Today’s post is a nod to Valentine’s Day, a day that may be the most emotionally charged holiday on the American calendar. If you’re in love and you are loved, Valentine’s Day can feel like the most wonderful day of the year. If you’re single and would prefer not to be, Valentine’s Day can feel lonely and isolating. You may feel the same way about Monday: If you like what you do, you may look forward to Monday. If you don’t, you may dread it!

We see strong parallels between job search and dating: Both are fundamentally awkward processes in which you can make big decisions in a short amount of time – based on first impressions and the answers to a handful of questions.

Many employers make hiring decisions for full-time positions after spending less than two hours with a candidate. Can you imagine deciding to spend 40 hours or more with a person every week – after one date? It’s like deciding to move in with someone you just met!

We created StartWire to help you have an easier experience in your job search. Here are five strategies you can use in your work life – borrow as you see fit if you’d like to adapt for your love life.

1. Remember that who you choose to spend your time with is a mutually selective process: You get to choose whether to accept job offers, just as employers get to choose if they want to work with you! As you interview for jobs, take a minute to observe others and assess your environment: Are the people you meet people you can see yourself working with on a daily basis? Do people who work together appear to like each other and get along?  Can you see yourself feeling happy doing the type of work they would like you to do?
2. When you like someone, it’s okay to tell them. Just as people often respond positively to compliments when dating, saying why you like a company may help you land a job offer. Have you purchased and enjoyed one of the company’s products? Do you admire programs and initiatives they sponsor or the community work they do as volunteers? If you see something, say something – on your cover letter, in a thank you note, or on their Facebook page. Sincere compliments often build good feelings.
3. Let your friends know what you’re looking for – and ask for help when you need it. Do you have a skill that comes easily to you – and a strong idea of the type of work environment you’d like to work in? Give people you know a sense of what you’re looking for so that they can help you – especially if you’ve already applied. Getting props from others – and a referral into a job – is a faster way to get hired than doing it alone.
4. Until you decide to be exclusive, play the field. Just as employers typically look at more than one candidate for a position, it’s okay for you to look at more than one job. Focusing on only one opportunity at a time can leave you feeling like a swooning seventh grader in the throes of unrequited love. Do you find yourself staring at your phone, checking your email every 15 minutes, and wondering when someone will have the decency to follow-up as days turn into weeks? Sign-up for StartWire’s free service that enables you to get updates on your application status. The service is now available for over 8,200 employers. Then use our Express Apply feature to identify other positions of interest – and apply.
5. Get out of the house. Many job seekers find that the simple act of adding a volunteer position to their resume results in more callbacks from potential employers. Attend events related to your field – or areas of interest. The more activities you participate in, the more you’ll meet people who can help you achieve your goals.

These are five strategies that we find useful. Do you have any observations or tips that have worked for you? Share.

Looking for a new job without a perfect work history? You’re not alone…Even legendary leaders Lou Holtz, Steve Jobs, and Michael Bloomberg have been fired! And as for the widely-quoted statistic that most Americans can expect to work in at least 11 jobs over the course of a lifetime…it’s also been said that most people can expect to be fired or laid-off once or twice.

As with many things in life, it’s not how you fall down — but how you get back up on your feet that ultimately matters most. We scoured the web for different perspectives on how to get back up if you’ve run into an awkward situation with a former boss or employer. Here are five different strategies on how you can turn your own career lemon into lemonade:

1. Get distance and the perspective of time. Then preserve relationships if you can.

Rough work experience can leave a bitter taste in your mouth. Give yourself time to process it — and when you do speak of it, avoid making a face!

“Don’t do anything rash or bitter. As satisfying as it might be to send former co-workers or client lists an email about everything that’s wrong with that company, don’t do it. You need to protect your reputation now more than ever, and a bitter, hostile exit will make that impossible…

…Think about who you want to keep in touch with from your last job—not just co-workers, but clients and vendors too. Reach out to them. A good way to mitigate awkwardness with former co-workers who might be unsure how to handle your firing: Tell them what you liked about working with them and why they are good at what they do. People will be impressed by your classiness.”

- Alison Green, U.S. News.  Ten Things You Should Do Immediately After Getting Fired

2. You should hear (and see) how they’ll talk about you.

“If you have been fired or terminated, check with your former employer and ask what information they will give out when they get a call to verify your work history. If they do give out more information than the basics, what they say may be negotiable and it can’t hurt to ask. When you left under difficult circumstances, you could ask someone you know to call and check your references; that way you’ll know what information is going to come out. Or, you can also use a reference checking service to check on what will be disclosed to future employers.”

