1. Honestly, there is not a single person who has not had SOME gaps in their work history. Anyone who says differently is someone who might not always tell the truth.

2. So, you, job seeker have had some employment gaps in your career/work life. What to do? What to do?

3. Sit down and write out what you did during your time of unemployment. Most people who are out of work do NOT spend all of their not working time in front of a TV!
What you did is a measure of what your values and interests are. If you loafed, where did you do your loafing? Reading, baking, driving, hanging out? WHAT DID YOU DO AND WHY DID YOU DO IT?

4. Condense these periods of unemployment to look for a pattern. If you were "laid off" a few times, what jobs were you doing and why were you "laid off"? Look for skills that you used with employment gaps. There is always a pattern of some sort when Mr. or Ms Job Seeker is not looking.

5. By making sense of these gaps to and for potential new employers, you can capitalize on them to present yourself in a new light. Example: If you started a home based business while you were unemployed, but it failed, you can still be known as someone willing to take risks; someone who can see failure as something to not be ashamed of. How many employers could sympathize with you? Many, I would guess. Failing and learning from it, is a SKILL.

6. Put those unemployment gaps together Mr. or Ms Job Seeker as if you had found gold on a scrap heap. The gaps still represent you, put them in your resume and use them in an interview.

7. You might want to do these differently on your next "not working gig". Put yourself to work on your self, the next time around!

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How often have we heard others talk about how 'intelligent' they consider someone to be? Intelligence is a description of how good someone is at mentally doing something. Intelligence involves thought. Intelligence includes the ability to reason, plan, solve problems, think abstractly, comprehend ideas and language and to learn. Do you consider yourself to be intelligent?

Schools and the education system would have us believe that we are only intelligent if we are able to solve complex abstract problems or remember facts and figures. I would agree that this is a type of intelligence and this type of intelligence is normally referred to as IQ or 'intelligence quotient' (a phrase coined by an American psychologist named Lewis Terman).

A small proportion of the population has a high IQ and they find the academic type of learning and activities in school relatively easy. But the vast majority of people don't. So where does that leave everyone else?

Well, the good news is that IQ is not a measure of success. Most people with a high IQ do not go on to be as successful as their IQ score may lead us to believe. Most people with a high IQ take reasonably well paid, but routine, employment. Most are not happy with risk and rather limit their own success by becoming 'comfortable' and fall far short of what their potential suggests.

There is another type of intelligence that may be more important to success in life and this has been publicised by the best-selling book "Emotional Intelligence" (or EQ) by Daniel Goleman (although the term was first used several years earlier by two academics - Mayer and Salovey).

EQ has to do with recognizing, understanding, and choosing how we think, feel, and act. It shapes our interactions with others and our understanding of ourselves. It defines how and what we learn; it allows us to set priorities; it determines the majority of our daily actions. EQ is the capacity to create positive outcomes in our relationships with ourselves and others. These learnable skills create joy, love, and success of all kinds.

Studying EQ it becomes clear that IQ has less to do with success in life than EQ. The good news is that we all have EQ and that it can be developed. We can develop our EQ to help us build our relationships with others, to use our emotions appropriately, to focus our efforts and to become more successful in life.

EQ may be so important that it could be the best predictor of who will succeed in any area of life.

Can we look beyond IQ and EQ?

When you look at the world, do you see only space and time, mass and energy, logic and reason? Or do you also see connectivity and design, purpose and meaning, faith and mystery?

In his book "What's your SQ?" Michael Guillen has developed the idea of 'spiritual intelligence' or SQ. SQ considers your views beyond the materialistic living of modern life. Without spirituality it is possible to become very unhappy or dissatisfied with life no matter how much material possessions we accumulate.

Can you be successful if you are not truly happy? I would argue not and that a balance of IQ, EQ and SQ are necessary for a happy and successful life.

Are there any other forms of intelligence? Yes, there is another important theory on multiple intelligences and you can read about that in another article.

To be happy and successful in life focus on your EQ and SQ. If you are fortunate enough to have some IQ too then all the better - but don't rely on your IQ alone.

