At last, you are finally given the chance for the interview. Ready to go? Not yet. Aside from putting your self to a good night rest, you must be prepared for the interview. How? Here are some tips:

Review your resume.
It may sound ironic, but yes, you have to review your own resume. If at one time you are asked by the interviewer something that is already written and you have forgotten about it, they may presume that you are not what you have written. It can be the reason why you will not be called for a next interview.

Know the company and the job you are applying for.
o What if you’ll be asked: “What do you know about our company?” It is helpful if you already researched about the company you are applying to. They will surely be glad to know that you are familiar with their company. The interviewer will think that you are familiar with what you are applying for.

Prepare questions that might be asked during the interview.
Jot down questions that you feel will be asked and practice answering them. In some questions, it is necessary to provide evidence of your success. It is a great way to promote your candidacy.

Be sure to be on time.
Remember the date and time of the interview to avoid being late. If possible, arrive ahead of time.

Look your best.
Make sure that what you are wearing is neat, tidy and appropriate for the type of firm you are interviewing with.

Bring a nice portfolio.
Along with your resume, bring a portfolio that might be of great help to the job you are applying for. Include also pen and paper.

Prepare to be calm.
Trying to relax and staying calm will make it possible for you to pay attention to the interviewer. It will also let you maintain eye contact with the interviewer. With that, you are saving yourself from possible embarrassment.

Two to four seconds is all it takes for employers to scan your cover letter. If they are not able to see what they are looking for, your document—meaning your cover letter and your résumé—will be put to waste. Hurt? But that is the way it is. Cover letter makes—or breaks—your chance for interview.

So, how do you write attention-getting cover letter? Here are the ways:

Be concise. Avoid writing a two-page cover letter. One full page is enough to do it. Three to four paragraphs are already ideal, with lots of spaces around the margin. Bear in mind that the reader is of time constraint and is scanning hundreds of cover letters and résumés a day.

Be direct. You are not writing about your life, you are writing a cover letter, so go straight to the point. On your first paragraph, let them know why you are writing them, indicating your intended position. On your second paragraph, let them know why you fit the job. On your last paragraph, mention that you have attached your résumé and that you are requesting for an interview.

Do your own cover letter. Companies reading hundreds upon hundreds of résumés a day are becoming familiar with cover letters submitted to them that they can easily identify which cover letters are available in the computer or who are the applicants who preferred templates and did not bother to write their own. That is the risk an applicant would be taking if he uses one, as his application may be neglected.

Carefully spot the errors. Before printing your cover letter, do not forget to double check it for grammatical, punctuation and typographical errors. If hiring managers find too many of them, they will come into conclusion that you have problem with your communication and writing skills. Save yourself by looking professional.

Use ‘I’ to a minimum. You will normally use the word ‘I’ in your cover letter but avoid utilizing it many times. They may mistake you for being self-centered.

Write with a heart. A cover letter well-written is the one done with a heart. The employer will mirror your willingness and effort in your cover letter.

Hiring managers are the ones tasked by companies to employ workers. They are the ones who have the duty of choosing who to call for initial interview. Picking a job applicant depends on first impression alone. First impression comes in the form of a résumé that’s why it pays to make sure of doing it right and striking the first time.

Some résumés, if not all, are not thoroughly read by the hiring managers. Though it took you hours or even days to write, fact is, only a glance is given to your hard-earned résumé. They just scan it—spending less than a minute reviewing it. It will surely deserve a second glance—or catch their full attention—only if they found something that is of value to their company or to the job you are applying for.

Here are ways to boost your résumé:

1. Do not forget your cover letter.
Cover letters are so vital to the application process that most of the employers automatically snub résumés which are submitted without them. Specify in the cover letter the job you are seeking in the company. Write confidently about your qualifications. Entice them but do not exaggerate nor lie.

2. Give your résumé a professional look.
Okay, you want your résumé to stand out. But do you ever think that going for too much color will surely give your résumé an unprofessional look? Stick to the standard white, black type and common fonts like Times New Roman.

3. Be brief.
Put only information that is necessary for your job application. As it is said, hiring managers initially scan résumés on the company file. If yours is too long, it may cause boredom to the reader and your résumé may not be appreciated.

4. Focus on your accomplishments, not on duties.
Duties are works done for the company, while accomplishments are contributions given to the company. Accomplishments without any doubt strike attention to the employer.

5. Do not indicate the reason you left your previous company.
This is where ‘first impression lasts’ comes in. Do not deprive yourself of the opportunity to have an initial interview by giving impression that you are an incompetent employee by indicating “I was fired” in your résumé.

