1. Failure to properly use Craigslist. There are a number of genuine job openings on Craigslist. There are also spammers and crooks that inhabit the site and would like nothing better than steal your personal information. At the very least the spammers will overrun you email box trying to sell you a variety of junk products. Others will attempt to steal your identity.

There are a couple of methods to counteract these problems. Send in a sanitized resume with only a generic email address. You also can send the resume to an email address that includes the employer’s main website address. Never respond to an anonymous email address. Sometimes you can send an email asking for more information, including contact information, and you may get a response you can then send you resume to.

2. Failure to edit internet job site postings. Here again if you are not careful you leave yourself open to thieves and spammers. Always use a free generic email address when you are putting anything out on the internet.

Try to send the resume directly to employers. If posting on a job site, delete your contact information except for the generic email address. Do not post your resume on a public site but use those that have safeguards against someone improperly using your personal information. You may still be spammed but it can be controlled.

3. Failure to focus your internet job search. There are two ways to conduct a job search. In one you apply for everything that you remotely qualify for. Then you sit back and wait for the phone to ring. Usually with this method you will be in for a long wait.

In the other more successful job search strategy, using the internet and otherwise, you only apply for positions in which you have the qualifications and skills. You then rewrite your resume and cover letter to reflect the needs evidenced by the employer. You will not be wasting your time and building up false hope that since you applied for (you put in the number) jobs you must be closer to getting the interview and a job offer.

Overall it’s better to apply for ten jobs that you clearly qualify for with a custom-built resume and cover letter for each job. If you apply for a job online it’s a good practice, to send the same information in the mail.

Contrast this with someone who broadcasts out 200 or more generic resumes and a form cover letter. With the heavy competition in the job market place it’s doubtful any will be read. It’s clear that the focused strategy will pay dividends faster that the “throw it up against the wall and see what sticks” approach.

4. Failure to follow-up on applicable applications. If you send out dozens of resumes, to job boards and other internet resources, it’s unlikely you’ll ever have the time to properly follow-up on your submissions.

In the focused approach, about a week or so after you send in the resume you call the employer. Ask if they have your resume and inquire if they need anything additional. If possible ask for additional information about the job and the hiring timetable.

Keep from making these four mistakes in your use of the internet in your job hunting strategy and you can turn a negative into a strong positive in you job hunt.

To be assured you job hunting stays undercover, try to limit the circulation of your resume and cover letter. Keep from posting the information on the public portion of job sites as you don’t want it spotted by your employer. On your LinkedIn profile do not indicate you are looking for another opportunity. When submitting your resume and cover letter indicate you expect the information to be treated confidently as you are currently employed.

In addition, all contact information on your resume and cover letter should be personal, never list anything that might be connected to your employer. You don’t need to be called at work by a prospective employer; it’s too easy for job hunting information to be leaked to co-workers.

Once you start your undercover job hunting campaign it’s real easy to consider yourself out of your current job and into a new position. Don’t use this mind-set as an excuse to slack off. Keep doing the best job as possible and resist the urge to let up on your required duties.

Comments you make on social networking sites should not indicate you are looking for other work. It’s too easy for your employer to get wind of your stealth job hunting campaign.

In summary, to keep your job hunt undercover, never do any job hunting activity during work hours, keep employer related contact information off your resume and cover letter. Critically look at using company time for job interviews, and attempt to schedule them after work. There is not need to involve co-workers in your job search, plus it’s too easy for your job hunting information to be leaked to your employer.

1. Change your way of thinking. If you think old, act old and constantly talk about the past: guess what? You will be thought of as old and probably out of touch.

Change your way of thinking. You are not old, you’re experienced. Get physically active. Learn new skills. Study and acquire new qualifications. Think and discuss the future. Stay positive and project the right attitude. Do these things and the age issue will fade away.

2. Get aggressive in selling the benefits you offer a prospective employer. Use your cunning and experience to market yourself against younger candidates. You have a record of accomplishments that match up well with the employer’s needs. Take advantage of this fact.

In a job interview take the issue of age head on. Weave into your interview answers that you are physically active, have learned a variety of new skills in the past two years and have effectively worked for a variety of younger supervisors. Don’t leave these unspoken questions unanswered as they may be negatively used against you at decision time.

3. Focus on one job at a time. Even though you may be skilled and could qualify for a number of varied jobs your job hunting focus should be to go after only one job at a time. This means to focus like a laser on the employer’s needs. Write your resume and cover letter to emphasize accomplishments that fit the employer’s template for the open position. Remove anything from your resume that may detract from your attention on this one job.

