Hack Your Resume, Play Hard-to-Get, and Other Career Advice

Folks, I have an announcement to make: Team Taskmaster is taking its final bows this week.

After a year and a half of sharing with you my take on productivity, leadership, and management, I've decided it's time for me to move on. But I don't want to leave you all high and dry, so for the next few days I'm going to recap some of the most helpful and/or popular Team Taskmaster posts.

First up: hacking your career.

• You already know you need a killer resume, right? Well, there's plenty of fine-tuning you can do to really make it sing. First, decide if your CV should be one page or two (the experts like one). Next, apply five simple tips for improving your resume. Finally, make your resume kick ass by making it reflect who you are and what you do.
• When that resume is all spiffed out, it's time to put it to good use. Start by using the rule of thirds for job-hunting. Be shrewd and get the most out of a headhunter. Be creative, but don't try stupid job-seeking tactics that brand you as desperate. Play hard-to-get in your job search, at least a little bit. And when you land that coveted interview, make sure you ace the dreaded "What's your weakness?" question.
• Hired? Great! Now get ready to put your career on the fast track. Take a page from recent research and try to think and act tall to get ahead in the workplace. Work hard to win over your new boss. Do five things to make your boss and colleagues love you. And think of strategies to maximize your productivity, like shifting your work hours or even working remotely.
• But be careful. For some people, a job can literally be life or death -- just look at the rise in workplace suicides. You don't want to get in that deep. If you hate your new job, it's okay to quit. And remember your perspective: it's only a job, after all. There are more important things in life.