10 tips to get a jump on the job search competition.

Here are 10 tips from Harvey Mackay's new book:  "Use your head and get your foot in the door: Job search secrets no one else will tell you."

#1 - Getting a job is a job.  You have to get a routine and stick to it.  Get back in shape. Read. Network. Volunteer.

#2 - Rehearse job interviews using your video recorder.  Invite members of your family to pose questions and to critique your performance.

#3 - Never lie on your resume, but always remember a resume's purpose is to get you an interview.  Use industry-accepted terms to describe what you do.  If you try to make yourself seem too special, firms won't know what to make of you.

#4 - After every interview debrief yourself.  Make notes, including how your resume played and how you could fine-tune it to prepare for your next interview.

#5 - On resumes and in interviews, point to specifics in your achievements.  If you're a manager, showcase the people you've developed in your career and where they are today.

#6 - Learn how to use the Invisible Web to know more than you ever thought you could (or should) about your interviewer and the company you are interviewing with.

#7 - Countless people have torpedoed their chances by loading career-suicide videos and party antics onto social-networking sites.  Used properly social-networking vehicles like LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter can help you enhance your network.  And networking is how two thirds of all jobs are found.

#8 - Respect your references.  Recruiters check out these resources more thoroughly than ever before.  Make sure your praise singers know in advance that you're listing them and how appreciative you are of their help.  Firms will also contact people who aren't your fans.

#9 - The early bird may get the worm, but late birds get the job.  You never want to be a warm-up act.  Like the Academy Awards, the strongest contenders are those appearing at year-end.

#10 - Never negotiate your starting salary based on what you need.  Base your argument on the marketplace and what you offer.  Always have hard research handy to prove you know your numbers.  But, if all else fails, offer to work for free for a trial period until you prove yourself.

Mackay's Moral: Getting a job is a job.  But, land a job you love, and you'll never work another day in your life.

- Harvey Mackay, Tulsa World,  Sunday February 21, 2010 -