Career Development

Tricked you! Sorry about that. You probably looked at this article because you'd like to know what the 'Magic Bullet' for a job search is. "What's the one thing I can do to guarantee a new job quickly?!?" That's what most job seekers want to know! Unfortunately… there is no 'Magic Bullet'. There is no one thing that works every time. There isn't a list of 5 things done together that work every time. The fact is: you have to do dozens of things… ALL the time!!!

The 25 most difficult questions you'll be asked on a job interview Being prepared is half the battle. If you are one of those executive types unhappy at your present post and embarking on a New Year's resolution to find a new one, here's a helping hand. The job interview is considered to be the most critical aspect of every expedition that brings you face-to- face with the future boss. One must prepare for it with the same tenacity and quickness as one does for a fencing tournament or a chess match.

Typically, the length of a job hunt is a factor of what you do and the demand for it, says Tony Beshara, a Dallas-based job-search consultant and author of "The Job-Search Solution" (2006). Economic conditions may play a role, too. For instance, the current turmoil in banking and financial services means that someone in that industry probably will take longer to find a new job than a candidate in another field, says Nella Barkley, president and co-founder of Crystal-Barkley Corp., a career-coaching company in New York.

Everybody looking for a job has a resume. Great. You are now equal with everyone else in the world. Some resumes are better than others and it's important that yours clearly outlines the value that a company can expect to find in you. And one that excites an HR or hiring manager about the fit and promise your background suggests.

When the oldest members of Generation Y (born roughly 1978 to 1993) began graduating from college several years ago, a collective groan was heard in offices throughout Corporate America. People said many Gen Y-ers, also called Millennials, had an excess sense of entitlement and were arrogant and lazy. They wanted to do work on their terms and it seemed they wanted feedback on that work every five minutes. But then the economy tanked. Now, millions of Gen Y-ers are reinventing themselves to show how much, and how quickly, they can add value to their organizations. The Millennials I've met recently are aware of the changes taking place in the work world, and they perceive themselves -- and their jobs -- as vulnerable. Bruce Tulgan, author of "Not Everyone Gets a Trophy: How to Manage Generation Y," says he has seen the same thing.

The latest employment report gave more discouraging news to laid-off workers and new college graduates, as the jobless rate rose last month to 8.9%. But despite the gloom, economists say the pain isn't evenly spread throughout the nation and in some industries, jobs were added.

It wasn't too long ago that women began taking sledgehammers to the glass ceilings of corporate America. In the years that followed, women were allowed into the privileged society of male executives, and as they marched up the ladder and commanded high salaries, everyone cheered. Even so, some powerful women wondered what they had gotten into.

Julie M. Heup, an unemployed structural engineer from Slinger, Wis., recently attended a networking event where she handed a local employer two business cards: her own and that of her husband, Mark. Mr. Heup, a jobless supply-chain manager, often returns the favor. The two 40-year-olds never anticipated simultaneous layoffs. "I figured the likelihood of it happening at the same time was slim to none," says Mr. Heup, who lost his job three months after his wife did in November. That's why "we are supporting each other," he says.