Myth: I can create my resume and cover letter myself using a design template.

Truth: Maybe.

Professional resume writers are...professional writers. They know how to market you, how to write about your accomplishments, the little tricks and techniques to make your resume a "wow" document and most of all, they know how to communicate your strengths in such a way that it gets your foot in the door for positions you really want. Additionally, they can be a tremendous asset if you have challenges to address such as employment gaps, multiple jobs, repositioning, changing industries and other obstacles that can lead to being passed over for job interviews.

In short, have you ever asked an employer for a letter of reference and heard, "Sure, I will endorse you. Why don't you write something and I will sign it?" This is a daunting and arduous task because you are trying to be humble, objective and demonstrate all of your wonderful qualities...all at the same time! A similar phenomenon happens when trying to write your own resume.

Certified resume writers have to go through quite a complex series of testing before they are granted a certification. In other words, they know what they are doing - their whole training is focused on making YOU look great in the eyes of your future employer! When it's all said and done, it's a great investment in yourself, often tax deductable (consult with your CPA) and a good resume can be used more then once, of course! If you are serious about your career, it's worth it.

Still want to try it yourself? Then take it as seriously as you take your career! Buy an up to date "best of" resume book with templates and how-to information. Study plenty of resume samples for the best design for you.

After you have finished writing your resume, you can ask someone who knows you well if they believe your resume is representative of your skills and strengths. But remember, your best source of information is always going to be a certified, experienced resume writer. The truth for everyone else is...that ten different people will probably have ten different opinions for you, leaving you more confused than ever!

Myth: I probably can't negotiate a bigger salary because I am...changing industries, too old, too young, fired, underpaid in my last position, etc.

Truth: Not necessarily.

Negotiating a bigger salary has much more to do with your marketing efforts and your mindset than your real or imagined liabilities. I have worked with clients who were "let go" from their last position only to go on and secure some huge $$$ increases over their prior salaries. How did they do it? Through a combination of:

• Having their resume professionally designed to target their market and position of choice.
• Receiving coaching on how to overcome their liabilities during interviews.
• Receiving coaching on how to answer questions about salary needs, past compensation and negotiating techniques.
• Receiving coaching on job search techniques that reveal positions with far less competition.
• Working through any perceptions that hurt their self confidence.

Don't lose hope if you have a "tricky" situation to overcome! A little planning, preparation and professional help can go a long way toward overcoming what you might initially see as a deal breaker in your next job search.

Myth: I can use a generic cover letter for all job submissions.

Truth: You can modify a basic template for most job submissions.

Your cover letter is of paramount importance. It will ultimately determine if and for how long your actual resume gets read.

My recommendation is that you have a short (under 250 words - you read me right!) cover letter that is completely focused on your quantifiable achievements. In other words, what happens when you do what you do versus a menu of skills?

Why so short? Because short, crystal clear letters that convey your quantifiable value in simple to understand terms are both powerful and compelling.

So, your basic template is short with a few demonstrative bullet points in the middle.

Using this template, you can integrate key words and phrases that mirror specific strengths as they relate to the positions you are persuing. Thus, you are able to slightly modify your cover letter as needed.

Barring a few exceptions, this method will serve you and your job search well.

Here is a quick snapshot of various professions in the career services industry and how they can help you.

Resume writers: These are professionals who write resumes for a living. They may also provide writing services for business plans, bios, value proposition sheets, CVs and more. They may also offer career coaching. Just like any other profession, they come in all shapes and sizes. When you choose a resume writer, you want to pay attention to the following:

• Their years in business
• The professionalism of their website
• Their certifications and association memberships and involvement
• Their resume samples and/or testimonials
• Your personal feelings about them

Career Coaches: There are many kinds of coaches including executive coaching, career coaching, interview coaching and job search coaching. These individuals can offer a tremendous value at different career junctions. Career coaches often administer personality tests and offer private coaching to draw out your skills and offer information on potential new careers or industries based on your attractions and strengths. Job search coaches can help you identify ways to penetrate your market of choice, saving you time, frustration and money.

Recruiters: Recruiters are hired by companies to find key talent like you. They typically require you meet the (often rigid) qualifications that their client companies have asked them to meet. Recruiters are paid anywhere from 15% to 30% of the successful candidate's first year salary on average. Recruiters can only bring you positions for searches they are personally trying to fill. In other words, they don't operate as "your agent," trying to find you particular positions (a mistake some job seekers make that can limit their job search results).

Recruiters work on both contingency and retainer. Recruiters being paid on contingency are paid if and when one of their candidates is hired. Recruiters that are retained have required a deposit before beginning a client company's search and they keep the initial deposit whether or not the position is successfully filled.

