By CAREEREALISM-Approved Expert, Sean Harry

By now you understand finding the perfect job requires more than simply writing a resume and posting it online. In fact, if you are going to take the “apply-on-line” approach you should spend NO MORE than 2 hours per week at it. Less than 5% of jobs are ever posted online, so if you are going to find your next job fast you need to spend your time elsewhere.

The successful and savvy job seeker will develop a compelling personal brand and spend 75% of their time (or more) promoting it. Here are 7 key ways to promote your personal brand.

Dear Experts,

Following a group interview (five people), should I send one thank you note to the group as a whole? Or, should I send individual notes to each participant?

CLICK HERE to see how experts answered this question on Twitter.

By CAREEREALISM-Approved Expert, Kris Parfitt

Considering a career change? Thinking of going for that promotion? Looking for a job? Something is motivating you to consider your options, but have you asked yourself the one question which once answered really identifies what would happen if you didn’t pursue the change? That question is simple in content yet profound in context: What do you have at stake? In other words, what do you have to lose in your life if you do NOT seek this transition?

I ask this question of all my clients and it causes them to pause and really think about what aspect of their life they are putting on the line. One of my clients said she had her health at stake. She knew if she didn’t change some aspects of her position at work her health issues would increase. As a mid-level manager she worked 60+ hours a week, was continually stressed and ate mostly from the vending machines or nearby fast-food restaurants.

Dear Experts,

I am an Indian expatriate working in the Middle East. I work for a wonderful company for which I have a lot of respect but there are certain things which are completely outrageous, at least from the perspective of an employee.

Our Company Policy states the employee should have three years experience at the company to be given the vacation salary before going on vacation. If the employee has less than three years experience, the company would pay their vacation salary only after their return from vacation. Management says this is because of those employees who work for a year or two and do not return. They say they hold the vacation salary as it would cover the expenses incurred by the company for processing the visa, paying the manpower agency, flight ticket and other arrangements when they hire an employee from another country.

By CAREEREALISM-Approved Expert, Teena Rose

Invited to an interview, you step into the room and unload that heavy photo album you’ve been clinging to onto the conference table. In addition to a resume and brag book, you have pictures on your iPhone of your dogs and the neighbor’s cat stalking the birds enjoying your new bird feeder.

The interview progresses by you opening and flipping through the pages of your album, pointing to your family and friends. You gladly draw the interviewer’s attention to those older pictures taken during your college days...and to the many of your drunk, sleeping positions your friends encapsulated forever through one click of a camera.

Dear Experts,

A recruiter contacted me to interview for a position. After two phone interviews and one on-site interview with three people, I was told I was the "top-candidate" and the corporate HR department (in Europe) was "approving" the local office to make an offer.

A few weeks pass by with no new news, then the local HR department calls me to reiterate the delay was caused by corporate HR. Two week later I get an email stating they "had" to select an internal candidate and asking if I would be interested in "future" openings.

By CAREEREALISM-Approved Expert, Debra Wheatman

It is a well known fact using job boards exclusively as you conduct a job search will leave you confounded and frustrated. Sure you might be qualified for the positions for which you are applying – but posting your résumé online is like trying to find a needle in a haystack – a really, really big haystack.

So what exactly is this thing called ‘the hidden job market’? The hidden job market consists of openings not directly advertised. More and more companies are relying on their employees and specialized, niche sites to identify qualified candidates. What is the reason for this? With the big job boards, there are a lot of unqualified candidates positing résumés and applying for positions for which they are not qualified. In an effort to cut to the chase, as it were, employers are trying to create a system whereby they can identify a pool of qualified and viable candidates more quickly. It’s very time consuming to sort through hundreds of résumés to find one or two candidates that might be suitable for an opening.

‘JT & Dale Talk Jobs’ is the largest nationally syndicated career advice column in the country and can be found at JTandDale.com.

Dear J.T. & Dale: I've had four interviews. I keep getting asked my "greatest strength" and then my "greatest weakness." As for the latter, I answered truthfully. Once I said "not enough patience," and once I said "communicating." Is this wrong? — Ellis

‘JT & Dale Talk Jobs’ is the largest nationally syndicated career advice column in the country and can be found at JTandDale.com.

Dear J.T. & Dale: What do you advise for someone who doesn't like working? I've never liked any of the jobs I've ever had. I have a good history of longevity with jobs, but I'm always unhappy. I'm almost 30, and I still don't know "what I want to be when I grow up." — Mary

Dear Experts,

My boss is extremely old school when it comes to technology. He is just getting used to email so he doesn't even want to think about social media. He runs a successful business but I can imagine our accomplishments would increase if we embraced social media for our marketing efforts.

I've brought up Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn with him before and he just doesn't understand how it could help our company make money. I told him it's not necessarily about the money but rather the presence and credibility.