In these times of mass lay-offs, few job openings and a multitude of job sites that encourage you to register and leave your CV behind, it is now, more than ever, essential not to lose focus.

Rather than registering yourself on 20 different generic websites, spend some additional time on looking for those sites that are specialized in your industry of expertise, your region, your specific interest or your profile.

Do not forget to step out of the box and imagine yourself as a potential employer. Where would you be looking for suitable staff? Spend some time searching for possible employers and see where they advertise. This is where you need to be.

You have identified some job opportunities and maybe even a few specific ones. You have filled out all required fields on the website, you might even have written a wonderful motivation letter. But how do you distinguish yourself from the other hundreds of applicants? Tip: send your resume and motivational letter by hand-delivered courier. With less classic ‘snail mail’ being sent out, a FedEx envelope addressed to the right person really stands out. Make sure you use high quality paper, include a color picture and your chances of prominence have just been increased by a few thousand percent.

One day, the moment comes that you have to get ready for your first interview. Or worse…., your first telephone interview and you have to start preparing for it.

Sure you have checked out the property; location, number of employees, rooms, F&B outlets, etc. But do not forget to also check out the ‘back office’. What are the company’s corporate principles? What are their core values, what is their vision and mission, what has been cooking in the media and what do they do in terms of CSR (corporate social responsibility)? It might become useful later during an interview and it shows interest and intellect if you are aware of their latest corporate developments.

Thousands of articles and tips and tricks have been written about how to behave and how answer the most diverse questions. Do read a few of these recommendations. They really help. The most important however is to be enthusiastic, motivated and to the point. Be very specific about your value to the employer: use real-life examples of situations that you managed well at your current or previous jobs. Put the emphasis on why you should be the one they should hire and do not forget to ask some relevant questions yourself, it is not an interrogation! And please put on a smile on the phone; you can truly hear the difference!

Not always, but many times you can find out who will be the one conducting the interview. Prepare yourself and find out more information about his person. Google him or her, check out their profile on Linked in and other social networks, know about their career and background. You might have something in common that you can use to ‘break the ice’. Maybe you share a hobby or interest, maybe there is someone that you know in common or maybe you have worked in the same city or spend a vacation in the same country. Use it to your advantage.

After the interview, send a hand written card thanking them for their ‘investment in time’ to speak with you.