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We hope that our eGuide to Successful Jobhunting will help your career bloom into exactly what you want! The eGuide is the culmination of years of experience, reading and investigation, and it is intended for people in all walks of life and any stage in their respective careers. Please feel free to print out the eGuide, bookmark it, and give your friends and colleagues the www.erjh.com link. There are no paid endorsements in the eGuide.
You will find this eGuide the most helpful if you read the entire document from beginning to end. This will help you to formulate a good jobhunting plan because all aspects of the jobhunting process relate to all other aspects. For example, when you go to an interview, the interviewers will be looking at your resume. Remember: jobhunting is a skill in itself, quite different from your chosen profession, and you must be good at that skill in order to beat out other candidates for the position that you want, even if you have the best possible job skills. The techniques presented in this eGuide are designed to maximize your jobhunting success, but all employers, recruiters and interviewers are different and no technique can be guaranteed to work with all of them.
You can also use the
Home link to view our entire site,
learn about the recruiting/jobhunting system that we propose, and
take surveys that will help us bring it to the development stage.
Table of contents
Where to Look - Where to find important jobhunting information,
including leads on jobs.
Search Engines/Agents/Directories/Other
General Help For Jobhunters
Assessment/Testing/Certification/Training
Employer Research
Resume Services
Networking
Places to Find Jobs
Further Reading
Your Jobhunting Plan - Assess yourself, begin any desired training and start jobhunting with a clear strategy and goals.
Home Office - Your base of jobhunting operations.
References - People who will speak highly of your work ethic and accomplishments.
Networking - Find job leads through personal contacts.
Recruiters and Agencies - Often your first contact regarding a job.
Resume - Your summary of yourself!
Sections
Do's
Don'ts
Cover Letters and Applying - Your chance to relate your skills to a particular job.
Interviews - Your chance to impress!
Preparation
Practice
Clues
Interviewers
Classic Questions
Phone Interviews
The Big Day
Meal Interviews
Group Interviews
Finish Strong
Follow Up
Self Evaluation
Negotiations - You have the offer! Now you want to negotiate a good situation without being overbearing.
Identity Theft - Use reasonable discretion at all times.
Pep Talk - When you are feeling discouraged.
Where to Look: In this section, we discuss how
to find important information on the Internet and through traditional means.
We place this at the beginning for easy reference and so you will have
an idea where to look for help while you read the rest of the eGuide.
In addition to providing information, we discuss how you can find information
specific to you own jobhunting situation. In addition to reading this section, please read the rest of this eGuide,
read a good book on jobhunting, and/or attend a good jobhunting/outplacement course; then
create the jobhunting plan that is right for you.
Caveat: the information given in this section is ONLY valuable when applied within
the context of a carefully conceived jobhunting plan. Without such a plan,
the information could actually cause you to waste a lot of time and become
frustrated. With that warning, let's begin!
Search Engines/Agents/Directories/Other: The Internet
is a vast place! The problem is not a lack of information; the problem is the
fact that the information you want and need is spread out amid millions of pages!
And without a good jobhunting plan, the information that you want may not even be the
information you need. We will discuss searching the Internet for information and
then suggest ways to find information applicable in your own job search.
Search Engines: A search engine is an Internet site that allows you to
enter a query containing keywords/phrases, initiate a search and receive a list of
matching pages that you can visit. Some of the most popular search engines are the following:
A very common syntax is to use a plus sign ("+") to stand for "and" and to
enclose phrases in quotation marks.
When you construct a query, be careful to consider the number of matching
pages that it might generate. For example, the query
"job site"
on Google produced a staggering 3,580,000 matches, far too many to consider
looking at them all. Fortunately, a lot of the larger Web sites pay to become
"sponsored links" and they are listed first! This is one of the ways that a
search engine makes money. Thanks to sponsored links, our first, rather naive query,
actually produced
some useful results. These included
USA Jobs (www.usajobs.opm.gov) and
Monster (www.monster.com).
We can narrow the search results by searching for the "and" of some keywords.
