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.

The teachers are well educated with most holding at least a master’s degree from an accredited school. From what I can tell, most have been teaching for a minimum of 10-15 years if not longer. 

So why is it so difficult to communicate with them?

I wrote a simple email to one teacher requesting information about my child’s yearbook today.  Here’s the email I sent and received… (of course, you’ll need to read from the bottom up.)

Danny Chung,

You can send them to me and i will pass them to the appropriate student, A***e B**d thanks P R*****h

 >>> <Danny.Chung@******.***.mil> 11/30/2009 12:18 PM >>>

Mr. R*****h,

I have submitted a form for a personalized “dedication” page in the yearbook and would like some information as to the details of when and to whom I should submit the photos.

 Thank you,

-Danny Chung

As you can see, the teacher didn’t bother with a salutation, proper punctuation, nor any semblance of sentence structure.  Most importantly, he fails to address my request for “details”.  He simply writes back as quickly as possible with little regard for what I am requesting.  This is a complete failure to communicate!  And this is not an isolated incident.  From the front office, to the counselors, and to the very teachers, whether speaking on the telephone or by email, this example is about as good as it gets.

This is a rudimentary skill that is clearly lacking in our public schools.  How are we to expect our students to go out and get jobs if the very teachers educating them cannot lead by example?

More to the point of searching for that “dream job”, remember what you write can have serious consequences.  Whether they are positive or negative depends entirely upon you.

How will you brand yourself?

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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.