Your goal as a mid-career job hunter is to meet and exceed the job’s requirements. If in your experience you performed a function only about 5% of the time and it’s the number one need for the employer amplify your skills in this key area.

For the next job this function may not even be listed so your resume writing plan is to always match the employer’s needs. It’s a bit more work but it will pay off.

4. Clean up your resume. Take out experience over 15 years old. Remove dates of college graduation. Strongly emphasize your strengths and accomplishments. Make sure as mentioned previously that your skills and accomplishments match as closely as possible what the employer is looking for.

When finished ask yourself, “Would I hire this person for this position?” If your answer is a strong, “Yes,” you’ve got a powerful resume. If the answer is, “No,” you’ve got some more work to do.

5. Selling the benefits of a product is a successful marketing approach. So in marketing “You,” the benefits and value you bring to the job will be your most telling argument.

No employer is looking for twenty-five years experience but is much more interested in what results you’ll achieve if offered the job. Your accomplishments demonstrate a history of providing a financial benefit to your previous employers and it’s up to you to show how you can be just as productive in your new position.

As a job hunter after age 50, you must highlight your strengths and the age issue will fade into the background.

1. You can comment on what you liked about the company and the opportunity.
2. You can reinforce how your skills match the job requirements.
3. You can overcome a possible objection, answer a question not fully answered, or expand on an answer by providing additional facts and information.

If you don’t send in a well crafted thank you letter, you miss another chance to sell yourself. If you leave an objection unanswered or fail to answer a concern the buyer is unlikely to buy.

If you take notes during the interview or immediately after the interview you won’t have to try to remember information to comment on in your thank you letter. Another note: if you are interviewed by more than one person be sure that each person gets a different letter tailored to reflect their interview.

Let’s briefly look at the how you can create a winning thank you letter: (Try to eliminate starting a sentence with an “I.” The tone of the letter should be about what you can do for the employer and the excessive use of “I” is opposite of what you are trying to convey.)

Open the first paragraph with a thank you and why you enjoyed the meeting. Perhaps the job will require a specific skill so you can hit the ground running. Remind them you have the required skill.

In the second paragraph there was something said during the job interview, which was interesting. Tell them what it was and why. Try to relate it to something you’ve done or been successful doing.

Add a third paragraph to expand on paragraph two, or add some other clarification or clear up a possible objection. Perhaps you need to reinforce some specific skill that relates to the job requirements.

In the last and fourth paragraph, repeat your interest in the job and come out and directly ask for the order (job).

If you want to add the cherry to the sundae, or to expand on more information as to why you are a perfect fit for the job add that in a post script.

Remember, the thank you letter is a part of you overall interview preparation. A job search is a personal marketing program so don’t miss this added opportunity to make the “sale.”

The key here is to not take each rejection personally. For every rejection you have to believe you are one step closer to the desired “yes.” Understand that the more ships you put out on the job hunting ocean the more likely you ship will come in; and sooner rather than later.

2. Are you building a robust career plan? Rarely do good things happen without a well though out plan. Finding a job or changing a career are no exceptions to this rule.

A good strong career and job hunting plan should include at a minimum all of the following: (1) Your value proposition-what do you want and what are you good at?, (2) Where and with whom do you want to work?, (3) Roadblocks to getting the planned career and how to overcome, (4) Job search actions, (5) Daily, weekly and monthly action goals, (6) Career research and options, and (7) Plan to get off to a running start in the new career and new job.

A career change or job search plan should be comprehensive yet flexible enough to adjust to changing circumstances. The format you choose should build and sustain your confidence, and in job hunting confidence is everything.

3. Have you accepted that you are now in sales? Building and planning a job search campaign has with it the realization that you are now in sales. Identifying the right buyers and then finding them can be a new and frustrating experience. As with anyone is sales you have to put together a winning marketing plan. You have to understand the market for your skills and abilities to make the plan work.

Commitment to your marketing plan takes a full press effort. Your full and complete effort to your sales plan will go a long way for turning your marketing plan into the right job or career.

4. Control your worry meter. There are many thing related to a job search or career change that are outside your control. The difficult job market, you age, inane questions in a job interview, key people do not return your calls, appointments canceled in the last-minute, weeks go by with no decisions; all can cause your worry meter to go off the dial.