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The first thing you need to do before you write your resume is learn how to format it. Just as if you were cooking a new dish you would follow a recipe, so too should you follow a specific format when you type your resume.

There are three different types of resume formats you can use. First, we will talk about the Chronological resume. The chronological format is the most popular and widely used of the three resume formats. This format keeps you connected to one specific job.

There are four requirements to the Chronological resume. First is your work history. This should show it correlates to your current objectives. Working in the same field, even though you have changed companies, proves you are consistent and dedicated to a specific career path.

The next requirement of the chronologically formatted resume is the number of years you've worked in the same field. Showing you are experienced tells the employer that you have an asset to bring to the table.

Thirdly, you will state your present employer, or, if you are currently unemployed, you want to show that you have been out of a job for a short period of time.

Last, but very important is the length of time you have spent at each company. You will definitely want your resume to shout, “I'm not a job jumper!”

The longer you have stayed at each job, the more committed and loyal you will come across to your perspective employer.

Next, there is the Functional resume. The functional resume will work best for you if the following three points relate to your situation.

First, the functional resume format is great for people with little or no job experience.
Secondly, this format works well if the last job you worked at is not in the same field as the position in which you are currently applying.
Thirdly, this specific format will work best for you if you have been out of work for a long time, but now you truly want to start working again.

The last of the three formats is the Combination resume. This type of resume combines the chronological and the functional formats by joining your skills, experience and job history together. The combination resume works well by letting a strong area make up for a weaker area. For example, if your job history is limited, but you have tremendous skill at the task you will perform if hired. The skills you possess may sway the employer to overlook your lack of employment history.

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Why is it a good idea to determine your worth? Whether you plan to stay at your current job or seek employment elsewhere, your assessment of your worth can become a bargaining chip should you choose to negotiate for higher compensation. It’s a reference point on your way to improving not only your standard of living but your sense of self as well.

There are many ways your worth is determined for a particular job. One way is to look at your current earnings. That will at least tell you how your boss or company views your worth. Another way is to find out what the average job salaries are for people performing the same functions as you. Still another approach is to use a salary calculator to look at a salary comparison based on several factors including industry, geography and of course the level of the position itself. If you are interested in that approach, salary.com has a neat formula for calculating salary.

If you want to make a lot of money, I suggest you look to your true worth. In most cases, your true worth is far greater than your current compensation. Your worth can be defined by what you bring to the table that is unique and valuable. Look at the skills, strengths, core competencies, marketable assets and accomplishments you can declare as your own. This is what describes your uniqueness. It is what differentiates you from the crowd.

Keep in mind that no other person possesses these same unique gifts. The things in life that are rare tend to be worth more than those things that are bountiful in nature. Extending this concept further, the rarest thing is a one-of-a-kind, which is priceless. There is nothing else like it. Have I just described you?

Having said that, what number would best describe your worth? Once you have arrived at a number, communicate this with your spouse or best friend for validation. You may be surprised by their response.

Salary negotiations based on your true worth take on a whole new dimension. No, you probably won’t be compensated one million dollars; however, I have seen twenty to forty thousand dollars added to starting compensation through aggressive negotiations. It is common to negotiate signing bonuses, stipulations calling for substantial six-month performance-based increases, several weeks of additional vacation time and many other perks.

You have probably worked very hard to come to this point, so why stop short of getting what you truly want, and deserve. Wouldn’t you rather be compensated on the basis of what you’re worth than on some arbitrary figure designed to keep the status quo? Remember, what you receive now becomes your benchmark for future positions. Go for what you are worth – your life will never be the same!

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You finally did it. You made the decision to leave a career that makes you dread every Monday morning and pursue one that you feel is your true calling. Congratulations! Making the decision was the hard part, right? Unfortunately, no. You’ve convinced yourself that this is the right move…how do you convince everyone else? It’s time to work on your resume.

Resume writing for this situation can be challenging, to say the least. Why? Think about it for a moment – how do you go from a retail manager to a purchasing agent in a corporate environment? Or from an accountant to a salesperson? Not all career changes are that drastic, but you get the picture. Once you look at it from this point of view though, it makes you wonder how in the world you’ll get a job in a new field.

