Successful interviews are based on the foundation of a strong, professional-quality resume. If you are between jobs, you’ve probably already dusted off your resume and added your latest experience to the top of page one.
However, during the current recession, it may take longer than you had planned to find your new job.
So, take this period to really review your entire resume. A resume is a living document and this slow economic season is a good time to add value to your experience and up-date your most important calling card – your resume.
How? Take a class or course at a local community college or trade school to improve your skills. Obtain a part-time job in your field or do some consulting. Volunteer in your community; you can gain “free” experience, network, make new contacts and also add these skills to your resume.
If you haven’t used your resume in awhile, it may be “dated” in style and format. Review online resume templates that are available for free. Does your resume include your current cell phone number and email address? Use a professional-sounding email address – not one that reflects an interest or hobby from ten years ago. Is your resume in a format and font that is easy to read and prints out well?
Finally, if you are not satisfied with the resume you have produced, engage professional assistance. Your resume is often your first and only chance to make a good impression – make it represent in words who you are as an applicant in the best possible light.
Now is the season.
Visit our website, www.pacificrecruiters.com, for more information on the ways PRS can help you in your job search. We offer “Resume and Career Counseling” services, tailored to your needs. All packages include an electronic copy of our 73-page book, “Getting Hired: A Guidebook to Employment.”
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
I Don't Have a Thing to Wear...
That old cliché may true if you haven’t interviewed in awhile.
Being effective in interviews and creating favorable impressions involves more than simply saying the right things. You’ll need to pay attention to appropriate dress and appearance, as well. You want the interviewer to remember YOU, not your outfit!
If you’re a recent graduate, had an in-home business or are returning to today’s work world after an absence, your closet may not hold the appropriate, professional clothes for an interview. Unless you are in a very artistic field where creative dress is accepted or encouraged, you should stick to the basics.
And, what are these basics?
· Dress in a professional and businesslike manner.
· Wear what you would if you were visiting a business executive.
· For men, a suit or conservative sport coat, business slacks and tie.
· Navy, gray or black suit, recently cleaned and pressed.
· Tie should be conservative, immaculate and neatly tied.
· White shirts are preferred but pale pastels are acceptable in some places.
· For women, a business suit (pants or skirt) in gray, navy, black or brown. A tailored sweater can be worn in lieu of a jacket. Blouse or top should be in a muted color or pattern.
· Shoes should be in good repair and polished (no flip-flops).
· Finally, attend to basic cleanliness and personal grooming.
When in doubt, most department stores and business-wear specialty shops offer the free services of a personal shopper.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Thank you so much!
ACKNOWLEDGE AND APPRECIATE
Congratulations! You got an interview with a company that you like. It all seemed to go well. You liked what you saw and the HR Manager was encouraging.
What do you do next? Write a thank you note!
Sending a note acknowledging the interviewer’s time and expressing appreciation for the opportunity can make the difference between getting the job…or not, in this economy.
There are a few basics. To start, know or write down the name and title of every person who interviews you. Ask for their business cards, so you have all the necessary information.
Sending a note by e-mail is acceptable today. E-mail – within a day, two at most – a “thank you” note to your main interviewers. If you can, acknowledge them for something positive that you know about them or the company. Thank them for their time. Be truthful, authentic and brief.
Type a short but pleasant note. Something like:
"Dear Tom,
It was a pleasure meeting with you today. Thank you for your time. I have heard good things about the Widget Company and you certainly reinforced that.
I would be very interested in a position with such a reputable, stable company. I look forward to speaking with you again because I would be interested in becoming a member of your team.
Regards,
Joan Smith"
Double-check that you’ve spelled the interviewer’s name and e-mail address correctly. Finally, spell-check and proof the note before it goes out. Spell-check alone won’t catch mistakes such as using “you’re” instead of “your.” HR Managers cringe when they see misspelled or poorly written notes.
Congratulations! You got an interview with a company that you like. It all seemed to go well. You liked what you saw and the HR Manager was encouraging.
What do you do next? Write a thank you note!
Sending a note acknowledging the interviewer’s time and expressing appreciation for the opportunity can make the difference between getting the job…or not, in this economy.
There are a few basics. To start, know or write down the name and title of every person who interviews you. Ask for their business cards, so you have all the necessary information.
Sending a note by e-mail is acceptable today. E-mail – within a day, two at most – a “thank you” note to your main interviewers. If you can, acknowledge them for something positive that you know about them or the company. Thank them for their time. Be truthful, authentic and brief.
Type a short but pleasant note. Something like:
"Dear Tom,
It was a pleasure meeting with you today. Thank you for your time. I have heard good things about the Widget Company and you certainly reinforced that.
I would be very interested in a position with such a reputable, stable company. I look forward to speaking with you again because I would be interested in becoming a member of your team.
Regards,
Joan Smith"
Double-check that you’ve spelled the interviewer’s name and e-mail address correctly. Finally, spell-check and proof the note before it goes out. Spell-check alone won’t catch mistakes such as using “you’re” instead of “your.” HR Managers cringe when they see misspelled or poorly written notes.
Friday, June 19, 2009
A Job Search Begins with Self-Assessment
Perhaps you’ve been laid off, or your company is in trouble. You find your self combing the job boards and wondering what else is out there for you.
It can be overwhelming. What to do first? Before writing a resume, before networking, before sending in an application, your job search should begin with a self-assessment.
