[Porsche-O-Phile]

[GrammarNaziMode=ON]

"it's" = contraction for "it is"
"I" = personal noun for the self

So in your above post instead of saying, "I know i'm not an English major, but its a lot better than what it was a few years ago", say "I know I'm not an English major, but it's a lot better than it was a few years ago".

[GrammarNaziMode=OFF]

Just busting your nuts a bit (I know this is just an Internet forum).

Seriously though - work on the verbal representation. You wouldn't believe how many resumes I've automatically "round filed" because of a misspelling or grammatical mistake. I don't care if you have good credentials - I want someone with good credentials who can bring them to bear on his/her work - and a resume is a first glimpse of whether or not they have the ability/willingness to do so.

The thing that Rob suggested earlier still seems WAY over-the-top/creepy/stalker-ish to me, but one thing I've observed (particularly in Southern California) is that increasingly, young people give less and less of a damn about their jobs. Simply showing up on time and acting like you give a schit will put you ahead of 95% of the pack these days. It shouldn't be that way (it used to be that the "minimum standards" assumed these) but no longer. Just an FYI.

Top priority is BE RELIABLE. That doesn't just mean "be on time". I can always buy "good" talent, I can't buy "reliable" talent. Either a person is reliable or they're not - regardless of their skills, and unfortunately an employer can't really find out if he's gotten "one of the good ones" until the person is hired. You can call references, but those are only so reliable for evaluating one's dependability ahead of time.