What do you need to take the job market by storm? Outwitting the Job Market will tell you all the essentials, from your earliest research efforts to negotiating your compensation once an offer rolls in. You'll learn the basics on resume and cover letter construction, how and when to network, tricks to winning over an interviewer, and tactics for enhancing your marketability. You'll read canny advice from human resources personnel, career counselors, recruiters, and hiring managers from companies large and small. You'll also learn from other people's mistakes--what not to do along the path to your dream job.

Outwitting the Job Market is for everyone--from new graduates scouting for their first jobs, to career changers, to employed professionals looking to assess their options. Practical and hands-on, it offers exercises, anecdotes, examples, and strategies that can be put to use immediately. It also offers dozens of resources to help you target and improve your career trouble spots. No matter who you are or where you want to go in the workplace, this book will enable you to outsmart your competition, impress employers, and in time, land a job that truly fits your personal and professional needs.

What do you need to take the job market by storm? Outwitting the Job Market will tell you all the essentials, from your earliest research efforts to negotiating your compensation once an offer rolls in. You'll learn the basics on resume and cover letter construction, how and when to network, tricks to winning over an interviewer, and tactics for enhancing your marketability. You'll read canny advice from human resources personnel, career counselors, recruiters, and hiring managers from companies large and small. You'll also learn from other people's mistakes - what not to do along the path to your dream job.
Outwitting the Job Market is for everyone - from new graduates scouting for their first jobs, to career changers, to employed professionals looking to assess their options. Practical and hands-on, it offers exercises, anecdotes, examples, and strategies that can be put to use immediately. It also offers dozens of resources to help you target and improve your career trouble spots. No matter who you are or where you want to go in the workplace, this book will enable you to outsmart your competition, impress employers, and in time, land a job that truly fits your personal and professional needs.

Introduction

A variety of workplace facts and statistics, and an explanation of why the job market needs outwitting

Chapter 1 - First Things First: Taking Inventory

How to create a personal career inventory that will help you to narrow the scope of your job search

Chapter 2 - Gulp! Where Do I Start? Beginning Your Search

Ways of gathering necessary company information, especially about hiring practices and job availability

Chapter 3 - Network Your Way into a Job

Nine ways to network, including "cold calling" and attending career fairs

Chapter 4 - Your Résumé: The Bread and Butter of Any Job Search

A step-by-step guide for creating a résumé that will get noticed by hiring managers

Chapter 5 - Conquering the Cover Letter

Tips on constructing powerful cover letters that work in tandem with your résumé

Chapter 6 - The Application Process

Various strategies for applying to jobs, including online and offline processes

Chapter 7 - Preparing for the All-Mighty Interview

The importance of knowing your "key selling points" and practicing "mock interviews"

Chapter 8 - The Interview: Making It Work

A discussion of different interview formats and tactics for winning over the interviewer

Chapter 9 - Help-No One's Biting!

Emergency techniques for kick-starting a stalled job search

Chapter 10 - Wahooo-An Offer! Now What?

How to negotiate your compensation package and to write a job offer acceptance letter

Chapter 11 - Outwitting the Job Market Long-Term

Tried and true techniques for staying ahead in the workplace in the years to come

Chapter 12 - On the Road to Your Ideal Job: Twists, Turns, and Unexpected Bumps

Questions and answers to a variety of employment dilemmas