A client called me the other day in a panic, concerned that he was not receiving any interviews. My first question to him was, "How many resumes have you sent out?" He had only applied for four positions, and hadn’t even bothered to follow up. Needless to say, he received some serious resume coaching, in addition to learning more about proven search techniques.  When you are hunting for a job, you have to remain committed and focused. Studies show it takes the average person about approximately 2 months to land a "real" job – we’re not talking about an interim position to help pay the bills. In addition, you have to remember that you’re not the only one searching for a job and that recruiters or hiring managers receive anywhere from 50 to 1,000 of resumes a week. Bearing that in mind, you should first be absolutely certain that your resume is going to outsell the competition. It needs to professionally represent your career background, qualifications and achievements in about 30 seconds or less. Eighty percent of employers look for accomplishments first before even reading responsibilities. When you’re sure that your resume is a winner and will reach the top of the "to call" heap, you have to prepare your cover letters. An influential cover letter will NOT start with "Dear Sir or Madam," because being the savvy professional you are, you will have done your research and located an actual name and verified the spelling. Your cover letter should sell the benefits of your credentials and let the employer know how you will solve their problems, save them money and/or improve productivity. Your cover letter should also contain the important, but often forgotten crucial question asking for the interview. Before mailing out your 50+ resumes a week, which is not an unreasonable amount in an aggressive search, you will have to document each company/name that you’re targeting so that you can follow up appropriately. After one week, call EACH and EVERY employer to whom you’ve sent your resume, and ask for the interview again. Be persistent – that’s not to say call every day, but once every three days is fine (that is, of course, unless you’ve been plainly told that there is no interest). Employers are busy people, and despite their need to fill a particular position, it’s not easy reading through a slew of resumes and letters from people all claiming to be "the one." Your advantage in following these simple steps is clear – employers rarely hear from most of the people who’ve submitted resumes, and it’s the few who call afterward that are granted the interview. Follow-up displays confidence, professionalism and determination to succeed; combine those qualities with the above steps, and you’ll be on your way to interviewing paradise!