How to Fill Out an Application for a Federal Government Job If You’re a Veteran

Kathryn Troutman shares her secrets for military veterans in applying for a federal government job on The Woman’s Connection.

Kathryn is known as the Federal Resume Guru. She invented a new resume format – the Federal Resume – after the U.S. government eliminated the long, burdensome application – SF-171. Her first book, Federal Resume Guidebook, set the standards for federal resumes and created an entire resume writing and job search industry for career professionals.

Ring in the New Year With a Brand New Cover Letter

With the turn of a page or the click of an app you’ll be looking at January 2012 on your calendar—a perfect time to start fresh with a brand new cover letter to help you land the job you’ve been dreaming about.

Employers are ready for a new beginning, as well. They want to match qualified job-hunters with quality jobs. You can be one of the people they’re looking for. Get started now with a top-notch cover letter that catches their attention and compels them to call you in for an interview. Continue Reading

Cover Letter Mistakes You May Not Realize You’ve Made

Cover letters are tricky—and from what I’ve seen during twelve years in the careers industry, writing a cover letter is one of the most researched job search topics of all time.  As a former recruiter and HR manager, I want to share with you some cover letter mistakes you may not even realize you’re making! Continue Reading

Power Verbs…

When it’s time to assemble your resume or spruce up a cover letter to a potential employer consider adding a few words that will help to create an exciting image of your work experiences in the mind of a potential hiring manager. Don’t just become a needle in the hay stack enhance your presentation with a few the power verbs from the listings below. Continue Reading

4 Goals Your Cover Letter Introduction Should Accomplish

It’s no secret that every element of your cover letter is important from top to bottom.  But the cover letter introduction may be just a bit more significant simply because it works as the bait to lure in your readers, encouraging them to learn more about you.  To make sure that your introduction does its job, take a look at four goals every cover letter introduction should accomplish. Continue Reading

Looking for a Marketing Job? Job Postings for Mobile Marketers Up 120% In Two Years.

Over the past 90 days, employers and staffing firms have placed more than 4,400 job ads for marketing professionals with mobile skill sets, according to WANTED Analytics, a leading source of real-time business intelligence for the talent marketplace. The volume of job ads that include mobile criteria in the job description grew significantly over the past two years, as mobile websites and applications become a more common business strategy. Hiring demand increased 16 percent compared to the same 90-day period in 2010 and more than 120 percent versus 2009. Mobile skills now represent 10 percent of all job ads for marketing professionals. Continue Reading

Give Yourself an AMAZING Cover Letter for the Holidays

Do you look forward to the holidays––and dread them at the same time? November and December often blur together as we move from Thanksgiving to the December Holidays. And the next thing you know it’s time to celebrate the next twelve months on New Year’s Eve!

If this sounds familiar, you, like many people, may be caught in a holi-daze. Cooking, shopping, entertaining, cleaning, and organizing take over. If you’re in the market for a new job you may be tempted to put off writing that cover letter till all the celebrations are over. Continue Reading

Two “Magic Words” to open and close your cover letter with…

Everyone wants to be appreciated and acknowledged. That’s a fact. But it’s one that many job seekers forget about in their rush to write a cover letter that will impress a hiring manager with their talent and skill.

You can take a different route and get to the destination (a job interview) faster than anyone else by focusing on two magic words: THANK YOU. And you can make an even better impression if you open and close your cover letters with an expression of sincere gratitude. Continue Reading

5 Cover Letter Tips to Get Your Resume Noticed

“Experience is a great advantage. The problem is that when you get the experience, you’re too damned old to do anything about it.” — Jimmy Connors

Sorry if this sounds strange, but nothing is more annoying (nor more important) than having to write a cover letter. On the one hand, it can be the single most important document in your job search (yes, possibly more important than your resume). “Why?” you may ask. A cover letter is your introduction. It can be the single reason your resume is (or is not) considered. Even if you have the best resume in the world with the most amazing work experience, a missing or poorly written cover letter may ruin any chance at getting your resume seen by the right people. In an economy in which high unemployment prevails and few jobs exist, hiring managers are being very selective about the few people they will hire. Continue Reading

Follow Up Your Cover Letter With a Follow-Up!

Written By Jimmy Sweeney
President of CareerJimmy and Author of the new,
Amazing Cover Letter Creator
How would you like to double your job search odds? Is that a ‘yes?’ If so, please read carefully because I have a bit of magic to share with you that can make that possible.
The secret formula is this: Contact the company you want to work for not once but twice–first in your initial cover letter and then in a follow-up cover letter, giving you a chance to be noticed two times instead of one.

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