interviews
Here is an ideal résumé for a mid-level employee
Originally posted by Business Insider: Article
Jacquelyn Smith and Skye Gould
Having a ton of experience under your belt doesn’t necessarily mean you have an “impressive” résumé.
“You can have all the experience in the world — but if your résumé doesn’t stand out, if you don’t present that information in a well-organized manner, or if it doesn’t tell your story, nobody will take the time to look at your résumé closely enough to see all that experience,” says Amanda Augustine, a career advice expert for TopRésumé.
To get a clearer picture of what makes a résumé stand out, we asked Augustine to create a sample of an excellent one for a mid-level professional.
While your résumé may look different depending on the industry you’re in, the one below should serve as a useful guide for job seekers with about 10 years of experience:
How to stand out in your job search VIA http://cfstaffing.blogspot.com/
As you blankly stare at your computer screen, you can’t help but ask yourself, “Am I really doing this again? Am I really applying for another job?” Unfortunately, the answer is yes. Despite countless applications, the only thing you have to show for your efforts is automatic email responses and endless frustration. How can you get past this phase and into the interview room? How can you stand out from your competition?
Use the right vocabulary
Competition in the job market is fierce, and you need a winning resume. Hiring managers spend less than 10 seconds looking at a resume and it’s your job to ensure that yours doesn’t land in the “rejects pile”. In order to do so, you must choose the right vocabulary. When you skim the job posting, pull out key words and sprinkle them throughout your application. Not only will this catch a recruiters’ eye, but it will ensure that you make it through applicant tracking systems as well.
Key words are only step one; your entire resume needs to feature strong vocabulary. Consider the following bullet point: “Answered phones and took messages for the main office.” Now when you make a few edits it looks like this, “Maintained open lines of communication between clients and the main office.” The latter is a much stronger description.
Gain relevant experience
Whether you intern or volunteer, experience is essential. After all, many entry-level jobs tend to ask for 1-2 years of experience. What better way to do so than through internships? They will provide you with a foundation to build off of and teach you the necessary skills you’ll need throughout your career. Nowadays, there are many paid internships or ones that can be used for school credit; it’s a win-win.
Volunteer work is another great way to gain experience. It shows hiring managers that you are passionate about certain causes, and that you’re willing to further develop your skillsets. In addition, volunteering offers you a way to take on leadership positions, which hiring managers look for when they review applications.
Stay current on industry trends
In order to stand out in an interview, you need to wow the recruiter with your knowledge. Not only do you need to know terminology, but you need to stay on top of industry trends as well. Your interviewer could test your knowledge and you want to be ready to impress!
Stay informed by following industry-related blogs. There are thousands of blogs you can subscribe to. Doing so will give you topics to discuss in your interview, put you ahead of your competition, and expand your knowledge exponentially. Another great way to stay current is through social media. Many companies and news sources utilize Facebook/Twitter as a primary information source these days, and it shouldn’t be overlooked.
Have questions about your job search? We want to hear them! Comment below or contact one of our expert recruiters today! Find the closest CFS location to you here.
What not to do in the interview via www.careerbuilder.com
http://advice.careerbuilder.com/posts/what-not-to-do-in-the-interview?linkId=13047412
A NEW SURVEY FROM CAREERBUILDER FINDS THAT NEARLY HALF (49 PERCENT) OF EMPLOYERS KNOW WITHIN THE FIRST FIVE MINUTES OF AN INTERVIEW WHETHER A CANDIDATE IS A GOOD OR BAD FIT FOR THE POSITION.
In a job interview, there are plenty of ways to prove to a hiring manager that you’re a great fit for the role — highlighting your career wins and achievements, sharing your insights about the industry, aligning yourself with the company’s values and so on. And there are also plenty of ways to prove that this isn’t the job for you.
A new survey from CareerBuilder finds that nearly half (49 percent) of employers know within the first five minutes of an interview whether a candidate is a good or bad fit for the position, and 87 percent know within the first 15 minutes.
In that amount of time, most job seekers and hiring managers have barely gotten through introductions and the prompt, “Tell me about yourself.” So what factors are influencing their decision? In a national survey, more than 2,000 hiring managers and human resources professionals across industries and company sizes shared what mistakes job seekers make in the interview process and the errors that turn them off to a candidate, as well as the most memorable mistakes they’ve seen.
Consider this your list of what not to do in the interview.
Mistakes everybody makes
If you didn’t get called back after the interview, you may know why you weren’t their top pick. However, most of us are left dazed and confused after the experience, not really sure what happened in there.
Unfortunately, hiring managers are more deft during the process and are judging your every move. What are they seeing? According to employers, the top most detrimental blunders candidates make in interviews are often the most common:
Appearing disinterested – 55 percent
Dressing inappropriately – 53 percent
Appearing arrogant – 53 percent
Talking negatively about current or previous employers – 50 percent
Answering a cell phone or texting during the interview – 49 percent
Appearing uninformed about the company or role – 39 percent
Not providing specific examples – 33 percent
Not asking good questions – 32 percent
Providing too much personal information – 20 percent
Asking the hiring manager personal questions – 17 percent
Your body language is also being evaluated by hiring managers. Here are the top mistakes employers reported:
Failure to make eye contact – 70 percent
Failure to smile – 44 percent
Bad posture – 35 percent
Fidgeting too much in one’s seat – 35 percent
Playing with something on the table – 29 percent
Handshake that is too weak – 27 percent
Crossing one’s arms over one’s chest – 24 percent
Playing with one’s hair or touching one’s face – 24 percent
Using too many hand gestures – 10 percent
Handshake that is too strong – 5 percent
Mistakes nobody should make
Remember that every interview is a chance to improve and make a great impression. If you’ve made some of the more common mistakes, now’s the time to turn things around and act more professionally in front of potential employers.
However, if you’ve made one of following more memorable mistakes in an interview, here’s a stronger piece of advice: Never do that again.
When asked to share the most outrageous mistakes candidates made during a job interview, employers gave the following real-life examples:
Applicant warned the interviewer that she “took too much valium” and didn’t think her interview was indicative of her personality
Applicant acted out a Star Trek role
Applicant answered a phone call for an interview with a competitor
Applicant arrived in a jogging suit because he was going running after the interview
Applicant asked for a hug
Applicant attempted to secretly record the interview
Applicant brought personal photo albums
Applicant called himself his own personal hero
Applicant checked Facebook during the interview
Applicant crashed her car into the building
Applicant popped out his teeth when discussing dental benefits
Applicant kept her iPod headphones on during the interview
Applicant set fire to the interviewer’s newspaper while reading it when the interviewer said “Impress me”
Applicant said that he questioned his daughter’s paternity
Applicant wanted to know the name and phone number of the receptionist because he really liked her
In the end, know that hiring managers are looking for a new team member and want to find somebody that’s a good fit, and aren’t rooting for you to fail. “Employers want to see confidence and genuine interest in the position. The interview is not only an opportunity to showcase your skills, but also to demonstrate that you’re the type of person people will want to work with,” said Rosemary Haefner, vice president of human resources at CareerBuilder. “Going over common interview questions, researching the company, and practicing with a friend or family member can help you feel more prepared, give you a boost in confidence, and help calm your nerves.”
© 2014 CareerBuilder, LLC. Original publish date: 01.16.2014
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