|
Seeking an Interview? Start with a Cover Letter
By John on 12/15/2009 1:35 p.m.
Most people focus on their resumes when job seeking -- fact is, though, your true first impression is actually made by the cover letter you send with it. Below are some tips for crafting a killer cover sheet:
1. Easy to look at means easy to read: Pay particular attention to spelling, grammar, punctuation, spacing, paragraph length, and margins. Address it to a particular person by name, making sure that the spelling and title of the individual are correct. A good cover letter is not too long, so try to limit yours to a single page.
2. Like with an interview, first impressions mean everything: The first paragraph should arouse the reader's interest.
State some particular knowledge you have of the reader's business, or comment on a “timely” issue relating to the company’s operation.
3. Let them know what you want at the end: Ask for an interview, and state specific times and dates when you will call to arrange an interview (allow at least three business days from the day you send the letter). In all circumstances be courteous, but be direct.
By the way, few catchy little closings will ever beat a nice straightforward "Sincerely" for your closing salutation.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dressing for Interview Success
By John on 12/09/2009 2:15 p.m.
Everyone knows you need to dress for success -- and it all starts with your first interview.
Appropriate attire communicates your image as a person who takes the interview process seriously, as well as understands the nature of the industry in which you wish to become employed. Most professionals wear suits, a two-pieced matched combo appropriate for both men and women. Conservative colors such as dark blue and gray are always a safe bet. Stick with silk ties, and ALWWAYS avoid novelty patterns such as whales or ducks.
But what if you work in a "creative" field that doesn't require a suit? Your best bet is a nice shirt and sports jacket combo, and staying with conservative colors. (Avoid wearing jeans, too.) Don't worry about appearing too "starchy" -- chances are your portfolio or work samples will speak for themselves.
Stick with these simple guidelines and no matter if you're wearing pants or a pant suit, you'll have a leg up on the competition.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3 Top Interviewing Tips
By John on 12/07/2009 4:35 p.m.
Know how to deliver a killer interview? Here are a few sure-fire tips to follow:
1. Clear your schedule: Few things are more important than your job -- keep your schedule free of any other commitments. That way you're clear both to show up early, or stay later if your interview runs longer (and avoid the awkward situation of saying you have to be somewhere else and have to leave).
2. Find out how to pronounce your interviewer's name -- in advance: A simple call to the receptionist should do it. Names like "Smith" or "Jones" are too few in between, so when in doubt, check it out. Nothing impresses an employer less than messing up his or her name.
3.Shut off that cell phone!: We can't stress this one enough -- nothing says "I've got something better to do" than a ringing cell. Your calls can wait, your employment opportunity won't.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dressing for Interview Success
By John on 11/30/2009 2:40 p.m.
Everyone knows you need to dress for success -- and it all starts with your first interview.
Appropriate attire communicates your image as a person who takes the interview process seriously, as well as understands the nature of the industry in which you wish to become employed. Most professionals wear suits, a two-pieced matched combo appropriate for both men and women. Conservative colors such as dark blue and gray are always a safe bet. Stick with silk ties, and ALWWAYS avoid novelty patterns such as whales or ducks.
But what if you work in a "creative" field that doesn't require a suit? Your best bet is a nice shirt and sports jacket combo, and staying with conservative colors. (Avoid wearing jeans, too.) Don't worry about appearing too "starchy" -- chances are your portfolio or work samples will speak for themselves.
Stick with these simple guidelines and no matter if you're wearing pants or a pant suit, you'll have a leg up on the competition.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Seeking an Interview? Start with a Cover Letter
By Daniel on 10/25/2009 5:50 p.m.
Most people focus on their resumes when job seeking -- fact is, though, your true first impression is actually made by the cover letter you send with it. Below are some tips for crafting a killer cover sheet:
1. Easy to look at means easy to read: Pay particular attention to spelling, grammar, punctuation, spacing, paragraph length, and margins. Address it to a particular person by name, making sure that the spelling and title of the individual are correct. A good cover letter is not too long, so try to limit yours to a single page.
2. Like with an interview, first impressions mean everything: The first paragraph should arouse the reader's interest. State some particular knowledge you have of the reader's business, or comment on a “timely” issue relating to the company’s operation.
3. Let them know what you want at the end: Ask for an interview, and state specific times and dates when you will call to arrange an interview (allow at least three business days from the day you send the letter). In all circumstances be courteous, but be direct.
By the way, few catchy little closings will ever beat a nice straightforward "Sincerely" for your closing salutation.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Crafting the Perfect Resume
By John on 9/20/2009 1:00 p.m.
Some people pay top dollar in their pursuit of the perfect resume; but you don't have to spend a small fortune to create an interview-attracting piece. Just follow a few simple guidelines
1. Know what job you want: Sounds almost ridiculously obvious, but you'd be surprised how many "catch all" resumes are being floated out there. State the job you want, for whom you want to do it, where you want to do it and what your goals are when you get it.
2. Keep it simple: Don't present a laundry list of your wonderful talents and abilities. Showcase your main strengths and one or two outstanding skills or abilities. List your education, training, and any relevant awards as succinctly as possible. The less you have to emphasize, the more believable your good points can become.
3. Proofread: Should we even have to mention this? Apparently so, judging by the number of complaints we've heard from employers about grammar and spelling errors. Check over your resume, and have others check it over too.
One more suggestion: don't list for your reasons for leaving a job (especially a termination or firing) on your resume. Leave that to the meeting itself -- and if you're fortunate, the subject may not come up at all.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Top Tips for Sending Your Resume Electronically
By John on 8/15/2009 9:00 p.m.
E-Mailing Your Resume: the Proper Techniques
Your parents used stamps, but today's fast-paced world often requires you to send your resume out at the touch of a mouse. Here are some tested methods for ensuring a successful placement into the hands of a prospective employer.
Make sure your cover letter and résumé are e-friendly. Don't send them as attachments, but instead, paste them into the body of the e-mail. Practice sending them via e-mail to yourself as well as a friend who uses a different Internet service provider—to ensure the documents are clean and professional-looking.
Remove all formatting, including lines, boxes, bold, italics, and underlining. Change the font to 12 pt. Courier. Convert your page margins to 1 inch on the left and 3 inches on the right. When you save the cover letter or résumé, choose “Save As” and change the type to “Text only with Line Breaks.” Then, click “OK” or “Yes,” whichever comes up in the dialog box.
Clean up. Launch either Notepad (PC) or SimpleText (Mac) to reformat and clean up your résumé. Move all centered items to the left margin, and make sure all text is flush left. As you scroll through your document, remove all Tabs, replace all bullets with asterisks (*), and change bolded words to all caps. Increase white space by hitting Return twice between sections.
Follow these simple steps and you should have no problem navigating your resume through the net.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3 Forgotten Keys to Successful Interviews
By John on 8/10/2009 11:00 a.m.
These tips seem obvious, but surprisingly few job seekers employ them. Use these, and you may stand out at your next interview:
1. Be prepared to talk about everything on your resume: An employer wants to find out about your past experience—successes and failures, your work ethic, and your track record. Be able to amplify every item on your résumé.
2. Be nice: And not just to the person with whom you interview, but to everyone you meet, from the receptionist to the senior vice president. Little known fact: receptionists are often consulted when employers make decisions regarding the people they've interviewed.
3. Be sure to follow up: Send a thank you letter within a day of the interview. Provide any documents that might have been requested, such as references, an employment application, or samples of your work. If appropriate, call the person you've interviewed with to say thanks; at the very least, send a thank-you note or email.
Best of luck to you in your job pursuits!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Back To Top |
