1. A great resume Sometimes an average candidate can be hired thanks to a brilliant resume.

Your r esume is your first impression and you only get one shot at this. Pick a template relevant to your industry, look at other people s resumes, have th em look at yours, get help from experts etc before you send anything out. Remember that your resume has to be updated consistently and it is a living docu ment. 2. Your online personal brand Personal branding is my personal favorite. Social media and networking has quick ly become the preferred method of communication, and you will be found online by your potential new employer. By tailoring what information is av ailable, you can turn social media into a positive when looking for a new job. Make sure your public profiles are employee friendly and up to date. Establish y ourself as an authority online by either starting a blog, moderating a forum or jut being active in a Linkedin group for instance. Get recommendations on your p rolife and these will serve as the old school resume references. Social media and online branding will take you a fair bit of time and effort but you don t really have a choice so my best advice is to embrace it. 3. The right skills and experience In this economy, you will struggle to find someone willing to hire a candidate t hat needs training. Think about it, would you want somebody shadowing your work and asking questions for the first 6 months? Or would you want somebody tha t knows the score and gets busy contributing to your targets from day one? Having the right skills and experience is more important than ever and unfortuna tely not something you can work on overnight. 4. Staying power with the business This is crucial as employers want people that stay in their company and work the ir way up the corporate ladder. This makes them useful (and useful means hard working). Employers will look for people who have multi-d imensional personalities, meaning they can work in different departments, projects or even locations one day. Your longevity with the business and persona l characteristics will be the deciding factors here. 5. You get on with people This is significant as the employer will want you to enjoy spending time at work , thus you won t mind the occasional/weekly/everyday late night. By having a sense of belonging to the people at work, you are likely to enjoy it more and be less susceptible to other job offers. And in general our ability to work well with lots of different people is a critical key to your success ove r time within any company. 6. You can bring home the bacon A classic WIIFM case where you either make money or save money for the company. Any manager has a budget and they want a way to either increase sales or reduce costs. You being able to do one of these will be music to their ears. If you can demonstrate and project how much you will put on his or her bottom line, they will be very tempted to hire you. So your job will be to p resent your exact plan for doing this and leave it with them. In the end you would be doing them a favor and helping them hit their numbers. 7. Positive attitude and enthusiasm The business world is full of moaners and the last thing a hiring manager wants is another union card wielding sinker on their team. If you are able to lift the moods of your intervierwers by way of charisma, humo r or any other magic, you stand a lot better chance of being considered for the next round. Everyone is attracted to happy and positive people and if you la ck experience and skills, this could be your trump card. By staying positive

and radiating enthusiasm long after you landed the job, you can inspire others a nd demonstrate that you are promotion material.