- Alison Doyle, What Can Employers Say About Former Employees?

3. Don’t say why you left on your resume.

“The general rule when discussing having lost a job is to be honest but brief. Note that there’s no need to list how you left a job on a resume, but be prepared for the question to occur in an interview. It really helps to have a standard answer available so you can comfortably answer the question, and then move on to other more positive topics.”

- WiseGEEK, Should I Tell a Potential Employer that I was Fired from a Job?

Focus on the what instead of the when and where.

Have a long gap between jobs? Create “a resume that highlights qualifications rather than work history.”

- Elisabeth Sanders-Park, author of No One is Unemployable and The Six Reasons You’ll Get the Job.

4. When asked about your career lemon, be brief and objective.

“The economy has pushed many talented professionals into the workforce, so don’t be ashamed to simply explain that you were a part of a downsizing. If you were fired for performance issues, it’s best to merely say you “parted ways” and refocus the discussion on how your skill set matches the current position.”

- Tony Lee, CareerCast, The Ten Toughest Interview Questions and How to Answer Them

5. Hold your head up high.

“People who are laid off and people who get fired should follow the same rules as people who quit. You should just act like you quit. The world does not need to hear what the terms of departure are. People just want to know what you are doing with your life and how you fit in with them.”

- Penelope Trunk, The Best Way to Deal with Getting Fired

Do you have other suggestions and strategies for avoiding negative pitfalls with past employers?

Share.

This week, we drive the dark away.

On the calendar, we mark the longest day of the year — the Winter Solstice. Here in New England, we have only nine hours of daylight a day; in Alaska there’s an average of 5.5 hours. As a majority of us wake in the dark and eat supper in the dark, it’s instinctive to seek out opportunities to gather together.

As Susan Cooper says in this poem:

And so the Shortest Day came and the year died
And everywhere down the centuries of the snow-white world
Came people singing, dancing,
To drive the dark away.

They lighted candles in the winter trees;
They hung their homes with evergreen;
They burned beseeching fires all night long
To keep the year alive.

This year, many of the gatherings held during this darkest week of the year are also to grieve and honor those who lost their lives in Newtown, CT. Many friends, neighbors, and previous strangers will stand side-by-side to support one another and foster community.

Are there lessons in these holiday gatherings and candlelight vigils for your job search? I say yes; they demonstrate the power of community – a force you can make work for you throughout the year. Here’s how to create it – even if you don’t have it now.

Join a Job Club!

Dick Bolles, author of What Color is Your Parachute? says job clubs have an up to 84% success rate for members seeking work.  Here are three reasons why a good job club can be helpful.

1. They raise the spirits.If you find the psychological process of looking for a job to be as challenging as applying for jobs – and many people do – job clubs can help you feel that you are not alone.  Many who join job clubs say they provide a greater sense of connection, community, and support.
2. Networking.Think networking with others who are out-of-work or actively looking won’t be helpful? Think again. Most often, your fellow job club members will be looking for different kinds of jobs than you are. These individuals aren’t the competition; they are teammates – who can help you with the application process and refer you to opportunities they hear about that are a fit for you.
3. They can help you keep your game up.Want to make sure you optimize your job applications and your LinkedIn profile? Job search club organizers provide programming that can help you stay on top of the latest trends and get you noticed.

Want to get started? You can find a directory of job clubs here. You can also search for “Careers & Business” groups on MeetUp.com or use these additional suggestions.

Try it out, and let us know how it works for you!

‘Tis the season to make new connections — from parties and social gatherings to outdoor events and community events. It’s a wonderful time of the year to have good conversations and make some new friends.

That said, it’s also the season of graceful introductions — and conversations without business cards. It’s an easier time to make a new friend and then forget them all together, particularly if the eggnog or wassail contains alcohol.  Fortunately, there’s a way to fix this. Here’s an easy way to help people remember you:

Borrow a strategy from James Bond and Forrest Gump, and repeat your introduction.

This is how James Bond does it:

He starts with his last name — then uses the first and repeats the last.

Forrest Gump does the opposite.

as he says, “My name is Forrest. Forrest Gump.”

