As the job market tightens, it’s more important than ever to put your best foot forward. Job seekers are always looking for new ways to standout from the competition, whether it’s printing your resume on colored paper or singing your responses to the interview questions. Debra Feldman, a.k.a. the JobWhiz, has found a more effective method (albeit less creative) for receiving a job offer by applying simple marketing techniques. You can apply the Six Newer P’s whether you’re selling yourself to a prospective employer or selling your product to a potential client. Debra Feldman explains it all in an article titled “Six Newer P’s that Maximize Job Search Success.”

Here’s a preview of the six P’s:

1. Positioning: The first step to launching a successful campaign and propelling it forward is to identify what makes you a unique candidate.

2. Process: The swiftest route to a new opportunity is to identify your target employers and then address their needs in terms of how you can meet them better than anyone else. Don’t wait around for a company to advertise for a job that is perfect for you.

3. Persistence and perseverance: The early bird, the first candidate to impress the decision maker, has a competitive advantage. So be the one to create a new job just for you by introducing yourself to employers you want to work for.

4. Performance and Presentation: Make sure your resume speaks to your strengths, talents and skills, but nothing beats actual performance to prove to an employer that you can deliver for them.

5. Personality: The greatest credentials in the world are not enough. Interpersonal chemistry, that essential feeling of trust, plays a critical role in hiring decisions.

6. Pricing: Compensation provides a guideline to where you fit into an organization’s hierarchy, how much responsibility/authority you merit and is an indicator of the additional value you represent to the employer.

(Excerpts from Chapter 8 of Secrets of the Young & Successful by Jennifer Kushell and Scott Kaufman)

Listen to the audio excerpt of this chapter on the YSN Secrets Podcast.

Need a little help working through some of the possibilities of what may come? Dealing with a current crisis of your own — beyond the economic crisis? Try this out. It’s something we call TAPPS, and it’s guaranteed to help you see any difficult situation a little more clearly and find ways to cope with it more sanely. TAPPS is a strategic planning process that takes us through five simple steps to uncover what we would do if a major life challenge or decision were to hit by identifying the best possible approach. It also happens to be useful when trying to prevent a particular situation from happening or just lessening the impact from something we’ve already been confronted with. This is what it stands for: Truth, Awareness, Preparation, Prevention, Survival.

Truth: We begin by being truthful with ourselves about what’s going on. What is the issue at hand? Be candid. Be clear.

Awareness: Second, we have to gain a strong awareness of the options we have and what the realistic ramifications of our choices could mean. This is where our Real World training comes in. To ensure we’re as up to speed as we can be on the latest research, data, trends, and information, we have to do some serious research and investigation. Relying solely on the information and opinions of others is not always the best decision either. Armed with some in-depth and intensive research skills, we can find the top experts and latest information on just about anything.

Preparation & Prevention: Often even after a crisis has hit, there is still more that we can do to prevent further damage… and we must be strong enough both to recognize that and to do what we can. In this day and age, we have access to so much information and such incredible technology that it is possible to arm ourselves against a wide variety of potential problems.

Have you ever heard this saying, “If we fail to plan, we plan to fail.” It’s true. We can’t prevent everything out there but we can deal with what’s likely and what afflicts us by confronting the situations proactively. Carefully planning our course of action, at any stage really, can virtually immunize us to many surprises and situations.

Survival: It’s natural to want to give up or hide in bed for days when something goes very wrong but ignoring problems never makes them go away. And all too often we underestimate the power of the spirit. We can play the victim and wallow in our suffering, or we can switch into survivor mode and tackle our challenges head on. That’s the true spirit of the Young & Successful.

You are about to embark on an amazing experience at the SIFE World Cup, and we want to make sure you are ready to WOW them. We’ve created a series of tips and strategies for you at YSN.com to do just that.

PERSONAL GOALS

As you make your final preparations for World Cup, start to think about what would make the experience the most successful for you personally and professional. Are you looking to network with people from different countries? Do you want to learn about SIFE companies that may be interested in hiring? Are you looking for an opportunity to travel abroad to start your career? Write 3-5 goals down (besides winning the big competition!) and tuck them into your wallet or pocket so you can refer to them daily. Focus on maximizing your opportunities in Singapore and you’ll quickly find there are many ways to win at World Cup!

PRESENTING YOURSELF

WEAR YOUR BEST ONLINE FACE

While you might already have a personal profile up on MySpace, Facebook or Bebo, consider what people find when they Google you. You are about to introduce yourself and your team to people from all over the world. Make sure that what they see is as impressive as you are!

Take 15 minutes and start to build your PROJO – your professional mojo™ – at http://www.sife.ysn.com. This will instantly give you the professional appearance you’ve been working so hard to build, in a powerful online identity that you can share with employers, colleagues, teammates – even make your family proud.

Since YSN.com is a big SIFE partner, the sife.ysn.com site will also help you share your story with other SIFE students from all over the world!

BUSINESS CARDS

If at all possible, get business cards printed for you and your team. Considering all of the international teams, global CEOs and corporate recruiters that you’ll be meeting, being able to exchange business cards will not only help you remember one another, but stay connected long after the event.

NETWORKING

Don’t pass up one of the greatest opportunities you may ever have to meet people from dozens of countries and executives from some of the biggest companies in the world. Make meeting new people one of your top priorities in Singapore. Sure, you’ll bump into a few of them in the elevators and hallways, but go out of your way to introduce yourself to anyone with a SIFE badge, talk to strangers, and mingle with teams from other countries. This is not the time to be shy! Your entire life could be changed by a single unexpected encounter. It happens every day.

