A job search is usually a sales job -- your "product" is yourself, and your success depends on your ability to differentiate yourself from everyone else who wants the same job that you want. Try to put yourself in the shoes of the employer or recruiter, and approach them with that mindset.

There are many ways to differentiate yourself:

1. Research the employer before you apply for the job or go in for the interview. There is so much information available on the Internet! At a minimum, visit the company Web site to see what it says.
   
   This research will enable you to do a better job of customizing your resume and cover letter (next point below). It may also help you to avoid wasting time on a company that isn't a good fit for you or that is in the midst of a declining market and potentially planning layoffs or job freezes.
   
   Visit the company Web site. Information about publicly-traded companies is everywhere, from CorporateInformation to Hoover's to Yahoo.and the U.S. Department of Commerce's Edgar database. Check out Job-Hunt's Reference Material section for more ideas.
   
   Don't know how to research a company online? See Job-Hunt Pro Parmelee Eastman's articles on reasearching companies, or check out Deb Flanagan's step-by-step Researching Companies Online Tutorial.
   
   
2. Customize your resume and cover letter for each opportunity, if possible. One-size-fits-all isn't true anymore, if it ever was.
   
   If the opportunity you want is in HR, emphasize the skills and experience you have related to HR. If the company is in the medical industry, highlight the experience you have in medical or related industries.
   
   Use your research! Make a reference to their products or services, by name if possible, or to corporate officers. Demonstrate that you know something about this employer and this opportunity.
   
   Send out fewer message, and use your research to include proof that you've paid some attention to this individual opportunity. You and your message will stand out.
   
   For more tips on using company research in your cover letter and resume, check out Job-Hunt's "Company Research" article. For some good ideas on how to create a cover letter that will really stand out, see recruiter Sandra MacKay's article on Getting Recruiter Attention.
   
   
3. Write your resume and cover letter in terms of what you can do for the employer, not what they can do for you. Often an applicant's cover letter will say something like "I need experience in a (large or small or whatever - fill in the blank) company like yours." Why should an employer care? They don't.
   
   When filling a job, most employers don't care what they can do for you; they are interested in how you can help them be more successful. Don't let them try to figure it out - tell them.
   
   Present your skills and knowledge in terms of how hiring you will be a benefit for them. Don't minimize your skills, but don't over-inflate them either. Stick to the facts - selecting the ones most relevent to the opportunity your are seeking and linking them to the employer's specific needs.
   
   
4. Use e-mail as back-up and/or follow-up; don't depend on it alone. Use snail mail, FAX, the telephone, etc. to reach the employer or recruiter, unless directed to "use e-mail only" by the employer. Even then, try to network your way into the company to find out what's going on and advance your search. See Job-Hunt's "Tapping the Hidden Job Market" article for networking ideas.
   
   E-mail has been killed as an effective "cold-call" communications medium. "Spam" (bulk, unsolicited, commercial e-mail) clogs company e-mail systems, reportedly 80% of e-mail in the middle of 2005.
   
   Most companies use spam filters to eliminate junk e-mail before it ever reaches anyone's Inbox. So, don't assume that your e-mail will be read or even received by the addressee, and don't assume that you will receive a notice from the "postmaster" when your message is blocked. Most spam filters just delete the messages without any notice to the senders.
   
   Do assume that every potential employer uses spam filters. Ask your contact(s) in the company to a add you to their friends (or "white") list.
   
   NOTE: If you do send an e-mail, use the spam problem as a reason to contact the employer. Call to see if they received your e-mail. Ask to speak with the recruiter or hiring manager, and then, see what else you can discover.
   
   For 7 tips on avoiding spam filters, read Job-Hunt's article "Keeping Your E-Mail Out of the Spam Filters."
   
   
5. FOLLOW-UP on resume submissions, even at big job sites. After you've used whatever online application process the site offers, find additional ways to bring yourself and your resume to the employer's or recruiter's attention.
   
   If you know the company name, call them for more contact information. Fax your resume and cover letter to the employer's HR department. After you've sent your fax, call to be sure they've received it legibly, and ask for permission to stay in touch (then DO what you say you will do!).
   
   See if you can get the name and any contact information for the hiring manager. Send or fax more copies of your resume to the hiring manager, if you can.
   
   Follow up. Stay in touch. Be politely persistent.
   
   
6. Send an off-line thank you for each interview, to each interviewer, both for job interviews and information interviews.
   
   A thank you is a simple courtesy that is so important, and so often ignored by job seekers that you will stand out from the crowd if you send one! Thank them for their time and their consideration. Include the job title and date and time of the interview to help them remember which interviewee you were. You may also sneak in a few additional snipets of information that help them see you as the best qualified applicant, particularly if you think something from the interview needs clarification. But keep the thank you short - no longer than one page (2 or 3 short paragraphs).
   
   If you just can't face actually using a pen and paper, you can send an e-mailed thank you. But, your e-mail may not get through the company spam filters, so your nice gesture (and great follow up!) may be lost. Off-line, now, is the most reliable, and it's a very nice touch to do it the "old-fashioned way" with REAL paper, envelopes, and stamps.
   
   
7. If you receive the dreaded "thanks for your interest, but.." letter or message, respond with a thank you.
   
   A thank you for being turned down? Yes!
   
   I've spoken with countless people who landed their job after initially being turned down for it. They followed up on the rejection, and were at the top of the list when something didn't work out with the "winning" applicant. For tips on how to handle this situation, see Turning Rejection into Opportunity article.
   

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About the author...

Online job search expert Susan P. Joyce has been observing the online job search world and teaching online job search skills since 1995. Susan is a two-time layoff "graduate" who has worked in human resources at Harvard University and in a compensation consulting firm. In 1998, her company, NETability, Inc. purchased Job-Hunt.org, and Susan has been editor and publisher of Job-Hunt since then. Follow Susan on Twitter at @jobhuntorg.

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