You Guerrilla doubters out there are going to appreciate this article because it is added proof that a Guerrilla Resume simply is not everyone’s favorite flavor; and that our methods are especially disliked by many so-called, process oriented job experts out there. One of our current students (Mark G.) who is enrolled in the 10 week Guerrilla Job Seekers Boot Camp shared an interesting in the trenches story during last Friday’ job seekers conference call. Per one of his weekly assignments, Mark applied to a particular department, and to a specific person within a company that piqued his interest. He used his Guerrilla cover letter and one page Guerrilla Resume in the “precise manner” that he learned in our boot camp. (The former is where I believe the overwhelming majority of “maybe want-to-be” Guerrilla job seekers fail. That is because they don’t follow our EXACT Guerrilla instructions and/or the job seeker puts together what they “think” is a Guerrilla cover letter and resume when in reality, it simply isn’t.) To continue Mark’s story, the hiring authority routed Mark’s resume to Human Resources (HR) and “directed” them (HR) to call Mark in for an interview. Therefore, HR had no choice but... Continue reading

Tomorrow July 8th at 6 p.m. Eastern Time is the deadline to express your "genuine" interest. It’s going to be an unforgettable summer for those fortunate enough to join he and I for the upcoming 10 week Guerrilla Job Seekers Boot Camp. Why? Because in this highly structured Guerrilla Job Seekers program, we are going to teach you unconventional tips, tricks and tactics that you WILL NOT find; even in the best-selling “Guerrilla Marketing for Job Hunters” series of books ! Naturally the course will include countless strategies that we NEVER blog about herein or anywhere else for that matter. Best of all---you will be getting your weekly lesson plans, our exclusive Guerrilla Job Seekers software not available to anyone who is not in our class ---at any price, you’ll be joining us for small group sessions as well as “one-on-one” time with us (both) throughout the program. Participation is LIMITED in order to give those who enroll in our program the individual attention you will not only need--- but deserve, in this unprecedented lackluster job seeker market. After some discussion, we came to the decision to extend enrollment until Friday, July 8th at 6 p.m. Eastern Time. We cannot... Continue reading

I’ve stated in prior articles that the moment you become a job seeker, the FIFTH (5th) task you should undertake (in order of importance) is your resume and cover letter. To me, doing a resume right off the bat is like planning an important business trip but not knowing where you are going, how you will get there or what your real agenda will be once you arrive. If I were a job seeker however, the SECOND undertaking in order of importance that I would carry out is drawing up a list of potential organizations that I would want to work for…and at this time not care if they were hiring or not. The idea here is just to get this list fully completed with the knowledge that modifications will likely be made as necessary and as time passes. Now, here comes the tip: As “a part” of your SECOND most important undertaking as a job seeker, and once you have fully researched all the information you need regarding your list of potential employers, you should also visit and sign up with a web site called “Watch That Page” or http://www.watchthatpage.com Why should you sign up ? You’ll save a... Continue reading

“Age Bias,” has become somewhat of a buzz word associated with job seekers over a given age, but let’s call it for what it is…Age Discrimination. There I feel better now. When does it begin ? It’s been my experience that age discrimination starts rearing its ugly head when one is over 40 years of age and not 50 as is widely believed. Does age discrimination exist ? I know it does, at least to some degree. In fact, as an Executive Search Professional, I once had a new client (a household corporate name you would know) who screamed obscenities into my phone and further threatened to fire my search firm; if in the future we sent them anyone 40 or older. What was their (twisted) rationale ? “People over 40 simply do not have enough (runway) left in their career to advance far in this company,” they were quoted as saying to me. By the way, this was the belief and a rigid mandate set forth by the company’s Regional President who ironically enough was closing in on 60 ! Did my firm get fired ? No, I fired the client because it is both wrong and illegal. Now... Continue reading