For example,
"job site" +"New York City" +financial
produced 8,260 results including
Wall Street Jobs (www.WallStJobs.com)
It may come as a surprise to you (it did to the author), but there are about 25,000
independent job sites (that serve many employers) and nearly 500,000 employer
job sites. Thus it is important for the jobhunter to be able to seek out the sites
that match his/her experience and career goals. Further help will be given in
the subsection
Places to Find Jobs below.
When creating queries, always remember synonyms and different ways of expressing
words and phrases. For example, the following three queries all produce different
sets of results on Google:
jobhunting
Also, you may need to experiment a little, or find a reference, in order to learn
how to express certain queries on a given search engine. For example, to "or"
two or more keywords on Google, you need to use an upper case "OR", although it
warns you that a lower case "or" is ignored. Keywords may be "and"ed together
by merely writing them consecutively or by combining them with "+".
Parentheses may
to used for grouping.
Below are the result counts for several different queries. They show how you
can get more results by using "or" and restrict results using "and".
Search engines often have "advanced search" or "search builder" capabilities;
they will help you learn to create more complicated queries.
Agents: An agent (metacrawler) searches a number of different
search engines and directories (next) in response to a query. Here are a few
popular ones:
Directories: A directory, which is often associated with
a search engine or agent, is a categorized listing of Web sites. Here are a few
popular ones:
Other: In addition to the sites above, and other
more specialized sites that your can find using them, here are a few additional
sites which you will find very helpful.
job-hunting
"job hunting"
accounting 218,000,000
"business administration" 45,200,000
accounting OR "business administration" 241,000,000
accounting +"business administration" 10,800,000
employment 808,000,000
employment +accounting 42,600,000
employment +"business administration" 8,140,000
employment +(accounting OR "business administration") 50,100,000
employment +accounting +"business administration" 3,280,000
Mapquest (www.mapquest.com): Excellent source of maps; search by location.
Expedia (www.expedia.com): Lets you make travel arrangements online.
You can find an extensive list of search engines, agents and directories at SearchEngineWatch (links). Now that we have given you enough information to keep searching the Internet 24/7 until you drop, DON'T DO IT!! Keep reading! We will point out a lot of information, some of it traditional instead of Internet-based, that is of specific interest to jobhunters. Just to keep you oriented in the direction of developing a good jobhunting plan, we will NOT jump into job sites first.
General Help for Jobhunters: In this subsection we will discuss
sources for jobhunters that provide a general introduction to the process of finding a
new position and also provide many helpful resources. Here are several sites which provide an excellent introduction to the
process of developing a jobhunting plan.
WorkTree (www.worktree.com):
This site has a Job Seeker's Toolbox and a Career Articles section containing many articles of interest to
the jobhunter. Topics include resumes, interviews, cover letters, negotiations,
networking and even resigning gracefully. The site also contains a job search
engine and directory.
Quintessential Careers
(www.quintcareers.com/career_resources.html): A large collection of
valuable articles and links to many other helpful references.
Monster (www.monster.com):
This huge job site also has an extensive "Career Advice" section that includes
information on job search basics and targeted advice for jobhunters in
many different walks of life, for entry-level jobhunters and for career changers.
Riley Guide (www.rileyguide.com):
This site provides an excellent introduction to the complete jobhunting experience.
We particularly recommend the "Before You Search" section for help developing your
jobhunting plan.
WSJ CareerJournal (www.careerjournal.com):
Brought to you by the Wall Street Journal, this site discusses all phases of the
jobhunting process and includes a very helpful listing of networking sites.
CareerBuilder (www.careerbuilder.com):
Another huge job site with a very helpful "Advice & Resources" section. In addition
to helping you develop a jobhunting plan, it includes
information on continuing education, training, resume services and relocation services.
WinningTheJob (www.winningthejob.com):
In addition to providing a broad selection of free tips to jobhunters, this site offers
a large variety of books for sale.
5 O'Clock Clubs (www.fiveoclockclub.com): "America’s Premier Career Coaching and Outplacement Network for Professionals, Managers, and Executives."
Career development, jobhunting books and CDs, peer meetings and networking.
