1. Sending your resume only as an attachment

Some experts say that you should not attach your resume and cover letter to an email. Others say it’s acceptable. My recommendation is to do exactly what the job posting states. Many job postings state the preferred method of resume delivery. If by chance it does not, or you are sending an unsolicited resume, I suggest cutting and pasting your plain text resume contents into the body of your email.

The other option, which can work best at times, is to both paste your resume content into the body of the email as well as attach it for their convenience. The one drawback for this option is that you increase the possibility of the email getting deleted because it has an attachment. Some businesses automatically delete outside emails that have attachments for fear of viruses.

2. Not following-up with potential employers

It is extremely important to follow-up immediately after your interview. In the current work environment, either traditional printed and mailed thank you letters or emails are appropriate. Sending a thank you follow-up has these positive outcomes:

• Your interviewer will be reminded of who you are.

• You have a chance to reiterate your desire for the position and highlight your qualifications.

• The majority of people do not send thank you follow-ups, so you will be ahead of the applicants when it comes down to deciding.

3. Not testing job search engines with various keywords to find the most effective method that yields the jobs you are targeting

Each job search site has a different search engine for finding jobs. What might work for Monster.com, may not be the best method for Headhunter.net. Spend time upfront testing different keywords to find out what yields the most accurate results. If you are looking for a direct marketing manager position, try the following terms: marketing, direct marketing, marketing manager, manager and so on. You’ll be surprised at the differences in search results.

4. Posting your resume on sites without regard to privacy

This is a major mistake especially if you are currently employed. There are different levels of privacy with online resume databases. The one with the least amount of privacy is an open database that allows anyone online to access and view your resume.

On the other end of the spectrum, there are databases where you control who can view your resume. You assign a password, which is needed in order to gain access to your information. There are also databases that only show your experience and do not show your personal information such as name and address.

Of course, there are drawbacks to posting your resume. If you are currently employed and want to keep your job search confidential, you may not want to post your resume for everyone to see. There are options on most job posting sites where you choose the levels of privacy you want, and exclude certain companies from possibly seeing your resume.

5. Not spending the appropriate amount of time preparing your resume and cover letter before emailing

Just because the Internet allows you to do certain aspects of job searching much faster than in the past, it doesn’t mean you should skimp on proofreading and targeting. It’s very easy to send out 5 resumes in 15 minutes, but don’t do it.

When writing your resume, continually ask yourself if the reader would be interested in what you are writing. If the job is for a very specific programming position and you have past experience in Information Technology and also non-profit fundraising, you probably don’t need to relay the latter part on your resume. Instead of adding a few lines about your fundraising experience, take a few extra lines to add one of your past programming positions to emphasize what you accomplished.

6. Not checking your email daily and/or returning phone calls in order to respond quickly to inquiries

This is a common sense principle of any job search. Be respectful of people’s time by responding within 24 hours of any contact.

7. Not using search agents offered on job sites

You shouldn’t rely solely on this option, but it is a good complement to your regular search. Many job search sites such as Monster.com and Hotjobs.com offer job search agents that send you emails with targeted jobs of interest. The majority are free to sign up and easy to use. Why do all the work yourself? Have these search agents send emails at regular intervals of your choice to your home email address. Saves you precious time.

8. Not asking for the interviewer’s business card after an interview

Send a thank you follow-up with 24 hours and keep it short. Examples can be found in my new ebook at www.easyonlineguides.com .

9. Not printing out job descriptions and staying organized

Follow these steps when applying for jobs both, online and offline.

• As soon as you send out a resume, print or cut out the job description.

• Create a “to follow-up” folder and place the printed job description with the sent date in the folder.

• Create a “followed-up” folder and place the printed job descriptions with commentary on the back of the page or attached to the description of when you followed up and what are the next steps.

• Create an “active folder” for any jobs where you have had a phone interview or actually went to the company for an interview.

• Lastly, create a “archive folder” where you place all jobs that have been filled or jobs which you have followed up numerous times and have not heard back over the past 3 months.

I have found the third bullet point to be a key part of the online job search. Sometimes you will receive an automatic email reply back from an employer stating they received your information, but other times you are left wondering if your information was ever received. Because of this, I have always recommended sending a follow-up email 3-4 weeks after your initial email was sent to the employer (samples are in Chapter 5 of my ebook).

10. Getting frustrated and down on yourself when the going gets tough

You need to be a salesperson. Sell yourself. Don’t accept the first negative response as a rejection, continue to move forward.

The job market can be tough at times and some people may get frustrated because they have not received as many responses as expected. From my experience, here is what tends to happen:

• Probably 20% of the positions are never filled due to various internal and external reasons. Jobs are put on hold. Companies decide they don’t have money in the budget, etc.

• Approximately 25% are filled internally, but had to be advertised to the public due to corporate policies.

• With these assumptions, that leaves a job applicant with a little more than 50% of an opportunity to get a call for an interview. Don’t get angry if you have been rejected for interviews or don’t get many callbacks.

• Keep a positive attitude when going through difficult job search times. Edit resumes and cover letters with recent feedback. Continue to move forward and your hard work will be rewarded. Your next resume you send out could be the one that gets you that perfect job.

About the Author: Paul Fontaine
Paul is the author of the new ebook: How to Find the Perfect Job…in 30 days or less! Paul has extensive experience in marketing, public relations, advertising and publishing. His previous work experience has been with such well-known companies as Time-Life Books and The Franklin Mint. Paul has been published in various industry publications, both on and offline.