6. Proofread. Proofread. Proofread.
Do not assume that spell- and grammar-check are sufficient. It is the résumé writers’ duty to edit their work, but always bear in mind that they will not be able to spot all typographical or grammatical errors. Proofread your résumé many times then have someone to finally review it. Grammatically error résumés, more often than not, are thrown away by the employers.

7. Use action words.
Words like “achieved,” “managed,” and “implemented” will surely make your résumé more interesting and relevant to the eye of the employer.

8. Avoid being redundant.
Do not use a word too many times in your document. Let a thesaurus help you find ways to say the same thing.

9. Use keywords or phrases.
These are very important for the company’s applicant tracking software. These words are not the verbs written in your résumé but nouns, such as job title.

10. Send your résumé to the specific individual responsible for hiring.
Lastly, be sure to address your résumé to the person who has the hand in picking an applicant. This is the first, surefire step to catch his attention.

By Lang Greene
jgreene@jacklangstoninc.com
August 30, 2007

A resume is the first line of defense for your education, experience, and accomplishments. It serves as a self-marketing tool that if done correctly will lead to a plethora of interviews and potential job offers. Each resume that is sent to a respective firm should be concise, grammatically perfect, detailed and truthful. Failure to follow the established guidelines will result in your resume being added to the increasingly growing garbage bin. Please ensure you comply with these generally accepted guidelines.

Vocabulary. Human Resource professionals are typically unforgiving on grammatically inferior resumes. Armed with a pool of already proofread resumes at their disposal, why would your resume get a second glance with common mistakes?

Accomplishments. What good is ten years experience if there are no successful milestones mentioned? Listing your proven track record sets you apart from other candidates and increases the probability of an interview.

Education. For experienced job candidates, educational achievements are sometimes omitted to include more career experience. This can be a mistake if the job applied for has an education requirement. You cannot assume that a human resource professional can guess that you have a Master of Business Administration from Duke University. By always including this field you fully complete your presentation to the employer.

Skills. Know how to work a certain piece of machinery? Technological expertise? Acquiring an expertise in a skill set will enhance your marketability to employers.

Certifications. These nationally recognized certifications put you at high demand. Make sure your certifications are placed properly on the resume for an added edge.

Contact Information. True story: My personal cell phone was at one point ringing three times a day for a man named Elliot. The calls were from a few fortune 500 companies and plenty of mid sized respectable businesses. Poor Elliot didn’t include his e-mail address on his resume and after I informed the employers they had the wrong phone information his job search came to an avoidable end. All relevant contact information should be included on your resume. Resist using gimmicky e-mail addresses like theterminator@domain.com and instead create a professional account for your job search (i.e. johndoe@domain.com). Keep it professional!

Resume Mistakes. Please do not become the subject of this page by doing any of the following Social Security Number. According to human resource professionals, this is becoming more prevalent in today’s job applicants resumes. While almost every company seems to need your social security number for transactions, the resume remains a place where it should not be included under any circumstances.

Reasons for leaving previous jobs. This topic will undoubtedly arise if you are given an interview. That would be the proper venue to discuss past experiences and reasons for termination from previous assignments. Using First Person. “I” should only be used in the formal interview. Never use it on your resume to describe an accomplishment (i.e. I developed the new training process for departmental colleagues)

Political Allegiances. Being a good republican or democrat may earn you high social status in some circles, but including “staunch republican / democrat” will potentially alienate your resume before it is fully reviewed. Work is a place where management is constantly trying to get its workforce to cooperate and use teamwork. Boasting political affiliations have the potential to polarize.

Age. This information should NEVER be placed in a professional resume. Let your skills and experience do the talking. If you are qualified for the position and are 22 or 65, your age should never enter the equation.

By Dawn Warnaar
dwarnaar@warnaarwriting.com
September 15, 2007

Do research the company with which you are interviewing before the interview. The interviewer may very well ask “So, what do you know about our company?” Be prepared to give a better response than “nothing.”

Don’t be late! If you are unsure of the location try to drive by a few days ahead of time so you know right where it is. Plan for traffic and any other unforeseen issues. Arriving about 10 minutes early is ideal.

Do dress up! This is one of those times when it is better to be over-dressed than under-dressed. Go for the business suit. Gentlemen, wear a tie and be clean shaven. Ladies, keep the makeup natural and don’t overdo jewelry.

Don’t be negative about your current or past employers. Focus on the positives.

Do bring a copy of your resume and cover letter that is unwrinkled and printed on resume paper. You get extra points for addressing the name of the interviewer on the cover letter.