When you consider buying a book(s) to help you with your jobhunting, remember to fill in any
areas of your jobhunting techniques where you might be weak and also remember that many of the
books are targeted to selected audiences.
There are books for entry-level jobhunters through older workers and executives, people changing careers,
Internet jobhunters (for best results, do not ONLY hunt on the Internet!) and women.
There are also many books specific to writing resumes or cover letters.
Consider purchasing books at a local bookstore, even if it is more trouble,
because then you can preview the books carefully. In addition to purchasing books through
WinningTheJob (above) there are a number of
popular online bookstores. These include the following:
You might also find the "Book Search" on Google valuable or pick up a few bargains on
eBay (www.ebay.com).
Assessment/Testing/Certification/Training:
An important part of creating your jobhunting plan is assessing yourself. This
is the starting point for deciding how to present yourself, which jobs to apply for,
and whether or not you want to seek additional training.
The following sites provide personal assessments which will help you learn more
about your interests and approach to work:
Live Career (www.livecareer.com):
Provides a free assessment test and charges for a premium report that
suggests ideal career paths and provides links to appropriate reference materials.
Assessment (www.assessment.com):
Has a free sample test and charges for more thorough tests.
You may want to receive career counseling from a real, live person. Popular sources
are the following:
National Career Development Association (www.ncda.org):
Lists Master Career Counselors by state.
Certified Career Coaches (www.certifiedcareercoaches.com):
Maintains a worldwide database of coaches.
Skills testing can provide valuable information regarding which jobs you should apply for
and what additional training you should seek. Also, test results and certifications
can be an effective way of convincing potential employers that you really know your stuff.
Some popular testing services are the following:
BrainBench (www.brainbench.com):
Tests cover basic skills and aptitudes, communications, management and a broad range of
professions.
The individual tests are rather costly, but monthly and yearly subscriptions
are available.
ExpertRating (www.expertrating.com):
Offers courses, tutorials and ebooks as well as tests.
Your test results may indicate that additional education/training will be beneficial to
your career. There are many, many possibilities so you may have to do some searching to
find exactly what you need. Here are two very helpful sites:
classesUSA (www.classesusa.com):
This is a huge directory of both online and campus classes.
Penn Foster (www.pennfoster.edu/):
Largest accredited school for independent home study.
Employer Research:
In addition to knowing a lot about yourself, you will also want to know about prospective
employers. Always be sure to study each employer's Web site carefully before
becoming deeply involved in the evaluation process.
There are a number of sites that can help you gain information about a perspective
employer:
D&B Million Dollar Databases (www.dnbmdd.com):
Extensive information regarding 1.6M companies in the U.S. and Canada as well as
28M companies in 200 other countries. Gives names of top executives. Has a free trial
feature that allows you to search a smaller database.
Hoover's (www.hoovers.com):
Has a database of thousands of companies. You can choose subscription levels
or levels of reports.
Researching Companies Online
(www.learnwebskills.com):
A valuable tutorial on many aspects of researching companies using the Web.
idEXEC (www.idexec.com):
Provides access to 2M corporate leaders.
Vault (www.vault.com): Information regarding
many industries in N. America, Europe and Asia. Sells many different guides. Also has job listings.
Princeton Review (www.princetonreview.com/home.asp)
Rates the best institutions.
Thomson Peterson's (www.petersons.com):
Excellent source of information about colleges and universities.
FedWorld (www.fedworld.gov): Search millions of
federal government Web pages.
Military (www.military.com):
Information on military branches.
Also consider state government Web sites and news sources.
Resume Services:
You might want to consider having a resume service help you with your resume, particularly
if your English could use improvement or your current resume is not getting you interviews.
There is probably a resume service near you, or you can take advantage of one of the
online services such as the following:
Networking:
Networking is a strategy for the jobhunter which has been made much easier by the Web.
Broadly put, networking is the process of expanding and exploiting ones personal contacts
in the world.
Some online resources that will help you learn networking
and support your networking efforts are the following:
Monster - Networking (networking.monster.com):
Sign up for a free membership and then view ongoing discussions.
The site is accessed by a number of means including keywords and has a very broad directory
of message boards.
