Informal networks can make a massive difference in the quality of not only your job search but also your life. Too few people take the time to understand the importance of informal networks and referrals when it comes to getting your foot in the door...

I’m a businessperson. As a businessperson, I find I get a lot of phone calls from private equity companies and so forth throughout the day. I enjoy getting these phone calls, not necessarily because I’m looking for their investment, because it can...

You need to discover your core skill set or those most compelling gifts you have that make you stand out. Being able to identify your gifts will help you transform your life and your career. I have put together a series of free career tests you can use...

Your résumé is an extremely important document. There are entire books written about how to craft them. I have written at least one myself. There are scores of résumé consultants, companies, and others that will work on your résumé for a fee. Hiring one of these services can be useful and can improve your résumé. Nevertheless, most résumés can improve dramatically by following the below advice.

I know people who seem to get every job they ever interview for, whether or not they’re the most qualified candidate. But most people who interview don’t get the job. This isn’t surprising, given the number of applicants for each opening. But bottom...

When looking for a job, as with anything you do, you get rewards only when you put work into it. Researching employer websites is not the easiest type of work to do. It requires more effort than simply going to a job site, as you may be accustomed to...

Too many people approach their job searches from the perspective of their own needs. They need a job, they need to make more money, they need flexible working hours and benefits. This is not the way to get a job. In fact, this “me-too” method of job seeking is unlikely to get you anywhere.

It might not seem like it at first glance, but truly, there are more resources to find jobs than you could ever take advantage of. In fact, despite having been in the career business for more than ten years, I discover new sources of jobs on a daily...

At the outset, I want to make a couple of observations because I think that looking for a public interest job or a job with a nonprofit is among the most interesting types of searches you can do. On the one hand, it can be exceptionally difficult, but...

When I say I’m excited about government jobs, I mean it. They’re better than many other jobs this day and age and often provide good benefits, pensions, and to some extent, employment security. In most cases, you’ll be in good shape on many...

The field of education—including elementary schools, high schools, colleges, and universities—is a very exciting place to look for a job because of the tremendous number of jobs available. I’m excited to show you how to approach this sector....

My wife and I enjoy taking classes. We’ve taken classes in meditation, various exercise classes, acting classes, different types of yoga, Eastern religion, and even classes that simply deal with the nature and meaning of various things. Several years...

In every job, there is always much more to do than what is actually expected of you; by dong more than expected, you will attract the attention and respect of your superiors and find your life improving. When you withhold your best work, however, you only prolong your current situation and confine yourself to mediocrity. Put everything you can into all of your work, resist the urge to only put in the expected effort, and you will find your life and career approving accordingly.

Thomas Troward’s The Creative Process in the Individual, is a multilayered book in which the author presents to the reader an interesting sequence of actions beginning with the creation of the earth. It is explained in this book how these actions...

The most successful people in the world have found new ways of expressing themselves professionally. To be continually successful, it is vital for you to reinvent yourself and find new, fresh approaches to the world. Settling into a single way of doing things is dangerous as it makes you predicable, and therefore easier to replicate and ultimately replace.

In this article Harrison discusses the difference between the psyche of men and women and how it reflects in the unemployment rate. Women are more likely than men to plan their professions. Men are more likely to play the game of chance with their careers. The difference in the unemployment rate between men and women shows that women tend to choose jobs that are more stable and require a bit more planning. There are evolutionary, economic and other reasons for this, of course, but as a general rule, these choices contribute to the unemployment rate differences between the sexes. These are lessons that both men and women can learn from. By choosing more stable and predictable professions that may pay a little less, women are getting a different result in these times of high unemployment rates. Planning is crucial in achieving success in any career.

Getting your foot in the door is an important, necessary first step towards getting the job you want. Once you are “in”, your colleagues will protect you if you work hard and you will have the same opportunity to compete with others. The biggest step you can make in your progress towards your goals is to get your prospective employer to let your foot in the door, even if only a little.

People who form their opinions of themselves based of how others are doing fall into a dangerous trap; do not base your own happiness on how others are faring. Compare yourself to your own past performance rather than that of others to measure your growth and happiness. The process of comparing oneself to others is addictive, and you must free yourself from such unhealthy contrasts in order to find true happiness.

