| Always assume a job hunt will take months, not days or weeks and plan accordingly. |
| Be punctual for all appointments -- but arrive no earlier than five minutes before the scheduled time. |
| Career counselors can be very helpful -- but don't necessarily limit yourself to using only one. |
| Don't relax just because you have just learned of a dream job. Keep researching, you might find one even better. |
| Expect far more rejections than acceptances -- one job expert says you are lucky if you get one "maybe" after following up your first 20 leads. |
| Follow up every interview with a thank you letter, expressing interest in the job and highlighting one or two of your best qualifications. |
| Give feedback from your job contacts to career counselors and people in your network so they know your status -- and will think of you often. |
| Handshakes are important. Act like you have a high level of energy and look the interviewer in the eye. |
| Information interviews are a great way of making contacts and learning more about your chosen field, and possibly discovering new job leads. |
| Job hunting is a 40-plus hour a week process. Start early, work late, and intelligently. |
| Know exactly how to reach interview sites, to avoid any risk of getting lost and arriving late. |
| Listen carefully to interview questions and respond as clearly as possible. |
| Memorize the name of the interviewer and use it once or twice in the course of the conversation. |
| Network using your best contacts -- and also be prepared to share leads with others, just as they may share with you. |
| Observe the way employees dress in an organization and appear for an interview in slightly more formal attire. |
| Positive reactions you express about your school, former employers, and other organizations will help create a more positive impression for you. |
| Quit worrying every time you receive a rejection -- make each an excuse to develop three more leads. |
| Resumes should be slanted to the job in question -- even if you have to create a number of different versions. |
| Sit alertly during the interview. Ron and Caryl Krannich recommend leaning slightly forward -- toward the interviewer. |
| Taking a temporary job may help pay the bills and keep up your morale during a long job search. Over 1.3 million Americans are "temping" today. |
| Use all possible sources of job leads: employment services, classified want ads, family, friends, etc. |
| Vary your job approach, if what you have done has not worked. If your letters or resumes are not getting results, try new formats. |
| Write down notes on all contacts and follow up as soon as you leave an interview. |
| Xamine your job progress each week. Sit down and think over what you did. What mistakes did you make? What seems to work for you? |
| Your family and friends can be among the best sources of job leads. Even though they may not be in the mainstream of your career field, seek their help. |
| Zero in on potential employers by doing research on their activities and show that you have studied them when taking interviews. |