Yahoo! Groups (groups.yahoo.com):
Sign up for a free membership and then join groups or start your own group.
The groups belong to hierarchies and there are lots of groups! Keyword searching
is provided.
WetFeet - Networking (www.wetfeet.com/advice/networking.asp): Networking
and general jobhunting advice. See "Networking in a New City" for help getting
started.
Classmates (www.classmates.com):
Locate old classmates from school.
Military USA (www.militaryusa.com): Huge database of veterans; yearly memberships
available.
Another good source of networking contacts are professional, trade and alumni associations.
Alumni associations often exist for employers as well as the traditional associations
for educational institutions. For help finding associations you can use search engines, publications
and the following site:
Associations on the Net (www.ipl.org/ref/AON):
Excellent hierarchical directory of associations in many areas.
Finally, check into local organizations that may of help.
Places to Find Jobs:
First, we list several of the most popular "general purpose" Internet job sites.
USA Jobs (www.usajobs.opm.gov):
A large listing of federal jobs.
Monster (www.monster.com): By far the largest, has a
networking facility, targeted career advice and a global network.
Yahoo! Hotjobs (www.hotjobs.com): Also has a
networking facility and career tools.
Dice (www.dice.com): Specifically for the information
technology industry; career resources include information on training and certification.
Careerbuilder (www.careerbuilder.com):
User friendly with a lot of career resources. Jobs come from
newspaper conglomerates.
Employment 911 (www.employment911.com):
Searches over 300 other major sites for jobs postings.
Freelance Work Exchange (www.freelanceworkexchange.com):
This site can still be helpful to the jobhunter who is looking for a fulltime position.
Some freelance work can help out with the finances and sometimes freelance jobs turn into
fulltime jobs. This site collects a fee from jobhunters.
About Careers (www.about.com/careers):
Large directory of career possibilities.
Several of the Web sites listed under
Employer Research also consider career possibilities.
Typically, a job site will allow you to form job search queries built from keywords and other information
such a geographical information.
When you first try a job site, read up on its facilities for generating queries so you
can use the site to your best advantage.
Many job sites allow you to enter your resume and other information; in this way,
it is possible for agencies and employers to find you (but keep looking yourself!)
and it is often possible to apply for a position quickly. Do not start applying until
you have finished developing your jobhunting plan!
On job sites, you can often create an "agent(s)", which is a query that is stored on the site;
the site then informs you when new jobs that match your query enter the system.
In addition to these sites, do not forget to look at the Web sites belonging to
employers and agencies. Also, check trade journals and publications of professional
organizations in your discipline.
Next, we list some popular resume distribution services. These services will
send your resume to a large number of subscribing recruiters. The services charge a fee
and allow you to specify your target audience.
All Agencies
(www.allemploymentagencies.com/)
Never let your job search be entirely devoted to using the Web.
Be sure to check the employment ads in your local newspaper and also out-of-town
papers from places where you would like to live. See if there is a job search center
in your area; they may provide jobhunting training as well as job leads. Use employment
agencies and try to get to know a recruiter(s) who can help you. Attend networking
meeting and network over the phone as well as using networking sites. Always remember
the personal touches: the customized cover letter, the prompt return of phones calls
and other contacts, gratitude for help, preparation for interviews, etc.
Further Reading:
In this section, we have listed many different Web sites and identified how
they may help you in your jobhunting effort. The collection of sites is
no where close to being exhaustive; even a big, thick book could not be exhaustive.
For many candidates, they may be sufficient, but all candidates are
encouraged to use search engines to expand their exposure to helpful Web sites.
The following book may be helpful (it is really broader than the title suggests):
America's Top Internet Job Sites, 2nd Edition, by Ron and Caryl Krannich, Ph.D.s
The book lists many specialty sites, whereas we have tried to specify sites of
general interest.
This book, and other career-oriented books, are available from the following site:
Your Jobhunting Plan:
This little section is really the most important one in the eGuide, even though it is just
an appeal for the jobhunter to plan to use all of the sources and techniques that we present.
Be very sure to do all of the following:
Learn about all phases of jobhunting. It is vital that you apply all of the techniques.