There are a number of things your resume has to portray to the reader:

• The skills that you learned and honed in your past jobs transfer to the one you are applying for.

• Your strengths and accomplishments compliment the field and position (or type) of position you are seeking.

• You can do something other than what you are currently doing.

So how exactly do you do this? How do you convince a potential employer that you have what it takes to meet and exceed the expectations for the job – no matter what previous jobs you’ve held in the past? One way is by writing a functional resume.

A functional resume is one that you don’t see nearly as often as the tradition chronological and combination ones. That’s because they are used when the situation for the job seeker is not ideal. Other instances may be returning to the workforce after a long period of time or job hopping. A functional resume is used when it wouldn’t be as effective as if you had a solid work history, no gaps in employment and are looking for a job similar to the one you are currently in, if not a step-up.

Your resume may start out with an executive profile or summary of what you have done in the past and what you are looking to do in the future. This is the time to really “talk yourself up”. You do not want to modest.

An example might be:
Accomplished and experienced professional with a 10-year proven record of developing accurate sales plans based on intensive analysis and communication with integral departments. Combines astute strategic and business skills with an impeccable work ethic and drive for success. Self-starter that is enthusiastic, forward-thinking and recognized as a peak performer.

How do you begin to write the body of your resume? Take all your achievements, strengths, education and/or training and write them down. Which ones can you group together under one heading? Headings could include:

• Leadership
• Financial Management
• Account Management
• Goal Setting & Achievement

Of course, these headings are just examples to get your own wheels turning. They will differ depending on your own experience and achievements.

As you are compiling your lists, keep in mind that you are writing for you new career, not your present or past ones. Present this valuable information in a compelling manner that shows how you can be a benefit to a company in your desired career. Use strong adjectives, verbs and keywords to really get your point across.

Now that you have the difficult part done, the next steps are easy. Include your work history, education and any other special training and/or skills that you deem important at the end of your resume. Even though the focus is on the main body of your resume, the other information needs to be on there for reference sake.

And that’s it! You’re done writing your resume. Hard work – yes, but well worth it when you consider what you are now able to tackle – a new job, a new career…a new life!

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One of the most obvious implications of the end of the “job for life” society is that if we wish to hold on to our job we need to demonstrate our utility to the employer. For many, this is interpreted as working long hard hours, and the “stay at work” culture is often the result. But is this necessary? Did anyone actually lose his or her job by going home at a normal time? People lose their jobs either because they are no good at it (known as being fired) or because the company is not performing well or is restructuring in some way (known as being made redundant).

Indeed, for many employers, working late is not a sign of loyalty; it is a sign of incompetence. If you can’t get the work done within a normal working day you are either badly organised or haven’t learned to say “no” to an over-demanding employer. And if you need to work long hours on a regular basis you are likely to be less and less productive over time because you are going to burn out and your morale is going to decline. If this is the case, why do we feel that the employers are trying to deny us balance in our work and life arrangements?

First of all let’s examine the term itself. I’ve never liked the phrase “work-life balance”. It suggests that work is one activity and life is a separate, conflicting activity. The truth is that work is one part of our life and it competes for our time against the other activities in our life that we wish to attend to. I prefer to use the simpler term “life balance” or “life mix”.

The key factor in life balance is “time” and, critically, work is perhaps the only use of our time that we do not have control over. If we chose when, and for how long we work, the number of hours we allocate to it would not present a conflict. The recent dispute between BA employees and the airline at Heathrow was not some Luddite reaction to new technology, it was born out of the fact that this particular technology is a mechanism to allow BA to manage to a fine degree when it’s employees come in to work in accordance with passenger volumes. Of course BA has the right to choose which particular hours it employ people for, but the fact remains that the mechanism shifts time sovereignty from the employee to the employer.

