Part II: Attitude could be the reason you get a better job either in your present company or for a new one.

By Pat Wiesner, ColoradoBiz Magazine

What makes a boss say, “I really like this person, I want him/her working here,” after just 20 minutes or so? What makes an interviewer who has prepared a list of 15 questions for you forget those questions and begin to tell you how much you are going to like working at this company?  What characteristic is perhaps more meaningful when it comes to getting a job that any skill you might have?

Attitude!

Recruiters hold the keys to the "hidden job market" - career opportunities that aren't posted anywhere else. These professionals hold great influence within the hiring organization, and it's important for jobseekers to understand how to leverage this resource as part of their overall career strategy. What follows are a few facts about executive search firms, and how executive recruiters can help advance your career.

By Marshall Loeb, CBS.Marketwatch.com

What should you do if you get a call from an executive recruiter, a professional headhunter? Be sure to take the call. Never brush off a headhunter, or play too hard to get. And never say never. Even if you’re happy and secure in your job, it would be wise to volunteer to at least aid the recruiter in identifying good people in your field in any of his or her future searches. You might say something like, “I certainly won’t leave my job now, but if I can help you, I’m pleased to do it.” That is an invitation for the searcher to call you again, and it keeps your lines open.

Many people agonize over writing a résumé, and often for good reason. It is challenging and difficulty to write an effective, creative résumé that gets results. Most prospective employers decide after reading the first few lines whether or not they want to interview you. Add to that the vast sea of competitive candidates with whom you're going head to head, and suddenly the entire process of crafting a winning résumé can seem daunting, if not impossible.

By Arlene Hirsch

(Article from CareerJournal.com: The Wall Street Journal Executive Career Site)

Many job hunters are poorly prepared to interview. They believe that since they're smart people who can think on their feet, they can "wing it" in interviews and still make a great impression on hiring managers. In most cases, they're wrong.

Unless you've spent a lot of time job hunting (successfully) in recent years, you're probably not ready to convince company interviewers to extend you an offer. Once you're willing to admit that you need help to become more effective in interviews, your education can begin -- with the following 10 proven rules to interviewing success:

Where are no magic questions and no magic answers during an interview. So says R. Wendell Williams, managing director of the Emergenetics Consulting Group in Atlanta.

But there is a method to most interviews, says Williams. Understand the method and strategy and you're more likely to deliver killer answers that will leave your competition in the dust. "You should go into interviews knowing there are four broad personal skill areas that can influence your chances of being hired," he says. "These are your ability to: 1) learn and solve problems; 2) plan and organize work; 3) get things done through people; and 4) show evidence of your motivations and interests. Williams offers, 10 hypothetical questions: