Are you are working harder than you should be at your job search? And are your results are too low? Let me show you five ways to make it easier while ending up with better job offers for a lot more money. What I'm about to tell you has helped hundreds of job hunters who have been able to work smarter, not harder, and get better results in the process.

That’s the key. You need to take steps to work smarter – to cultivate an attitude that makes things happen. Here are the five secrets:

1. Job Hunters who work smarter, not harder, position themselves as problem solvers.

How would you respond if you went to your doctor with a complaint and he or she immediately, without an examination or explanation, ordered surgery?

Sounds incredible, I know. But it illustrates a common mistake you may be making.

If you are marketing yourself to an employer, you are like a physician. You must first be credible. An important way to do that is to thoroughly "examine" your prospect - with intelligent questions - before you make a "diagnosis" - suggest a solution.

Remember, your interviewer is likely overwhelmed with a barrage of resumes, interviews, and more. They don't want mere information from you, they get plenty of that. What they really want is a problem solver who inspires trust.

As smart job hunter, you do everything you possibly can to win your client's trust by positioning yourself as an expert consultant.

2. Job Hunters who smarter, not harder, realize that the smart way is the best way - 20% of their efforts will create 80% of their results, so by working smart - and actually working less - they can actually achieve much more.

Mass mailing and email blasting are tried and true methods of getting your resume out. But beware; you will get the chaff along with the wheat. Companies trolling for cheaper help will interview almost anybody while looking for people feeling desperate enough to work for less than they are worth. You may get also get interviews by companies always looking for help because they chew up and spit out management and sales people on a regular basis. Yes, there are a lot of low-level, poor quality interviews out there. If you are the type who doesn't like to spin your wheels on these things, there are other options.

One way to work smart is to stop sending you resume to anyone and everyone. Instead, concentrated on finding prospects that are, in marketing terms, ready to buy.

In the long run this is easier, less time is wasted in poor quality interviews, and the rate of interview offers will skyrocket. And with higher quality interviews, better job offers will follow.

3. A Job Hunter who is working smarter, not harder, will focus on reaching milestones rather than the overall result.

Much like an entrepreneur starting a new business, a job hunter can be overwhelmed. The key to getting through this is breaking the job search into a series of steps. The first step might be to go through the resume writing process. The second might be to find employers experiencing difficulties you can help them with. The third is contacting these employers by getting your resume in front of decision makers. And these steps can be broken down into smaller steps.

By having the first step completed, a job hunter is positioned to get those interviews that he really wanted.

By breaking the job search down into a series of discrete steps, and reaching milestones for each of those steps, the job hunter has taken control of the job search process. You need to do the same thing for your job search: break it down into small steps, and focus on reaching a do-able milestone in each step.

4. A Job Hunter who is working smarter, not harder, will do things differently than others in their field, especially follow-up.

A company I was working for put me in charge of purchasing what was for us an expensive computer upgrade including networking, broadband connections, software, etc. - about $30,000. We called the leading firms in the area and tried to get salespeople to visit us. We found it very hard to get a phone call returned. What was worse, the salespeople who eventually came out were poorly prepared. And when they promised us references and proposals, they rarely followed up.

But one salesperson broke the mold. He followed up. He spent time with us. He was knowledgeable about his competitors' as well as his own product.

One day when our company had opened a new office and it got a small notice in a business journal. He stopped in to congratulate us. We bought from him, simply because we did not have the time to figure out what the "best" solution was for our needs, and we trusted him. He did things differently from the rest and he got a sale as a result.

In my work with hundreds of job hunters, I find that the best ones ALWAYS do things differently than the rest. They get interviews differently, they network differently, they make their calls differently. In today's world, doing things differently will prove to be a major ingredient in your success.

One thing that stands out among the successful job hunters is that they consistently and sometimes creatively follow up. Follow up is rare. In fact, studies have claimed that only 1% to 10% of job hunters follow up. Therefore, when it is done, it gets noticed. Following up after an interview is a great way, and the smart way, to build trust.

5. A job hunter who is working smarter, not harder, will listen more than talk

Here is an undeniable truth of job hunting: The more your interviewer talks, the higher your chances are of getting a job offer.

It's really that simple. Sales people will tell you that even if they do a tremendous presentation, they seldom make a sale if they do all the talking. It is imperative that the prospect speaks -- and the more the better. If you do most of the talking, they will usually not offer you the job - and the irony is, you will never know why because you were too busy talking to find out!

Don't make the mistake of thinking that listening is a passive activity. It is not - it's active. And listening is not an easy habit to acquire, because we are all so preoccupied with our own concerns that we find it hard to shut our minds down and really listen.

But if you learn to listen, it will pay huge dividends, in a better job offer and in a better life.

The way to listen is to pay close attention to what is being said by using your whole being, not just your ears. You direct your full consciousness to the persons or people who you are with. When your mind occasionally wanders onto what you will do tomorrow, or what you did yesterday, or on some fantasy or problem, you simply direct your focus back onto what your interviewers are saying. There is a lot to listening and if you become a master listener you will become a master job hunter.

By really understanding these five secrets and acting on them, you will work less while achieving significant increases in your results, starting today.

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