For executives the situation is slightly different. While there are always going to be times when we just need to be in the office in order to complete a task like preparing for a meeting (‘though I’d wager that the majority of these case could easily be extinguished with better organisation and planning), employees do have more autonomy than manual workers in terms of the hours spent at work. Contracts, written and verbal, tend to operate on the basis that we do the work expected of us, but that how and when (within an agreed timeframe) is up to us. If you’re good and you can do it in a six-hour day I doubt you’re going to be fired for not being there the other one (although it is more likely that you’ll be given more work).

My contention therefore, is that, people who sign up to the “stay at work” culture choose to do so. That’s fine by me. It seems that in our enlightened society late working is a “bad thing”. As a rich nation we should be spending less time at work and more time doing mind expanding, fulfilling things with our time, spending it with our friends and family, or exercising. Yet for many people, work is the most fulfilling and stimulating activity in their life. Why should it be the case that there is anything wrong with workaholism? Is it wrong that these people should work 80 hours or more each week?

The problem is that the time sovereignty of employees is gradually being eroded, largely through the introduction of family friendly policies. Far from giving workers flexibility, these policies shackle the staff to the organisation, by creating such an infrastructure of support that to leave would require not just the hard enough task of adjusting to the new employer, but also the need to put back into place all the other arrangements that were previously taken care of.

A recent initiative I heard about comes from Asda. IVF treatment allowance for women (5 days per annum) and their partners (1½ days) is their latest big idea. Don’t misunderstand me, I’m all for IVF for those that want it, and welcome the idea that employers should allow their staff to take time off for it, just as with any other medical matter. My point is that such initiatives do not constitute a meaningful step towards improving the life balance of employees because improved life balance requires a fundamental review of how we spend our lives, not whether we can get a few hours off every few weeks for medical treatment. The truth is that initiatives such as this and flexible working, crèches and duvet days are a response to the difficulties in attracting and retaining staff.

Staff retention is much more a problem with larger companies, which is why they are ahead of the game. By upping the ante these employers will achieve short to medium term advantages which will be lost when the rest of industry finally works out what they need to do to attract and retain staff. What’s more, the advantage is rarely, if ever, with the staff. Instead the expectations to perform and show commitment is increased, usually with such strings attached as “golden handcuffs”, long notice periods, and the provision of equipment for home-working which at once allows flexibility to the employee and ties them for even longer hours to the company - they can never escape work.

When the playing field has been levelled it will simply be that employers will have removed any argument or reason for us not to devote our lives to them. We are moving away from, not towards, greater control of our working lives, and the reason is that we are allowing employers to take away our time sovereignty. If I don’t have an issue about picking up the children from nursery because the nursery is down on the first floor, then the company gets that time from me and I don’t get to choose how to organise my life, or that of my children.

So let’s stop looking to our employers to provide us with life balance – they are only concerned with our work lives. It’s up to us to take control of our time and our job satisfaction. We are not exhausted and de-motivated by running around trying to balance our busy lives; we are exhausted and de-motivated because we do not derive fulfilment from our lives. Work should excite, engage, stimulate and give meaning. It’s up to us to decide the extent to which we should pursue it in order to achieve those objectives.

The specific balance between work, family, hobbies, health, relaxation and whatever else might be on your own personal menu of time use is entirely up to you. Only you know how much of each you need in any given time period. It’s my belief that over recent years the pressure to “succeed” (a term that has now taken an almost exclusive reference to professional status or wealth) has encouraged us to spend more time at work than our natural balance would recommend.

Yet these are simply excuses. We can change our lifestyles if we want to, it is within our control as long as we are prepared to reduce our material desires and to take a good long look at what we do for employment. I contend that the vast majority of people have not chosen their current career but have fallen into it more or less by serendipity. When asked if they really “love” their jobs and why they chose their careers most will be stumped, while many professionals (lawyers, doctors, accountants, etc) will refer to family pressure to secure their future in a sensible occupation.

The employee who does not know how to balance his life in an optimally fulfilling way, or else is scared to address the fact that the “balance” he wants does not necessarily match the balance his wife wants for him (I have deliberately alluded to men in this scenario as I believe we are the ones who would rather immerse ourselves in work than attend to our emotions and relationships) is the one with a real problem to address.