Over time worry and uncertainty can beat you down and erode your motivation and attitude. If you carefully examine something that is a worry ask yourself, “Is there something positive I can do about this item of worry?” If not don’t waste valuable time and effort but rather move on to something you can impact.

Work you job hunting plan and as you reach daily and weekly goals celebrate your success. As you exercise and stick to you diet, and as you reach you fitness goals this is another area you can control and also celebrate.

5. What are you learning? Many job hunters and career changers worry that as they are out of work their key skills will begin to erode. Don’t believe it, much of what you know is like riding a bicycle, one ride around the block even though it’s been some time since you were in the saddle and the skill comes back.

However, it’s still a good idea to add to your skill sets. Perhaps, there is a roadblock that might keep you from qualifying for a job. Research what is required and plan to overcome this problem through added learning. Moreover, as you add to your skills your confidence will grow.

In addition, in order to keep and build a positive attitude, read motivational books, listen to uplifting CD’s as you drive your car, associate with positive people and plan on helping others. All will keep you motivated and engaged in your job search plan.

6. Adjustments are good and bad. A job search or career change can result in grasping at ideas that have little validity to your job search plan. You hear that someone quickly found a job in your field by printing their resume on green paper, or sending their resume to 250 CEO’s, or showing up for their job interview in a Santa suit.

Don’t adjust your well thought out job search plan based on little feedback or evidence. Gathering new information and researching ideas is always a good idea, but think carefully before making wholesale adjustments. If early in the game you carefully think through the basics of you job hunting plan you are less likely to later make dead-end and counterproductive adjustments.

It’s been shown that employer’s are more likely to hire positive, motivated and can-do job applicants. If you work hard to stay positive and up-beat in your job search or career change you increase the likelihood of finding the right job in a shorter period of time.

Here are 4 critical areas that you must become knowledgeable in maximizing current recruiting methods.

1. Networking and the internet: Failure to use the internet to find former colleges, classmates and long ago friends can be a major mistake.

Connecting with someone you know will open up job opportunities and the possibilities of adding others to you personal network. They can mentor you adding to your skill sets, critique your resume and job hunting efforts and introduce you to key people working for employers in which you have an interest.

You can find them on LinkedIn, Facebook and by googling your college alumni group and even individuals who had worked for a former employer. Just Google “(employer name) alumni group.” You’ll find individuals you haven’t talked to in years and they will be glad to hear from you.

2. The immense value of an internet footprint: Google your name. What shows up? Something positive,we hope. Nothing, well you can be assured the recruiter will check you out on the internet. If they find nothing they will assume you lack up-to-date technical skills and they will probably move on to someone who shows up in a better light.

If something negative shows up in a Google search get it corrected, or if it refers to someone else be sure to mention it to the prospective employer.

If you need to add to your internet footprint there are numerous articles on personal branding and the use of the internet. Study their suggestions and build a plan to add to your positive footprint. As you add positive mentions of your name on the internet, they will probably push the negatives further down the search pages.

3. Utilizing the power of LinkedIn: Make sure your profile is complete and up-to-date. Have former bosses and co-workers write recommendations on your achievements. This gives you additional opportunities to network and find old friends and colleges. Recruiters can now find you and it also helps solve some of your missing footprint problem.

Further, LinkedIn has resources in effective job hunting techniques, groups that you can belong to in your field or age group that all offer a wealth of up-to-date job search ideas and available job openings.

4. Internet-based research: There is no excuse today going into a phone or a face-to-face interview without learning a great deal about the prospective employer, their industry and their competitors.

Turn the tables on the interviewer and Google their name and the names of company managers and executives. Check their profiles out on LinkedIn. You may get lucky and find you went to the same school or you both were in the marching band.

Research a full range of interviewing skills. Build a list of 50 or more good questions and your answers. The internet will give you a range of ideas and skills to bring your interview performance up to a high level. Look again on LinkedIn for an individual who were recently hired by the prospective employer. If possible get an introduction from a connection and find out what you can about the employer’s interviewing techniques.

As a bonus there is another area that needs to be considered in updating your job hunting efforts. Before computers and word processing, tailoring your resume to match the requirements for a specific job was a difficult and time-consuming task.

However, today it’s mandatory to adapt your resume and cover letter to closely match the job requirements. Further, you need to use the keywords contained in the job announcement in your resume so it scores well in possible computer based screening. You have many years of work experience and skills so editing your resume to fit each job’s requirements can be a productive exercise.

