There are many reasons why you could be in the market for a new job right now. Perhaps...

==> You just graduated from high school--or even better, college--and you’re ready to strike out on a quest for your first "real" job.

==> Your worst fears finally manifested and you’ve been downsized.

==> You’re bored with the career path you’ve been on for the past few years, and you’re ready to strike out in a new direction.

==> You want to change jobs (within your field) for better salary, benefits, or chance at promotion.

Some experts say NEVER bother with resume objectives. While others say they should be an essential element on every resume.

So, how do you know who is right?

The simple answer is... no one is absolutely right. Your decision on whether to use resume objectives will depend on your circumstances, job search goals, and—in some cases—the person who reviews your resume.

The dress code in most organizations is as different as the organization itself, so it is impossible to find an outfit that will work well in all interviews. What should you do? Do some investigating and find out how the employees dress and follow their lead but dress just slightly better.

Wear business-like attire, avoiding flashy colours, bold prints, logos and keep jewelry to a minimum. Wear clothes in which you feel comfortable and don't wear skirts that will ride up when you sit. Carry a nice attaché case or folder to hold your resume and examples of your work.

These days, interviews don't come easily. When you get The Call, make the most of your time -- and go for it!

1. Investigate the company's culture, markets, and finances. But resist the temptation to show off what you've researched: "I just read that you're about to embark on a new product line") unless you have a question directly related to your career.

2. Look like you belong. Learn the company's dress code and err on the side of conservatism. When you're seeking a senior position based on industry experience, you'll be expected to know the rules without being told.

Many job seekers tend to overlook job fairs. They can be crowded, busy, competitive and confusing events. But they offer you the opportunity to contact many potential employers all within one place, and they can help you land a job.

Here's what you need to do to get the most out of these events:

Is your job search sagging? Are you still looking for that ideal next job? Or are you about to begin looking for new work and are not sure of the best way to go about it? What you need is a way to evaluate your job search strategies to see whether or not they are working effectively for you.

Ready to get started? Here are 12 building blocks to a successful job search and the goals that will help you get to where you really want to be in the world of work:

While you’re revamping your resume or cover letter or constructing your proof-by-example stories for interviews, you’ll find you need to watch your word choice. Why? Communication is powerful if the words we use to communicate are powerful. That’s not all it takes, but the right words make for a good beginning.

So as you craft achievement statements or write paragraphs that sell your skills or draft interview responses to knock the employers’ socks off, consider these suggestions:

The perfect resume offers Logical Proofs:

Are you a career changer? Or, are you satisfied with your stable career but interested in updating your resume? Are you a professional who has tried different things but are still searching for the kind of work that best suits you? Whatever your career situation, what your resume most needs is a stellar career summary.

What difference can a career summary make for you? Here are 4 reasons why you need one in your resume:

1.) A career summary communicates more about you and does so more powerfully than an objective statement.

Is your resume dead? Don’t be so quick to say, “No way!” Of the hundreds of resumes I’ve seen written by job seekers of all backgrounds and educational levels, easily 95% qualify to be labelled as dead-but-not-yet-buried.

A dead resume lacks a clear structure or chronology, does not present or quantify achievements, fails to offer a “big picture” of what you would bring to the employer and is impersonal rather than expressive. Worse yet, a dead resume fails to win you the response you’re hoping for from the employer: an invitation for a job interview.

Are you in denial about the lifelessness of your resume? If you are reasonably qualified for the type of work you seek, yet your resume is consistently failing to win you interviews, then you need to face the reality that your beloved document is dead.

Try these professional resume writing techniques to resurrect your resume and your job search today:

Problem #3: Resume Is Blind

More companies are saving time and effort by doing initial telephone interviews before committing themselves to hours of time assessing and evaluating applicants. They are doing this because, frankly, it's a good way to save a team's time from interviewing obviously unqualified people. From your standpoint, this means that you need to develop an additional interview skill.

Going to an interview without a plan of action is like going out on a football field without a game plan. Total disaster! Suppose I were to ask you right now.

“What are your skills or attributes?” Could you give a good answer?

Suppose I were to ask you the question that’s in every interviewer’s mind.

“Why should I hire you?” What would you say?

Employer and interviewers expect you to answer tough question during interviews. Take a few minutes to brainstorm on how you might elaborate on the following answers. The answers you give to these questions that will be asked during your interview will be very important in your career prospects.

Suppose you were asked these questions right now. Could you give a good answer? If not, study, study, study.

1. “Can you explain why you’ve been out of work so long?”

During my job search I read dozens of books and articles took programs and even sat at the feet of two of the most experienced Human Resource professionals. In a few moments, you will learn the real keys to standing out and rising above the norm. Stick to the facts and only reveal information that will encourage the reader to call you for an interview. If in doubt, leave it out. Pay careful attention to this one.

If you use your voice to get attention, you use your eyes to hold attention. People tend to believe you, trust you, and listen to what you say if you are looking at them.

Direct eye contact is not just preferable; it is essential to effective private conversations and public addresses.

In most cultures, the act of looking someone directly in the eyes is a symbol of sincerity. Failure to meet another person’s gaze when speaking implies disinterest, lack of confidence, insincerity or shiftiness. The same psychological associations are found in public speaking.

Here's the bottom line: a huge number of people are working in jobs that are not really what they want and less than they deserve.

Why is this? Partly the pull of inertia (better the devil you know...); partly lack of confidence in their ability to land anything better; but mostly the belief that either their dream job doesn't exist, or they wouldn't land it if it did.

So most of us settle for second or third (or fourth, or fifth) best and try to get on with our lives. We secretly cherish the dream of something better, but it never gets beyond the dreaming stage.

You can learn a lot about how to do something right by first learning what NOT to do.

Take resumes, for example.

I review about 200-300 a month, and most have at least 2-3 mistakes. Yet, all those hundreds of mistakes can be grouped into just a handful of categories, which you would do well to avoid.

Read on and learn how to write a better resume by avoiding the mistakes of others, some of them unintentionally hilarious ...

Mistake #1: "Golden Retriever Syndrome"

It's a fact: the best jobs attract loads of competition. So it pays to do whatever you can to stand out as a persistent, creative candidate, one that any sane employer would love to hire.

But how can you do that, in this impersonal age of email, chat rooms and mega job sites?

Easy. Just do what has worked for others.

Here are 3 mini case studies from job hunters who got hired by creatively persisting and going after the positions they really wanted.

How can you emulate them?

1) Follow up creatively and get them talking

1. Start with an attractive layout. Use bold and italics to highlight key points.

I do not recommend downloadable templates because they are very generic and dull. Get creative but not crazy. You can use a little touch of color if you are modest.

2. Justify the text instead of using left align.

Most people are accustomed to reading justified text. This will make your résumé easy to follow.

3. Choose a common font. Times New Roman, Arial, and Verdana are some of the best fonts for a résumé.