Your approach to job searching often defines success. Employers will assume that your conduct during the process will be the same conduct you exhibit on the job. Employers are always looking for self-assured employees (though they will want to avoid arrogant ones!). These tips can help give the right impression whilst still standing out from the crowd:

1. Assertive vs. Arrogant

Assertive people succeed without stepping on the rights of others. Arrogant people fail to see that other people exist (easy to spot at an interview).

2. Let your actions speak

Let your accomplishments talk! It’s one thing telling people that you’re great but it’s another thing to show them through your past successes.

3. Let others do the talking for you

Don’t like to praise yourself? Let your spouse, friends, previous boss or colleagues do it on your behalf. (‘In my last performance review my boss said…’ ‘My wife always says I’m…’ etc).

4. Work to get the work

Estimates show that job hunters (those out of work) spend five hours or less per week searching for a job. Making the process a full time job creates energy, momentum, and a sense of professionalism, while increasing self-confidence. Practice makes perfect.

5. Drop the baggage

Been made redundant through no fault of your own? Feeling over-qualified and under-valued? Get over it - quick!

Everyone wants as much money as an employer is willing to offer. Yet when it comes to job interviewing, salary questions make most people feel uncomfortable. One reason is that such questions pressure you during the negotiating game. Winning the salary you want requires some evasive action on your part. Choose your words carefully, and don't be afraid to redirect a pointed question. These tips will help you stay in control of your compensation.

How to Handle Applications or Ads Requesting a Salary History

A good advice would be not to include salary requirements. True, when you leave out the information, you run the risk that the employer won't look at you because you've not put a salary in there. But you run a greater risk of selling yourself short, because you don't know what the range is.

Instead, write that you expect a salary commensurate with your experience and the job's demands. You could also write, "Negotiable," because, frankly, salary is always negotiable.

What Are You Currently Making?

Answer carefully. State that the new job, while in line with your skills, can't compare to your current job. As such, your current salary isn't a good judge of what you should earn in this position. "Answer: What I'm making is not important;" "What is important is whether or not my skills are what you need, and I'm confident the range will be fair." This allows you to reveal your self-confidence.

In addition, this levels the playing field if there are two candidates. If you're currently underpaid, answering such a question directly will work against you. "What if you work for a nonprofit and your pay is lower than that of another candidate who has the same skills and experience but has a higher pay because he is with a corporation that offers competitive salaries?" "You could be hired at a much lower figure than the other person would have received. It's not the past salary that's important, it's the skills and experience and what you can do for the organization.

Get the Employer to Say a Number First

Every employer has some type of salary range in mind, and they most often can play with that range. They have information you don’t. When you don't know what the employer has in mind, you can underbid yourself. Employers will jump on that. Later, you'll find out that your colleague is making more money for the same work you're doing. So find out what the range is before you state any salary requirements.

If the range is below what you want, state that you expect a range closer to XYZ. And make XYZ at least 10 percent to 20 percent higher than what you currently make. If you're grossly underpaid in your position, state it even higher.

State a range that reflects the amount you want to make. And remember: Employers will always look at the low end of your range, so make the low end as high as you are comfortable with. If you make 500, state a range of 550 to 600 or so.

Be Prepared. Do Your Research.

Research what others in the field make. Contact professional organizations and get their annual salary surveys. Read professional publications. Network and look on the Web to find out what others in your field are making.

If an employer wants to contact your old employers to verify your salary, think twice about the job. Frankly, do you really want to work with someone who will intimidate you? If they scare you during the interview, a point where they're supposed to be nice and impressing you, think of what it'll be like when you go to work there.

The bottom line is you not only want good pay, you want respect. And a job that provides mutual employer-employee respect is the best you deserve.

Here are some good coping strategies:

• Don’t try to do too much. Often we place completely unreasonable demands on ourselves. This just adds to the pressure and actually makes us less effective. Remind yourself that it’s ok not to be perfect all the time.

• Prioritise. First thing every day, make a list of what you MUST get done that day – and then get on with it! Tackle the task you’re dreading most first – once you’ve done it, you’ll feel so pleased with yourself that you’ll breeze through the rest of your work. At the end of the day, take 10 minutes to update your to-do list and plan for the next day.

• Learn to say “no”. Often we end up taking on work that isn’t our responsibility because we’re scared of upsetting someone by saying no. There is a limit to what you can do and you shouldn’t be afraid to say so. If your boss is making too many demands, calmly explain that you can’t do everything at once and ask which tasks are the priority – it is your boss’s responsibility to prioritise too!

• Get organised. Clear the clutter from your desk. If you don’t have one already, put in place a straightforward filing system. Set aside time every day to clear routine emails and paperwork. Try to handle each piece of paper only once – deal with it straightaway if you can. And resist the temptation to keep checking your email – that’s one of the biggest time drains!

• For bigger tasks, be clear what your deadlines are and plan accordingly. Don’t leave a big project until the last minute – that just gives you unnecessary extra stress. Break it down into smaller chunks and do a little every day. That makes the task less daunting and means that you won’t end up panicking and having to work flat out at the last minute.