Don’t lie—on your resume or in your interview. This ranks as one of the top turn-offs among HR departments and interviewers.

Do get plenty of sleep the night before so you appear fresh and your mind is sharp and prepared to respond to all the inevitable questions!

Don’t be shy! This is an appropriate time to “brag” about your skills, accomplishments and what a tremendous asset you will be to the team.

Do follow-up with a brief thank you note to the person(s) who interviewed you within 1-3 days after the meeting. It is perfectly acceptable to send this via email. Few people take this important extra step. This keeps you on their radar, shows good follow-up skills and sets you apart from all the other candidates who didn’t send a thank you note.

Just as a strong resume won you the interview, strong interviewing skills can win you the job. Be prepared, be confident and follow-up!

By Dawn Warnaar
dwarnaar@warnaarwriting.com
September 15, 2007

Change your font. Most resumes use the Times New Roman or Arial font. An easy way to make your resume stand out is by trying different fonts that are still professional. Tahoma, Verdana or Century Gothic are good alternative fonts.

Fix the flaws. Check and double-check for typos, spelling and grammar errors. Either use periods or don’t—pick one way and go with it throughout the entire resume.

Don’t include a picture. Trust me, just don’t! Some employers won’t even consider a resume with a picture due to Equal Opportunity and discrimination laws.

Specific is terrific. General statements like “Implemented new programs to cut costs” are boring to read. Get specific to highlight your accomplishments by rephrasing the statement to read: “Implemented an employee referral program to cut recruitment costs by over 30%.”

Customize. Does the help wanted ad include information on what they’re looking for? Match the job requirements to your qualifications. (For example, state their requirement and then explain how your qualifications meet that requirement).

Add action words. Here are a few suggestions: streamlined, implemented, planned, led, organized, managed, created, developed…you get the idea. Instead of saying “Responsible for leading an action team to address employee concerns,” say “Led an action team to attack employee satisfaction concerns, reported feedback to management and suggested solutions to improve employee morale.” See how the first one is very passive and the second one gives a very descriptive picture of the task?

Delete unnecessary info. It’s great that you enjoy working out in your free time and that you’re active in your church, but it’s not really relevant to your career. Stick to naming activities and accomplishments that are significant to the job requirements or highlight your qualifications. Ensure you’re providing accurate information. Falsification of information on your application is a good way to get fired before you’re actually hired! It’s good to “brag” about your experience and achievements but don’t lie.

Try to keep it to two pages. One page resumes are a bit unrealistic unless you use a tiny font, but most hiring managers won’t read past two.

By Dawn Warnaar
dwarnaar@warnaarwriting.com
September 15, 2007

So you submitted your resume, now what? Good follow-up skills are just as important as having a great resume and cover letter and an integral part of scoring an interview.

Do your research. Try to find out the name of the hiring manager. If you can address your resume and cover letter to that person, there is a greater chance of it being seen and not getting lost in the shuffle. If the help wanted ad didn’t specify, check out the company’s website and try to get the name and email of the person who heads up the department to which you are applying. This will also let you know who to follow-up with after you’ve submitted your resume.

Follow-up via email. If you don’t have the email address, then go ahead and make a single phone call about a week after you have submitted your resume. Inquire about the status of your application and when the company expects to select qualified applicants for interviews. Be polite and thank the person you speak to for their time. (Yes, this may seem like a no-brainer, but you’d be surprised how many people call to check the status of their application and have a less-than-enthusiastic tone or are border-line rude).

Interview Follow-Up Thank You Letter. This is perfectly acceptable to send via email. Very few people take this important extra step. In my most recent position as an HR Manager over sixty people originally applied for the job. Only four got interviews and only two of those four got second interviews. A few weeks after I’d started working my boss shared this information with me. I asked him why he chose me over the other applicants. His answer? You guessed it! The follow-up thank you email. There is a fine line between good follow-up and being an annoyance. Read the help wanted ad and adhere to the application directions. Many request “no phone calls please.” If so, don’t call daily to check the status of your resume. I once had a woman who really wanted an accounting job with my past company. She emailed about bi-monthly to check in and express continued interest for several months. That really impressed me and I expressed this to the accounting department head. The woman with good follow-up was hired for the next opening in the accounting department. Bottom line: Address your resume to the hiring manager if at all possible. Follow-up via email about a week after you’ve submitted it. When you score an interview, send a thank you email 1-2 days later and finally, adhere to the application instructions.

