I've seen so many people say that a hand-written note just isn't necessary. That e-mail is just fine.

I don't agree.

Not only will you stand out from the others, especially those who choose not to send anything, which surprisingly is many, you will also stand out from an e-mail which is easily deleted and forgotten.

Choose your stationary well. Something that is serious, but has personality, this is another way to tell the company about yourself.

Keep it concise but highlight something from the interview that you found interesting or that you could talk about later.

Don't forget to end with asking for your next meeting opportunity or telling them you will contact them within a certain time period.

And don't forget, anyone you met with, you have to thank them individually so make sure to get every one's business cards so you spell their names right.

Finally, write them the minute you get home while your memory is fresh and get it in the mail as quickly as possible while their memory is still fresh.

Saying thank you is never an option and in your job search, it isn't either.

I came across a good article on Ragan Communications Web site about varing the voices in your communications and which voices to stay away from. This got me thinking about two of the communications tools job searchers, such as myself use - the cover letter and the thank you note and how using the correct voice is important.

Cover Letters

Cover letters are usually the first contact you have with hiring managers and since they can receive hundreds per job listed, yours needs to stand out.

These letters are formal coorespondence but that doesn't mean your personality shouldn't shine through. Be confident, but not braggey and never lie. Make sure you match experiences with what they are looking for, so no, don't send the same letter to every employer.  

Looking at examples on-line is a good start, but don't steal them, this is about you and your voice will never come through someone else's letter. Of course, you'll spell-check, but think about reading it outloud - you'd be amazed how you will hear problems your reading might never have caught.

Stay away from these pitfalls:

- Don't brag. No one wants to read that. There's a big difference between bragging and being confident.

- Having just a list of accomplishments without any personality.

- NEVER lie. It will come back to bite you and people talk, you don't want to be labled a liar - your integrity is one of the most important things you have.

Coming Next - Thank you notes.

Sometimes when you are in the midst of a layoff, you forget that there are millions of people who are in the same boat. And since this is my second layoff this year, it seems I am a little numbed by my news.

Today I received an e-mail from a friend and former co-worker that she lost her job. I learned so much from this woman. She really taught me what it was meant to be professional, how to conduct yourself in the corporate world and how to be 9 months pregnant and still run a large corporate event.

I know how devastating losing your job is. It shook me to the core. Helped me reexamine my life, helped me understand work-life balance and reminded how much stuff I really don't need.

So in the midst of my storm I need to remember there are storms raging all over this country and that I can't become too self-involved. To offer any advice I have and to listen to others tell me their pain as so many have done for me in the past year. 

I have been looking for jobs throughout my employment with Rexel. Hoping that my dream job was around the corner.

Unfortunately my job search went from on the back-burner to on the fast-track this morning. I was laid-off again. Once again the economy was to blame. It was hard, but not like last time. I think internally I was a little more prepared. But it was harder in some ways because my friend was doing the hatchet job, and I can't hate him.

So unemployment has been filed, key network contacts are notified and resume is up-to-date.

Time to get my networking on and get a new job!

My new job is challenging. Learning new processes, accounting proceedures, where all the printers are and everyones name is on-going. But that's good. I think it is sharping my brain again. I hope that this will propel me towards my next destination at a communications position.

But for now I am going to do the best that I can, learn as much as I can because every day you should learn something new.

I accepted a position as office manager at a Rexel electrical supplier branch in Pinellas Park, I start on Monday. I know it is not my ideal position, but it will allow me to learn new skills, learn about a new business, keep the skills I have sharp and after I read a story in the Wall Street Journal that said that many employers prefer to hire someone who has a job already it might help me find the big step I am looking for. So I will keep this Web site up and active as I continue to look. I am grateful I was given a chance to start working again. After being out of work since February I won't ever take work for granted again. 

Looking for a job IS a job. And it can be exhausting. I've started reading more fiction books recently because I feel they are more relaxing than some of the non-fiction I had been reading for a while. I just don't want to read heavy books right now. It's strange how unemployment can change simple things about you. From books I'm reading, to what I'm eating. I'm eating more comfort-style foods that I'm making at home. Well I can't afford to go out any way, but I seem to feel that cooking is comforting to me. And I am taking pleasure in trying out new flavors and combinations. I'm hoping that when the new job comes along I'll still want to cook new things even though I'll be tired. It's an exhaustion I am looking forward to. 

I attended a resume writing/interviewing workshop put on by WorkNet Pinellas this morning. I did come out with some great tips and some sobering statistics.

• There are 43,000 people looking for work in my home county of Pinellas.
• Florida is 49th after Mississippi in amount paid for unemployment.
• Employers are getting upwards of 500 resumes per job.

Which means you need to be on your A game to get noticed let alone get a phone interview and an in person interview. You need to press palms, tell everyone you know you are looking for a job and practice your interviewing skills.

And thanks to Walter (class leader), he reminded me that this is the time to get over the embarrassement, the resentment of your old company and move forward with confidence as this will shine through.

So I'm on to working on answers to interview questions so that when they do call, which they will, I'll be ready. You don't get second chances when you interview.

It's amazing how important friendships are while you are unemployed. It's easy to get down or depressed. Especially since you are spending a lot more time at home than before. So it's fantastic when a friend sends a gift, invites you out or just chats with you on FaceBook. It's a reminder that you are important and that being unemployed isn't a disease.

So if your friend is unemployed take time to drop them a note, or give them a call. It's amazing how much it really does matter.

I don't know how any one ends up working for the government. I've been perusing the jobs at usajobs.gov because I've heard the government is hiring. But reading a variety of job listings, I still have no idea what most of them mean. There are pay grades that make no sense, pay ranges that I can't figure out, job descriptions that hardly describe jobs and application processes that I feel I need a translator to understand.

I guess it fits with what the government has become. Huge and confusing with so many rules and regulations that almost no one knows what's going on. This is an area that I think the government could take a few notes from corporate america. Streamline a little and get someone to write your job listings that can decipher them for people who don't already work in the government - especially if that's who you are marketing to. I'm free, drop me a line any time!