Talent Alley

An imaginative job seeker ensured that his profile and pitch would be seen by his targeted hiring executives. All for less than $6. How this can work for you, too.

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The single most important document in your job search hasn’t changed in generations – it’s still your resume. But what has changed is the ability for even those unskilled in graphics design to create a resume that stands out visually, incorporates color and separates you from every other job seeker whose resume format simple blends [...]

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In Episode 9 of our real-life, real-time job search experiment with Cleveland sales executive Tim Krenn, we prepare for an interview with the CEO of a potential employer. Tim’s success in developing his personal branding characteristics and his distinctive personal branding statement (I’m the guy who can build the relationships with the people you most [...]

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Though readers may view this ongoing series tracking the job search of Cleveland sales executive Tim Krenn as an interesting case study, for Tim this is real life. The guidance we provide needs to produce real results in the form of a job offer out there in the real world. That’s why this morning’s call [...]

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Day 4 of our real-life, real-time job search with Cleveland sales executive Tim Krenn. For those of you just tuning in, we’re documenting the real-life job strategies and efforts of a Cleveland-based sales executive whose looking for a new job. So far, we’ve had Tim create his social media identities on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter, [...]

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No one is above having to write an appealing and intriguing resume to attract attention from a prospective employer. Not even Renaissance man Leonardo da Vinci. A copy of a letter da Vinci wrote (full text below. original at right: click to enlarge) to the Duke of Milan seeking a position as an armorer was [...]

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For those of you still skeptical about the value of a thoughtfully written thank you note to those you interview with, I present the story of an anonymous Cleveland executive (let’s call her Jane Doe) who was told yesterday that she received a six-figure job over her competitors because she was the only candidate who [...]

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Recent studies confirm that over half of employers check their job candidates’ social media profiles and activities before making a hiring decision. As participation across social media platforms increases it’s certain that even more employers will take the time to investigate the online persona of each potential hire before making a job offer. Knowing that [...]

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Although Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn and the other major social media platforms have enabled job seekers to reach an enormous network of people during their job search, these same tools – improperly used – also have the potential to derail and destroy your efforts if you don’t carefully manage your online persona. The explosive growth of [...]

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