Looking for work is ...work! 

It takes effort to find a job.  Even in a strong economy experiencing a labor shortage, it takes time and energy to find a position that suits your skills, abilities, and desires. 

Preparing Credentials:  Once you have analyzed yourself thoroughly, completed your homework, and searched for positions, it is time to prepare your credentials.  These consists of resumes, portfolios, and cover letters.

1.  Resumes:  Prepare a different resume for each type of position you apply for.  The resume is your silent sales representative, and it is most persuasive when it is:

 

• Tailored to the skills and expectations of each position.
• Prepared in a highly professional manner.

2.  The Portfolio:  Portfolios are essential if you are in fields such as photography, advertising, public relations, art and design, journalism, architecture, and professional writing.  Your portfolio should be a small and yet varied collection of your best work.  Organize your portfolio thematically.  Make it visually attractive.  Have excellent copies of your work - not faded, soiled, marked-up, or wrinkled samples.  Employers want to see how well you write, design, photography, edit, and create, and the well-designed and presented portfolio is the best means of doing this.

 

3.  The Cover Letter:  Your cover letter is a third-party introduction to future employers.  Design it to open the employment door by showing interest in the position, the organization, and its products or services.  Make the recruiter want to read your resume by making a pleasant and professional impression.

Information provided is from interviewing principles and practices by Charles J. Stewart & William B. Cash, Jr., tenth edition, published by McGraw-Hill in 2003.