You’re thinking, “What a pain: these days, I have to tailor each resume so that it closely fits each position I apply for. Who has the time?”

Yet there are so many resumes going out for each position, that it is imperative that you send yours quickly, before the overwhelmed HR department or hiring manager cuts off the number of resumes sooner than anyone expects.

How can you get snappier at responding, so that it doesn’t become agony to send out your resume each time? A few years ago, the member of a networking group I facilitated said it took him hours and hours to tailor each resume. I was shocked, and asked him what he was doing. “I completely start from scratch each time”, he answered. “It’s supposed to be custom, right?” No wonder it took so long! And no wonder each opportunity, even those he learned of through her network, gave him indigestion instead of joy.

Rather than that tedious approach, I coach my clients to use about 95% of the master resume they have developed in working with me. BUT, they can quickly change about 5% of that resume for each opportunity because I suggest they create “word wells” they can dip into. These wells — simply a text or Word document — hold the right words and phrases for positions they apply for or want created for them.

How does one do this?

The first step — and you cannot leave this out — is to take the time to think about the shades of differences between and among positions that interest you. For example, Jill in sales might love — and be qualified for — new business sales, technical sales, or major account sales. But each is different enough from the other to mean some significant changes in language between each resume she sends out. So Jill created lists of key words and phrases that are tightly relevant for each of these kinds of positions, labeling each group so that it’s readily available for her. She also wrote down in those groups their relevant success stories, metrics, awards, and so forth. She updates each well as she networks and hears the latest about sales in her three target areas. Now, Jill has no way of knowing exactly which openings will occur or when. But she’s ready, because she’s done her homework.

When something does come open, she can replace phrases in her master resume with relevant words, phrases, achievements, metrics, sample successes, and other information that fits the open position. And she can do it in minutes because it’s all right there and she does not have to rack her brain while under pressure.

So what positions in your field can you fill? Be ready with your “rapid response” the next time something presents itself to you. It’s worth the time — after all, it’s for YOU.

A member of our Face2Face Job Search Networking Group for Professionals emailed me to say she couldn’t attend the next meeting, and probably could not attend any others, “because I don’t have the luxury of time to do networking…I have to get a job, something, anything.”

That is among the most painful things this job search coach can hear. Because it’s exactly networking that WILL result in a job, a good job. Responding to postings, in this kind of economy and when everyone else is answering ads, results in huge numbers working against you. When you respond to a posting, they don’t know you from Adam and your resume has to fit exactly, so your chances for an interview drop significantly. But when you are introduced by an employee at a target company to the hiring manager as someone s/he needs to talk to, you are now stamped “pre-approved” and you get the interview, like magic. Sure, you now have to do well in the interview…but at least you are in the running instead of lost in a database.

Sure, I urge job hunters to not only network but also to approach hiring managers directly, to answer ads, to work with recruiters. All of those things work at some point with some people. They each have their own timeline so it’s best to have a mix; networking can take time. I’ll encourage any legal and ethical activity that results in a good hire for both sides.

But when I look at my clients who’ve landed good, new jobs, and those in the networking group who have landed good jobs, and I do the statistics, over the last two years only ONE of my dozens of clients who have landed has done it by answering an ad then interviewing and getting an offer. And only a half-dozen of the 500+ person networking group (about 75 at each meeting) have landed the postings-response-then-interview way. All others either 1) “networked their way in” to their target companies, or 2) responded to a posting AND networked their way to the hiring manager. ALL others. And I see the same thing in other parts of the country, from what my colleagues report and what those in other networking groups are saying.

Most likely, this networking group member has not done much networking to date in her search, part of the reason she might be at the end of her rope — and her unemployment money. Another truism about networking: the more networking one does the earlier in their search as possible, the shorter the search.

So this group member, instead, will use her precious job search time to shop her resume door to door, to a lot of rejection and little encouragement…she will call her network contacts again and beg that they remember her “if you hear of anything”…she will hold her nose as she applies for jobs way beneath her. Except the result is likely to be nothing in the way of a new, real job, and instead only the erosion of her dignity, and the fracturing of any remaining confidence. And all the while she’ll think something is wrong with her, that she is cursed with “bad luck” or is singled out to pay some kind of penance. All of this is so wrong.

And that’s why job search networking is not a luxury: It is the very air that keeps a search, especially in these trying times, alive.  And thriving.