Moving on, sadly, is a scary alternative. “Better the devil you know” is the usual response. “I may not be happy but I’m paid well” doesn’t sound like a good trade off to me. Of course we’re all for more life, as long as it doesn’t mean a salary trade-off. It’s a pity that so many people either feel they cannot afford to buy themselves any time away from work, or else engage in the “stay at work” culture that keeps them in the office until only a taxi can get them home because they feel that somehow the pole becomes less slippery after 5.30 pm. With that attitude regret is sure to follow at some time or other.

The argument I’m presenting is not that flexible working and similar initiatives are wrong. I’m arguing that individuals, that’s you and me, not our employers, need to identify what we really want for our work and how to increase fulfilment from it and the rest of our lives. By maximising our fulfilment we reduce stress and that’s the key to what we seek when we strive for better life balance. How we manage to get the kids to the dentist or find time to mow the lawn at the weekend follow on as easy decisions when our priorities are in place.

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So what's the difference between a star performer who can name his/her salary and get whatever job he wants, and someone who can't? Very successful people tend to put a lot of effort into improving themselves. Coach Dean Smith of the University of North Carolina talks about how when he first noticed Michael Jordan, he didn't see NBA material. Jordan didn't even make his high school's varsity basketball team. However, the UNC basketball clinic accepted Michael for a summer training program because he was quick on his feet and showed potential. Coach Smith talks about how his staff was amazed at the amount of effort Michael put into practicing and learning the skills that ultimately made him a great basketball player.

Michael Jordan didn't stop learning how to be a great player in that high school clinic though. He kept on practicing and learning until he got into the NBA. Then he kept at it more and more until it just became a way of life. He even was able to apply the same skill of continual learning to become a good baseball and golf player. People like to talk about how Michael fell short of expectations in these other sports but the reality is his being able to transition to those other sports was nothing short of amazing, even though he wasn't able to play at the level of athletes who had been playing those other sports as long as he'd been playing basketball.

If you want to make more money and to be able to command the types of positions you really want, you need to adopt a Michael Jordan attitude. When continued learning and growth becomes a habit and it's integrated into your lifestyle, you'll find yourself moving into a whole new echelon of career success. Continued growth is the key to being able to compete in today's era of globalization and high unemployment.

Hopefully by now you're excited about the idea of integrating continual learning into your career. How can you do this? Well for one thing, successful people tend to maximize a concept that Human Resource professionals call "job stretch." Job stretch is the difference between what your skills are now and the skills that are required to perform a certain set of functions. Successful people seek to make their job stretch as wide as possible while still being able to do their job really well. This means volunteering for that project at work that you might have to spend some extra time researching to be able to do well. And it means applying for jobs that require slightly more expertise than you currently have, rather than slightly less. Having job stretch can make your work more engaging and exciting.

Another way to integrate continual learning is through formal education. This includes taking classes, earning degrees and certifications, reading, and generally absorbing knowledge in all ways possible. It used to be that taking classes meant committing to lengthy courses at a local university, which also required spending more time away from your family and loved ones. With the invention of the Internet, it's now possible to take classes online from accredited universities and technical schools. We have done some research and found a number of high quality online education offerings.

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Below are some behavioral interview techniques that you'll find useful:

1. Be prepared for the interview by analyzing and making an educated guess as to which skills are most desired by the employer. You can study the job description of the position or go to some job boards to review requirement sections of related jobs.
2. Compile a list of skills that are relevant to the position you are applying.
3. Identify behavioral interview questions by introductory phases like "Tell me about a time when...," " Describe a situation where you...," "Give me an example of..." etc.
4. Listen carefully to each question. If necessary, rephrase the question and ask for clarification.
5. Use STAR formula to answer behavioral interview question. STAR stands for Situation, Task, Action and Result. Make sure that your answers are detailed and specific. This behavioral interview technique is widely recommended by career advisors.
6. Use your real-life examples instead of your opinions or theoretical statements. The employers want to know what you have done in the past, not what you think you would do in the future.
7. Vary the length of your answers. You can prepare short description of each situation but be ready to give details if asked. You can also determine if you have given enough information by asking questions like, "Would you like more details on that?" "Would you like another example?".
8. Be honest. It will be bad for you if the interviewer find out that your story is built on weak foundation.