Meet Steve, a job seeker from Pittsburgh,PA. You can actually “meet” Steve momentarily on a couple of short video interviews that Steve (along with my Guerrilla colleague Kevin Donlinand I) at a Holiday Inn just outside of the city last Tuesday. When Steve was first laid off and as part of a severance package, his employer paid $ 5,600 for him to attend a short employment outplacement program with one of the well known “big boys” in the outplacement consulting industry. The end result for Steve was that by using their recommended methods for finding a new job; he ended up submitting literally hundreds of resumes to prospective employers with nothing to show for his time and efforts. Before Steve knew it, he surpassed the one year mark of unemployment. By Steve’s own admission, he was losing confidence in himself and enough even some of his own identity. Has this happened to any job seekers you know ? Steve has been a financial service’s professional for nearly 30 years. Before joining us at the Guerrilla Boot Camp, the very few employers who actually did talk with him quickly dismissed his candidacy telling him that he was “overqualified.” Do you know... Continue reading

Hi again everyone, and thanks for joining me for Part 3 of this 3 Part article. Now, here are the final 6 “basic” rules for a “Best Resume.” 7. Direct your resume to someone who cares. That would be the individual who has a problem and you are just the person who can fix it. If you don’t know who that individual is, be a Guerrilla and start thinking outside of the box. Devote all due time and patience to this task and tactfully track that person down. 8. It is imperative that your resume is a true marketing piece. Any company that markets anything under the sun and has been successful at it, uses creative marketing pieces (printed literature, website, etc) to get their message across in an eye catching yet problem solving fashion. As a job seeker, YOU ARE selling something, and that is YOU ! 9. Because your resume must be a promotional tool, it is of the essence that you address the needs of the employer. Never, ever address YOUR needs in a resume. People who address their own goals and desires typically start out the top of the resume by saying something akin to, “I’m... Continue reading

If you read Part 1 of this posting, you might be thinking, Mark you implied in Part 1 that more or less a high number of companies would want to interview me if I do a “Best Resume.” Is that right ? I would have to say, “Yes, that would be correct.” As I stated in Part 1 of this article, your cover letter and resume “should “realistically net a 30% to 75% success rate in terms of being contacted by your targeted employers. Those percentages are based on the ranges that our Guerrilla Job Seeker clients have enjoyed to date, even in this recession ! As a practicing Executive Search Professional (aka Head Hunter), a Certified Guerrilla Job Search Coach and a contributing co-author of two best selling books on the subject both (published by Wiley) within the last 5 years, what I will say is that your cover letter and resume must pass the 15 – 20 second smell test or you’re toast. Your cover letter must be concise and articulate your value to the point of making that potential employer slam on the on the breaks, come to a complete stop and really pay attention. Likewise, your... Continue reading

To quote Bill Clinton, “it depends what you mean by "The Best.” Ok- that is not EXACTLY what Bill said, but you get the idea. :) If you gave your resume to 10 different resume writers, (or wannabe writers) I’d venture to guess you’d likely get 8 to 10 diverse opinions as to “what” your resume really needs to be considered “The Best” and land you an interview invitation. Did I mention that if you lost your job today, that scrambling to write / update your résumé should NOT be the FIRST thing that you do to find a new job? Other than breaking the bad news to the family and filing for unemployment compensation of course, Guerrilla Job Seekers know that putting your “best” resume together should be the 5th (fifth) thing you would do as a matter of setting priorities in obtaining a new position. . You read it right; the FIFTH chore you should carry out! One thing that “most” resume writers will not disagree with is that your résumé is a very important part of your personal branding. Your resume AND cover letter should sell both the steak AND the sizzle at the same time! Yes,... Continue reading

LinkedIn has over 50 million users worldwide. Of that 50 million, approximately half of those members are in the U.S. LinkedIn is one of the many tools I use to locate hard to find candidates to fill my client’s needs; and I know that other executive search professionals and company talent scouts do the very same thing. If you are a job seeker why not use LinkedIn, turn it inside out just a little bit and use it to your advantage as well ? • Do you have an interview lined up with a hiring authority ? (If not hopefully you will soon) • Do you know the name and title of that decision maker and especially anything about that individual ? (Getting inside that persons head, learning how they think, their background and some of their hot buttons etc., will afford you a one up especially if your competition has not invested their own time to some homework) Here is a Guerilla strategy that could prove very beneficial to you. Within Linked-In, do some pre-interview groundwork to see if that person is listed. The higher up in the corporate hierarchy that person is, the more likely they are to... Continue reading