Either way, both of them are memorable. Here’s how to make the repetition approach work for you…When you meet someone new, try the Forrest, Forrest Gump approach. Say your first name first, then pause and say your first and last name.

When another person introduces them self, repeat their name as you shake their hand or look them in the eye, “It’s nice to meet you Jenny.” Then if someone else joins the conversation, introduce the person you just met — this will help you remember them!

Once in conversation, listen closely to the conversation. Share a smile, a laugh, or discover you have the same perspective or observations — and you have an experience worthy of potential follow-up later. Listen for interests and what’s important to people. Then when you follow-up, mention the common interest or experience, and remind new friends of where you met them–before you inquire about getting together, ask for a networking referral or inquire about a potential job lead. Example:

“It was great meeting you over a bowl of Ed’s famous chili last week.”

If you choose to follow-up via LinkedIn or Facebook, never send the generic invite to connect — instead customize! Do you have other tricks you use to remember people and engage them? If yes, share!

Ah, the holidays. They bring smiles, laughter, and many cringe-worthy moments among family and friends. Do you have an uncle that appears to listen and repeat every other word, a cousin that brags too much, or a well-meaning but overbearing friend who can’t help but to ask questions about your job search within earshot of anyone in the room? If yes, you are not alone — in fact, you are in good company! (Ever wonder why movies with cringe humor tend to sell out over the holidays? It’s not the acting that’s magical; it’s that so many people can relate!)

If you’re in an active job search, you may feel especially vulnerable to such awkward moments. Here are four predicaments or conversations — and how you can gracefully handle any of these challenges if they apply to you.

1. You left one job without another one, and you are getting asked “why?”

Suggested approach: Avoid discussing how you feel about it. State the facts and lead out the adjectives. “When I was hired, the company had 40 employees. The company let 18 people go. My schedule changed from 40 hours a week to 14 hours a day. This was my new schedule for five months. Since I left in September, three different people have been hired to do my job. One is still there.

Why This Works: You’re not complaining. You are just saying what happened.

2. You’re between jobs and have a relative who can’t get past that. Uncle Charlie has asked you three times what you are doing. When he comes back after getting seconds from dinner, he asks “what are you doing for work?” You say, “I’m looking for a new opportunity.” He opens his eyes wide, smacks his forehead with the palm of his hand and says, “Still?”

Suggested Approach: Play offense, not defense.

What to do? Volunteer to help out in the kitchen and switch conversations–fast! Find someone who makes you laugh, wait ten minutes, and say “Charlie…look at what I’m doing with ________?”

Why This Works: You show that you can keep your head up, that you can keep smiling — but also that you’re not willing to be the family scapegoat.

3. Your cousin is a rock star, or a rocket scientist. Either way, Aunt Mary is so proud that she won’t stop talking about it. “I just don’t know that I’ve ever met someone so talented, have you?”

Suggested Approach: Congratulate your cousin, but give props to other people. “She’s one of the most talented persons to hit the family tree in three generations. I’d also like to introduce you to [other family member]. Have you seen his [unique skill]?”

Why This Works: You show your appreciation for others and your ability to work effectively in a team — all important criteria for teams and work environments.

4. Your best friend keeps saying she’ll introduce you to a friend who can get you hired at your dream company. But she’s been saying that for six months and nothing has happened.

Suggested Approach: Go ahead and apply for a job with the company now. If you see the job on StartWire, connect your LinkedIn account and see if you have any mutual connections. If yes, reach out to your network and see if you can request an introduction. If no, let your friend know you’ve applied for [insert title] position and you’d appreciate a follow-up by [insert date].

Why This Works: You are taking initiative and moving forward–not waiting for something to happen!

 Over the next month, we’ll be tackling the holiday job search. Got anything in particular you’d like us to tackle? Send it along!

One of the easiest ways to stand out in a job search is to follow-up and showcase the depth of your interest and area of expertise. Many people overlook this step after receiving an automated “thank you for applying, don’t call us we will call you” e-mail less than five minutes after they’ve applied for a job. Today, we’re going to show you why this is a mistake and how to fix it after you’ve initially applied for a job. (In a later post, we will tell you how to follow up after an interview.)

Why Not Following Up is a Mistake

While it may not always appear this way, most organizations are as focused and interested in hiring the right candidate as you are in finding the right company to work for. In an era when most resume reviews are done in 15 seconds or less, your follow-up can make you memorable — and move your resume straight to the top of the application pile to review. Especially if you’ve applied over a week after the job was posted. (Remember our advice on this? The early bird gets the job.)