He has been giving career advice for over ten years. Paul has reviewed and critiqued hundreds of resumes and has helped create more effective communication tools to attract employer’s attention and to find that perfect job. He has been on both sides of the desk as an interviewer and an interviewee.

Paul is President of Easy Online Guides, a business dedicated to creating and distributing high quality, easy-to-understand, how-to guides in an inexpensive and fast manner for online consumers.

What happened?
A computer programmer found himself facing police officers with a search warrant and an arrest warrant one evening. It seems that during a major layoff at his old company, employees started taking everything that wasn’t nailed down. Despite his attempts to document his return of all company property he was lumped in with the others and accused of grand theft. The charges were subsequently dropped due to lack of evidence, but in the meantime this programmer spent several hours in custody, had to produce bail and, perhaps worst of all, lost his current job due to the arrest; a nightmare scenario for anyone.

In today’s job market, layoffs, bankruptcy, mergers and acquisitions are simply a part of doing business. You must be prepared for such eventualities and understand how to protect yourself from situations like that above. Here are a few ways to make sure that you don’t end up on the wrong side of the law.

Don’t do it
While the situation above is extreme, too often workers assume that they are entitled to company property when they leave. This is both unethical and illegal. I don’t care how badly you were treated or how underpaid you were, taking company property is a sure way to end up without a career, if not in jail. Even if the company doesn’t press charges, there are certain to be rumors that will dog you wherever you go.

Sometimes people forget a very important rule when they are under stress. If you have to ask yourself whether something is wrong, it probably is. The very fact that you are questioning something shows that you are on the borders of ethical behavior. Save yourself problems in the future and back away from the situation.

Management was also at fault for not safeguarding their property during the layoff process. I have never been involved in a situation as bad as this one, but everyone knows there can be issues with terminated employees that require strict supervision and security. I think every layoff should be as humane as possible, but there needs to be a balance between kindness and protection.

Get it in writing
My best advice in these situations is to forgo any offers of property, no matter how benign they may seem. The chance of later issues over such offers taints them. If you really want to take something, make sure you get written and signed approval from the person making the offer. In fact, throughout your career, you want to get everything in writing. Memories can fade, but paper can be filed and used in your defense, should you ever need it.

Your documentation should begin the minute you start a job. Whenever you are assigned a piece of company property there should be a paper trail. Make sure you note serial numbers and any other identifying characteristics. When the time comes to return this property you will be able to prove that you are returning exactly what was assigned. Keep your files up to date whenever you replace equipment as well.

In most cases you will never need this documentation, but you are protecting yourself against the one time when you will. You never know how a job will end. Something that started out well can end badly through no fault of your own.

Bad situations can happen at large companies just as easily as small startups. The only way to protect yourself is to prepare for the worst and hope that you will never experience it. You will encounter people who do not share your ethics or morals. Your job is to avoid them, or failing that, do everything you can to prevent being caught in the trap these people are building for themselves.

Here are a few guidelines to emailing recruiters and potential employers.

1. Include your name and telephone number at the end of the email message. It’s amazing how many people do not include their names, and I can’t always remember who’s “bs247@hotmail.com” This kind of oversight creates the impression that you may not think ahead.
2. Spell-check is a good thing.
3. DO NOT call your resume file “Resume.doc” or anything else except something including your name. (JDoe2001.doc) Employers or recruiters already have a “Resume.doc” file, trust me. Yes, they could change the name on your file, but it creates the impression that you do not think ahead.
4. If you really need an immediate response to an urgent question, (“I need directions to my interview this afternoon..”) pick up the phone and call. It may be faster/easier for the person to retrieve a voice message, especially when off-site.
5. It’s still best to type or handwrite a thank-you note after an interview. Exceptions: when the second interview is going to happen before snail-mail would be delivered; when you know that the interviewer is going to be on the road and would not get your mailed thank-you for a while; or when the interviewer is a highly wired type who may pay more attention to email. You may send a snail-mailed note, as well.
6. It is SO RUDE to send a virus infected resume. If you do not have updated anti-virus software, get a free hotmail account and send your resume to yourself there, so it will be automatically virus-scanned when you download it.
7.  Your resume should be in either a recent MS Word version or in RTF format. MS Works or older Word versions may not be readable by a prospective employer. If you have older software, either use RTF, or get a friend with a newer Word version to update your resume on a disc for you. Do not use MS Works, or any other software unless you know for sure that it will be readable by your recipient. PDF files are readable by most, but some companies do not have PDF software and may not permit users to download free readers.
8. Please do not send Internet jokes (especially potentially offensive items), virus-warnings, dancing electronic elves, or (worst of all) heart-rending chain letters (which threaten to curse the recipient if not forwarded within 10 minutes to at least 12 other people) to prospective employers or recruiters. Personally, I enjoy the occasional truly clever and clean tidbit from people whom I know, but I have to wonder about folks who have the time to clog my inbox with 5 or 6 things at once.
9. Hyperlink your email address on your resume, under your street address and phone numbers.
10. Check your email at least daily, and respond promptly to messages. Again, you should make a phone call if an immediate response is needed.
11. If you email your resume out late at night, check the next day to see if it bounced. Sometimes a company server may be down for maintenance in the wee hours, and you’ll want to resend it later.

This article is published by permission of Terri Rowe.