No matter what field you’re in, there are certain skills you need when you’re on the job hunt. In the past, they included how to put together a resume, how to behave in an interview, how to handle followup. These days, there are brand-new must-have job search skills. Here are five of them:

Pain Spotting To really grab en employer’s attention in your cover letter (or cover email), you’ve got to figure out—by reading the job ad and researching the employer—what sort of business pain lurks behind the job opening.

Is it growth-related pain, or consolidation-related pain? Pain associated with customers fleeing, with competitors outsourcing the work and cutting costs, or with a shortage of talent in an industry? When you know or can guess at the pain behind the job ad, you have something of substance to say to a hiring manager.

Storytelling: “I have a strong work ethic and get along with all kinds of people” is about as compelling as “I had coffee this morning.” Nearly everyone claims these traits. To get a hiring manager’s attention, tell a brief and powerful story that demonstrates what you get done when you work. Let a hiring manager know some of the good things that you make happen.

Using a Human Voice: The old “results-oriented professional with a bottom-line orientation” style of resume is as out of date as VCRs. Using a human ‘voice’ in your resume or in any other communication with employers will separate you from the boilerplate-spouting hordes. Replace tired resume-speak like “Met or exceeded expectations” with a concrete achievement. And forget the old rule about not using the word “I” in your resume.

Showing Relevance: Forget the one-size-fits-all resume that gets sent out for any open position. You need to make your background relevant to the hiring manager by highlighting the accomplishments from each past job that relate to the role you’re pursuing. Update your resume as often as necessary to make sure your most relevant stories come to the fore.

Knowing Your Value: No one will pay you more than you’re worth, so know your value before you begin an active job search. There are several website that will help you calculate your market value and avoid getting lowballed in the hiring process. Arm yourself with information, then get out there and tell your story.

Still feeling unsure about a job search in this economy? Contact Clark Personnel today—we’re happy to share our expertise and help you find that next great opportunity!

No matter what industry we’re in, we’re all in the people business. We’ll only be successful if we really get to know our customers and colleagues.

You’re off the record.

  You might not get to hear the most important information they can share: the unique team dynamics or executive’s personality quirks that would make or break ability to match an expert consultant. Over sushi or a latte or a walk around the block, clients will talk more.

Body Language. Facial expressions often communicate so much more than words.  We need to know what isn’t on the resume that makes each person unique. In their eyes and in their body language, we can see confidence, empathy, fear, friendliness or sincerity.

Where the actions is. The environment speaks volumes and may factor into your business proposal or plan. By understanding company dynamics, we can communicate more effectively to meet their needs.

Most Clients are very similar: They want to Skype, email and text. But those are some reasons you still need face time!

Reprint from NISA 3.23.2012 Newsletter

How are job seekers using mobile technology? And how can you connect with them? Mobile is one of the hottest technologies in recruiting right now, and we’re here to help you answer those questions.

According to Mashable.com, the independent online news site dedicated to covering digital culture, social media and technology, 77% of job seekers use mobile job search apps. Why?

People rely more and more on mobile devices to interact with the world, and of course that trend extends to the job search.  Of that 77 percent:

• 36.27% use them to quickly react to new job postings
• 23.79% like to job search anytime, anywhere
• 17.65% feel they’re a discreet way to search for a job

And who is searching? Here are the Top 5 job apps downloaded, by category:

• 24.8% entry level and college grad
• 20.9% with a geographic focus
• 8.3% finance
• 6.2% healthcare
• 6.0% technology

The Beyond.com career network has seen a 100% growth in mobile traffic since last year.

So what do all of these numbers mean?

The advantages to job seekers are clear, and the obvious benefit is speed.

Candidates are able to stay informed, react quickly to job advertisements and get in front of prospective employers before the competition. Flexibility is also key. Busy professionals can search for positions during their commute on buses and trains, while waiting for their morning coffee or taking a stroll in a park, during break times at work or just about any time they have a spare moment. Many job seekers also find it appealing that mobile technology is discreet. The small screen, headphones and portable nature of smartphones allows for privacy and discretion during the job seeking process.

As for employers and recruiters, a Morgan Stanley analyst report predicts that by 2014 the Internet will be more frequently searched on a mobile device than on a computer. This has huge implications for the recruitment industry. Companies need to get in the habit of making their job information available via mobile-friendly media.

And 24.8% of job app downloads are made by recent graduates and people looking for entry level jobs. So employers should post internships and entry-level positions in places that either have mobile apps, or push content out through email and social networks.

