Apparently job seekers are still having a hard time with find a job; needless to say since the unemployment rate is still above 8%. In those difficult times "who you know" can be a big time help. If you don't have a lot of friends and resort to finding a job online, you might want to at least keep up with the challenges of doing so today. Just because job postings are up doesn't mean you should shoot off your resume to every Tom, DIck and Harry.

Think you have heard this story before...the tale of the worker bee and the manager? Most likely not. This isn't the usual tale where the worker bee does all the work, on the job, while the boss [manager] gets all the glory. True, that scenario clearly exists in virtually every workplace but, then again, so too does this scenario. Manage the manager. Your manager may be charged with the official duties of managing people and budgets but the worker bee has a management role too - managing the manager to ensure stable employment.

Emotional Intelligence is the cryptic scientific name related to understanding emotions, behavior and how such influences decisions in the workplace, on a day to day basis. Bottom line, getting the job is one thing, keeping it is another. For those that want to keep their jobs and the glory and perks that may come, you must stay ahead of the game in dealing with emotions on the job, especially those of your manager.

With the massive influx of extroverts in the workplace, it's virtually impossible to simply show up, do a good job and expect that will carry you long term. Maybe that strategy will suffice for short term but sooner or later an emotional situational will show up that can make or break your future career, depending on how well you foresee such an emotional situation and more importantly how you respond. It could be something as small as a common courtesy gestures such as good morning and good evening or not picking up signals that your manager doesn't like surprises and, instead, expects a heads up before a potentially embarrassing or confrontational situation arises. Bottom line, the tale of worker bee and manager is that each has management responsibilities and the job seeker that knows this is not likely the one currently looking for a job.

It's really hard to believe that people still make ridiculous blunders during job interviews. News flash -- jobs are scarce, so you need to act like you want the job to get the job. Yes, that means you definitely need to do more "dog and pony" shows to get an edge. Wake up -- it's an employer's market and employers like it that way. So for at least the foreseeable future, you're going to have to go the extra mile even for a job for which you're way over qualified.

Acting like you want a job isn't really that hard, if you're motivated. For example,it never has been ok nor will it ever be, to show up to a job interview late. Who cares about you, when 15 other candidates for the same job arrived on time. Now that you have arrived on time, make sure you're sending the right signals during the interview. Your body language counts much more than words. Next, always always always follow up (preferably in writing) to thank the interviewer and find out when a hiring decision will be made (that is assuming you haven't already been told you're hired). The bottom line is that you must tighten up on your "A" game and act like you want the job to actually get the job. That's a no brainer right? Then why haven't you been hired yet?