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A near middle-aged man in one of my last workshops had followed his calling for the past decade with unbounded zeal. Alas, his career had never developed into long-term employment but rather, was fraught with numerous set-backs, lay-offs and even dismissals. With five children to feed and his life passion now shelved this man faced depression and desperation.

Yet, we could all borrow a page from this man’s heroic story as he further explained how he was managing this most difficult passage. He said rather than allowing himself to be crushed by these demeaning events he emphatically reminded himself of his numerous life successes. Through this, he refueled his belief in himself enabling him to persevere with a measure of dignity.

All of us could benefit from focusing on our many successes. Stop now and list at least ten of your life successes. Reminding ourselves frequently of our accomplishments rather than nagging ourselves with our so-called “failures” is the crux of finding meaning and peace in work and life.

If we can’t encourage and support ourselves now, the “ideal job” will not supply us with the happiness or fulfillment we seek. If your self confidence is being tested by unemployment, underemployment, a new promotion, a job interview, child raising, or life (!) affirm your successes and renew your faith in yourself. We can’t wait for other people to bolster our confidence and nourish our being!

Nourish Your Being

Turning fifty years old this week supplied me with the perfect opportunity to either nourish or negate myself and my life. As I reflected upon the last decade of my life I found warm comfort in the woman I have become. Not always so. As I reread my “Fortieth Birthday” column, I’d written for a local newspaper a decade ago, I could clearly see how far I’d come.

Back then, my fortieth birthday reflections led me to grieve. I had left behind decades of broken relationships and lost businesses – all strung together by my deep need to be loved and approved of by others. Within that column, I spoke with somber sadness of not wanting to repeat my broken past in the next half of my life. In closing that Fortieth Birthday column I made an earnest wish for myself, I wished “to live the next forty years being true to myself.”

Rereading this column showed me clearly my wish had come true this past decade. This priceless gift affirmed how far I’d grown from that 40 year old woman who had abandoned herself – for decades – seeking inner worth, love and acceptance through external props and people. How remarkable to have unearthed this time-capsuled treasure, written a decade ago, upon my fiftieth birthday!

We can all give ourselves this priceless gift of affirming our lives and nourishing our being by pondering our past and seeing how far we have come. Our mistakes no longer have to be something we punish ourselves for. Now, we can make an effort to have compassion for ourselves and give thanks for the lessons learned.

By performing these small rituals of remembering and affirming our lives, we nourish and build our being. It is in here, inside, we build a strong, solid foundation that can help us weather the storms of life. Through building a strong sense of self we can find a new freedom.

Freedom at Fifty

The slogan “Freedom at Fifty” takes on a new spin when I think of how free I am now compared to when I tried so hard to please everyone. The disease to please, often driven by feelings of insecurity and unworthiness can be chronic and life debilitating if left unchecked. Do you balance your needs for quiet, private time with the needs and demands of work, career-search, family, friends, life?

A client of mine, aged “fifty-something,” regularly stops and asks herself, “What do I want/need here?” She went on to say that now, in her fifties, she is able to set boundaries with her family as never before. We both affirmed we have discovered a real freedom in our fifties.

Before you accept that next job, take on another task, commit to someone else’s agenda - stop. Take some time and ask yourself, “What do I need here?” How can we hope to find our Way if we do not listen to ourselves or find time for ourselves?

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Employers have said that they are more likely to be 12 percent more graduates this year than last year. It is the first projected increase since the year 2000.

In another study, a projected 60 percent of US business plan to employ the same number of graduates this year as with last year. That is an increase of fifty-five percent from last year, according to the CERI (Collegiate Employment Research Institute) at MSU.

According to recent studies, US Corporations and businesses will employ more graduates with a bachelor's degree in business, biological and physical sciences. Those with construction management, engineering degrees, health care and accounting will also experience an increase in hiring. Other fields will have a slight decline.

