In a tough economy such as this, one can’t be passive about their job search. Hiring managers today can receive over 500 resumes for one position. This of course makes it difficult to be distinguished from the stack, if you’re noticed at all. One must instead be creative in their plans to get noticed – sometimes even more creative than the next guy. Below are a few accounts from those who got the job thinking outside the box.

Business Analyst
For a business analyst position, hiring managers likely get too many emails. As such, I prefer to snail-mail my resume in. For my current job I thought I would mix it up so instead of stuffing it into an envelope, I put it in a yellow box. 4 sheets of paper rolled up in a small yellow box. My boss never mentioned it when he called me in, but it had to have something to do with my current state of employment!
James, S. Dakota

Pharmaceutical Sales
I did something different – I printed my resume out on legal paper – I made it stand out as much as I could. The print at the top of my resume read my name across it in a huge bold typeface.
Cherise, Fresno

Project Manager
I went to my interview with a borrowed projector and a 12 slide PowerPoint presentation. The first half of the presentation broadly touched upon my past achievements while the last half I prepared what I felt could be the new direction for the department. The final slide, meant to be humorous, had an illustration of what it would look like without me.
Danika, San Francisco

Dental Hygienist
My application was to a smaller company so I simply asked the owner out for lunch to discuss the possibility of a job. He said it was the first time someone had offered to take him to lunch for consideration. Although he probably would have hired me anyway, the lunch made him notice. In the end he offered me the job and I subsequently turned it down.
Miguel, Chile

Certified Public Accountant
Turn your resume upside-down. It’s about getting noticed right? So for my job experience I flipped it listing the most recent last. My first job at Jack-in-the-Box was listed first, Carl’s Jr. second, HR Block 3rd, etc. CPA’s aren’t always the funny bunch but they got a kick out of it.
Alan, Connecticut

Designer
I am a print designer and the school I worked for did a lot of newspaper and billboard advertisements. I took my best ad and replaced it with my picture and a message stating my short availability – with the closer to act fast! I made about 2 dozen prints and mailed them to companies I wanted to work for. 4 of them responded and I got a job out of it.
Justin, El Segundo

Web Developer
As a web developer, I obviously have a website to showcase my skills. In the current economy, all of the job ads that I applied to seemed to go nowhere. Every email I sent out went to what seemed – a black hole. So I thought about ways to have them look for me. Out of all of the ideas, I decided to keep it simple and just mail them a standard print out with my website address in small letters. I then tracked the hits and out of the 40 mailers, I received 18 hits. 2 of those were job offers.
Mark, Dallas TX

Social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook can do a lot more than put you in touch with people who like the same rock bands or movies you do. They can promote your career or product, help you find a job, or promote your “brand” as a business professional. While both Facebook and MySpace certainly aid in a job search, there are subtle differences between them. Read the rest of this entry »

Work at home or telecommute jobs are now a respectable part of the American work experience. Once reserved for envelope stuffers and telemarketers, professionals of every stripe can now work at home with the blessing of their bosses. Certain professional telecommute positions offer big bucks, whether you chose to work as an independent contractor or as an employee, here are the 10 most prestigious, high-paying work at home positions.

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While there’s no ironclad guarantee your job will remain untouched by the current iffy economic climate, you can recession proof your value to an employer by following these 5 simple habits.

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(And Some Tips on How to Find Jobs in Them)

During a recession, some industries remain steady while others suffer severe layoffs and cash crunches. Hospitals remain busy during a recession because people still get sick and injured even during weak economic times, but non-essential businesses like tattoo parlors and gourmet coffee bars may find their bottom line dwindling. Job seekers looking for a paycheck and security in a recession should check out the following industries and professions, which are still growing at a rapid pace

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1. George Washington University

Washington, D.C.

Tuition 2008-2009: $40,437
Increase from previous year: 3.1%

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Networking in tough economic times such as a recession doesn't mean you need to try harder or send resumes out to every company and search agency posting help-wanted ads. When times are hard, a job-seeker needs to network smarter, not necessarily longer or harder. Here are a few tips for keeping your job search afloat when the economy is sinking.
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