Employers are placing a premium on experience to help them meet their increasing worldwide competition. A person who gets extended severance payments from his or her last employer should take a vacation, get away from the workplace and not start looking for a job until the money starts running out. There is no hurry to start looking for another job immediately after being discharged. With the large number of layoffs, today's job market is more competitive than ever. The problem with long-term severance payments is that they lull the individual into a false sense of security and delay the job search, taking the person out of the job market at a time when he or she should be most active.
Employers tend to be suspicious of anyone who has been out of work as long as six months.
The subject of salary should be raised as quickly as possible in the first interview so the individual knows where he or she stands and whether further discussion will be a waste of time. Raising the subject of salary in the first interview is one of the quickest ways to be removed from consideration for that job. The reason is it sends the employer a message that you are more concerned about yourself than the company or the job. A well written resume is the most important part of my job search and should be enough to get a job. The resume is an essential tool in the job search but in itself loses more jobs than it gains.