In today’s tough job market, you need to find ways to stand out from the crowd – to differentiate yourself. Why? Because on average,

a recruiter will only spend 15-seconds reading your resume and deciding whether or not to interview you. And even when they meet

with you in person, the interviewer will usually make a decision whether or not you are the right person in the first 90-seconds.

Therefore, to enhance your chances of success and get the job of your dreams, learn how to sell yourself persuasively. This involves:

• Preparing carefully – so you have the right mental attitude and an awareness of everything you have to offer.

• Doing your homework – so you will recognize the right job for you when it become available.

• Fine-tuning your personal presentation skills – so you can make a powerful impression when interviewing.

• Turning the job hunt from a scary process into nothing more than a game – by smiling and having fun.

Secret 1 - Have and maintain a positive attitude.

The better you feel about yourself and your prospects, the

greater the chances for your success. With that in mind, stay

optimistic. Doing that will generate energy and enthusiasm that

will come through when you interview for jobs.

Secret 2 - Identify your key personal selling points.

Conduct a personal inventory and identify the job-related

experiences and strengths you have to offer a prospective

employer. Have these points clear in your mind first so you can

articulate them when given the opportunity.

Personal Strengths Worksheet

My general personality traits: _____________________

____________________________________________________

My job-related personality traits: __________________

____________________________________________________

My personal accomplishments: ___________________

____________________________________________________

My work accomplishments: ______________________

___________________________________________________

My work experience: _____________________________

___________________________________________________

My career knowledge and qualifications: _________

___________________________________________________

Other strengths / additional skills: _______________

___________________________________________________

___________________________________________________

My Top Four Personal Strengths

Strength #1: ___________________________________

Key benefits to my employer: __________________

_________________________________________________

_________________________________________________

Strength #2: ____________________________________

Key benefits to my employer: ___________________

__________________________________________________

__________________________________________________

Strength #3: ____________________________________

Key benefits to my employer: ___________________

__________________________________________________

__________________________________________________

Strength #4: ____________________________________

Key benefits to my employer: ___________________

_________________________________________________

_________________________________________________

Secret 3 - Take time to define the job you want.

Before you rush out and start looking for a job, take some time to

answer the question: “What would be my ideal job?” Until you

think out precisely what kind of job you want, your job search will

always be vague and undefined. Be specific.

Secret 4 - Create a powerful message to employers.

To excel in your job hunt, you’ll need a resume and cover letter

that get noticed. Think of these as your personal advertisement,

where you have the chance to position yourself and all you have

to offer. Take advantage of this key opportunity.

Secret 5 - Understand how to find job opportunities.

Now you have the basics in place, the next challenge is to go out

and find some interviews. Again, this is a numbers game. The

more places you look, the better the chances are you’ll find a job

opening that really appeals.

Secret 6 - Sell yourself to get that interview.

Finding a job opportunity and preparing your resume is half the

battle. Next, you need to get out there, promote yourself and get

some interviews. In this, it helps to be proactive and find the

methods which work best for your personality.

Secret 7 - Prepare for your interview intelligently.

The key to a successful interview is preparation. This is the

single most important determining factor between success and

failure. Quite simply if you prepare well, you’ll stand out from all

your competition.

Secret 8 - Know the eight traits interviewers look for.

By understanding the character traits interviewers are looking

for, you can position yourself advantageously. This doesn’t

involve deception. Instead, you emphasize aspects of your

personality you might normally ignore.

When an interviewer is meeting with a candidate for a job, there

are eight character traits he or she looks for:

1. Self-confidence

Employers want people who are confident about their skills.

Generally, experience breeds confidence. If you don’t have

experience to point to, make up for it through preparation,

enthusiasm and drive.

2. Well organized

If you have prepared for the interview by writing down some

notes beforehand, that’s good. It shows you think ahead and

organize your thoughts – desirable qualities for an

employee. Don’t hesitate to refer to your notes during an

interview.

3. Personable

The more you smile during the interview, the better. The

interviewer will take note of people who are cheerful and

friendly because that’s the way most employers want their

customers to be treated.

4. Strong work ethic

If you say to the interviewer you’re happy to work 40-hours a

week but no more, they will be less impressed than if you say

you are flexible and willing to work whatever hours are

required to get the job done.

5. Efficient

Employers want people who will be smart in how they

approach their responsibilities. They want employees who

know how to get things done.

6. Creative

A creative employee will take a job description and add their

own ideas on how to expand what gets done. If you can

demonstrate a willingness to think about new ways of getting

the job done, that will be worthwhile.

7. Goal-oriented

If you’re good at setting goals and then working to achieve

those goals, mention that. The top performers in any

organization will usually be intensely goal-oriented. If you

demonstrate this quality, it will be good for your prospects.

Be prepared to talk about your long-term goals with the

interviewer.

8. Problem-solver

Most companies want their employees to have some input

into the workplace. They welcome new ideas for streamlining

processes or solving problems. Therefore, if you can show

your ability as a problem-solver, this will give you an edge.

Secret 9 - How to ace your job interview.

To have a great interview, act positively, dress appropriately and

have fun. Also be aware of the six phases the interview will go

through and make certain you cover all the appropriate bases in

each specific phase.

A job interview will naturally move through six phases:

1. Introduction – where you want to concentrate on making a

terrific first impression with your grooming, a smile and a firm

handshake.

2. Rapport building – where you encourage the interviewer to

feel good about you by finding some common areas of

interest. To do this, relax a little and speak in a friendly,

conversation tone of voice. And smile.

3. Interest generation – where you communicate what you can

do for the company and why hiring you would be a smart

move. Generally, this will be in the form of a possible

opportunity to repeat something you’ve already achieved

elsewhere.

4. Qualification – where you and the interviewer determine

whether or not there is a good fit between what you have to

offer and what the company needs. This is usually the place

in the interview when you can ask questions of the

interviewer and learn more about the organization and its

culture. Be thoughtful, though, and don’t ask so many

questions it becomes tiresome.

5. Strengths review – which is where you summarize what you

have to offer.

6. The close – where you determine whether or not they are

seriously considering you. As you express an interest in

moving forward, the interviewer will usually give you a

specific time-frame for their follow up. If the interviewer is

vague and inconclusive in this phase, that generally

indicates they do not intend taking your application any

further.

Secret 10 - Don’t just think about it. Do it!

Simply knowing how to find a great job isn’t enough. Before you

can succeed, you have to take action. Until you actually put

these ideas into practice, they will remain good theories about

how to get a decent job.