Interview Tip of the Day – Resume Writing

At Woodbury Staffing, we try to provide advice to candidates looking for jobs.  It is our goal to match candidates to the best opportunities.  We have found over time that candidates are not putting themselves in the best light.  So we will be providing some advice we learned to facilitate the process.   

The first step in the interview process is to write a resume that positions you for an interview.  If you focus your resume on getting a job, you may miss out on the interview.  If you aim too high, you may not achieve your first goal. 

Most people are unaware of the goal in writing a resume.  As a result, you have resumes that are too long and detailed and the recruiter loses interest within seconds.

In preparing your resume, please keep these ideas in mind:

•  Know and back up your qualities and strengths
• Incorporate the right keywords into your resume
• Use tight and effective job titles.  Avoid generic labels
• In structuring your resume, highlight the most important first.
• Revise your resume for each employer to tailor your skill sets to that position and employer
• Avoid lies in your resume especially in light of the extensive HR usage of background checks
• Keep your resume short, ideally 1 or 2 pages
• Proofread your resume at least three times over two days.

Jobseeker Landscape

I found this interesting landscape of jobseekers.  Typically, active, free agent and passive jobseekers approach their job search differently especially the tools they use.

Interview Tip of the Day -- Thank You Notes

In our fast paced society, certain niceties have fallen by the wayside.  In the past, manners were utmost in people's mind and a person was judged by how they behave.  In our society (especially in the workplace), you are judged by your productivity.  What we lost ranges from men holding doors open for women to people saying thank you.  Also, candidates may or may not send thank you notes.  That is a shame.

For those of you who do send thank you notes, well done.  For those who do not, you are missing a golden opportunity.  I know people who will hold it against the candidate if they do not thank the interviewer for the opportunity to meet with them.  It may sound old fashion to thank someone for an interview but the person who fails to send this simple note may be jeopardizing his or her opportunity.

Think of it this way, there is very little downside risk in sending a thank you note but tremendous upside opportunity if you do.

Once you decided to send a thank you note, I would suggest that you send the interviewer an email within 24 hours of the meeting.  So remember to get the business card or at least the email address of everyone you meet.  There is no need to send a handwritten note as some would argue.

In our your thank you note, you should cover three topics.  First, say thank you.  Second, state your desire for the job and third, highlight the positive attributes you mentioned in your interview.  That's all.

Good hunting!

Interview Tip of the Day – Be On Time

One of my friend’s pet peeves is that people need to respect other people’s time. What that means is if you have a meeting with some then you should be on time for the meeting. For an interview, that means that you should arrive at least 10 minutes beforehand to ensure that the receptionist has time to call the hiring manager before your agreed upon time.

You may ask what the big deal is if you are late for an interview or a meeting. We all know that in a social setting, it is expected for a guest to be late to a party, hence the term fashionable late (in fact, you should plan on arriving at least 15 minutes after the scheduled time). But being late in the business context is not only discourteous but it is showing the person you are meeting with that your time is more important than theirs. If you want to make an impression with a hiring manager then telling them that you are more important than they are is definitely the way. It may not be a good impression though.

With respect to the time of the interview, if the hiring manager informed you that she has allotted only an hour for your interview, please keep the interview to that time frame. She may have other obligations and responsibilities. If you allow your interview to run overtime, then you may negatively impact the rest of her day. Once again, respecting the time of the person is the courteous thing to do.

Social Media and the Job Interview Process

One of the many questions that we receive from job candidates is what should they do about their Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter and Instagram accounts.  A typical concern is that some posting will negatively impact his or her chances to get a new job.  When people apply to college or their first job, they change their Facebook name to some derivation of their real name so a school or the first employer will be unable to track the applicant.  Once you are in the workforce that option is not viable.

One candidate asked me whether she should just cancel all of her online postings.  I highlighted to her that absence of any online social media would be worse than any potential inappropriate material.  Remember that companies are looking to see whether a candidate would fit into their corporate culture.  Absence a media presence may indicate that the candidate has a lack of social skills.  If that is the case, the candidate may not be offered a job that she is qualified for.

You may want to review and delete postings that portray you in a negative light.  But remember you need to live your life.