The Truth About Job Sites

I’ve done a lot of professional speaking on resume writing, and over the past eight years have talked to thousands of people. Every time, I ask the following question: “Has anyone gotten a job off of Monster.com?”

Eleven people have raised their hands.

There are hundreds—if not thousands—of job boards online, and they list millions of positions. Yet many of us have had this experience: You’re trolling job listings, clicking on openings in your target field, when you see The Dream Job. Your pulse starts racing. You look more closely. You are a perfect fit. You are such a perfect fit that it was like you had written the job description yourself. So you spend hours editing, proofing, tweaking and finessing your resume and cover letter. You hit “send” confident you’ll be contacted right away. You never hear a peep.

When it comes to job listing sites, there are a lot of things going on behind the scenes…

Writing a Résumé for Your Next Career

This year, the news has been dominated by job loss news and unemployment statistics. (Well, that and Susan Boyle.) But an interesting trend and bright spot is emerging amidst all of this turmoil: Some workers are taking the time between jobs to re-evaluate their lives in terms of purpose and direction. Many have been stuck in careers that gave them little to no internal satisfaction or reward; instead of standing around clutching their pink slips, they are using this opportunity to reinvent themselves. (Read our recent story Exquisite Reinvention.)

And once you figure out what you want to do? It’s time to officially launch “You, Version 2.0,” repositioning yourself career-wise. Many people dread overhauling their résumés, but it’s especially important to do so thoughtfully if you’re trying to leap into a new field. You need to successfully convey the skills, abilities and expertise that you bring from your old line of work. Here are some guidelines to follow…