Bottom Line: Following up after you’ve applied demonstrates interest, commitment, and initiative — all criteria employers like to see when they hire.

How and When to Follow Up

There’s nothing worse than cold calling a potential employer — only to find that the job you applied for has been filled. Therefore, the first step in the follow-up process is to make sure the job is still available. Fortunately, there are two easy ways to do this:

1. If you have a free StartWire account,  you can track your job in StartWire– and get an automatic update on your application status via text or email. (This information is available for positions listed at over 7,000 organizations.)
2. Check the job listing you initially saw on the organization’s website. If the position is gone, it’s quite possible it has been filled.

After you’ve verified that the job is still available, isolate and identify your goal for the follow-up. What do you want your potential recruiter or hiring manager to know about you? Ideally, you want to convey your expertise and fit for the job — as well as demonstrate your continued interest in the job.

To follow-up, choose the medium that suits you best.

Are you a natural on the phone? Call the potential organization after hours and use the organization’s automated directory to land in the right voice mailbox. Record a message that doesn’t just say the job you applied for, but that also gives a ten word overview of your past experience that fits the job. “Hi, this is Ivanna Job. I’m calling to follow-up on my October 5 application for the Green Belt Six Sigma Project Manager. I can offer you a Black Belt in Six Sigma and I live not five miles from your facility. I remain interested in the job and can be reached at ____________.”

Are you great with research and words? Write a follow-up and email the recruiting contact or likely hiring manager. Once you’ve identified the right person to contact, you can google *@organization.com to find out how the organization assigns names to people. For example, if you are applying for a job with John Springfield at Acme Food and you know that Acme Food assigns emails with a first initial and last name — you can guess that Mr. Springfield’s address is jspringfield@acmefood.com

Just as in the above example, your follow-up should include a very brief mention of how you are qualified for the job. Extra credit for congratulating the organization on a recent news mention. (Example: Congratulations on your first-place finish for The Candidate Experience Awards.)

Regardless of how you follow-up, we recommend doing it within two weeks of your application date — and making sure it’s perfect. If in doubt on the phone message, hit the # message and re-record until you are satisfied. If you are writing, use formal language (no text shorthand) — and have a friend proofread it after you hit spell check! Spell one thing wrong in an e-mail and you may knock yourself out of the applicant pool if you’ve applied to work under a Spelling Bee champion.

Remember that oft-quoted Woody Allen quip, “70% of success in life is showing up?” That doesn’t work in the job search process. You need to stand out as a professional. Follow these simple steps and you will!

Over the past few weeks, we’ve taken you on a tour of what happens inside companies behind closed doors — we’ve shown you how jobs get approved, how employers find potential candidates, and frequent knots in the process that lead to re-posting of jobs and hiring delays.

As always, applying for jobs is a two-way street: Just as employers pick who they want to hire, you get to pick where and who you want to work with. Throughout the search process, remember you also have the right to choose your employer. If you don’t like the way you are treated as a candidate, you still have the option to withdraw your application — or turn down a job if you don’t feel that the culture is a fit. Regardless of what happens in the process, don’t forget that you have the power in this part of the hiring process.

If you experience roadblocks as you apply for a job — but still remain interested in the job — here are three easy action steps you can take to increase your chances.

1. Take a personal approach. Whenever possible, apply for positions as early as possible and address your application to a real person. (If the job description doesn’t include a name, use LinkedIn or Google to find the name of the person that has the same title mentioned in the job description as the Supervisor. Then address your cover letter and email to this person.)

2. Know where you stand in the applicant pool. Many companies provide applicants with status updates on their application, but — traditionally — you can only see this data if you log back into the website where you applied for the job.

StartWire provides you with a free way to get these updates on the status of your applications at 7,000+ companies. Just sign up for an account, tell us where you’ve applied and track your application — and we’ll tell you if we can send you updates.

If you should be able to get updates on your application, and there’s no record of your application — check back with the company and confirm that your application was received.

3. Enlist help of friends and colleagues for an “in.” As we’ve discussed, getting a referral and word-of-mouth shout-out that you’d be great for a job is one of the best ways to get hired. Here’s how to get a referral even if you don’t know someone.