There are scam artists in all professions. Be it a doctor, investment advisor, lawyer, roofer, auto mechanic, you name it and you'll find someone who will intentionally take advantage of you. There are some so-called career coaches / counselors that are no different. The crooks live among us and they want your money and in actuality may offer little if anything in return. Here are some other options both free and fee paid that you may want to consider: You can go to one or more headhunters. Their services are free, but unless they have a position for you on their books, all they can really do is put you in their data base until something comes along for which you are an EXACT fit. Don’t ever count on the Executive Search Professional to find a job FOR YOU. It’s their job to find people for companies; not find jobs for people. There are a gazillion blogs out there that you can start to follow on line. In fact there are so many out there, you’ll never have time to proactively look for a job if you spend all of your time following them. I would suggest that you pick... Continue reading

There are scam artists in all professions. Be it a doctor, investment advisor, lawyer, roofer, auto mechanic, you name it and you'll find someone who will intentionally take advantage of you. There are some so-called career coaches / counselors that are no different. The crooks live among us and they want your money and in actuality may offer little if anything in return. Here are some other options both free and fee paid that you may want to consider: You can go to one or more headhunters. Their services are free, but unless they have a position for you on their books, all they can really do is put you in their data base until something comes along for which you are an EXACT fit. Don’t ever count on the Executive Search Professional to find a job FOR YOU. It’s their job to find people for companies; not find jobs for people. There are a gazillion blogs out there that you can start to follow on line. In fact there are so many out there, you’ll never have time to proactively look for a job if you spend all of your time following them. I would suggest that you pick... Continue reading

Caveat emptor is Latin for "Let the Buyer Beware." Early on and before our time, caveat emptor was acknowledged as the property law doctrine that controlled the sale of real property after the closing date. In this day and age, it seems to me as a layman that caveat emptor is more loosely and frequently identified as a transaction between two parties when most anything is purchased, be it a piece of property or any type of good or service. Most of us have learned as adults, for every unfortunate situation where a buck can be made in our society, someone with nefarious intentions will seize an opportunity. In this case I am talking about Job Seeker scams on the part of some so-called "career coaches / consultants." You'll find these "consultants” on the internet with impressive looking web sites. They'll also typically run large display ads in metropolitan newspapers in the employment section. These companies have been known to make claim to having an "in" with not just a few, but rather many HR departments at the largest most attractive companies. In their ads and on their web sites they will list dozens of blind ad jobs with salaries... Continue reading

Meet Mike from Bridgeville, Delaware. A devoted husband, father, has a mortgage, and unemployed. Although I would venture to guess that you’ve likely never met him, I’m reasonably sure that as a follower of this group you can identify with him. Mike was laid off last February. Like millions of other job seekers he had over 20 years experience and is over 40 years old. He's also in a profession where employers prefer them to be "young." IOW, not Mike's age. In Mike’s own words, “he spent month after month after month hitting brick walls when it came to realizing any success with his job search.” Does any part of this scenario sound familiar to you ? During this time, Mike did what almost everyone else does when it came to finding a new job. You may recognize this fandango; spending endless hours trying to “perfect” his resume and cover letter, scanning the job boards for potential opportunities, applying for positions, never hearing back about the status of his resume etc., etc. Time was quickly passing and his resources dwindling. One day (about) 2 months ago, Mike by his own admission was at his wits end and came to the... Continue reading