By Career-Climbers
admin@career-climbers.com
September 30, 2007

If you want a job, you need a resume. It’s that simple. Even if your best friend’s mom is the CEO of Viacom, you still need one. More specifically, you need a Professional Resume. Sound easy? It’s not. Unfortunately, by the time the majority of people realize they should seek the assistance of a professional resume service, it seems like it’s almost too late. By then, they’ve already combed the Craigslist, Monster and Dice job listings and sent their defective resume to tens, if not hundreds of potential employers. Fast-forward to several weeks later and unsurprisingly – still no interviews. But it’s never too late! At this point, there are two options: Take the time to learn how to properly prepare this superior career tool or just hire a professional resume service to do it for you. Look, this is your career we’re talking about. One spelling or grammatical error will drop your resume into the circular filing cabinet (a.k.a. trashcan). In fact, if you don’t include the key search terms employers continuously use for popular online job search engines, then they won’t even have a chance to SEE your resume! You can’t hit a homerun if you don’t get to step up to the plate! While we strongly recommend contacting a professional resume service, we know some of you are adamant about doing it yourselves and we are here to help. Read on for a few important tips. Also, please review our sample resumes to get a more detailed idea of what your resume should look like.

OBJECTIVE

Keep it to one sentence, spanning no more than two to three lines, basically informing your future employer of your career goals. Be specific about your skills. And this is NOT the time to be humble. If you have strong communication skills, state it; if you’re an accomplished leader, state it. When it comes to the job title, be careful not to be too specific unless you are absolutely sure you know exactly what you want to do. Or you can tailor the job title to each position you are applying for (but be VERY careful not to mix and match the job titles and potential employers!!!)

PROFILE

This is one of the most integral yet overlooked sections of the resume. If an Objective is your tag line, the Profile is your introduction. It tells the employer what you feel are your strongest qualities, and what to have to offer to the company. We have found it to be most effective for a resume to contain anywhere from three to six bullet points under Profile.

PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENTS

If you’ve got it, flaunt it! If you were an integral member behind a large merger, it should be in the resume. If you’ve achieved or exceeded your sales quota, this is where it should be. But let us caution you: Do NOT confuse professional achievements with job duties. You were required to perform your job duties; even though YOU may think those duties were extra important, it may not be considered an achievement.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

This is the most important section of any resume. While there are variations of style, font and substance, generally, it should be in chronological order. It should contain the employer name (unless it’s confidential), the years of employment, job title, and job descriptions. Not only is this section the most important, BUT it is the portion of the resume that most do-it-yourselfers get WRONG. It is NOT a report, it is NOT a summary, and it is NOT a paragraph; it is a DESCRIPTION. The best advice we can give you is to review as many samples as you can. (Feel free to take a look at some of our samples!)

EDUCATION & PROFESSIONAL TRAINING

If you’ve authored 50 different articles or publications, you should put them on a separate sheet which is NOT attached to your resume. On your resume itself, indicate “Additional articles or publications available upon request.” If you have more achievements then you can count on both hands and feet, the same rule applies. Depending on the extent of your education and professional training, these can usually be grouped together. If you’ve taken a zillion ongoing education and management or sales training courses, you do not have to list all of them. You may include a statement such as “Select List” or similar verbiage.

PAGE LENGTH

Ask any two professional resume writers, and they will tell you two different things. With that said, trust us: one page max. Your interviewer wants to have one page in front of her or him and one sheet only. (Think of it this way – if a potential employer loses the second page of your resume or it becomes detached for some reason, do you think he or she will take the time to call you and ask for another copy? Or if the potential employer has 20 resumes to go through and it\’s 5pm on a Friday. When he or she comes to your 2-page resume with 8 pt. font and .25\” margins, do you think your potential employer will be happy? Exactly.)

By Judit E. Price
jprice@careercampaign.com
December 02, 2007

Getting the cover letter right is still important as the job hiring process has moved inexorably to cyber spaces, it is easy to forget some fundamentals about marketing yourself.

Job board resumes tend to be simple text-based documents, key word oriented, with some limitations that reduce the opportunity to truly express individuality. They also are a limited job resource as the ‘hidden job market’, those positions uncovered the old fashioned way, networking and personal contact, still predominate.

As a career counselor I am often amazed (and appalled) at how little many clients understand about the importance of job search fundamentals. In fact, almost every level of position demands quality material, job search and networking strategies, intense research, interviewing skills and negotiation capabilities. Too many of my clients still exhibit dismay that they have posted their resume on all the important job boards, but fail to garner interviews or useful interviews. Unfortunately, it is often after a long and fruitless job search that they come to me discouraged and frustrated. And, as frustrating as this is for job search candidates within their own industry, it is even worse for career changers, especially those who have been in one company or one industry for a long time.