Next week, we’ll provide you with strategies you can use to follow-up throughout your job search – from how and when to contact potential employers to touch base on what to say if the employer suddenly goes “dark” after an interview.  If you have specific questions on this that you’d like us to answer, please ask away in the comments section.

The StartWire team spends all day answering questions from our users via Twitter, Facebook, our blog and the many emails we receive. We’ve decided to share our advice with everyone, by posting some of our replies here on the blog! Here’s a question from Frederick, sent to us via Facebook message:

I just moved to Denver with my family. I’m finding it hard to find just the right job for me.

Moving to a new city can make job search difficult. Your career network is likely in your old city, and if that city is far away, you may find yourself feeling a bit lost.

The best way to find job openings and get hired (because that’s the important part!) is through a network. So one of the most important things to do in a new city is to meet new people, and work on developing a new network. This isn’t just good for your job search; it’s a great way to get settled into a new place!

How can you do this? 

Reach out to anyone you already know who may have connections in the area and let them know about your arrival. Send a short, professional email to people that you know well enough to recommend you. Let them know you’re moving (or have moved) to their city and are looking to get settled and find work.

Don’t know anyone in the area? Consider joining a job club. These are a great resource for finding out about job openings, and other career training opportunities. There are even niche ones for people working in specific industries. Search for what’s available in your area and get out there! You can find a list of job clubs across the U.S. here: http://www.job-hunt.org/job-search-networking/job-search-networking.shtml.

While you’re building your network, focus on applying to recently posted jobs, which you meet about 70% of the criteria for. Persistence is an important trait in a difficult job search. Don’t give up, just keep finding openings, applying and building your network. Hard work pays off!

It’s Fourth of July week. And people are, frankly, more likely to be focused on outdoor fireworks than your resume. Even if you are a dream candidate applying for a job that seems to have been tailor made for you.

There’s no doubt about it: Summer’s a tough time from both sides of the hiring desk.

If you’re a job seeker, it’s hard to turn down invitations to grill out so you can apply for new opportunities.

If you’re a hiring manager or a recruiter with a deadline to make an offer, it can take longer than usual because many decision makers are away. People take vacations. Meetings get postponed. References go away on vacation.

Does this mean you should hang up your job search? No. Especially since plenty of potential job applicants are also grilling out, water skiing, eating ice cream — and finding ways to take time off from the job search. And many non-profit organizations and universities run on a fiscal year that ends June 30. Some of these organizations that began a new fiscal year on July 1 are officially starting a brand new hiring season right now.

What it does mean: You shouldn’t give up on your job search — especially when it’s summer!

Here are three strategies you can use to win when applying for jobs this summer. All of these strategies start with a common tactic: Play the game so you can be an easy hire. To increase your batting average of jobs applied for versus interviews received, make it simple for employers to consider you.

Here are three strategies you can use to make this work — any day of the week:

1. Apply for the job as soon as you see it.

Last summer StartWire conducted an analysis of 6,400 hires made across 10 industries. Half of the successful hires had something in common: They all applied for a job within the first seven days it was posted!

Applying early helps ensure that you get an employer’s proper attention. So take the time to apply for jobs as you see them –before you head to the store for cookout supplies.

2. When you apply, make a human connection.

As most employers use software that rank and track applications even before they are read, it’s essential to include the right keywords in your resume, cover letter, and online application. (Here’s how to do this.)

But it’s equally important to have an employer associate your name with an application. To do this, call or email the employer as soon as you’ve applied — and let them know of your application to the job. (Quick ways to make contact with an employer include finding their main number via online Super Pages, company websites, and Twitter’s Advanced Search function.)

When you follow-up with employers, give them a 1-2 sentence overview of your skills. Example: Let’s say you are applying for a job in event management and are applying for a job with a local Chamber of Commerce. If you have past experience, state that at the outset. Here’s a sample voice mail:

Hi, this is Hillary Thomas. I see you are looking for a new Event Manager, and wanted to let you know that I applied for the job online. I have three years of experience and have served as the lead assistant to event operations directors for events with an attendance of up to 1,000. If you’d like to talk directly, I can be reached at <<phone number.>>

Tip: One of the best ways to leave this type of message is to do it at night — so you can use company phone systems to erase and start again if your first message isn’t perfect!

3. Prepare your references.

One of the best ways to get a good reference is to let people know you are listing them as a reference before you share their information with employers.

