Getting a job at an investment bank or corporate law firm can be super competitive, even if you have all of the right credentials to get your foot in the door. So it’s important to have every possible advantage when you are going through the job search, application and interview process.

To that end, I sat down with a top headhunter from a national recruiting firm and a director of recruiting at a large corporate firm and talked to them about some common mistakes that candidates make and ways that candidates have impressed them.

Based on their experience and my own, here are ten tips that should improve your chances of landing your dream job:

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Fresh from The Times’ Body & Soul segment, the following ten tips will help you get the most out of your work day.

1. Avoid office affairs
2. Go home earlier
3. Use the stairs
4. Move the computer screen
5. Buy some potted plants
6. Ration e-mail
7. Let it all hang out
8. Decorate the office nicely
9. Choose your desk wisely
10. Consider going solo and out on your own

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In the world of marketing, where the main currency is brand recognition and reputation, companies strive to build their brand equity, meaning the value that clients and prospects perceive in a brand.

But the concept of brand equity applies to individuals, not just companies and products. Just like Volvos are perceived as reliable and Rolexes are perceived as luxurious, people cultivate certain traits as they navigate office relationships and seek to advance their careers. These labels affect the perception of your value as an employee and define your personal brand equity.

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Connie Thanasoulis has just left her job at Merril Lynch after seven years, for a much-needed break. She worked at Merrills most recently as Director and Chief Operating Officer for Campus Recruiting, having spent a total of twenty-one years working in the industry. She’s taking time out to enjoy the things she hasn’t previously had the daylight hours to accomplish…

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If you’re a female of a certain age and working in banking, you’ll appreciate that at a variable point in your thirties (round about early- to mid-) your career track and biological clock mysteriously start working against each other.

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