On the average, companies are hiring forty three percent of its interns to fulltime and regular status. The expected increase in the hiring of graduates coincides with an expected growth forecast of the economy next year according to a recent survey by the Federal Reserve Bank.

A lot of companies are coming out of a slump and are now hiring their interns and looking for more. A lot of companies are posting jobs and coming into different campuses.

Most experts advise that during the holidays, whether you're looking for permanent employment or internship, it is time to step up your search.

Take advantage of the holiday events you're going to, discuss what you're looking for and your goals. Businesses don't want to be flooded with calls and faxes of resumes. They will probably rely on word-of-mouth to get a handful of candidates The holidays are a perfect time to network.

What to expect:

Companies will hire more students earning bachelor's degree in business and management, physical and biological sciences. Engineering, health care and accounting degrees also would experience an increase. Other degrees will experience a decrease in hiring

Businesses expect to employ about the same volume of MBAs this year as last year. Businesses have found employees with bachelor's degrees being able to do some work being done by MBAs.

It will be harder for graduates with computer science degrees to find work.

Companies are more likely to employ students who have undergone internships. The work experience, they say, makes a lot of difference. Federal agencies will employ more graduates but not nearly enough to offset the decrease in hiring by the state and local government agencies.

On average, starting salaries will increase by 1 to 2 percent.

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Searching for a job can be difficult enough, but when you finally spot the 'job of a lifetime' - just consider that if the job sounds too good to be true - quite likely, it is!

Imagine the job of "Designer - Developer/Applications/IT" with a tax-free salary of $120K for 6 months work.

Perks including Paid Overtime at $300 per hour, paid first-class accommodation, $3,000.00 flat rate travel/entertainment allowance for every intercontinental trip, free comprehensive healthcare, two weeks of paid vacation, a free laptop computer and free transportation/vehicle.

WOW!!! - Where do I sign up???

This is just one of the many recent postings on Monster.com - other jobs with the same salary and benefits are also available - including:

* Project Manager - Project/Infrastructure/IT * Analyst - Systems/Support/IT * Technical Advisor - Computer/Security/IT * Analyst - Data Manager/IT/

Sometimes the scams are easy to spot - other times it can be more difficult. Quite often the job titles and job descriptions are often stolen from other legitimate employment sites.

You may be able to enter a snippet of the job description in double-quotes and find the original source through your favorite search engine.

For example, the position I mentioned earlier contained the text "(C++, Java, HTML, PHP, Visual Basic)" in the job description.

Search for this in Google (including the double-quotes) and you'll quickly see how often this exact string has been used in scam-related job postings.

These companies (more likely individuals) have absolutely no intention of hiring you - they are simply after the "Administration Fee" you need to send in advance.

Here is an example of some terms on a recent posting on monster.com:

You are liable to make charges of about USD$950.00 for the procurement of your working and residential permit documents which covers:

1, Administrative charges: 2, Diplomatic Courier Charges: 3, Working Permit charges: 4, Residential Permit charges: 5, Hard copies of the terms:

They promise reimbursement of fees and travel expenses to attend the interview, but only AFTER you've shown up for the job and discovered they never existed!

In addition to money sent to the fraudsters in advance -- you could be suckered in for airfare, hotel and thousands of dollars in other expenses.

Some obvious clues that should send up bright red warning flags:

* The job is in Nigeria, or posted on behalf of a Nigerian company. Quite often the jobs are IT-related in companies involved with oil, banking or mining.

* The contact is using @hotmail.com or some other free email service. Legitimate offers generally come from legitimate companies with real email addresses.

* The telephone number is a fake. Don't even try to call. Most often, if the number even works at all, it leads to a mobile phone in Nigeria or a similar country. Check the country code before calling and see if it matches the company's address (if they even provide one).

* Beware of requests for detailed personal information, such as a copy of your passport, birth certificate, SSN card and so forth. This trick is used to make the application more 'real' but if they can't sucker you on the 'application fee' - they may just sell or use your identity instead.