If you’ve been invited to interview and are in the final stages of a search, it’s important to stay in touch with your references — and know when they are going out of town. You want to make sure you are covered when someone wants to “check and hire” quickly. Proactive move: If your reference plans to be away, have your potential reference contact your potential employer before they are going out of town. Often, this can speed up the process.

Another alternative if you have an interview: Make copies of past performance reviews (assuming they are positive) and offer to share them with your interviewer at the time of your meeting!

Finding a job in the summer may be challenging from vacations to fun events, but you can still rise to the top of the employment line with these strategies. Try them out and let us know how they work for you.

Have you ever been told you have too much experience to get the job you’d like to have? Told you’re ineligible and overqualified for a job because you have 10 years of experience when you only need three? Or simply applied for a job in which you met all of the position requirements – but never heard back?

Unfortunately, it’s not unusual for employers to reject applicants on the basis of being overqualified for a job – often employers will do this without even inviting you in for an interview.

I call this the “Goldilocks Syndrome”: In the classic children’s fairy tale, Goldilocks prefers her porridge “not too hot” and “not too cold” – but “just right.” In hiring new employees, many employers do the equivalent: They prefer to hire candidates for a job who are “not inexperienced” and who don’t have “too much experience.” They want the candidate they hire to have roughly the same amount of experience they imagined on paper when they wrote out the job description.

Fortunately, there are strategies you can use in the job search process to ensure that your application gets viewed, so that you can be seen as a potential hire – and not just as another resume in the pile. Here are four tactics you can use to apply for jobs where you exceed the general job requirements.

1. Determine what’s important to the employer.

Read the job description carefully, seeking out key words and level of experience requested for the role.

One quick way to do this is to try visualizing the key skills required for the job. Here’s our five minute secret for finding the “hot words” that can help you land your next interview.

Make sure you use these keywords in your resume summary and cover letter – and don’t aggressively market your many years of experience if the job only requires a small amount of experience.

2. Figure out how the job fits your skills and experience – and be concise in your cover letter to show a fit.

When employers write job descriptions and position summaries, they typically lead with the most important responsibilities of the job.

While many job applicants write cover letters that summarize their entire career in several paragraphs that start with “I,” an easier way to get noticed is to provide a comparison of your skills and the requirements for a job in your cover letter.

Example, “your available position as a Marketing Assistant” aligns closely with my skills and past experience.” Here is a match up:

You seek                                                           I offer

Experience with ad campaigns                  2+ years ad campaign experience, including social media campaigns

3.  Anticipate the employer’s question, “Why would you want this job?” and answer it.

If you are applying for the job because you’d like to switch industries or job functions, be clear on why you are motivated to apply for the job – and show the employer that you really want the position.

Why should you do this? Employers don’t know why you are applying for a job until you tell them. If you are obviously overqualified for the job, they may think that you would not be serious about the job – or that you are applying simply because you cannot get hired elsewhere.

If you are genuinely interested in the job, give the employer a reason why you’d like to work in the position.

Let’s say, for example, you are interested in a position as a Barista at Starbucks after years of experience as an accountant.

You might say, “for the past five years, my favorite part of the day has been my morning stops to Starbucks for a latte with a shot of espresso.” After working six 16-hour shifts in a row before April 15, I realized that I was going to Starbucks as much for the staff as for the caffeine. While I have all of your Barista equipment at home, the atmosphere you create for your customers is a unique one. I’d like to be a part of that.”

4. If you don’t get an interview – or don’t get the job offer after being interviewed. Follow up – and address the Goldilocks issue head-on.

You may even be able to get the employer to re-evaluate their decision.

A woman I know turned a rejection letter into a second interview and job offer with a thank you letter similar to this one:

Thanks for letting me know that I was not chosen for the _______________ job. I may look overqualified for the role because of my ____ years of experience in a job that only requires ______, but I was excited about the role because of the opportunity to do ___________________. I was also looking forward to the opportunity to learn more about _______________. Should you have openings in the future, I’d appreciate it if you could keep my resume on file, as I’d very much like to join your team.

(The employer called her up and asked her to come in within 48 hours.)

Note: If the job you’re applying to pays much less or is more junior, a way to tackle this is to say – that you’d be willing to start at the salary designated for the role – if there was a clear path to advancement within the company after sufficient time spent in the role!

Have you ever successfully used any of these four strategies to land a job despite being over-qualified? Or, alternatively, do you have another suggested tactic that works? Share.