• Job search burnout? How to get unstuck and inspired.

    As The Job Search Guru, I talk to my share of frustrated job seekers who are stuck and losing confidence in finding what they want. I understand. Modern job searches can take a real toll on job seekers. Resumes disappear into black holes and you’re lucky to get a response of any kind. Recruiters miss […]

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  • Turn Your LinkedIn Profile into a Job Magnet

    If you are building a career, a great LinkedIn profile acts like a magnet. When your profile has the right elements, it will attract recruiters, hiring managers and other people who might have the great next career opportunity for you. In fact, if you’re in some professions, such as enterprise software sales, if you’re not […]

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  • 6 Easy-to-Fix Spelling and Grammar Mistakes that Could Cost You a Job

    In the business world, bad spelling and grammar can actually ruin your career.  A misspelling or a grammatical error in your resume or correspondence can be enough to have a hiring manager or recruiter move on to the next candidate. Certainly, not everyone cares about spelling and grammar, but the ones who do? They really […]

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  • What to do when the recruiter calls.

    What to Do When a Recruiter Calls

    If you’re a professional, you can expect to get an occasional phone call or an email from a recruiter. If you’re a startup executive, it might even be from me. That call or email might change your life. Or it could be a total bust. You’ll never know, though, unless you answer it. Here are […]

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  • The first glance at your resume could be just six seconds... how would your resume do?

    A Recruiter Gives Your Resume 6 Seconds. Here’s What Happens.

    Surveys show that recruiters spend about six seconds on their first look at a resume. Six seconds. That sounds about right to me. I have decades of experience reviewing resumes for a living and I developed a finely tuned superpower for scanning a resume quickly to find the key information I need so I can […]

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  • interview questions are much easier when you have a script to answer questions

    Interview Preparation Tip: Script Your Stories

    Looking for a job? Get ready to talk about yourself. That seems obvious, yet few people I talk to actually seem to plan ahead to prepare the stories that illustrate what they’ve done and the great things they bring to a job. Lots of people figure they’ll just wing it, and don’t realize that winging […]

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OMG LOL! Embarrassing and Hilarious Resume and Job Search Bloopers

I’ve collected a lot laugh-out-loud hilarious resume bloopers over the years, and whenever I feel down, they’re always good for a chuckle. Some I’ve experienced firsthand, most I’ve been told about, and a few may just be the stuff of urban legend in the hiring world, but they’re all a hoot, so here you go. […]

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Here are a few qualities of people who are cut out to work for a startup.

What Makes a Startup Superhero? These Five Things.

As you may know, I’m an executive recruiter (okay, go ahead… call me a headhunter if you must). Most of my clients are startups and early-stage technology companies, and I help them find the kind of awesome candidates who will help their new company succeed. I get resumes every day from people saying they want […]

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When does personal information like Burning Man or church work on your resume make you look like the perfect candidate... and when does it target you for rejection? Good question.

Resume Personal Section Advice: When to Include Outside Interests Like Burning Man or Politics

I often get asked whether it’s a good idea to include a resume personal section, or if it’s just offering unnecessary information that might risk  hiring discrimination. Should you mention your annual trek to Burning Man where you manage a team building a huge art project? What about the years in college organizing the Young […]

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How to Rock Professional Networking Events

I’m a recruiter, coach and speaker, which means I make my living by talking to people, but I really don’t like professional networking events and schmoozing. It often feels awkward and uncomfortable to me because I’m actually pretty shy. Go figure. But meeting strangers is a fact of life when you’re building a business or […]

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Looking forward to finishing grad school? The best job search advice I can give you is to start building knowledge and connections now so you are competitive for the right graduate job opportunities.

New Grad Jobs: The Best Job Search Approach for Grad Students

Dear Job Search Guru, I’ve gone back to school to finish my master’s degree in health care management. My field of study is very different than what I did before, so I’m aiming for a career change, and I don’t really know what I’m qualified for based on my experience and my recent education. What […]

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There is no one right way to make the perfect resume, but follow these resume tips and you'll get pretty darned close.

Resume Tips: Nine Qualities of the Perfect Resume

If you’re like most people, you really have no idea how to write a resume for a job, and therefore no idea if your resume is cutting it. Am I right? Well, I have some bad news: your resume probably sucks and it’s probably working against you. How do I know? Because in my years […]

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