Though readers may view this ongoing series tracking the job search of Cleveland sales executive Tim Krenn as an interesting case study, for Tim this is real life. The guidance we provide needs to produce real results in the form of a job offer out there in the real world. That’s why this morning’s...

When we last left Tim, our Cleveland-based sales executive, we instructed him to create his personal branding statement – the single sentence that defined the value that he brings to an organization. Tim examined his professional strengths and crafted the statement: I’m the guy who can build...

Day 4 of our real-life, real-time job search with Cleveland sales executive Tim Krenn. For those of you just tuning in, we’re documenting the real-life job strategies and efforts of a Cleveland-based sales executive whose looking for a new job. So far, we’ve had Tim create his social media identities...

Day 3 of our real-life, real-time job search with Cleveland sales executive Tim Krenn continues with a focus on how to create and market your personal brand. Over the course of our first couple of days, we instructed Tim how to create his social media identities, how to create a blog focusing on his...

This week starts a new real-life real-time experiment detailing the job search efforts of Tim Krenn, a Cleveland sales executive who like millions of Americans recently found himself out of work and in need of a new job. Tim approached me a couple of weeks ago asking for advice on how to refine his...

For those of you still skeptical about the value of a thoughtfully written thank you note to those you interview with, I present the story of an anonymous Cleveland executive (let’s call her Jane Doe) who was told yesterday that she received a six-figure job over her competitors because she was...

The Wall Street Journal published an article yesterday that described how many major search firms actually keep a blacklist of candidates that they would never consider for any job opening. Typically, these firms add candidates to their blacklist who have exaggerated their qualifications, pitted recruiting...

In a recent series of eBay auctions, consumers paid more than $3600 for previously owned, everyday objects that were purchased from garage sales for $129. These were objects that should never have fetched more than a few dollars but generated bids that amounted to nearly 30x their original cost. So,...

Although Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn and the other major social media platforms have enabled job seekers to reach an enormous network of people during their job search, these same tools – improperly used – also have the potential to derail and destroy your efforts if you don’t carefully...

Every major study of employment conducted over the past 20 years confirms that the way that most people find jobs is through some type of personal connection. A tip from a friend who knows that her company is hiring. A personal introduction to a manager who’s expanding his department. Or a connection...