An interview, like networking and dating, is supposed to assess mutual compatibility. Interviewers claim to want to please us too but is it true? Like everything else in life, it all depends on the human being with whom we’re interacting. I’ve been blessed to encounter several sincere, impressive and somewhat intimidating individuals thus far. An indication of their sincerity is the level of interaction. Listening practices vary with different scenarios however, earnest interviewers, like true friends, listen intently and seek to engage in a discussion. In both instances, finding the right balance between talking and listening is vital to a successful engagement (no pun intended).

But that’s easier said than done and it’s understandable. The constant distraction of hand-held devices and television are formidable opponents to concentration. TV, like everything else, can be fabulous in limited quantities but overall, I think the invention of the television is worse than that of the H-bomb. The former is killing us, at least those of us in the tri-state area, slowly, with every possible entertainment venue and home overcrowded with TV screens. Forgive me as I cite one of my favorite TV shows to demonstrate. In a Remington Steele episode, the eponymous character drily says, “Television, Mildred, deadens the mind, corrupts the soul.” As strange as it may sound, given the current climate, the intensity of an interviewer’s focus on me and what I am saying is somewhat disconcerting and therefore leads to mistakes.

Sometimes my mistakes are obvious, in irreversible retrospect, and sometimes they’re not. And who do we have to guide us along this path? How do we know what and how to improve? Unlike with our jobs, in which our managers are paid to make sure we learn from our mistakes, help us acquire new skills and ultimately succeed, the process of networking and interviewing is one we handle mostly on our own. Occasionally interviewers and headhunters will proffer some insights but such guidance doesn’t exist with networking unless we are accompanied by someone we know and they feel secure enough in the relationship to offer constructive input (read: criticism). I rely on input from people I trust and frankly, talking about failures is not fun so I do it sparingly and instead, employ the tried and true method of trial and error. It’s proving to be a lengthy process for a novice like me and unfortunately, unlike networking, interviewing is a one-shot deal.

1. Add some personal projects to build your qualifications. Work for a career related association, or a non-profit, or your church. Build your brand by using the resources available on the internet.

Then as you network your way through your contacts these projects will open doors for you in the hidden job network. They show you are more than one-dimensional and many relate to listed qualifications on job announcements.

If the job opening wants experience exceeding 3 years on a particular activity you can show; you have the experience, it is varied, and you got results and then minimize the length of experience requirement. The experience requirement is really only an estimate so if you’re strong in another area it will make this listed qualification less important.

2. Continued learning will increase your universe of options. Learning to build your career related skills are all around you. From reading a book on the latest in your career to developing a skill using the internet to attending a workshop or seminar, all will add to your job hunting toolbox.

For example, a job announcement indicates one of the qualifications is the use of a specific contact data base. You have experience using a competitor’s software but not this specific application. How long do you thing you can become knowledgeable in this required skill?

A few days or a week of self-study, perhaps a friend can tutor you, or the software manual is on the internet for study. Don’t let this published qualification keep you from applying for the position. List this knowledge on your resume, under other qualifications or system skills and if appropriate make mention of it in your resume cover letter.

3. When in doubt apply for the job. As stated previously many times the job qualifications are just a wish list. If looking for jobs in the hidden job market they will many times be more interested in how well you will fit with the other employees, your problem solving skills, and your teamwork and leadership abilities and how well you communicate.

If the job opening is published and you do not have a particular qualification but you can state how you would be a good fit for the position, simply ignore the qualifications you do not have. Emphasize your long track record of results delivering what the employer wants.

If you can be creative in demonstrating how you would be a good fit and have a record of results, by all means apply for the opening.

Of course it’s not recommended applying for job where there are specific, well though out, and inflexible requirements for the positions. For everything else, for example, you have a bachelors degree with over 20 years of varied additional education but no formal MBA, and they are looking for an MBA, go for it. You need to explain how your additional education, training, self-study and experience equal or exceed the MBA.

Make the Important First Impression

It all starts with first impressions. Your first opportunity to present yourself is through your cover letter and resume. How these documents show you are skilled in the soft skills area your chances go way up in getting the first interview and the opportunity in making a favorable second impression.

Your job is to portray yourself that you have the desired soft-skill set in you contacts with the prospective employer.

Six Tips to Showcase Your Soft-Skills

Here are six tips to help you avoid you job hunting materials falling to the bottom of the stack.

