by. Don’t let a good opportunity slip through your fingers because it may never come back.” Maybe that’s why I have taken on many endeavors that other people may have found risky or not worthy of their time. I never wanted to let the “hidden gem” slip through my fingers.

Last week someone asked me what I thought about temporary jobs. I told her it’s the “hidden gem” of the employment world. Most people look at temporary jobs, as the cliché goes, “the ugly stepchild” of the job market, but to me, especially if you’re unemployed, it’s an opportunity to showcase your skills. I come across a lot of candidates who are hesitant to take temporary jobs because of certain misconceptions or assumptions. This is especially true for those who have been laid off after being gainfully employed for many years. I understand that in general most people want to holdout for the best opportunity, but how do you know for sure what the best opportunity is? Just because it’s a direct-hire position doesn’t necessarily make it better than a job that starts out as a temporary position.

For people who are currently unemployed, I always urge them to consider temporary positions. Many people do not realize how often temporary positions lead to “permanent” positions. No employer will guarantee that a temporary position will become permanent for various reasons. The reality is that even though the unemployment rate remains relatively high, companies are still having a hard time finding good talent. So even though a job may start out as a short-term project, if you go in, impress the employer and wow them, they’ll have a hard time letting you go. A temporary job can be a gateway to get your foot in the door that otherwise may not have been available to you otherwise. And sometimes that’s all anyone really needs, a foot in the door, even if the door is slightly cracked open.

Once in the door, even if it doesn’t lead to a permanent position at that particular company, other positives can come out of that experience. You can continue to build your professional network by developing relationships with other colleagues during your stint that could lead you to other opportunities down the road elsewhere. Moreover, you can enhance your skill set by learning new technology or processes that you may not have been exposed to in the past. The bottom line is, the pros outweigh the cons by a landslide with regard to temporary jobs.

If you’re not working and the only reason you have for not accepting a temporary job offer is because it’s classified as a temporary job, you maybe letting a golden opportunity pass you by. What makes something a “hidden gem”? – When you first look at it, nothing great seems to stand out on the surface. You’ve got to do some due diligence and peel away the layers to uncover the gem. Who doesn’t want the perfect job opportunity gift wrapped to us? That’s not reality. Take my mom’s advice, don’t let a hidden gem slip through your fingers.

New Year’s Resolution: Get a Job!

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Guess what I like most about New Year’s? No, its not watching the ball drop in Times Square on “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve”. However, I have to admit, I do enjoy watching the show. Actually, my true secret pleasure is hearing people talk about their New Year’s resolutions. And it’s usually the same people who have the same resolutions. For example, I love listening to my cousin talk about this being the year he eats better. Or how my brother is going to quit smoking finally. Everyone seems to think there is a reset button when the New Year begins. The irony is that most people can’t seem to sustain their resolutions, my cousin and brother included. But hey, I give them credit for trying. Some resolutions just seem impossible to stick to. My cousin’s weakness is chili cheese fries and my brother’s is a stick of Marlboro. So with that in mind I thought I would help those who have a more manageable resolution, getting a new job.

If your New Year’s resolution is to get a new job, I have two words for you – BE PROACTIVE. The days of submitting your resume and hoping you get a phone call are long gone. Unless you have a glowing resume or have 100% of the requirements from a job posting, the odds of you getting a call are low. Think about it this way, for every job posting that looks appealing, you can bet hundreds; even thousands find it appealing as well. No employer is going to interview everyone that submits a resume. They’ll probably select a handful of people to meet with. So we’re talking about a very small percentage. Just sending your resume to a bunch of job postings isn’t my definition of being proactive.

One of the best ways of getting a new job is through networking. Believe it or not, a high percentage of companies rely very heavily on employee referrals. In fact, I bet your current company probably has some sort of employee referral program in place. Employers love employee referrals because those individuals tend to be higher quality. These candidates come prescreened by the referring employee and there is no way that he/she wants to ruin their reputation by referring someone sub par.

Before you start spamming various job postings with your resume, pause and think about all of your relatives, friends, classmates, and former coworkers. Reach out to them and see where they are working. Ask them if there are any job openings there or if they know others who maybe looking to hire. Ask them to put in a good word for you; ask them to refer you to other hiring managers; ask for names of other people you can connect with. There is no shame in asking, don’t be embarrassed to network.

Incidentally, one of the best employees that I ever hired got an opportunity because he reached out to me through a referral. If he had submitted a resume, I probably wouldn’t have given him the time of day. His resume had many holes and really didn’t have the ideal background for what I was looking for on paper. However, after speaking to him, I saw something in him that you couldn’t see on a resume so I gave him a shot. He is still with me to this day eight years later.

In any event, if you are one those individuals whose resolution is to get a new job, don’t just point and click submit with your mouse. Pick up the phone and make some calls. Talk to people. I guarantee you will have more success with your resolution than either my cousin or my brother.