1 You just can't find the passion to look for work. Your Mojo just ain't working. Whatever the reason is, you'll never make anything happen by just thinking about it. Tough love, yeah I know. Just get organized, HIRE YOURSELF to land that job you deserve. TIP: If you're not prepared to HIRE YOURSELF why should anyone else want to? Food for thought.

2 Just not being prepared. How old is your cover letter and resume. "Oh yeah, I did mine a few years ago, but I do have it on my computer". Well my fiend, in reality your resume should never be anymore than 30 days old. I am completely serious. What if someone called you and said there was this perfect job, and the due date for resume submissions is tomorrow, are you ready? Most people are not! Your resume is your working blueprint, your employment passport if you like. It needs to be fresh at all times and in sync with what recruiters expect in a resume, not some template looking 1970's smashed together after 6 beers resume. The wording has to not only reflect who you are, where you've been, but in a manner that tells recruiters you are very up to date. Employed people need to take this just as seriously.

3 Hey remember this gem "Your attitude, not your aptitude determines your altitude." Does it really need an explanation? Very smart people with perfect cover letters and resumes miss great opportunities all the time, why? Lousy attitude .. and no, this is not just reserved for the smart folks, anyone with a bad attitude will just get bypassed, period! So check the root of your attitude, is it heavily influenced by your ego? Were you downsized or otherwise displaced and you have a bitter attitude? Regardless of where the reasons originate, justifiable as they may be .. loose them as quickly as possible. Attitude issues are killers and can be spotted a mile away by recruiters.

4 Now here's a good one. Stop spending all your job search time loading up job websites with your cover letters and resumes. They are a complete waste of time. FACT: You only have a 6% chance of getting hired through a blind ad. You apply to tons of them, get zero response and in the end, they have wasted your precious time and even more important, they do in fact diminish your confidence. Anything in life that hurts your confidence or self esteem should be avoided and that my friend, may include people very close to you. There are lots of toxic personalities out there you should avoid, and you know who they are.

5 FACT: 85% of all people hired are actually hired through people who know people and not through blind ads. I work for the XYZ company and recommend you for the job we have open. My boss trusts my judgment, and knows that I know what's required from the job, and thus the person being hired. If you get that kind of referral, you are as good as in, because the hiring process is costly and no company can afford to hire the wrong people these days. So I highly recommend you create what I call your job search data mining list. The list includes everyone, and I mean every single person you know. Family, friends, old acquaintances, and never discount former co-workers and former bosses. This is really where you have to bury your pride and ego once and for all. The idea is simple, after you create that list, you systematically manage a time where you make sure to let each and every person on your list know what's happening. You are looking for work, and would appreciate it if they'd just help a bit by being an extra set of eyes and ears for you. Most people are flattered to be asked and most will help willingly. Pride and ego aside, this is the 85% rule in a nutshell or also known as the lazy man's approach of getting back to work sooner. Really make this issue part of your plan, and your success will come a great deal sooner.

6 Remember I talked about attitude, well this is an extension of that. It's your ability to properly communicate or express your thoughts clearly. Great cover letters and resumes, with the proper experience and credentials will land you that elusive interview. Then what!? Then you have to bring your best EQ or emotional intelligence skills to the table. You see these days it's not as much about your IQ or just how smart you are. It's become far more about your ability to express yourself well, which historically means, more often than not, that in fact you'll be a better team player. And these days, it's all about communication and team players. Team players who are in sync and communicate well achieve greater results in project work time and time again. If your higher IQ doesn't translate well in an interview, recruiters will take the lesser IQ and better EQ every time. I do in fact tutor higher IQ folks to do just that. Remember they already have the goods, just have trouble expressing it. When they do .. watch out, as they are truly untouchable.

7 Now come on, do I really have to mention it! Your appearance that is. I guess so. It's amazing how many people still don't dress properly for their job, let alone their potential job. We all feel better when we know we look good. That's just one of those laws of nature I think. So follow the logic, you feel better when you look good, thus you likely perform better as well. Seems too simple I know, and yet again, there is indisputable proof that this is true for many. It's just too important to argue this issue, I support all the reasons why it shouldn't be important as long as the job gets done, but you need to get the job first, them convince your employer that you want dress down days from Monday through Friday.

8 Are your marketable skills up to date? Are you missing one or two certifications that'll make you current again. No question here, just get it done. Maybe you've been doing the same job for well for 10 years, but somehow still got downsized. Now you are essentially starting over somewhere else, does the company you are applying to expect your knowledge base of 10 years to be enough, or are there newer techniques you need to know about? Talk to someone in the company before applying and find out, and again, if all you need is a quick refresher, get it done! It might be as simple as a computer skills upgrade course. This shows get initiative on your part and that's an assertive quality every employer wants these days.

9 Respect! Where has that gone these days. Many employers don't have it and neither do many employees. Show off your sense of respect. Edit your cover letter & resume, make them easy to read and take out all the fluff. Don't be afraid to mention your fierce work ethic, it'll ring loud with potential employers as there is a huge void in that area these days. Mention your personal respect for confidentiality. Privacy and confidentiality issues are very important for companies now, so yes, identify that you are well aware of it's importance. Respect also means you never bad mouth an ex boss or company. Show respect and you'll be given the same.

10 Above all else these days is the need to be Real! People still try to act like someone they're not. Bragging about things never done, the list is endless. People who make a serious attempt at being themselves, being honest, are in fact being Real most of the time. Most of us are not ruthless cut throats. Sometimes we wish we were tougher and had no conscience and we'd just zoom ahead to the front of the bus, blasting anyone or anything in our way. Guess what, it's pretty lonely up there and highly over rated. I think you'll agree, we're all pretty decent folks, who just need a tweak here and there to get back on track.