Getting your foot in the door
Okay, so you know what you want to do and in fact, where you want to do it. But are they hiring? Will they take me? How do I get that job? If you've ever seen the pile of applications some Human Resource departments receive, then you won't be surprised at how many reasons they can find to screen out your application in the fastest possible time. Yesterday, a neat, A4-sized, chronologically-ordered resume was vital in securing a job. Today's job hunt demands a far more innovative, proactive and smart approach. With the thousands of jobseekers out there, you must ensure that you catch your future employer's attention. That you stand out above the rest and get noticed.

Knowing Your Audience
It is crucial that you know about the company you are seeking to join before you even raise your hand to knock on their door. Just as different people have different characters and personalities, all organisations have their own style, culture, and values. You must try and get a feel for this before you approach, as this will help you both decide how you make your approach and how well you feel you fit into such a place.

If, for instance, you are applying a traditional and conservative firm, the tone of your cover note, layout, content of your resume and the image you present should be suitably formal and conservative. Contrast this to a young, aggressive start-up, where a 3-piece suit might be somewhat inappropriate, but a creative and novel approach might go down very well.

Winning resumes
Quite often, the very first impression a potential employer gets of you is via your resume. It is your calling card, so to speak, the first and hopefully not last chance they have of catching a glimpse of what you are like. Make it count. Put yourself in the shoes of the person sifting through 700 resumes - the fact that one is a bit different, that someone actually put some effort into their resume, will be much appreciated and noticed.

There is no one winning template of a resume. Much depends on your field and how you want to present yourself. One employer might love it, while another may strike you off their list immediately. What ever it is, dare to be different and to be yourself. Your personality should come through on paper, and if this strikes a chord with a future employer, then you already miles ahead of the competition.

A good guide on finding the right wavelength may be the employer's ads. Homelife, the lifestyle and furniture retailing chain, recently went to considerable lengths to make their recruitment ads look fun and exciting. It challenged applicants, and stated it was looking for people with E.Q. (Emotional Quotient – a measure of your emotional intelligence). Would you send them a dry and standard resume?

There are however basic rules, which you should adhere to, no matter what style your resume takes:

• Spell check the words, and get someone reliable to proof read it- simple mistakes and bad grammar make any author look bad

• No one has time to wade through a 6 page resume, so keep it concise. I don't mean an overly brief 1 pager, but keep past experience and job descriptions short yet effective

• Use effective and accurate keywords- choose your words carefully

• Keep it simple, but informative

• Attach a cover note, stating the job you are interested in and highlighting key relevant or impressive aspects from your resume >Be honest and have integrity - no matter what, don't lie or exaggerate on your facts, as the truth will catch up with you sooner or later

Securing an interview
Let's face it - the armchair approach of just sending in your resume with your fingers crossed is the easiest, most risk-free way of applying for a job. It's not embarrassing, and you don't actually have to face anyone.

Are you willing to risk some HR executive, who doesn't know you from Adam, trash your resume, or just dislike your photo? Sure, you might get lucky and get short-listed. But you also may not. Don't feel as though you are a failure if this happens, though. It's an inherent failure in this sort of hiring-by-mail process. To avoid this, you must instead take charge and as Richard Bolles, author of the job Hunting bible "What Colour is Your Parachute?" puts it, see The Person Who Has The Power To Hire You.

In smaller organisations, this is a much easier task, as there is usually one identifiable Boss whom you can target. One the other hand, the hiring exercise in large organisations is a lengthy process, which goes through many layers of procedures and people. Identifying who can help you there may not be a simple task. Try visiting their web site, or check if they have management diaries with contact details and numbers.

If you can't find out the information you need first hand, persist and ask all of your friends, acquaintances, contacts, family - anyone - if they know of someone who works in the company you want to join. You'll be surprised how small the world is. Then, contact the person who works in that company, and ask them if they know of the recruiting authority there. If they don't know, ask them for a reference of someone who would, then contact that person. Don't give up! This piece of information is crucial. And don't take for granted all these people who assist you along the way - send them a thank you note or email the next day. Not only is it a common courtesy, it will help them remember you, and increase your network of contacts.

When you finally find out who "The Person Who Has The Power To Hire You" is, either politely lean on your contacts to help introduce you, on ring up yourself to make an appointment. Remember to be polite, confident and competent. Ask for just 20 minutes of their time - a time frame you must remember and stick to.