January 12, 2004 - Following-up job leads without sounding desperate or anxious; Choosing careers/professions based on amount of vacation time; Obtaining information about a career as a pharmaceutical sales rep; Deciding upon best path to take to pursue a career in finance.

December 15, 2003 - Developing answers to expected interview questions; Exploring career paths in business management field; Breaking into teaching without a doctoral degree; Researching different career paths in medicine.

December 1, 2003 - Determining proper etiquette of job-hunting while employed; Finding ideas for choosing really cool careers; Following-up with employer after interview rejection; Wondering about college and potential future careers.

November 17, 2003 - Making switch from clerical to professional track; Determining how best to prepare for future job interviews; Finding ways to determine your true career potential; Taking the time to research careers and make career change.

November 03, 2003 - Handling multiple job interviews while starting a new job; Researching careers paths related to chemistry; Advocating the use of career portfolios in job-hunting; Assessing employer personality/skills tests and assessments.

October 20, 2003 - Abusing network of contacts is a job-seeking no-no; Overcoming introvert traits to succeed in job interviews; Removing old information on resume key to success; Identifying Ph.D. work in progress on curriculum vitae.

October 06, 2003 - Waiting for job market to get better for job-seekers; Questioning aggressive cover letter strategies; Researching information about vision care careers; Negotiating additional benefits in job offer counter proposal.

September 22, 2003 - Helping a high school junior identify a list of potential colleges; Changing careers, but first need to narrow choices; Getting no call-backs from prospective employers; Tracking down lost dates of past employment history.

August 25, 2003 - Regarding closings for cover letters; Determining "successful" careers; Overcoming numerous job-search mistakes; Uncovering the names of hiring managers.

August 10, 2003 - Discovering self and college major; Determining future value in job marketplace; Wondering whether IT career still good choice; Learning about engineering careers.

July 28, 2003 - Coming to terms with job loss and career possibilities; Writing a letter to boss justifying a raise in salary; Tracking down the contact information of hiring managers; Finding part-time work requires full-time job-hunting.

July 14, 2003 - Deciding when it’s best to follow-up with employer; Increasing chances of career change success; Finding ideal job after years of varied work experience; Overcoming white collar conviction in job-search.

June 30, 2003 - Making the case for telecommuting; Changing careers by becoming entrepreneur; Struggling to find job in horrible job market; Contemplating the value of professional resume service.

June 16, 2003 - Thinking of the job interview as a sales call; Attempting to correct a lie on a job application; Closing the "sale" in job interviews; Recovering from a salary negotiation blunder.

June 02, 2003 - Making a good first impression at a new job; Helping a teen find a summer job; Taking the time for career self-assessment; Dealing with being terminated from last job.

May 19, 2003 - Preparing for six-month review/raise; Dealing with the potential of multiple offers; Making career change after receiving degree; Contemplating options after completing MBA.

May 5, 2003 - Researching companies critical to interview success; Finding work in environmental or animal biology; Planning career path toward becoming magazine editor; Questioning where to go next in career, job-search.

April 21, 2003 - Struggling recent college grad looking for work; Accepting one job offer while waiting for better offer; Relating careers to various college degrees; Dealing with too many years of experience on resume.

April 7, 2003 - Emphasizing the importance of following up all job interviews; Getting out of job offer after originally accepting the offer; Developing career plans for job-seekers age 50 and above; Breaking into the sports psychology profession.

March 24, 2003 - Figuring out when to use chronological vs. functional resume; Dealing with multiple gaps in employment history; Writing powerful and effective resume job objectives; Tackling the development of a curriculum vitae (CV).

March 10, 2003 - Revisiting steps in job-hunting and career planning; Dealing with requests for salary histories/requirements; Looking into a career as college professor; Sending thank you messages after job interviews.

February 24, 2003 - Addressing cover letters to recruiters; Getting information on career in marine biology; Reacting to a canceled job interview; Updating resume with new job duties/responsibilities.

February 10, 2003 - Deciding whether too old to apply to medical school; Making some hard decisions about family, work, school; Facing a forced career change with no clue about next job; Working temporary jobs while finding satisfying career.

January 27, 2003 - Researching careers that use math skills and abilities; Finding a job with maximum benefits and minimal requirements; Determining the next step when ready to make a job change; Re-entering the workforce after getting fired numerous times.

More Columns »   2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003

Dr. Randall S. Hansen is currently Webmaster of Quintessential Careers.

Dr. Hansen is an associate professor of marketing at the School of Business Administration, Stetson University. He has been a published career expert for the last 10 years and an employer and consultant with hiring/firing decisions for the past 15 years.

Through his experience as a professor of marketing, Dr. Hansen uses proven marketing techniques and applies them to job-hunting. He is currently working on such a book. Some of his work can be seen at his personal Web site.

He and Katharine Hansen co-wrote the very successful job-hunting book, Dynamic Cover Letters, published by Ten Speed Press. You can order copies from Barnes and Noble of this cover letter bible. He is also author of several career-related magazine and journal articles.

Finally, Dr. Hansen has been an employer and has firsthand experience in the hiring process. He also stays active in the field by reading magazine and journal articles and by talking with employers on a regular basis.

Copyright 1999 by Dr. Randall Hansen. All rights reserved.
The information on this page is general in nature, and does not constitute professional advice or counseling. All opinions expressed, if any, are those of Dr. Hansen.
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