There was recently an article in the Naperville Sun by Katie Morrell, "Hiring experts offer unconventional job tips", Thursday, September 9, 2010. She had indicated that the Naperville Sun had consulted with a few job search experts to bring you some cutting-edge job-hunting tips. Things you might do beyond just posting your resume on Monster and Career Builder. I thought I would share these tips with you:

1) Keep in Touch
"Try to keep in touch long after a job you've applied for is filled," suggested Fran Liontakis, regional vice president for Robert Half International, a job search firm in Naperville. "Oftentimes, the person they choose may not be the best fit. The person who continues to follow-up may be the potential backup. Try sending a friendly e-mail once a week."

2) Work for Free
"Offer to work pro bono for a period of a month," Liontakis said, "Tell them you want to volunteer your time for a period to highlight your skills. At the end of the time, tell them that if you don't have the skills they want, you will part ways without obligation."

3) Link in
"You need to have a well-developed profile on LinkedIn," said John Myers, managing partner of Kensington Internalional, a talent management consulting firm in Oak Brook. "Make sure you know how to expand it well beyond the people you know. Most people don't think they have a very big network and think in finite terms. Your network is much bigger than you think LinkedIn casts a big net and if you purchase an upgraded membership, you will have the ability to directly communicate with those people. Today, more and more search firms are accessing LinkedIn for candidates."

4) Get involved
"Do volunteer work at a nonprofit organization that is aligned with the industry in which you are looking to work," said Liontakis. For example, if you are a credit specialist, you may want to volunteer your time at a consumer credit counseling service. This type of volunteering will give you networking opportunities."

5) Be creative
"Be creative about the ways you are presenting your skills," Liontakis said. "Some candidates send DVDs highlighting their experience. Don't do away with traditional resumes, but look for creative ways to capture the decsion maker's attention early on."

6) Help others help you
"When people ask you what they can do to help, make sure you are well-prepared," Myers said. "Present them with a list of companies you want to get introduced to and go down the list."

7) Act
"Be proactive," Liontakis said. "Let's say you've make it past the first interview. From there, try to make a business plan for the company on how to solve their problems. Putting in that extra time and creating extra ideas shows your interest."

8) Sell yourself
"Try approaching a company as an entrepreneur instead of a candidate," Myers said. "Package yourself with your own business card and materials that describe the value you can deliver. That way, you are offering your services for rent instead of for hire, but you aren't using a project firm as an intermediary, you are doing it yourself. "Instead of going in with your resume as a job candidate, you are going in and saying you can do a project. Oftentimes, those turn into offers."

Please keep in mind, these are just suggestions that I ran into a week or so ago. There are no guarantees here, just suggestions. I would love to hear from you as to job interviewing tips that have worked for you. I have some thoughts of my own that I will be sharing with you, as well.

Hope this helps - Joanne