Outplacement: An outplacement agency provides job hunting assistance to jobseekers and is typically hired by a company to help recently downsized employees. Outplacement services provide resume/interviewing assistance and career counseling.

Staffing Agency (Temp/Contract): A temporary or contract staffing firm hires jobseekers for a client company's temporary or contract hiring needs. In this relationship, the jobseeker is employed by the staffing agency and the staffing agency pays all wages, taxes, insurance and benefits. Often these staffing positions can turn into full time positions with the client company - at which point, a company would make the temporary candidate a formal offer and finalize their contractual obligations with the staffing firm.

Myth: If I submit my resumes to jobs on major job boards, I will have a job in no time.

Truth: Probably not true.

Unfortunately, major job boards have a 1 to 3% success rate. That means if you send out 100 resumes to 100 posted jobs and you hear back from one or two, you're doing pretty well. That's a tough reality check, but the good news is that there are much better ways to conduct your job search and improve your odds. Of course, the right strategy for you depends on several factors including:

• Your level of position and industry
• Your geographical preference and flexibility (can you relocate etc...)
• How "hirable" you are
• If you are changing industries or positions

...to name a few.

A few of the ways job seekers improve their odds of landing multiple interviews and offers include:

• Having their resume and cover letter professionally written
• Retaining a coach to help them with interviewing and negotiating and/or job search techniques
• Tapping into the "hidden" or "unadvertised" job market
• Learning about and conducting direct mail campaigns
• Learning how to approach companies that are growing - even if they don't have posted positions
• Learning the best ways to connect with recruiters
• Learning the proper way to network with people including social networking techniques (such as using LinkedIn)

Myth: Executive level jobs are best found through recruiters and fee-based, high level job boards.

Truth: Both recruiters and fee-based executive level job boards can severely limit your job search and the responses you receive.

Executive recruiters can only help you if you have the exact qualifications to help them...fill their position, that is.

And fee-based job boards usually yield about 2% to 5% response rates. You are going to have to send out a lot of resumes to get any response at all and of course don't forget about the intense amount of executive competition you will face for the very same job.

Nearly all executives are all about working smarter, not harder. Though using recruiters and answering 6-figure job ads might seem like the easiest way from point A to point B, it's actually more work on your part to market to enough of these outlets to get you the kind of results you are hoping for. It's counterintuitive to your objective.

Want an easier solution? Of course it depends on the industry and position, but I find that executive level jobs are best found using the following system:

1.Identification of the industry(s) of interest
2.Identification of the position(s) sought
3.Launching a campaign to penetrate those industries

To be successful (and when I say successful, I mean conducting a job search that results in a number of high quality interviews for opportunities you are genuinely interested in and obtaining one or preferably more viable job offers), you must have a clear plan, followed by a significant level of market exposure.

Here are several highly effective techniques and resources to get going in the right direction:

1.Identify your market - What industry are you interested in and why? You must have a crystal clear direction before you can formulate any sort of plan. Is the market growing or are you purposely targeting growing markets? Smart move on your part. I recommend you read my ezine (my monthly articles you can sign up for on my site) to gain access to free US market reports and include recession proof industries and all kinds of useful information for the high level job seeker.

2.Identify your position - In order to target and brand your resume, you have to be clear on the type of position you are pursuing. Again, have you thought it through? Are there other emerging positions (e.g. Chief Ethics Officer) or parallel positions that might offer more challenge, more security or more experience where you need it in order to reach your long term career goals? It's worth spending some time here, doing a bit of research and thinking this through.

3.Launching a campaign to penetrate your industry/position of choice - You can do this several ways including:

• Hiring a firm to research contacts and companies that fit your career parameters
• Using a site like zoominfo.com to research your preferences yourself
• Hire a company like mine to analyze, make recommendations and gather the initial information for you
• Hire an administrative assistant on a project basis to take care of some of your more mundane job search tasks such as mail merging documents, sending out resumes etc... (you should make phone contacts yourself though)
• Find (and follow up on) growth opportunities (companies moving/growing/expanding) through setting up a simple tracking system on Google News or through regular checking of business and trade journals
• Hire a company to conduct an elite direct mail program for you
• Find executive recruiters through a high-end contact that can distribute your resume exclusively to retained search firms
• Obtain a list of VC firms or PE firms who specialize in your industry of choice

These are just a few ways that go way beyond fee-based, 6 figure job boards (that may only yield you 2% to 5% responses).

Bottom line, a combination of the right executive job search techniques can improve your results by 20%, 30% and even 40%. Contact me if you have any questions about resources for these techniques. I am happy to answer your questions.