Note: We are planning an in-person seminar for August which gets to the “hows” and “what to say” of networking, especially for the senior professional. Check our web site (www.thejobsearchqueen.com) over the next few weeks for location, date and time.

There’s an old saying in philanthropy that says “If you ask for money, you get advice. If you ask for advice, you get money.”

I think it’s similar when you’re networking during your job hunt: ”If you ask for a job as you network, you get advice. If you ask for advice as you network, you get a job.”

Old suggestions say “Do ‘informational interviews’ and bring your resume, and be sure to talk about JOBS and POSITIONS with the contact.” I’ve seen people do that and they don’t get good jobs, they get advice and a well-intentioned “I’ll keep you in mind”. Which ends things with that contact.

What I recommend to job hunters, if they truly want to find a good job, is instead to leave the resume at home and make connections who can give you advice. Meet with them — don’t just talk on the phone –and make it a conversation about the field, the work, and how you love doing that work. Ask your contact about them and what they enjoy about the field. Focus on them, and they’ll show more interest in you. In short, they’ll get to know what you have to offer. Result: they’ll feel confident sending you on to others in their network. Those “others” have the jobs.

Stay tuned for a networking seminar in August that focuses on this principle. We’ll put the word out as the date gets closer.

As the unemployment rate — official or otherwise — begins to drop, those many professionals “still” in job hunt are beginning to feel left out of the party. Their one-year layoff anniversary date is upon them, or has just passed, and they are seeing people around them finally landing jobs. One of their fears is that employers will think they are the discards of the work force.

So the question, “Why have you been out of work for so long?” strikes particular fear in the hearts of most job hunting professionals. To them it sounds like “Is something wrong with you that a) you were laid off, that b) no one else yet has hired you, and/or c) that you’re still looking?”

Even if you dismiss the minority of people in HR or hiring manager positions who have somehow missed the news that our country has been and still is — job-creation-wise — in a deep recession, as more and more people are hired, most decent decision makers will, indeed, wonder about those still looking.

Here are a way to answer. But first: I never believe that people are really in job search for as long as they say they are. People are in shock and denial for some time, even if, on autopilot, they immediately start sending out resumes. They dig up that old resume, make some additions, and start with checking out the online ads. They begin to attend networking groups but aren’t really sure what to do. When, after a few months, those things don’t generate much if any response, or they get trounced in an interview, they realize they have to change something.

So it’s then that job hunters say, “I really need some help with this.” They get that help in various forms. For those people who come to me, I tell them “You’re really only just now starting your search. Until now, you’ve been just casting about for more clarity.” The client, hearing this, actually feels relief to know they haven’t been doing things they way they need to in order to land a good job, because now they know “it’s not them”, it’s how they’ve been going about it. And they can fix that.

When the interviewer asks you this question, he or she is truly are plumbing about to learn “How does she handle things when they don’t go her way?” Show them you’re fine with it and will work hard to get into a better situation.

So. Now your search has taken 6 months, 8 months, a year. And they’re asking you what you’ve been doing, and why hasn’t someone else scooped you up?

Here’s a real statement, unvarnished, from a real client: “I had a year’s severance, so I took time off with my family during that time. I helped my daughter through a several projects at the junior high, and I did a lot of things around the house. Then I went to get my certification in xyz, and began applying for jobs. I did OK, even got a few interviews, but I knew I blew every one because I was so nervous and blanked a lot, and they never had me back for a second one. That scared me, so I took another few months off. Soon my health insurance is going to come to an end and I am in full gear to get a new job.”

How she’s going to tell the doubting interviewer that same information: “I’m sure you’re well aware that many good people are available and looking for their next position, and the job search isn’t what it used to be. I wasn’t aware of that at first and jumped into it without doing my homework. That meant I spun my wheels a lot at for the first month or so. But, being a person who quickly changes what’s not working in a project, I then did research to learn what I needed to fix. I sought out the Subject Matter Experts and learned how to better focus in on, and communicate better, what I do well. I can bring that same tenacity to you here at ABC Company.”

In other words, it’s OK to say that you weren’t so smart about the early part of your search. As long as you show that you BECAME smart about it, quickly, and went on from there. That will reduce the time, in their minds, of you being between jobs. And the positive attitude revealed in that answer shows them you’ve left your old job behind and are ready for new challenges.