• Take regular breaks. Always have a lunch break and, if you can, get outside for some fresh air. It will clear your head and help you to focus better. If you find yourself regularly working very long hours, book an appointment at least once a week - a gym class, massage or just arrange to meet friends - so that you are forced to leave work on time. And don’t allow yourself to get drawn into the “I must be the first to arrive/last to leave” competition that often happens in an office environment. As long as you’ve done what you need to do, don’t be afraid to get up and go home at the normal time. Other people will thank you for it!

• Make sure, too, that you take your full holiday entitlement. No one is indispensable – the company will NOT fall apart if you are not there for a few days. And no one ever wished on their deathbed that they’d spent more time in the office! The key is to get the balance right so that you enjoy, rather than dread, going to work and can switch off effectively when you leave.

• If, despite adopting all these strategies, you find that you simply are not coping with the demands being made of you, talk to your manager about it. Explain the pressure that you’re under and suggest a number of ways in which things could be improved – for example, if your boss always gives you lots of tasks at the last minute, ask if you can have a regular “forward look” meeting to spot what will be coming up and plan for it better. Try to be positive in the way you approach this and make suggestions that will improve things for other people in the office too.

• And if none of this helps, don’t be afraid to re-think your position. You owe it to yourself to have a job that you enjoy. If you’re constantly stressed and miserable at work, you should think about moving. Think about the bigger picture and ask yourself what you really want. Forget about other people’s expectations – concentrate on finding a job or role that you’re going to be really happy in. Good luck!

Before you commence your new employment, do all you can to increase your awareness of the new organization. It will boost your confidence, give you a positive frame of mind and reduce the difficulties of the learning curve when you do begin.

Build up your information resources from:

• Research which you undertook before the selection interview.

• Knowledge gained at interview.

• Any further familiarisation, which your new employer can provide after you have accepted the offer: for example, literature on products and services, visits to familiarise yourself with procedures, technology, systems, etc.

• Any reading or experience which you or your existing employer can arrange.

• Reviewing your self-assessment profile. What could you do differently this time around to build a stronger career and avoid some of the weaknesses of your past, eg to delegate or meet deadlines more effectively, relate better to colleagues, maximise your potential, etc? You may find it helpful to strengthen your resolve and formulate some strategies here by talking these issues through in advance with a friend, mentor, counsellor, etc.

Initial Issues

Before going in on the first day, consider what 'image' the employer feels is appropriate to your job - appearance, clothes, life-style, attitudes. If you deviate from these, know what you are doing.

Soon after starting, try to establish:

• The organisational structure.

• 'Who's who' - formally and informally.

• The relationship of your job to others.

• Communications: up, down and sideways; 'dotted lines', support services available - eg, personnel department.

• Preferred communication networks: word of mouth, memos, E-mail, committees, etc.

• What sort of procedures or rules operate - written or oral - eg concerning health and welfare, discrimination, etc.

• Whether the organisation has received any quality accreditation.

• The geography of the organisation.

• The history of the enterprise.

If you do not already have a job description, ask for one, and then try to define as clearly as you can the boundaries of your job. You are not seeking to establish the minimum acceptable benchmarks, but frontiers within which you can make your best contribution. Do this constructively and as soon as you can. The first month is ideal. Six months later is too late; your questions will be interpreted rather less generously.

Find out:

• The limits of your authority.

• The parameters and main objectives of your job.

• The expectations of your superiors and colleagues.

• The kind of feedback you will receive from superiors.

• The limits of your responsibilities - personnel, products, services etc.

• The way your job meshes into any quality system in use.

• The resources you will have.

• The priorities in the job and the proportion of your time you should be giving to each.

• The main problem areas and the 'uniqueness' of the job.

Do start by:

• Listening a great deal.

• Being modest.

• Exercising tact and diplomacy.

• Being a 'Day One' performer.

Don't start by:

• Constantly saying how you used to do it in your last job.

• Criticising your new, or former, employers or colleagues.

• Encouraging stories about your predecessor.

The best way to separate yourself from the pack is to speak to someone live. A CV can be seen as just an email or piece of paper (easily filed away) but a phone call represents a person - you.

Treat any phone call as a professional sales call. State the purpose of contact, ask if it is a convenient time for the other party, and if not, phone back at a specific time. Also, stand up and smile! It does come across on the phone.

Identify yourself in the beginning of any phone call, establish the other person’s name and use it frequently (without being annoying!) throughout the call.

If you aren’t confident that you can do the job, then why apply? If you can do it, act like you can! (Even if you aren’t sure, act like you can - you might surprise yourself!) People will treat you accordingly.

Keep these tips in mind throughout your job search and try to think about the type of person you would hire – and behave accordingly!

During the interview, ensure your body language matches your assertive approach with good posture, a firm handshake, etc. Make sure your ‘walk’ matches your ‘talk’.