So here’s five tips that will help get you in the door.

1)  LEAD WITH A PUNCH! – If the position is seeking an event planner with experience in bar-mitzvahs, then lead off with a short one-liner that accentuates your expertise with bar-mitzvahs.  However, I would caution you from turning this one-liner into an “objective”.  Objectives are so very yesterday, not to mention self-serving.

2)  BE THE EMT! – Companies post openings because there is a business need/gap/seam/cavity/vacuum… you get the idea.  Your resume and application should be the CPR to the business’ heart-attack.  If you cannot propose how your skills will solve their problems, don’t bother applying.

3)  REMEMBER EMILY POST – Etiquette will get you everywhere.  Don’t talk about your age, family situation, health, confidential information from previous employers, salary, your former boss, and money.  First off, it’s illegal to mention or to be asked for any of that.  Second, it shows poor form.  Stick with the professional and pertinent data to include your experience, education, and endorsements (references).

4)  DON’T WRITE A THESIS PAPER! – For recent college grads, your resume should be a one-pager.  For those with less than five years of experience, keep it to two pages max.  For those with more than five years, a good rule of thumb is to include the last 10 years of experience only and no more than three pages.

5)  EATS, SHOOTS, AND LEAVES – Your grammar, punctuation and spelling must be without error.  Not… one…. single……. error!

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Danny Chung is a professional communications consultant and career coach with more than 2 decades of strategic communication and public relations experience.  His work has been on numerous news programs and television shows to include the New York Times, BBC, CNN, and The Fox News Channel.

1. The Long Dinner
2. Reconnect and Connect
3. Get Branded
4. Wear It Right
5. Don’t Talk, Communicate!

If you forget everything, remember that in all five steps you are communicating.  The Long Dinner is setting the stage for proper communication; networking is communicating; branding is communicating… you get the idea.

Someone once said, you are ALWAYS marketing yourself.  I submit that we are always communicating something.  The boots you wear, the color of tie, even the perfume says something.

Do you carry an iPod or a Blackberry?  Do you drive a Camaro or a Hybrid?  Do you speak with an accent or a drawl?

Communication never stops.

Marketing on the other hand is wearing the loose-fitting jeans, boat shoes, t-shirt, un-tucked of course, and unkempt hair.

Marketing is wearing cuff links with slacks and dress shoes.

Marketing is selling; communicating is not.  (More on this later)

Know what to say; how to say it; and who you’re saying it to.  Be a professional communicator.  This is step 5.

As a Public Affairs Officer for the Marines, Danny is an innovative and forward-thinking executive, with a passion for leveraging effective communications to fuel employee-engagement, build community goodwill, and drive profits.

STEP TWO: Reconnect and Connect

One word: “LinkedIN“. (Click on it and you’ll see an example of what your LinkedIn page might look like.)

This is your launch pad; your starting point; your springboard into the world of connections.

Step 2.A: Register on LinkedIn.com

This is your online, professional resume website. Did I mention it’s free?

Step 2.B: Develop your professional resume.

Step 2.C: Proof-read your resume. Take a break – go out for a walk – then, proof-read it again.

Step 2.D: Post it. Now, you’re established on LinkedIn.  Congrats, you now exist.

Be advised, you will begin receiving requests to “connect”. There is an entire world of LinkedIn Etiquette that you should heed before rampantly going off and accepting anyone and everyone. But that’s for next time.