SHAKING & SMILING

You don’t have to speak the language to be polite, friendly and confident. Odds are you already are, but be extra conscious of smiling to new people you meet. This will help break the ice, put them at ease and make you more approachable. And when you go to shake someone’s hand, don’t give them “the cold fish”! Really! The cold fish handshake is when someone avoids eye contact, then hesitantly offers you their hand – which feels like a limp fish – to shake. Instead, look people solidly in the eye, shaking firmly and confidently, and smile as often as possible.

AT THE EVENT

PLANNING YOUR SCHEDULE

Once you arrive in Singapore and pick up your registration packages, be sure to review all the material to get a good sense for what to expect at the event. Pay particular attention to the calendars and schedule of events. Highlight all of the critical events to attend (like opening ceremonies and your competition times) and make notes on other optional events or excursions that you’d like to attend, time permitting, so you don’t have to keep scrambling to figure out what you may be missing throughout the event!

SIFE DONORS, RECRUITERS AND JOB OPPORTUNITIES

All around the big event, you’re sure to see plenty of executives wearing SIFE badges, many with a variety of different ribbons. These are the people who really make your SIFE experience possible. They are the major donors, the supporters, the advisors, and they come from some of the most powerful and successful organizations in the world. Don’t let yourself get intimidated or shy around them. Say hello! Introduce yourself to them! Ask them what their ribbons mean, or what their company does. Is this their first time at a World Cup? Find out what SIFE means to them. Breaking the ice and starting a conversation is as easy as this. (It’s also the key to making great new friends wherever you go!)

One other important thing to keep an eye out for are company exhibits…and the people at the booths. Odds are, they’re not only in Singapore to show their support to SIFE, but several are also looking to recruit the most talented and promising students they can find. Don’t make them look for you…or worse, miss you! Step out of your comfort zone and strike up conversations with them! Even if you’re not looking for a job right now, or you’re set on exploring a totally different field, talking to executives is great practice. Again, sometimes a single spirited conversation is all that separates you from the opportunity or career of your dreams.

TOP TO TOP EVENTS

When you get your coveted invitation to one of the Top to Future Top events, promise yourself you won’t miss it for anything in the world! If you’ve never participated in one of these breakfasts before, get ready, because you’re about to have intimate conversations with some extraordinarily successful people! To best prepare yourself (and we definitely recommend being prepared!), start by practicing your own “elevator pitch”. This is a popular term for how you explain to someone who you are, what you do, where you’re from and where you want to go…in a few seconds to a minute or two. Getting the chance to introduce yourself is your chance to WOW people and get them interested in talking to you. Second, think about a few career-related questions that you can ask the executives – either your own, or something about their success to date. Then make sure you exchange business cards before you shake goodbye!

JUDGES

When you’re getting ready to make your presentation to judges, it’s normal to be a little nervous. They may be executives from prominent corporations, but remember, they’re also real people, and many of them have kids who they’d only hope would grow up to be as inspired and accomplished as you. Don’t be “too rehearsed”. Show some personality! Always try to create an emotional connection with your audience. Tell them where you come from and why being a part of SIFE means so much to you and you’re sure to win their hearts.

DON’T LEAVE EARLY!

It may seem obvious, but not everyone can win at World Cup. If your team happens to finish the competition early, don’t let it define your experience. And definitely don’t give up and leave. There are plenty of things to do at the event and more opportunities to learn about the world, tons of global companies, exciting new industries and international job opportunities than you’ll find anywhere. The more time you have after competing, the more time you have to make some big strides with your future!

AFTER PARTY

The SIFE World Cup After Party is your final chance to say goodbye to all the great friends you’ll make in Singapore. It’s also your big chance to let your hair down and dance! Don’t miss it…or your chance to become famous. Start to build out your PROJO on www.sife.ysn.com and you might just find yourself (and your success story to date) larger than life for all to see! Your friends back home will be so jealous.

THE GLOBAL CAREER MINDSET SURVEY

During the first two days of competition, your friends from YSN will be passing out paper surveys for you and your whole team to fill out, telling us about what you’re thinking about doing with your life after college and after SIFE. This is the second time we’re conducting The Global Career Mindset Study to bring to life the workforce of the future (that means you!) and you can play a powerful role in contributing to the first global research of students in over 50 countries. As thank you, everyone who completes a survey will receive a free download of our New York Times bestselling book Secrets of the Young & Successful: How to Get Everything You Want Without Waiting a Lifetime. What’s more, we’ll also be holding a drawing where a few lucky winners will win some great cash prizes!

YSN’s Jennifer Kushell was on ABC News Now on Wednesday to talk about how the global financial shakeup will affect young job seekers. See the full video.

Anyone in business will tell you that part of being successful lies in knowing the right people — and with the economy’s latest developments it might just be more important than ever. Of course, as your business grows or as you climb the corporate ladder or inch closer to your Ideal Life, you’ll meet and work with a lot of different people – some of whom you will like and others you won’t. Either way, you never know who might pop back into your life or prove useful to your career or business in the future. That’s why it’s important to keep your reputation in tact, leave things on a good note and be careful not to burn bridges.

Here are a few suggestions from Marjorie Brody, coauthor of Help! Was that a Career Limiting Move? You can read more tips and her entire article on the Princeton Review website.

1. Don’t gossip.
2. Don’t blame others.
3. Do what you say you will do.
4. Don’t embellish the truth or lie.
5. Don’t talk disparagingly about your competitors.
6. If you switch jobs, don’t bad-mouth your old employer or co-workers.
7. Keep promises and confidential information confidential
8. Don’t use vulgar language or tell racist, sexist or off-color jokes.

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