Whether it’s rewriting your cover letter, reviewing the way you approach interviews, or rethinking what kind of job will make you happy, here are some tips for landing a new job in the new year. You’ll hear from authors, career experts, career coaches, and even entrepreneurs.

Read the Full article

“Is it still correct to use ‘Dear Sir or Madam’ in a cover letter?” a reader asked in an e-mail.

“That isn’t such a great idea,” I wrote back. “No one uses ‘Dear Sir or Madam’ anymore, unless they’re actually writing to a madam, such as Heidi Fleiss.” I’m not sure my e-mail correspondent caught the joke.

Read the Full article

Union Square Ventures recently posted an opening for an investment analyst.

Instead of asking for résumés, the New York venture-capital firm—which has invested in Twitter, Foursquare, Zynga and other technology companies—asked applicants to send links representing their “Web presence,” such as a Twitter account or Tumblr blog. Applicants also had to submit short videos demonstrating their interest in the position.

Read the Full article

If you’re looking for a new, “winning” career for 2012, you’re in luck.

A number of exciting fields are projected to experience significant growth between 2008 and 2018, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

If you’re interested in making a change and pursuing a dynamic new career, read on for a list of five “winning” careers.

Read the Full article

Using the same tactics and knowledge about what triggers search engine hits, she has advice for individuals who want to bolster their careers by using the business-related social networking site LinkedIn

Read the Full article

In 2012, creativity and adaptability are among the key skills needed to land and keep a job, as staff levels remain lean and employers expect workers to respond to a wide variety of demands. Economists say there won’t be a lot of job growth. But there could be opportunities in areas such as health care, professional services, retail, and some manufacturing, said Harry Holzer, a public-policy professor at Georgetown University. Also, ongoing churn in the labor market means that even in areas with few new jobs, there will still be openings when workers move around. Read about jobless claims and modest improvement in job the market.

Read the Full article

Watch the interview

You’ve heard the common wisdom on career management – be proactive, maintain your network, promote yourself more. If you look back at 2011 and you did these things, great! If you’re like the rest of us, there’s always 2012! Here is a month-by-month guide to key career actions to take, so that you can set your calendar now, you can rest assured that you have the whole year (not everything needs to get done tomorrow), and you will finally build time in for the career actions you know you should take:

Read the Full article

The 25 Weirdest Questions Job Interviewees Faced in 2011

Preparation, preparation and more preparation—that’s the advice that most job seekers receive when they land a coveted job interview. Anyone who’s ever interviewed for a job knows the drill by now: Learn as much about your prospective employer as possible by visiting their website and prepare for questions like “What’s your greatest strength and weakness?” or “Where do you see yourself in X years?”

Read the Full article

A new batch of December graduates is getting ready to fly the coop in search of a job and we hope they’ve already heard the bad news: There are a lot of unemployed people out there.

If the market far exceeds demand, how do you make sure you get past the resume screening process into the interviewing round? By making sure your resume is flawless.

“Somewhere between 95 to 99% of resumes have stuff that shouldn’t be on there,” Eli Amdur, senior coach and adviser from the Amdur Coaching and Advisory Group, told us. “The general rule is if you put anything on there that distracts the reader from your real accomplishments, then don’t do it. Resumes need to be concise and clear.”

Read the Full article

Creative. Effective. Motivated. While you may think that you’re using words on your resume that will appeal to hiring managers, some words can actually turn them off. On Tuesday, LinkedIn released the top 10 words that job seekers overuse in resumes and job applications. Here’s the list:

Read the Full article

If you’ve applied for a job recently, you’ve probably looked over that 8½ x 11” summary of your career more times than you can count—and tweaked it just as often—in pursuit of the perfect resume.

Read the Full article

If you have that magical mix of skills and personality that a career in selling requires, you may be able to earn yourself a six-figure salary as a real estate broker or a sales engineer–but not all sales positions are nearly that glamorous and high-paying.

Selling securities or commodities in investment and trading firms, for instance, pays five times what being a cashier pays, on average. And those are both sales jobs. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics‘ Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates, they are the very best- and worst-paying sales jobs in America.

Read the Full article

It’s not like the people in Fort Wayne, Indiana aren’t sympathetic with America’s unemployed. It’s just that they’re not seeing as many of them as the rest of us.

While most of the country is saddled with stubbornly high unemployment, numerous new construction projects and thousands of new jobs have made this Midwestern city of nearly 250,000 a pocket of relative prosperity.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/help-wanted-usa-hiring-hotspots-emerge-but-mobility-an-issue.html

Despite hiring freezes across the board, some industries continue to hire. So, who is hiring? Whether looking for full-time or freelance work, job hunters are in luck. Most people looking for a job this year will want full-time work. However, if an adjustable schedule is more your style, flexible jobs are available too, and include part-time, freelance, and telecommuting jobs, as well as those with flexible work schedules.

Read the Full article

See how going back to school could help you prepare to pursue an in-demand health care career. If you’ve ever considered studying to pursue a career in health care, now is the time to act.

Statistics from the U.S. Department of Labor show that 3.2 million jobs will be created from 2008-2018. And according to a July 2011 CNN Money article, “Health care jobs a bright spot for hiring,” an aging population and health care reform will most likely lead to an increased demand for health care workers.

Read the Full article

One looks like a movie poster. Another is a Facebook profile. One even requires a bar code. Are these insanely creative resumes a waste of time? Possibly, but these resumes landed job interview for their creators. We asked career coaches if and when it pays to be creative. The consensus: It depends where you’re applying to.

Read the Full article

Corporate dress code policies have swung to the extreme in recent years. Companies either maintain no guidelines at all or establish such rigid policies that they almost appear to be elaborate pranks. American Apparel’s infamous corporate policy, for instance, forbids shiny lip-gloss, bangs, and notes that “blow-drying hair excessively could cause heat damage.” Similarly, financial bank UBS dictates women “may wear no more than seven jewels” and “scarves are compulsory, and must be tied with ‘authorized knots.’”

Read the Full article

Want to work for a multinational corporation with great perks and opportunities around the world? Here are the 10 best.

Read the Full article

With many talented workers experiencing stretches of unemployment, employers are taking a harder look at unpaid experience. Here’s what to include—and what to leave out.

Read the Full article