A self-assessment can determine who you are now and what employment you want to pursue in your job-search. Start by answering the following questions for yourself:
· What are my strong points that would benefit employers – skills, talents and abilities like effective team player, clear communicator or someone who can easily translate complex information into simple terms?
· What are my career goals, both in the next job and in 3 to 5 years?
· What do I like and dislike about my current job?
· What experience or skills do I want to gain in my next job?
· What is my ideal job? Ideal location? Ideal boss?
· What kind of opportunity will offer challenge yet also be enjoyable?
· What change do I want to make to enhance my career?
After you have thought through and answered these questions for yourself, you will know more precisely where you want to direct your career. If you are working with a recruiter, convey this information, have them schedule "right fit" interviews for you and begin preparing for the interview process.
Based on your prior work experience, current lifestyle and future needs and potential, survey and focus on the kinds of jobs that are likely to bring you emotional as well as employment satisfaction.
Be sure you have worked through the negative feelings associated with being laid off or unemployed so they will not blunt or dilute your job-search efforts with unresolved resentments, or sabotage your interviews with bitter emotions that are often communicated despite your best efforts to conceal them.
Self-assessment is a slippery process, but you must address it frankly and honestly if you want to be successful in your employment search.
Visit our website, www.pacificrecruiters.com, for more information on the ways PRS can help you in your job search. We offer “Resume and Career Counseling” services, tailored to your needs. All packages include an electronic copy of our 73-page book, “Getting Hired: A Guidebook to Employment.”
It can be overwhelming. What to do first? Before writing a resume, before networking, before sending in an application, your job search should begin with a self-assessment.
A self-assessment can determine who you are now and what employment you want to pursue in your job-search. Start by answering the following questions for yourself:
· What are my strong points that would benefit employers – skills, talents and abilities like effective team player, clear communicator or someone who can easily translate complex information into simple terms?
· What are my career goals, both in the next job and in 3 to 5 years?
· What do I like and dislike about my current job?
· What experience or skills do I want to gain in my next job?
· What is my ideal job? Ideal location? Ideal boss?
· What kind of opportunity will offer challenge yet also be enjoyable?
· What change do I want to make to enhance my career?
After you have thought through and answered these questions for yourself, you will know more precisely where you want to direct your career. If you are working with a recruiter, convey this information, have them schedule "right fit" interviews for you and begin preparing for the interview process.
Based on your prior work experience, current lifestyle and future needs and potential, survey and focus on the kinds of jobs that are likely to bring you emotional as well as employment satisfaction.
Be sure you have worked through the negative feelings associated with being laid off or unemployed so they will not blunt or dilute your job-search efforts with unresolved resentments, or sabotage your interviews with bitter emotions that are often communicated despite your best efforts to conceal them.
Self-assessment is a slippery process, but you must address it frankly and honestly if you want to be successful in your employment search.
Visit our website, www.pacificrecruiters.com, for more information on the ways PRS can help you in your job search. We offer “Resume and Career Counseling” services, tailored to your needs. All packages include an electronic copy of our 73-page book, “Getting Hired: A Guidebook to Employment.”
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
What’s Your Employment Objective…
What’s Your Employment Objective…
…Besides Getting a Job?
The first concrete step in your job-search is deciding what employment you want to pursue now, because what you have done in the past may not be what you want to continue doing.
Beyond the recent profound changes in the availability of many jobs and the attractiveness of certain occupations, you may also have changed in your preferences, circumstances and abilities. So determining your employment objective must be grounded on a rigorous, ruthlessly honest, perceptive and up-to-date self-assessment. An astute self-assessment will help you target the kinds of organizations that would be good places for you to work.
Begin by reassessing your work-related strengths and personal values in light of today's market conditions. Reevaluate your natural talents and acquired skills that would contribute to employment success and consider how they would benefit an employer's operations.
Don’t underestimate the value of volunteer work. Contacts made there can be valuable in your job search and you just may find a position in a new field; an avocation can turn into a vocation.
Visit our website, www.pacificrecruiters.com, for more information on the ways PRS can help you in your job search. We offer “Resume and Career Coaching” services, tailored to your needs. All packages include an electronic copy of our 73-page book, “Getting Hired: A Guidebook to Employment.”
…Besides Getting a Job?
The first concrete step in your job-search is deciding what employment you want to pursue now, because what you have done in the past may not be what you want to continue doing.
Beyond the recent profound changes in the availability of many jobs and the attractiveness of certain occupations, you may also have changed in your preferences, circumstances and abilities. So determining your employment objective must be grounded on a rigorous, ruthlessly honest, perceptive and up-to-date self-assessment. An astute self-assessment will help you target the kinds of organizations that would be good places for you to work.
Begin by reassessing your work-related strengths and personal values in light of today's market conditions. Reevaluate your natural talents and acquired skills that would contribute to employment success and consider how they would benefit an employer's operations.
Don’t underestimate the value of volunteer work. Contacts made there can be valuable in your job search and you just may find a position in a new field; an avocation can turn into a vocation.
Visit our website, www.pacificrecruiters.com, for more information on the ways PRS can help you in your job search. We offer “Resume and Career Coaching” services, tailored to your needs. All packages include an electronic copy of our 73-page book, “Getting Hired: A Guidebook to Employment.”
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