Planning and goal-setting are the keys to success in every aspect of your life, including your career. A Harvard study revealed that 83 percent of those surveyed had no goals; 14 percent had goals, but no written plan; and 3 percent had written goals. The 14 percent with goals but no written plans earned three times more than those with no goals. The 3 percent with written goals earned ten times more than those with no goals!

Although many employers are seeing light at the end of the recession tunnel, it is still a tough market. Here are a few pointers:

Whether you have a job or are searching, informational interviews are a big key to success. Instead of sitting around waiting for call-backs and interviews, human resources professionals recommend that job seekers set up informational interviews with managers and executives within their target companies. You will see if a company’s particular culture is a fit , practice your “tell me about yourself” speech, gain confidence, valuable insight and get networked into that manager’s world, as well as his/her organization and industry.

Use CareerShift to get more interviews.

In a bad economy, many industries are negatively affected and competition for jobs increases. This makes using job boards (as your primary strategy) incredibly difficult and depressing, since this is where competition for positions is most fierce.

You stand to increase your chances of landing multiple interviews through learning how to tap into what is called the “hidden” or “unadvertised” job market.

Remaining positive after receiving a rejection notice can be tough. The key to handling rejection is in being prepared and not taking the notice personally. Successful candidates continue to job-hunt, stay positive, motivated and learn from the process. Even the best and seemingly most qualified candidates receive rejection letters. Whether you simply applied for the job or went through the entire interview process, you have

If all the company has seen is your cover letter and your resume, focus on those materials.

It is inevitable that at some point in your job search you will be asked for references, and when you are, you want to be sure you have a great group of advocates who are prepared with answers that will help rather than hinder your chances at landing the position. References are something you should think about at the beginning of your interview process and not just at the end when you are under immediate pressure to provide them.

Make a list of all the possible people you can use as a reference: Former employers, Former Clients, College professors, Deans, Family friends who have seen you in a professional setting, Association leaders.

Research is telling us that over 85% of jobs landed are because of networking. Using CareerShift can open the world of networking up for any job seeker, however at last month’s Career Directors International Conference in Seattle, I was reminded that networking creates fear in most job seekers, as it doesn’t come naturally for most of us. I was fortunate enough to hear a presentation given by Kathy Condon, an Executive Coach, Author, Trainer and Speaker (www.kathycondon.info) , whose common sense approach to networking is worth sharing:

We tell job seekers to have an elevator speech ready at all times. What about the professional in charge of helping the job seeker? Having information ready to make a quick point or having a quick email topic to keep communication lines open is important for Career Services professionals, too. The following information is a succinct point for job seekers that is worthy of sharing:

To grab prospective employers’ attention, all of your communications with them—your resume, cover letters and elevator speeches—should emphasize how your skills and experience can help them address their specific business goals and challenges. Simply listing your past employers, your previous titles, the length of time you held each position and your responsibilities will not create enough interest for them to seek out a conversation with you.

“You may never know what results come from your action. But if you do nothing, there will be no result.” – Mahatma Gandhi

As the new academic year unfolds, we all hope our returning students come armed to be prepared and organized to embark on the activities of the Fall recruiting season. At CareerShift , our mission is to help your college students conduct a pro-active job search in the easiest, most organized format, as possible.

I recently came across some interesting information regarding a well known tool, the Elevator Speech, that I want to share with you. The Elevator Speech is recognized as an exceptionally important element to the success of student communications in a variety of settings. Wide variation exists among experts as to the ideal length of this, however, it is usually a good idea that you create both short and long versions. Different situations, after all, may well call for diverse approaches.