Other points:

Don’ts: Don’t talk about painting the house (even if you’ve done it). Don’t say “I’ve been looking for a job” (even if you think that’s what you’ve been doing). Don’t be defensive.

Do’s: Certainly, you should talk about classes or seminars you’ve taken, certifications you’ve earned, internships, relevant volunteer experiences. Do emphasize that you’ve picked up new skills and methods that you can’t wait to use on your next job.  Do mention your pent-up energy, which you can direct within their company to get problems off their desks. Turn your long job search into a positive.

Those are the things that hold value to an employer, and the reasons why an employer WOULD, indeed, hire you, out of work a long time, or not.

Few things give this job search coach more pain than when candidates get themselves all tied up in knots over an interview. Too often, good candidates prep for interviews by buying books with titles like 10,001 Interview Questions and How to Answer Them, then try to memorize the answers. Then, because they can’t possibly hold all that stuff in their heads, they get nervous and that makes them feel like a fraud when they KNOW they can do the job. So they can’t sleep the night before, they find themselves talking like a chipmunk on speed instead of speaking in their real voice, and in this state they become vulnerable so they view the interview as A Complete Judgment of Who They Are As A Human Being.

Whew.

Painful. And unnecessary.

Naturally, interview practice with a coach, especially if it’s videotaped, is critical to feeling normal in an interview. That can be a career coach, or it could be another professional in your network who is NOT a good friend or family member, who just will not be as frank with you about what you can change.

But here are the “Three ‘R’ ” tips for you as you are about to go into the interview, so that you get a great shot of confidence. You’re in your car now in the company’s parking lot, or on the commuter line about to get off and walk into the building, and here’s what you do:

1. Re-read the job description. You matched it when you first saw it, you match it now — otherwise, you would not be having this interview. But look at it one more time. Recall what made you excited to answer the ad or respond to the networking tip about the opening. Be sure to bring that up again in the interview: “I was so excited to see this position because I can bring my expertise here and achieve additional successes…specifically, being a product manager for your iWidget Division would mean that I’d review your current processes to see how we can shorten the cycle….” Showing that “spark of excitement” reveals your love for what you do. Since companies and organizations don’t hire resumes — they hire people, real human beings — this joy will come through. That’s who they want in the job: someone who’s excited to be there.

2. Review your resume. Meaning, look at every phrase, every bullet, and remember the success stories behind them. This is why you are there. And this is where the answers to interview questions will come from: YOU. Not a book. Not a coach who tells you what to say, word for word.

Important: Think about three stories you definitely want to tell. You may be asked for more examples than that, but be sure to have three really good ones to tell, even if they DON’T ask for examples or say “Tell me about a time when you…”.  If you don’t bring these up on your own behalf, thinking they’re not necessary, don’t kid yourself: your competition will find a way to give their stories.

Now you may get a question like “Why are manhole covers round?”, questions that Microsoft and Google interviews have made famous. These get more to “How does this person solve problems?” Because you’ve prepared correctly for the interview, your mind is not cluttered with memorized phrases so you are more likely to handle these kinds of questions more calmly and with more thought.

3. Reframe the interview. Do NOT see it as A Judgment of Who You Are As A Human Being. Why can I asy that? Because hiring managers and HR people I talk with all say the same thing: they HOPE and even pray that you are THE ONE. Do you think hiring managers enjoy interviewing? Enjoy taking themselves away from their work, taking their people away from their work? Of course not. Do you think HR managers enjoy being hassled by hiring managers who are eager to have a new person tackle the growing pile of problems on their desks? Of course not. So here’s the Big Secret about the interview: As they are shaking your hand and welcoming you in, they are thinking “God, I hope this is the one. We have so much work for this person to do. We want to choose the right person, of course — we just hope YOU are IT!”

By doing your rereading, reviewing, and reframing, you’ll feel more confident. And believe it or not, you will actually enjoy your interviews. And that’s the way it should be.

Whether you are IN a good job or are between jobs, Twitter can challenge you to stay up with what’s going on in your field. I call it staying “career-fresh”.

What does this mean? In order to post quality tweets, you obviously have to say something tweet-worthy. Meaning, something that’s worth reading by others in your field. Original thinking and observations are best; nothing is gained by posting a “me too” comment.