Operation IMPACT (Injured Military Pursuing Assisted Career Transition) is an extraordinary jobs program specifically for severely injured veterans. If that vet simply cannot work, the program then applies to the spouse of that vet who would be the primary wage earner. The program is sponsored by Northrop Grumman. These are not necessarily low skill level positions by any means. Here are just some examples as to where severely injured vets (or their qualifying spouse) have been hired into positions across the USA: Financial Analyst Technical Editor/Writer Program and Project Management Legal Administrative Assistant Logistics Management Engineering Technician Systems Technician Engineer Assembler Property Control For complete details go to: http://operationimpact.northropgrumman.com/default.htm For information on corporate sponsored outplacement services, career coaching, resume assistance, the Guerilla Job Seekers 10 week boot camp, or if you would prefer personal one-on-one Guerilla job search assistance, contact me at: [email protected] call me at 724-495-2733. Mark J. Haluska • Certified "Guerilla Job Search Boot Camp" Instructor. • Contributing Co-Author of "Guerilla Marketing for Job Hunters 2.0," 1,001 Unconventional Tips, Tricks and Tactics for Landing your Dream Job. Released in June 2009 • Contributing Co-Author of the best selling book, “Guerilla Marketing for Job Hunters,” 400 Unconventional Tips, Tricks... Continue reading

To all my fellow Brothers and Sisters who are (former and current) U.S. military veterans. Wednesday November 11th is Veterans Day as many of you would already know. Get this----Applebee’s will feed you a meal for free on November 11th only ! The menu is limited but looks delicious. This is one company that wants to stand up and say in a small way, “Thank You for Your Service.” For details simply go to http://www.applebees.com/vetsday Ok—so in reality I was a little creative and the meal is not actually on my dollar (only David Perry could afford that) but if you did not know about the free meal, and you take advantage of it, in a sense it is on me. :) Pass this on to anyone you know who is a current or former Honorably discharged Vet ! For information on corporate sponsored outplacement services, career coaching, resume assistance, the Guerilla Job Seekers 10 week boot camp, or if you would prefer personal one-on-one Guerilla job search assistance, contact me at: [email protected] or call me at 724-495-2733. Mark J. Haluska Founder and Executive Director of Real Time NetWork www.rtnetwork.net • Contributing Co-Author of "Guerilla Marketing for Job Hunters 2.0,"... Continue reading

This is Part 1 of a 4 Part Discussion. I have been asked this question many times over by job seekers via email, a blog posting or in an informational phone call. Not to be presumptuous but what most people are really asking when I drill down is; what is the most economical way to become a Guerrilla at little or no cost. As a side note, Outplacement counseling is roughly a 3 Billion dollar business in North America. But back to the question: Guerrilla Marketing for Job Hunters 2.0 - is your best value “if” what one is really wants to know, “what is the cheapest” way Guerrilla tactics can be learned. For about the cost of taking three people to McDonalds for an Extra Value Meal, you can purchase the book and within days start putting to use the tactics that thousands of other people already have done to land their next job. Imitation may be deemed the best form of flattery, but we’re finding and pursuing outplacement people /companies who are using our material and putting it out as their own. This practice IS NOT authorized for any reason, and a subject for later, but my point... Continue reading

(This is Part 1 of a 4 Part Discussion) Not to be presumptuous but Guerrilla Marketing for Job Hunters 2.0 - is your best value “if” what one eally wants to know, “what is the cheapest” way Guerrilla tactics can be learned. For about the cost of taking three people to McDonalds for an Extra Value Meal, you can purchase the book and within days start putting to use the tactics that thousands of other people already have done to land their next job. Imitation may be deemed the best form of flattery, but we’re finding outplacement people /companies are using our material and presenting it as their own. This practice IS NOT authorized for any reason, and a subject for later, but my point is that others are repurposing our information and are presenting it. That in and of itself though should tell you something! Now, on the down side, the publisher of the book (Wiley Brothers) would permit only so many words that could be printed in order for Guerrilla Marketing for Job Hunters 2.0 to be retailed at a certain selling point. That is simply how things are done in the world of big time publishing. As... Continue reading