Nothing good ever happens and nothing good will ever come to you when you are doing tasks and jobs that do not interest you. There are people out there who really dislike their jobs. Often times, these people can con their way into a job by saying the right things in an interview. Most of these people are not too happy doing what they are doing and it shows up in the results of their careers and lives. You need to go where you feel welcome and among people who are like you. When you do this, your life will begin to change.

In this article Harrison discusses what a good hiring manager should look for. Many people who make hiring decisions really do not know what they are doing. In fact, they often make mistakes when hiring. They put too much emphasis on skills and experience. But the single most important aspect of hiring is evaluating the person’s unique outlook on the world. If the person does not have a positive outlook on the world, he/she will bring down the morale of the other workers. The person will harm the company through the negative outlook. The key to success is having the power to stick it out in jobs and finding happiness wherever you are. Hiring people who do good work and are always able to find happiness should be the number one objective of hiring managers.

“Enthusiasm is as brittle as crystal, but common sense is durable as brass.” Blanchard Yorimoto-Tashi, one of the greatest statesmen that Japan has ever produced, presents some of his precepts in his book Common Sense: How To Exercise It. To him...

See yourself as you actually are, then confront this self so that you can grow and evolve. When you see yourself as you truly are, you will probably find that you are standing in the way of your own success. Once you identify them, confront the parts of yourself that are limiting your success. Once you accomplish this you will no longer stand in the way of your own progress, but rather stand to achieve your goals.

Narcissistic Entitlement Syndrome (NES) afflicts many people in the current job market; they see themselves as special, and deserving of whatever they want at the expense of others. NES puts these people on a collision course with failure. Even if they do not themselves fail, colleagues with NES can negatively affect you; avoid NES and people afflicted with it at all costs.

If you are not functioning at your highest level in your job search, then you are immobilized; you must get out to look for the circumstances that you want, and create them if you cannot find them. You need to make your job search your all-consuming priority, and proactively do everything in your power to keep moving toward your goals.

Success in every part of your career and life depends on your mindset; a positive mindset lays the ground for achievement, while a negative mindset makes for an unhappy work environment and ultimately failure. Find work that you love and practice it with passion, and you will attract people and create more value in the world. Find what it is that makes you passionate in life, and commit to it. Passion is the most fundamental part of success, and you must exercise it even if you do nothing else.

Being proactive in your job search begins with ensuring that you are actually seeing all of the available job openings. Leave no stone unturned, and apply to every possible job even if it seems like a remote possibility. Targeted mailing is another method of proactive job seeking, and can be one of the most effective means of obtaining your career goals.

Joshua Bell, one of the most famous violinists in the world, took a $3.5-million dollar Stradivarius Violin and played for 45 minutes in a Washington DC subway station. Despite more than 1,000 people walking by, only a three-year old boy and six other...

A Textbook of Theosophy, first published in 1912 and among C.W. Leadbeater’s most famous works, describes in a lucid manner the evolution of life, mankind, the planet, and our prime purpose here. Considered one of the greatest occultists of the...

Your career is a business, and you yourself are a product that you are selling to potential employers. Your goal is to survive and sell your product for as much money as possible. Use simple business principles to market yourself, such as identifying markets for your product and recognizing the importance of your brand. Good basic business skills can take you and your career far.

In this article Harrison discusses how happiness comes from within and not from objects outside of yourself. Each and every one of us is seeking something. The worst sensation is to strive for something and, upon achieving it, to discover that it is empty for us. We all want the superficial outcomes. However what happens is that in seeking these things our brain tries to convince our subconscious that the trivial stuff matters. This ends up creating an internal struggle that really inhibits your ability to ever get anywhere. In your life the most important thing you can do is become the person you are trying to be, instead of trying to get a different life through things, people, and circumstances outside of yourself. You can achieve your dreams; just remember to look within yourself first, in order to assess what is truly important to you and your happiness.

In this article Harrison discusses the role of authority in your job. In order to get a job, stay employed and succeed in the world, you need to demonstrate authority. You need to portray strength and confidence to your employer and potential employers. Many people have very little self confidence and are constantly asking others questions and seeking the approval and authority of other people. We use authority to govern our relationship and interaction with the world. The more presumed authority you have to offer your employer, the bigger difference it will make. Authority has a giant impact on your success and what ends up happening to you in your career and job. You need to always cultivate authority.

