Jazzing Up Your Job Hunt

Navigating this job market can be daunting. The competition is tough and jobs are hard to find. But, being armed with the right ammunition for the hunt can land you a trophy position.

Job hunting expert Ellen Gordon Reeves, author of "Can I Wear My Nose Ring to the Interview?" appeared on "The Early Show" Thursday with some tips on how to score that job.

The name of her book, she said, is an actual question she's often gotten from job hunters. Her advice? Go ahead and wear that nose ring, she said, but you may not get land the job because 50 percent or more of people may not hire you.

"To thine own self be true," she said. "But there may be consequences."

Reeves also discussed reference letters and referrals. She says forget letting the people you ask do it on their own; rather, you should coach your referrer on what they should say for a particular position.

Reeves said, "Help them help you."

She added you should give the person you ask for a referral or recommendation enough time, and ask when you're actually on the job.

"If you have an internship, ask now," she said. "Don't wait until they don't remember you three years later."

But what about your resume?

Everything in your resume should be "packageable" and "deliverable," according to Reeves. That means your resume tells real stories of your experiences that show an employer what you can do for them.

And using the same resume again and again isn't going to cut it, according to Reeves. She said you have to write a new resume geared toward each new position you apply for.

"You have to redo the resume, you have to be able to talk about what you did," she added.

And then "Early Show" co-anchor Maggie Rodriguez broached her own pet peeve: typos.

Is it okay to have them in a resume or cover letter?

"Not a single typo, game over," Reeves said. "You do not care enough to send the very best."

As for interviews, Reeves believes in honesty.

"Never lie, but you don't have to raise red flags for the employer."

She said, "If you were laid off and there was a company-wide layoff, that's enough to say, don't say, 'I was the only one in my department laid-off.' Why point the finger at yourself?"

The interview, Reeves pointed out, doesn't begin where you might think. She said the interview begins the moment you enter the building and extends into the waiting room. She recommended using the wait time and your interactions with the security guard and receptionist as opportunities to do some investigating about the company.

Reeves added interactions with office personnel can also be contributing factors to if someone hires you. The receptionist, she said, can tell the hiring staff member what your manners were like -- for better or for worse.

Another tidbit Reeves shared is that you already know everybody you need to know to get hired.

"You don't know who you know," she said. "You've really go to use your network. Stop looking for a job and start looking for a person. The right person will lead you to the right job."

Eighty percent of jobs, Reeves said, exist in the hidden job market.

"They're never advertised," she said. "...You've got to tell everyone you know that you're looking, what you're looking for."

She recommended getting the word out through family, friends and Online social networking sites, such as Facebook, among others.

But what about when the interview formally begins and the questions come hurling at you? How do you respond to questions like, "Tell me about yourself?"

Reeves called questions like these not a life story invitation, but a chance to "headline" your qualifications for that particular job.