22 Oct 09 The Importance Of Your Resume Objectives

Don’t underestimate just how important the objectives section of your resume. Mapping your objectives is your opportunity to connect with a potential employer. Through these you outline what you hope to give and achieve to the company. That alone can be the difference between getting a job, and failing to be considered. If you’re not on the same wavelength, or don’t effectively convey what you hope to achieve, you could be passed over.

Thinking about what a hiring manager considers, your career objective says to them whether you fit in at that corporation, or not. You want your career objectives to immediately follow your contact information on your resume. Having your career objectives first up in your information points out what you want, and what you want to contribute immediately. This way if you write your objectives effectively, you’ve already got the interviewer’s attention, and more importantly their interest.

The biggest key to writing your career objectives, is to tailor them to each position you apply for. Writing a generic objective that doesn’t apply to that company directly shows a lack of attention to detail. Or worse, too little commitment to even think about that company specifically when writing your resume. Tailor those objective statements to fit that company. Your career goals that you hope to get from them should apply to that job specifically. The same with what you give to that job opportunity. Make sure they have a slant towards that job specifically.

Competition for jobs gets all the more fierce when faced with a recession, so avoid some of the common objective pitfalls. This means avoiding commonly used phrases that will make your resume seem generic. Avoid terms like “opportunity for advancement” when applying for a job. Of course that’s what you want, that’s the whole point. Don’t waste an interviewer’s time by telling them something they already know. Instead, use the space for something more unique, and more important.

Tags: Career Goals, Career Objective, Career Objectives, Getting A Job, Hiring Manager, Information Points, Interviewer, Job Opportunity, Lack Of Attention, Objective Statements, Pitfalls, Point Don, recession, Resume Career, Resume Objective, Resume Objectives, Same Wavelength, Slant, Writing Resume, Writing Your Resume

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21 Oct 09 Post Interview Conduct

Sometimes, concerning a job interview, you spend so much time getting ready for the actual interview, you forget about the important things afterward. Namely the thank you letter you should always send to a hiring manager, after you’ve been given an interview. Many people don’t realize how important these really are. Because so many applicants have forgotten the tact of a thank you letter, it’s just another way you can stand out and look committed to receiving the job you want.

Remember that the purpose of this letter is to thank the interviewer for their time, not to try and sell yourself once more. That part of the interview is long gone, and this is your chance to show your professionalism and appreciation. Etiquette dictates that after an interview a thank you email should be sent within 24 hours, and a regular mailed letter should be sent within the first 2 days afterward.

In the actual formation of your letter you should make sure that it is business standard. Type it up, make sure to use the interviewer’s name and company address, so as to refer to them professionally. Then write a few paragraphs of thanks. Don’t be afraid to re-outline your interest in working for that company. But don’t get bogged down in mentioning your qualifications once again. They have your resume, and you’ve given them an interview, they got a feel for you. This letter is simply about thanking them for the opportunity given. Don’t forget that, or push it aside to give them another personal sales pitch.

Taking the time to write a thank you letter could even be more effective than you might think. So make sure you do, many people overlook the thank you letters and emails that they should be sending. By ensuring you do this every time, you show your attention to detail, and commitment to getting the job. Both are fantastic characteristics, and ones that you should use to your advantage.

Tags: Attention To Detail, Company Address, Hiring Manager, Important Things, Interviewer, Job Interview, Many People, Paragraphs, Personal Sales, Professionalism, Resume, Tact, Taking The Time

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29 Aug 09 Top 8 Resume Mistakes

When applying for a job, or writing a resume, there are a ton of opportunities for error. Any error can prove costly as well, as your resume is your first introduction to a job. Essentially a pre-interview, interview, your resume says a lot about you, which is why you’ll want to be careful not to accidentally make a mistake. You’d actually be surprised at the amount of people that make mistakes when writing their resumes, most of them simple changes that could have been avoided, had they been aware of the fact. So here are eight of the most common mistakes, so that you can avoid them:

1. Not following submission directions. This is a huge negative before you’ve even got your foot in the door. Not following directions makes you look unable to follow directions, and not many people are interested in hiring a difficult employee to deal with.

2. The dreaded typo. Spellchecker is your friend, but isn’t 100% accurate, so always, always proofread. Read everything at least twice, and once backwards so that you can ensure all mistakes are completely eradicated.

3. Listing non-job related information. The hiring manager that’s handling your resume doesn’t care about the info that doesn’t apply to that job, so don’t waste their time by adding unnecessary fluff.

4. Improper format. All resumes basically follow the same exact format, and most corporations use this format to quickly scan through their masses of resumes. If they find one that doesn’t follow the guidelines, usually they lose interest, as being different in the corporate world is never a good thing.

5. Don’t refer to yourself. Whatever you do stay away from words like “I” or “me”, as referring to yourself on a resume is unprofessional, and makes you look bad. It’s your resume, they already know that it’s about you.

6. Don’t make yourself look well-rounded. Most people think that if they seem to have a broad skill set, there will be more availability for you at a particular corporation. This isn’t true at all. You want to describe a very specific skill set, as that’s what the job you’re applying to is looking for.

7. Writing too much. Most people make their resumes much too long, loading the page with senseless facts, or worse, droning on for more than one page. Your resume is supposed to be a short document to introduce a potential employer to your work experience, emphasis on the short. A hiring manager’s time is valuable, they don’t want to read through pages of content, they want to get a feel for you as quickly as possible.

8. Inappropriate email address in your contact information. There are a plethora of sources which offer you an email address for free, take advantage. If you have something controversial, or possible offensive in your email address, don’t use it when you’re applying for a job. You’re expected to be professional, an inappropriate email isn’t exactly that.

Tags: Amount Of People, Applying For A Job, Corporations, Exact Format, Hiring Manager, Improper Format, Lot, Many People, Mistake, Resume Mistakes, Resumes, Simple Changes, Submission Directions, Typo, Unnecessary Fluff, Writing A Resume, Writing Resume

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22 Oct 09 The Importance Of Your Resume Objectives

21 Oct 09 Post Interview Conduct

29 Aug 09 Top 8 Resume Mistakes

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