* Quite often, there will be many errors in the references, spelling and/or grammar. Here is another example:

"You are to receive the hard copies of the contract terms and agreement and also your working and residential permit altogether, it will be delivered through Diplomatic Courier Services(DHL) to your various designated addresses respectively."

Do a Google search for "Diplomatic Courier Services(DHL)" and you will again see dozens of listings discussing or exposing the scam.

There are many variations to this new type of scam. Currently, IT professionals seem to be the major target. Monster.com and Monster's country-specific sites have become the hot target for these scamsters.

Although Monster does remove bogus job postings fairly quickly, the process to complain about them is difficult and time-consuming.

In many online job boards, there is no 'filtering' or human review process for job postings -- otherwise such fraudulent listings would be need to be much more difficult. Many job boards also allow free postings for advertisers -- making them even more attractive for scammers.

The important thing to remember is that few legitimate employers will ask for fees of any kind up-front - in fact, many employers will pay for your travel expenses in advance.

Don't let the job of your dreams become a financial nightmare - be cautious when dealing with any business you can not easily identify or verify. Best of luck on your job search!

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Due to the increasing competitiveness of today’s job market requires the job seeker to be far more aggressive in their overall job search campaign, particularly when developing their career-marketing document – the resume.

With a window of opportunity often as little as 10 seconds for the resume to spark the readers attention, demands a dynamic document that portrays the candidate’s expertise and overall value offered. Gone are the days of a tasked-based resume with an inventory of a position’s responsibilities, coupled with a standard (and boring) list of personal aptitudes. This has been replaced with an achievement /accomplishment driven document that depicts you as a pro-active candidate that demands results and demonstrates the significant value on offer to the organization.

Your resume is your initial handshake and must therefore not be second-guessed, so the aim is to demonstrate your ability to fulfill their requirements and to build an interest in the benefits and value you bring to the organization. Strive toward developing a document that will motivate the reader into action by requesting an interview.

So what strategies can be followed to create a professional marketing document that promotes your overall value and portrays you as a passionate contributor to the ongoing success of the company that demands an employment interview?

Here are some tips to inspire your writing:

~ Replace an uninspiring career objective with a succinct career profile that summarizes your expertise and includes accomplishment highlights with quantifiable results. This is bound to impress the reader and concentrates on what you can deliver for them, rather than on what you want.

~ Incorporate industry-related key words as well as action words that will grab the reader’s attention. For instance:

Orchestrated, devised, instructed, spearheaded, maximized, led, directed, streamlined, oversaw, managed, motivated, controlled, delegated, consolidated, generated, implemented, proposed, specified … and the list goes on.

~ Identify challenges you overcame; the action or solution you undertook to alleviate the challenge; and the (quantifiable) result, and script into a powerfully written statement. For instance:

Challenge: Staff turnover high, performance levels extremely poor, with overall costs to recruit and train new staff high.

Action: Developed staff monitoring and incentive programs; implemented staff training programs.

Result: Increased staff knowledge base; decreased staff turnover by 66.7%; increased staff morale and collaboration; increased productivity levels by 77%.

Then by incorporating a number of action words, the above can be written as:

Enhanced staff morale; optimized productivity levels by 77%; and reduced staff turnover by 66.7% through implementation of strategic monitoring and incentive programs.

Notice the deliberate detailing of the quantifiable results at the forefront, followed by the method in which this accomplishment was obtained.

~ Ensure your document is consistent in its formatting; if you bold a position title, bold all job titles throughout your document. Make certain your overall document is well structured (plenty of white space), and aesthetically pleasing (professional headings and layout).

~ Refrain from providing details of every single position you have ever had. As a guide, generally the last 5 – 10 years is appropriate (if the position being applied for is relevant to what you have been doing), with a maximum of about 15 years.

~ For far greater impact when identifying your professional experience, create a strategically written paragraph outlining your main accountabilities (remembering to incorporate attention grabbing action words), followed by a bulleted list of achievements.

~ Lastly, edit, edit, and edit again. Then ask a family member or friend to read through the document to ensure your career-marketing document is error free.

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