For many clients, once we determine a new career direction, too often we need to start over with the basics such as how to write a resume, a cover letter, a broadcast letter and other job search material. Although the subject of this week’s article is the cover letter, I believe too many people have gotten off track with appreciating the importance of the fundamentals.

Email and the Internet are wonderfully useful tools, but are not substitutes for careful, thoughtfully crafted, professional documentation. That process starts with the cover letter. Cover letters in the past tended to be letters of transmittal, brief notes that introduced the resume. However, today the cover letter has become an important component of the marketing communications package. It is a way to provide focus, list relevant experience and introduce credentials in ways that relate directly to the company and position. It is critical to convey why someone should give you the job and to do that you must sell your qualifications. In past columns I have emphasized the importance of research into prospective employers.

The cover letter is a powerful way to tell the prospective employer that they are not part of a blanket mailing campaign looking for a few responses. Rather, the cover letter should convey the idea that you have taken the time to research the firm and are familiar with the organization and its strategies and have decided that here is a match between your interests and skills, and their needs. A good cover letter should create an interest that serves as an incentive to read the resume and hopefully extend that interest to a call for an interview. The key is relevance and that takes forethought. All this must be accomplished without lengthy text and long paragraphs that tire the reader. Nevertheless, it is important to create a theme that describes in a clear and logical way who you are, what position you seek, the value you bring to the organization and your track record of success. The cover letter is not a historical narrative, nor can it be a simple lifting of sections of the resume. Key elements of the resume can be communicated, but in ways that are more than repetition, to convey other skills that contributed to specific achievements. The skills that exemplify achievements should be relevant to the new position. Some clients believe that more is better and must be constrained from writing lengthy job description, point-by-point details of virtually everything they have done.

My job in working with clients is to identify and convey those qualities that would be important in any position. Teamwork, competence, action orientation, innovativeness are some of the important attributes that are valued. Specific skills and attributes should be tailored to the specific letter to each prospective employer.

Ask for the interview. The whole purpose of the cover letter and resume is to obtain an interview, so indicate your desire for an interview and let the recipient understand that you are serious and will follow up with a phone call.

Finally, the writing, style, tone and presentation should reflect the best that the writer can convey. Professionalism is essential for effective communications and the higher the position the greater the importance.

By Dawn Warnaar
dwarnaar@warnaarwriting.com
January 24, 2008

Your resume is your means to sell yourself to an employer. It must be enticing enough for the hiring manager to want to take the time to interview you. Avoiding overused and cliche phrases will not only make your resume stand out but it will show that you put extra effort into showing the employer what your demonstrated skills are. Whenever possible include specific examples that are result-oriented and give concrete numbers to demonstrate that you truly do posses the skill. Here are a list of commonly overused phrases and examples of better alternatives you can use to improve your resume. Some of the items are position specific but you can adapt them to fit your industry and position.

Overused Phrase: Excellent Communication Skills

Better Alternatives: Possesses superior communication skills, both verbal and written; Communicated on a professional and technical level; Conveyed quickly and effectively ideas in an influential manner.

Overused Phrase: Possesses Great Leadership Skills.

Better Alternatives: Provided decisive, proactive operating leadership in numerous project situations; Conveyed quickly and effectively ideas in an influential manner; Thrives working in a team environment and in positions of leadership; led a team of seven associates to develop a program to involve line level employees in decisions that affect them; Transitioned employees and managers through an internal merger in March 2007.

Overused Phrase: Highly Committed and Motivated Employee.

Better Alternatives: Recognized for superior work ethic and high levels of productivity; Honored as “Employee of the Year” in 2006; Awarded a $500 bonus for working overtime to meet end-of-month closing deadlines; Completed two DOL Wage & Hours Division Audits in 2006, resulting in no fines or penalties; Initiated production of a semi-monthly Employee Newsletter to help keep employees better informed. Fully responsible for its creation and distribution.

Overused Phrase: Implemented Programs to Cut Costs

Better Alternative: Created and implemented an Employee Referral Program to cut recruiting cost by over 1/3, increase quality of applicants and reduce turnover.

Overused Phrase: Excellent Follow-Up Skills.

Better Alternatives: Track and verified all personnel completed all training, medical, equipment and paperwork requirements; Created postcard mailer to send to all applicants to inform them we had received their application.

Overused Phrase: Team Player

Better Alternative: Collaboratively prepared benefit packages for a total 3,000 document requirements collectively for each of the organization’s nine divisions; Worked with a group of corporate HR associates to coordinate and conduct a successful Annual Open Enrollment that provided employees with a chance to meet with providers and ask benefit-related questions.