You must come out of your comfort zone, and realize that success and growth comes from change. Break through your self-imposed limits, and reset your internal thermostat to improve your life and career; this is the first step towards conditioning yourself for success and reaching your potential. Rethink what you consider to be possible.

If your boss gets mad at you or if you get a poor review, you should consider yourself blessed. While few people are willing to work hard to better themselves and overcome criticism, those who do are the strongest and must successful. A demanding boss raises the bar, and forces you to become better and stronger in order to clear it. You must seek out, rather than avoid, people who challenge you and force you to become greater than you currently are.

The people we meet come from all different backgrounds; they live their lives according to facts that may not make sense or appear to be true. People are unlikely to change each other’s minds about their respective core beliefs. One of the biggest mistakes is opposing people from believing whatever they want. You will experience far more success by stepping back and allowing people to follow their own beliefs without questioning them.

In this book titled Your Forces and how to Use them, Christian Larson talks about the inherent energies present in each one of us and how one can achieve great things just by realizing and using this limitless energy to the maximum possible extent. The...

In this article Harrison explains the economic rule which says – your rewards will be in direct proportion to the value you provide. In your career if you are not providing enough value, the rule will catch up with you sooner or later. In contrast, if you are providing more value than you receive you will probably have a very good career. Companies that provide more value than they receive for their products generally end up flourishing. Companies that provide very little value generally end up going out of business. The law of economics that is always operating in the background is that you always need to give more than you take and be prepared to give.

One of the most amazing things about living where I do, in Malibu, California, is observing how well many people treat themselves and how seriously they take themselves. I know numerous people who have the following: • Personal trainers (to motivate...

When I was young, in the late 1970s, I saw an Aston Martin Lagonda displayed at the Detroit auto show and was mesmerized by it. The car was behind velvet ropes, and no one was allowed to touch the car. At the time, the car cost $150,000 and was the most...

You are capable of much more than you probably realize, and you need to maximize your potential and utilize every gift that you have. Many people talk about their potential, but refuse to act upon it. When you make full use of your potential and implement your gifts, you unlock the power to become the person you want to be.

You must desire success in whatever you are doing, and make sure that desire matches who you are and want to be. Put your heart into what you are doing, and be behind it 100%. When you go out into the world you will inevitably face rejection; having your heart in soul invested in your chosen career will help you overcome this rejection and keep pushing forward towards success.

Never try to be someone who you are not, or something that does not match your natural gifts and skills. Embrace your skills, whatever they are, rather than rejecting what you are good at and setting yourself up for unhappiness. Find your true gift, and run with it.

There are advantages to both time economy jobs and productivity economy jobs. Time economy jobs pay you for your time spent on a project regardless of your productivity, while productivity economy jobs pay you a fixed amount for a given task. Success in the former depends on your ability to look busy and deliver the level of productivity expected of you, while the success in the latter depends on doing as much work as possible. Determine which of these two types of jobs most suits you, and focus on that type of work.

In this article Harrison discusses how your career can see growth if you choose to work with an employer who is marching forward. All employers go through different stages, and when you get in will have a real bearing on what happens to your career over time. The best time to get in is at the beginning of the growth cycle. The employer marching forward will provide you with the most important opportunities and the best overall career. The employers marching forward are easy to spot as they tend to be hiring more and more people. Such employers are excited about the future and the people working with them typically feel the same way. In your search for a job, and in choosing between employers, you need to find an organization that is marching forward or beginning a march.

In this article Harrison explains how personal relationships and connections are incredibly useful. You need to get out there and do everything you can to meet people, form alliances and establish connections with people. Whether it is Facebook, LinkedIn, MySpace, or more — these and other tools that help you connect can make a giant difference. You need connections to make the most of your career. When you are looking for a job, it is effective if you are applying to a variety of places and really getting your message out there. You need to be seen in order to be hired. The more you get your information out there, the more likely you are to get hired. Connections matter. Connections cut through the clutter of advertisements and other interruptions that decision makers are faced with throughout the day. When a connection is at issue then things can really get done.

In your job search you must question assumptions, find new ways of doing things, and consistently find new ways to search. You will be better off the more you seek out and adopt new job search techniques; your career is too important for you to be stuck in traditional ways of thinking. You must open your mind, and ensure that you are doing everything within your power to view your job search in a way that grants you more opportunities, not fewer.