October 8th, 2009
It is tempting to believe that everyone inflates their resumes by exaggerating past work experience or credentials. It is true that many people do misstate important facts on their professional resumes. They can sometimes rationalize such indiscretions because in their minds life experience is equal or better than a degree. Others simply do not care, adopting an end justifies the means or “catch me if you can” attitude. Many employers are busy, short-staffed places, and surely will never know the difference.
In these recessionary times, despite busy-ness and being short-staffed, organizations are checking references more thoroughly than ever. My heartfelt message to anyone thinking of fudging key information on their resume is DON’T.
Exactly what untruths are people tempted to claim on their resume? The U.S. Department of Labor tracks these things, and when you look at the data it breaks according to those who were not hired as well as those who were hired but ultimately terminated due to resume fraud. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: resume writing, resumes
Posted in resumes | 255 Comments »
October 6th, 2009
Whether it was a misspelled word, the wrong prefix on a word, or fragmented sentence, many hiring managers have a zero tolerance when it comes to resume mistakes. Following are more writing tips for Professional Resumes and Executive Resumes inspired from things seen on people’s resumes during my career in human resources. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: executive resumes, resume writing, resumes
Posted in resumes | 91 Comments »
September 22nd, 2009
Whether it was a misspelled word, the wrong prefix on a word, or fragmented sentence, many hiring managers have a zero tolerance when it comes to resume mistakes. Following are more writing tips for professional resumes inspired from things seen on people’s resumes during my career in human resources. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: cover letters, executive resumes, resume writing, resumes
Posted in resumes | 144 Comments »
September 9th, 2009
In this economy and with many people to choose from, it can be a close call between finalists in awarding the job. Sometimes the final decision on selecting one candidate versus another can sometimes be based upon relatively minor points. One person was a little better and it made the difference between who got the job. Following are some more behaviors that are time-tested and can give you the edge in successfully winning the job search game. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: interviewing, job search
Posted in interviewing | 44 Comments »
September 8th, 2009
I have conducted hundreds of employment interviews for positions ranging from manufacturing shop floor to the executive level. After awhile you begin to notice that successful candidates did certain things that contributed to their positive outcome. Likewise, unsuccessful candidates had certain other actions in common which led to their not being chosen or did not help them. Hiring managers tell me they can see if someone is right for the organization minutes after the handshake. In a recent Robert Half survey, executives polled said they typically form an opinion of a candidate within the first ten minutes of an employment interview. With such a short amount of time to interact with a hiring manager, what can the candidate do to achieve a positive response?
The most macho of people can be daunted and undone when it comes to facing a job interview. Like public speaking, many have interviewing on their list of their top five most dreaded things to experience. Is it possible to embrace or almost enjoy job interviews? Answer: yes. Following are some behaviors to keep in mind that should help maximize your potential for a successful outcome: Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: interviewing, job search
Posted in interviewing | 5,275 Comments »
August 28th, 2009
Even for the coolest of people, looking for a job in the current economic conditions can be scary. You can easily feel like “just a number” out there with many others. What can you do to set yourself apart from the crowd? Following are some behaviors to keep in mind that can give you an edge in landing a new position. This article is the second in a series reviewing “must do” behaviors to be mastered in the interview process. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: interviewing, job search
Posted in interviewing | 238 Comments »
August 25th, 2009
Be your best “you.” You are looking for a job. It is a long time since dealing with the trappings of the job search process and the uncertainty of where, when, what and how a job offer will come. This begins a review of “must do” behaviors to be mastered in the interview process.
Focus on doing well the elements of a job search process that you can control, because there are many things a job candidate cannot control. The candidate has no control over whom, how and when interviews are conducted, what questions will be asked, or obviously, control over who gets the job. But there are a number of other things that a candidate does have control over. You should never lose a job offer because of something that was within your purview to make happen. Examples include: Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: interviewing, job search
Posted in interviewing | 66,817 Comments »
August 21st, 2009
I have seen many hundreds of resumes during my career in human resources. Very nice, competent, and well intending people sometimes sent resumes in which they made one or more “little” mistakes. Whether it was a misspelled word, the wrong prefix on a word, or fragmented sentence, how many resume mistakes does it take to prevent getting a job? Many hiring managers have a zero tolerance when it comes to such mistakes on a resume. Following are more resume writing tips inspired from things seen on people’s resumes. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: resume writing, resumes
Posted in resumes | 13,636 Comments »
August 20th, 2009
Many people are their own worst enemy when it comes to writing a good resume. It does not matter if they have a wonderful background, impeccable credentials or fabulous experience if their resume contains misused words, the wrong word tense or is not easily readable. Following is a series of resume writing tips from things I have seen on some people’s resumes that drive me “crazy:” Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: resume writing, resumes
Posted in resumes | 75 Comments »
August 17th, 2009
You just had the annual review from your supervisor and everything was wonderful. Feedback given was high-level and scrubbed to avoid any ill feelings. But does it sound similar to what you were told last year? Is this feedback what you needed to hear? Will it help you meet career objectives? Will it help you keep your job in times of lay-off or industry downturn? How are you really perceived at work? What should you be doing to maximize your career potential?
Following are six steps to take in getting real, actionable feedback at work and turning it into solid results. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Uncategorized | 85 Comments »