Actually, it was a really sunny day on the Adriatic coast, as I launched this meme [launch post is here] while I was away on my holidays. I’m delighted to see the response so far – thank you so much to all who have contributed, passed on the meme, commented, or written directly to me. Please keep the ball rolling; the quality of the contributions so far has been outstanding and there is so much more working-life experience that we can share on this oh-so important topic.

I’m going back to politely pester the people I have tagged on this one who haven’t got around to contributing yet, and I’m delighted to see new input trickling into my inbox from people I have never met or read yet. Already, I’ve added a dozen new blogs to my reader and found new ideas and approaches in each one of them. Let’s make the trickle of ideas a flow …
Contributors to date, broken out by the stages of the hunt:

HURDLE 1 – Targeting & Research

• Michael Wade, the Execupundit on playing the numbers to increase your chance of success. How do you find more oil? Drill more wells …

• Lisa over at HR Thoughts on finding the right fit – just what shape of a peg are you?

• Alexander Kjerulf, the Chief Happiness Officer with a stunningly simple thought on what constitutes the right job for you. He also has some clear-sighted thoughts on identifying your tipping point of when it’s time to move on …

• Karen from Please Don’t Call Us Headhunters with a plethora of riches – first her thoughts on targeting and research.

HURDLE 2 – The Written Stage

• Deb Owen over at 8 Hours & A Lunch has a really tightly written piece on turning your CV/Résumé into a real marketing tool. The keys? Know your audience and differentiate, differentiate, differentiate.

• Karen from Please Don’t Call Us Headhunters again – her pithy thoughts on representing yourself in writing.
  

HURDLE 3 – Interviews

• Declan Chellar has an elegant piece of real-world advice on minding your manners, even if you get bad news at an interview.

• CHO Alexander Kjerulf also contributes a great question to ask them during a job interview.

• Liz Handlin at Ultimate Resumes with her marvellous interview tips.

• Karen the Headhunter speaks much sense on the subject of the big errors to avoid at interview – make sure you catch her thoughts in the addendum piece too.

• Pawel at Software Project Management has some good thoughts on keeping the dialogue going at the end of the interview.
  

• Ask A Manager with some spot-on thoughts on dealing with questions about weaknesses and failures in your past.
  

HURDLE 4 – “Dance Monkey Boy!”

• Wally Bock over at Three Star Leadership distils 40 years of professional experience into a soaring post on job-hunting: “… the basics haven’t changed. You need to be choosy, systematic and tireless. Be little bit lucky helps, too.” Encore Wally!

• Karen the Headhunter on how to approach the various strands of pre-employment testing (When it comes to drug screens, avoid asking, “It’s just urinalysis, right?”) [Thanks Karen, I ruined a perfectly good shirt when I squirted tea out my nostrils I laughed so hard at this post]

• In the comments, Craig very kindly points us to a swoon-worthy post by the Cranky Product Manager on how to impress her in the selection process. Reverse engineering all the way – I think I’m in love …

HURDLE 5 – Negotiation

• Kris Dunn, the HR Capitalist – when should you start talking about the filthy lucre.

HURDLE 6 – Starting The New Job

• Evil HR Lady shows her human side (!) in an excellent post on making your new job layoff-proof.

• Steve Roesler at All Things Workplace with three posts – getting your head in the right frame to consider a mid-career change. Part 2 of Steve’s post is here.

If I’ve missed anyone’s submission, do drop me a line or send me a comment. I’ve noticed that a few of those already listed here didn’t show up on Technorati.

Y’all come back now, y’hear? We’ve got lots more goodies coming. I suspect this beast is going to get bigger and bigger … [You can subscribe for updates using the RSS button thingie over in the sidebar]

QUESTIONS ARISING
I’ve had some good questions by comment and mail: