- Getting Ready: Get Organized and Develop a Plan of Action
- Develop Your Job Hunting Tactics: Timesaving Tips and Tools to Be a Smarter Searcher
- Fire Hose Technique
- Selective, but Out There
- Come and Get Me
- Go for the Kill
- Time to Decide: Are You an Active or Passive Job Seeker?
- The Plan Is in Place...Now Get Organized Before You Make a Move!
- Create a Tracking Sheet and Job-Hunt File
- Complete a Job History and Accomplishments Worksheet
- Define Your Transferable Skills
- Have a Basic Résumé and Cover Letter Ready
- Develop a List of Keywords
- Set Up a Special Email Account
Develop a List of Keywords
Another thing to do now while you're preparing for the hunt is to develop a list of keywords that will be sprinkled throughout your résumé. Keywords are nouns that have to do with your industry, your skills, and your goals. One way to generate a list of keywords is to pay attention to the job descriptions contained in the job postings you find online. They're loaded with keywords employers are looking for in a candidate.
Here's an example of a keyword summary, but be sure to read Chapter 5, "Understanding the Electronic Résumé," for the skinny on keywords and how they can help you succeed in your electronic job search.
Web content development, project management, business-to-business marketing communications, client, deadline, detail, print and display advertising, negotiating skills, research, hard sell copy, direct marketing, consumer demographics, team player, Microsoft Word, Excel, Web applications, HTML basics, familiarity with Quark, analytical ability
This summary is a bit on the long side, but you won't have to include all these keywords in each résuméremember, your goal is to tailor every résumé based on the job you're applying for. So, if you see a keyword in the position description that's not on your keyword list, add it. It might come in handy for another job, too.