Well, around the first Monday of March, a bunch of job-hunt irons I'd had in the fire all got hot. I picked up a short term contract with a consulting firm I'd interviewed with at the end of February and responses on four jobs I'd applied for.

No perm offers yet, but I'm keeping my head above water and have one interview scheduled with another likely to be scheduled. And both of those positions are interesting roles with cool companies. Really hope one turns into an offer.

Got this a couple of days ago, getting through my gmail spam filter:

How are you? I represent Dealmax LTD Personnel Dept. and I'm responsible for
headhunting among the candidates for the open positions with our
organization. We have read with interest your information disclosed at
Career Builder site detailing your relevant work experience and
qualifications and want to offer you a well-paid part-time job opportunity.
We believe you can be considered as a successful candidate for the vacancy.
If you are interested in our company and in more information on this
position, feel free to contact the HR.

Thank you for your consideration and have a nice day.

Aside from the standard "if it seems to be too good to be true, it is" and the standard caution against unsolicited recruitment offers from Hotmail accounts (this one came from Hermione Z. Jefferson - ven4456medema@hotmail.com), the biggest red flag is their return address.

The reply address was Recruitment@DealmaxLtd.com. The domain DealmaxLtd.com was registered on February 2, 2011. Yes, just 5 days ago. If you've got dirty laundry older than the company's domain, that's a HUGE red flag.

Be careful of these folks.

This one just slipped through my spam filters, and I thought I'd share. As usual, the letter and then a debunking below it.

Dear Sir/Madam,

1st Delivery Inc. offers an opportunity to apply for a full/part time position of Delivery Service Assistant for the United States citizens and legal aliens (Note: Previous experience in the delivery service is not required).

1st Delivery Inc. is a premier global provider of delivery service solutions, specializing in the international delivery solutions, with the long-term commitment history.

Read the rest of this entry »

I composed this cover letter this morning in response to a Craigslist ad for a "Corporate Trainer." I got a call back within 2 hours. Sadly, they started with the travel requirements of the job which were just too high for me. But I was still excited to get the call. Thought I'd share the cover letter.

I'm an excellent cook. That's got nothing to do with training, but after reading 1,500 cover letters, I hope you'll find it's different than the same old opening. It also means I'm not only confident in my job-related skills, but I can sweeten the pot with some awesome dishes at office potlucks.

While it's been a while since I was on stage, I emceed the open mic at a major Los Angeles comedy club in the late 1980s, and in the 90s I presented online marketing seminars to business groups around Los Angeles. I am comfortable and natural speaking in front of large groups on a variety of topics.

I also have extensive writing experience, experience with documentation and courseware development, and solid web development and content management experience.

I've attached my resume and I believe you'll find that my broad range of experience and skills makes your task of finding the right person for this job that much easier.