Today’s job seekers are connected and online, anywhere, anytime. Employee seekers need to do the same. And if you have any questions about how to implement mobile recruiting strategies, just ask the experts at Clark Personnel.

Top Executive Recruiters Agree There Are Only Three True Job Interview Questions – Forbes

What’s one very necessary part of your job search? Monitoring your online reputation. So Google your own name! You need to know what employers are going to see when they search it.

Employers research potential employees more than 80% of the time, according to recent research. If you’ve applied for a job or are being considered for a job, the name you put on your resume or application will probably be Googled

Do you know what results show up if someone Googles your name?

People have had their job searches damaged by their own mistakes—posting inappropriate photos or videos online or making nasty comments on blogs and other public forums.

Sometimes it’s someone else’s mistakes that can harm you—if someone with your same name did something illegal or stupid, like robbing a bank or posting revealing personal photos. Few employees will take the time to double-check what they see online. If there is any confusion or uncertainty, they’ll just move on to the next applicant.

So, what should you do?

1. Know what online content is associated with your name.
Run your search. If there are no issues, consider yourself very lucky. If there are issues, the steps below will help you address them.

2. Pick a clean, relatively unique version of your name to use publicly.
Assume that, unless your name is very unique, someone else with the same name will turn up eventually, so use more than your first and last name.

If there is harmful content about you online, or if you share a name with someone who has a bad online reputation, find and claim a “clean” version of your name.

Add your middle name or middle initial, turn your first and middle name into initials, or figure out some other change that makes your name unique (but still professional).

3. Establish, or re-name, your LinkedIn and Google profiles with the clean name.

You have two powerful platforms to clean up your online presence: LinkedIn and Google. You can control what they tell the world about you. And Google ranks both sites’ results high on Google search results pages.

Go to Linkedin.com and profiles.Google.com to set up or modify your profiles—using your “clean name.”

Going forward, use that “clean name” online, on your resume, on everything public that’s associated with your work/professional life. Don’t use one version on your resume and another on your LinkedIn profile.

The Bottom Line? Monitoring and managing your online reputation is a necessity in today’s job market. The sooner you get started, the better for your job search and career.

And if you need more advice on how to find the perfect job, or help finding it—contact Clark Personnel today!

A recent survey of workers by Right Management, part of ManPowerGroup, revealed that the number one priority for those looking for their next job is the opportunity for advancement—not better compensation, not a more flexible work environment.

Workers were asked, “What is your highest priority in your next position?”

• Greater opportunity for advancement – 27%
• Better management team – 21%
• More flexible work environment – 21%
• Better compensation – 17%
• Less work pressure – 14%

Employees are looking for other recognition for their efforts, so employers need to do a better job of engaging employees and showing the career paths within their organization.

Here are our top tips for motivating your staff with career advancement and opportunity:

1.    Think outwards, not upwards

A career path doesn’t necessarily mean constant promotions. There are many options for career development—an employee can move upwards, or move outwards by building cross-functionality or responsibility.

The most effective career paths involve a mix of both upward and outward movements. Not every employee will want to move to a management position. Skill development, switching functions, and increased responsibility can be equally motivating.

2.    Ask your staff what they want

It’s elementary: find out what drives and motivates your staff by asking them– you might be surprised! Check in with your employees to see if they’re happy and encourage them to discuss their career aspirations. If you don’t ask these questions, a headhunter or a competitor probably will.

3.    Show staff where they can go

Help your staff get to where they want to be in your organization by creating individual career and development plans for each employee. Consider creating both a short-term (12 month) and long-term (3-5 years) plan to demonstrate their bright future with your business.

The number one reason people stay at companies has to do with developmental opportunities, not how well they’re paid. Your best employees want and need to have growth opportunities. They won’t stay at a company where they don’t feel challenged and where they don’t feel their bosses take their development seriously.

If a staff member can’t see a career path for their future, they’ll look for it elsewhere. Career pathways show staff that their skills and contributions are valued, and also offer business benefits with improved succession planning and staff retention.

If you’re looking for more insight into employee engagement, feel free to contact Clark Personnel.Our decades of experience in the staffing industry have given us an insider’s view that we’d be happy to share with you!

We are all creatures of habit and if you make good habits, good habits will make you. This wisdom has been around since ancient times. Aristotle once said, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.”

 The subconscious mind—the habitual mind—is over one million times more powerful than the conscious mind. This means that we spend a substantial amount of our lifetime on “autopilot,” playing out the mental programs that govern our behavior.

 We know to, habits can also be destructive.  The real key to success is replacing destructive habits with successful habits. We have the power to let go of old thinking and adopt the mindset of a champion.