So, you’ll need to observe what’s going on in your career field and tell readers about it, especially if others have not addressed the topic in quite the same way. Keep up with your professional colleagues/network, with journals, with printed and online articles, with interviews of leaders, and with issues in your field, so that you can tweet reactions to those.

All of this real-time consciousness about your field challenges you to keep yourself fresh. And today, employers WANT people who are committed to their work. Using Twitter is one way of showing this commitment AND this fresh knowledge.

Then be consistent with your tweets, posting at least once per week. This is advice I give my clients, especially those in job search, and those clients add their Twitter ID to their business cards. All of this gives you brand status: you become known as a reliable source of knowledge in your field.  Posting just once every month is not enough and looks feeble. But posting too often can work against you: If you’re in a job, posting every 5 minutes means you are using way too much of your employer’s time for this, and if you’re in job search, it comes across as not doing anything else.

Don’t forget to use LinkedIn’s partnership with Twitter and thus its ability to show your tweets. Cross-posting further enhances your brand.

Whether or not you’re in a job right now, being “out there” with your knowledge keeps you up with what’s going on, it strengthens your brand, and it solidifies your reputation within your field. Stay career-fresh: use Twitter.

“Seven Tips on Choosing A Resume Professional” – I almost wrote “resume writer” in this title. But today, being a resume “writer” isn’t enough. I know because in the last six months, three people have asked me to re-do the resume they paid to have written for them. Why? Because it did not result in the phone calls it is supposed to generate. That’s its job.

Certainly, writing and command of the language is vital. The wording should be easy to read, marketing-oriented, honest and real for the client, current, and it should communicate energy. But other knowledge comes into play:

1. Make sure they know careers and the workplace. Not only career fields and job categories — yours in particular —  but job titles, how people move up and around various types of organizations, product vs service environments, and so forth. Experience in business in a variety of roles helps. And evidence of their knowledge through articles that they’ve written, for example, is a strong indicator they truly understand their job.

2. Make sure they know that a resume is part of a job search marketing plan. That it’s not just a document that needs to get done and out of the way. And it’s not the whole marketing approach. In fact, I discourage my clients from using them unless they absolutely have to, because I coach clients to do a networking-based job search, not an ads-based one. I’d rather have the resume be used as a proof source AFTER a client is in the door, than as a door-opener because it seldom works that way.

3. Make sure they spend much more than a total of 15-20 minutes with you on the phone to learn about your background. It’s impossible to spend that little amount of time with most job search candidates to learn enough about them to even begin a new resume. I walk people through their background and work history from college (or sometimes earlier) through to today, and that takes at least an hour. And I learn so much, and love hearing each person’s story. How else can you hear what each person’s gifts are?

4. Make sure they understand how the resume screening technology works. How it looks at the resume, what it looks for, how to best present the candidate’s background so that the resume makes it through the system to human eyes. This knowledge includes key words, which, whether screening technology is used or not, are vital.

5. Make sure they know how to share resume material with the candidate’s LinkedIn profile, that they know how LinkedIn works and how employers/recruiters use it to find candidates, and LinkedIn’s role in the job search. And how other social media play a role in today’s job search. This grows more important by the day. In fact, I see the partnership between the resume and LinkedIn as so strong, that I won’t do a resume without also coaching a client in how to best do — and continually update — their LinkedIn profile.

6. Need I say it: be sure they write resumes that focus on your VALUE to an employer, not on your history. So dispense with “responsible for” and instead make sure they point out achievements and accomplishments. Constantly.

7. Last, make sure they show you how to update and tweak the resume as you use it. After all, it’s your resume and you need it to be flexible enough for you to customize for all kinds of companies or organizations. You don’t want to have to call the writer to do it.

You may be wondering why I don’t mention “make sure they’re certified”. I’m a certified coach, and there are many fine people in the field who are certified, especially around resumes. But there are students and then there are people who can truly use well in real life what they’ve learned. So make sure the professional has the most important certification of all: the endorsement of clients who began to land interviews once they had their new resume. AND those clients’ referrals of friends and family to the writer. In other words, business built by word-of-mouth and networking, not by saturation of ads.

When you find someone who fits this profile, grab ‘em. They’re good. Really good.

The profile of job search networking groups around the country is the same: people over 40. Largely white, more male than female, almost all with at least a bachelor’s degree. “Look around the room”, some there say with some anger in their voices. “Notice all the gray hair? What does that tell you?”

