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.

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.