1. Each cover letter and resume submission should be individually designed and drafted to address the employer’s needs. If the prospective employer asks you to respond to a specific question, take the time to fully answer the question and what skills and experience you bring to the job.
2. Your emphasis in highlighting your accomplishments as they relate to the prospective job, referring to something learned from the company website or recent company news, all show you are good at following instructions and are interested in the job.
3. Other important details are addressing the cover letter properly, correct spelling in everything you send out from letters to handwritten thank you notes. Proper follow-up is also critical, if you promise to call at a specific time be sure to keep records so you don’t miss a deadline.
4. Demonstrate soft-skills competency. Don’t say you were a great team leader. Tell a story of completing a project on time and under budget, and along the way resolved some team member’s motivational problem.
5. Make sure the achievements highlighted in your resume are relevant to the employer’s needs. Don’t expect the employer to guess you have, for example, project management experience (it was the #1 job requirement listed in the job announcement) if it’s hidden on the second page of your resume and never mentioned in your cover letter.
6. Coach your references to provide examples of your soft-skills that relate to the needs of the employer. If customer service skills are important to the prospective job remind your references of instances where you used these skills and results achieved. By zeroing in on the employer’s needs you will again move ahead of the other competitors.

*LinkedIn provides a network of people from around the world who have professional goals in mind. While it has social elements, these benefits are secondary. It effectively pivots the fun of Facebook to capture practical business needs. Anyone can apply to join a network or set up their own network. Special interest networks are present, as well as employment vacancy notices. According to research, nearly 40% of human resources staff and other hiring bodies surf the Internet to inform their applicant selection process. Why not set up your personal branding scheme and represent your own interests in the best light?

*Mashables is a social media aggregation portal. It conveniently funnels blogs, videos, Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, business and specialty pop review sites like Technorati, Crunchbase, Techcrunch and CNET, among other forms of social media. Users can stay up on what’s going on in social media through this site. Users can sign up for alerts or notices. Users can find tons of critical info like “70+ Tools for Job Hunting 2.0″.

*JobRadio.FM career advice is a 24 hour internet radio stream of all things about jobs. Topics run the gamut and include topics such as how to handle a job offer, stressful occupations, and using LinkedIn for job hunting.

*Meetup.com takes social media to a higher level by fostering social networking beyond virtual connections. Users can meet online and meet off line in a variety of social, niche, or business groups. Anyone can form a group, and anyone can apply for inclusion in a group.

2. GOVERNMENT WEBSITES
*USAJobs.gov is the U.S. federal government job board. It can be used to target classes and training, as well as find summer employment or Stay in School positions. Its students.gov guides users with a variety of topics. Users can plan their education, pay for education, get online study help, locate internships, fellowship, and jobs. Users can find out about study abroad and graduate education.

*U.S. Department of Labor.
Its site map can direct users to a student section. Looking for employment, research tools, wages information are linked. The website has the infinitely useful “Occupational Outlook Handbook,” “Career Guide to Industries,” employment projections and its spin sites Occupational Outlook Quarterly, and O*NET, Occupational Employment Statistics. The information is encyclopedic in volume and current with in depth detail including training, education, working conditions, job growth, salary and related occupations.

*Careeronestop.org is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor.
It covers general interests, career exploration, resume writing, school selection decisions. Salary information, relocation, paying for education, health benefits, green careers, training, employment, and cost of living information are provided. Users can link into state job banks. DirectJobs, a job search portal for associations, is linked to Careeronestop.org, among others. Search by title, location, company.

3. CAREER EMPLOYMENT WEBSITES
Everyone is familiar with Monster.com and CareerBuilder.com, but what about SimplyHired, Indeed or Idealist.org? SimplyHired is a feast of employment. It includes salaries and general information related to positions that have openings. The search features are leading edge and user friendly, spanning the world. Idealist is a leader in the nonprofit community for job leads. It is akin to the periodical “Chronicle of Philanthropy”, sister paper of “The Chronicle of Higher Education.”

4. DIRECTORIES
Yahoo! Directory can locate trade Business and Economy trade associations, classifieds, or employment and work related websites. Employment and work related business sites will net SimplyHired, Indeed, Snagajob, eLance, Careermag, Careerjournal, Vault, Flipdog and Collegegrad websites. Drill down by selecting key topics to find career, employment and job fair sites. CareeFairs, CFG Career Fairs, Job Fair USA, Monster Job Fair and HealthExpoUSA job fairs.

5. WEBSITE RANKING PORTALS
Alexa.com and Quantcast can provide a website’s analytical report guard, and help locate top traffic websites using key words. The sites link to referenced websites, and cross reference to sites that are similar to the one originally referenced. Type in “career” or “job” and discover links.