Why IS it that most people at many job search networking groups ARE older? The immediate answer from some, especially the ones asking us to look around the room, seems to be “age discrimination”. Meaning, employers hire all the young people first, so those under 40 don’t need networking groups.

Not so fast. I say, don’t give up so easily and yield to excuses. Yes, excuses.

Here are some observations from this, well, 50+ year old career coach:

1) Younger people have what I call “natural networks” — they usually don’t yet have families, houses, etc., so they hang out with friends. They go to parties. They take courses, they do business after hours meetings, professional meetings, they hang out with employed people, etc. Look in a bar at 5:30 near any urban office park or downtown, and the under-40 set is mostly who you’ll see. So if they’re networking that way, and via social media, they don’t think about “official” job search networking groups. They’re already doing it. You over 45 or 50 don’t do those things nearly as much. So you go to networking groups.

And those who have started families will network with other younger parents. Sure, they’ll network with their own parents and their parents’ friends. But they’ll choose the stands at the baseball diamond for making new contacts over going to networking groups.

These are 10 things that need to be said about job search that people just don’t want to hear. But unless you hear them and understand they come with the territory, you won’t fully be prepared for a productive and effective job search.

1. Right now, it will take you longer to land that new job than it would in an “ordinary” economy. Like 1-6 months longer.

2. If all you do is update your ten year-old resume and send it out to job postings online — which are only about 20-40% of all available openings — you will double your job search time, if not triple it. Do you have enough savings? Or a trust fund?

3. What some will see — and see everywhere — as age discrimination, is really salary discrimination. You will not be able to lean on age discrimination to explain why you are not getting job offers. Forget that right now, or you will hide behind that for the rest of your career. Be honest: are you wearing glasses from 1995? Are you truly up to date on what’s going on in your field? Do you know what your college’s curriculum for your major is TODAY? Are you reading journals in your field? Are you flexible about salary or the exact job or title?

4. Bias does exist. Yes, age discrimination exists. So does bias based on color, weight, hair, no hair, beauty/plainness, taste in music…you name it. Accept it. Keep your activity level high so that you have so much going on that one loser hiring manager in your campaign doesn’t really matter.

5. This will affect your family. Don’t think you are “sparing them” by not talking about what you’re doing. Every week or so, review with your spouse and kids what you’re doing. Not every phone call or thought, but the variety of meetings you’re doing, the contacts you are making or want to make. Without knowing this stuff, you are creating unnecessary mystery. And you’re leaving them out and isolating yourself.

6. Waiting is dumb. Waiting to see what happens with your current interview cycle with Employer A, before applying to Employer B or C or D, is dumb. Treat your search like dating: see as many employers and as many contacts as humanly possible. Say yes to everything, until you really want to say No. Just don’t wait, as that won’t get you anywhere fast.

7. Expect to NOT hear from employers, even if they tell you “You would be great here” or “You will be one of our finalists!” Expect to suddenly not hear from them. Expect anonymous email rejections. Expect inconsistency between what they say they’re going to do, and what they really do, no matter how “great” you may have clicked with them. Is all of this rude? Yes. Unprofessional? Yes.

Tough to endure? Yes. But it’s reality. So keep moving, keep going on and don’t look back.

8a. This is a biggie: If you are not overwhelmed with job search activity — with numerous networking meetings, searching for and meeting contacts, attending seminars in your field for both the knowledge and the connections you’ll make, using a spreadsheet or system to keep track of it all — then you are not doing enough. Do you want to land? Then being overwhelmed with activity is what you have to do. Period. 8b: Yes, I said networking. All this means is talking with people you don’t already know, and listening to them. Especially people in your field. Find out what they need, and speak to that by citing your successes. Connect, connect, connect.

9. Turn off the (negative) news. Ignore the toxic talk by that person in your networking group. Screen out the stuff that brings you down. You’ll be tempted to let it in, because it can serve as an excuse for why it’s taking you so long to find a job. Don’t kid yourself. Instead, see #1- #8 above.

10. Don’t go it alone. Sure, work with a buddy group or job search partner. But hire help if you are lost or can’t stay on track or are stalled. You see an accountant for your taxes, you see a dentist for your teeth, a doctor for that pain. So hire a search coach. If you could see the relief on the faces of my clients, because they are making great progress each week, each day, you’d know what I mean. Why be in pain?