If you do not already have one, set up a home office as your base of operations.
Assess yourself. Learn about your personality and interests as well as what kinds of jobs are
most compatible with them. Also, draw up a list of your skills, how you can document
them and what training might help you in your job search.
Determine the individuals who will be your references and expand upon them to develop a list of
your first networking contacts.
Create a great resume. Get help with it if you need to. Make sure it emphasizes
your skills and accomplishments; the first page MUST be an excellent introduction
to the worker that is you!
Decide what resources you are going to use in order to locate job leads.
Besides the networking that we have previously mentioned, there are Web sites,
resume distribution services,
newspaper advertisements, various groups and employment agencies to help you.
Remember: "Failure is not an option!"
Home Office:
Set up your home office in a quiet place and make sure everyone knows that you
need to be left alone when you are working, PARTICULARLY when you are talking on the
telephone. You will need an Internet-capable computer with plenty of memory, a sharp monitor,
a laser printer, good light, a phone with a caller Id box and/or answering machine, bookshelves and a chair that
is comfortable without encouraging you to go to sleep. Add to this smaller items like
paper (Xerox or laser printer ONLY), a stapler, pens and a spiral notebook (great for taking
notes while talking on the phone). Your answering machine message should be simple and
professional. Get a separate phone line if the rest of the family wants a humorous
message with music and/or sound effects that tells everybody's name and includes a silly joke!
If you are out of the house frequently, then be sure to have a cell phone.
Check your email and your caller Id and/or answering machine often. Be sure to reply
quickly to inquiries. Create mail folders where you group related incoming and outgoing
emails. Keep a list of telephone numbers of contacts in whatever form you like. Examine
the sender and subject of each email message carefully; delete spam frequently.
Keep copies of all correspondence and maintain an up-to-date "To-Do" list.
References:
Choose at least three references and obtain their current employer, office telephone number
and email address.
In case an employer wishes to contact them by phone, get the hours when they can be called.
Do not put references in your resume; get to know the recruiter or employer before giving them references.
Let your references know when someone is going to contact them and tell the references
about the type of position so they can build the best possible case for you.
Choose references who are familiar with your very best work, with the single exception that
you should always include a reference from your last employment (possibly excluding your
current position). Give at least two people in
management positions and give people who are in your current line of work whenever possible.
Always remember to thank your references when they respond to an employer's request for a
reference and let them know when you have found your new position.
Networking:
Broadly put, networking is the process of expanding and exploiting ones personal contacts
in the world.
Since many people find jobs through personal contacts, networking can be very valuable to the
jobhunter. Naturally, your goals in networking will determine where you look for contacts,
but the basics are always the same. Keep all of the following in mind:
Prepare a brief summary of yourself and the kind of job you are looking for.
Also prepare a letter containing the same information in text and
Word format. Always include a salutation and personal greeting
when sending the letter and include an inside address when sending the Word letter.
Include your resume whenever you contact someone.
Re-establish contact with old friends and colleagues.
Locate new friends.
Let them all know what kind of job(s) you are looking for and ask them to be on the
lookout for positions as well as good recruiters that can help you.
Make sure they know how to contact you if they have a lead.
Ask them to tell their friends and colleagues to be on the same lookup for you
(this is called "pyramiding").
Do not be afraid to ask strangers for help.
Do NOT be discouraged if someone does not help, even if they say they will.
Always be cordial and show appreciation for help.
Attend networking meetings, get to know the gatekeeper and take resumes
with you.
Recruiters and Agencies:
In most cases, your first contact regarding a job will come from a recruiter
rather than a hiring manager. The recruiter may work for the employer or for an
agency that serves the employer. The recruiter will often be trying to fill
positions in a number of different fields and, typically, will be a
generalist. It is important to make a good personal impression on the recruiter
in order to continue being considered for the position(s) that he/she is trying to
fill.
Reply to emails and phone calls from the recruiter as quickly as possible. (Picture
a big bunch of competing applicants on his/her computer or desk to see why this is necessary.)
If it does not appear that you are qualified for one position, ask the recruiter to
consider you for other positions as they become available. And always remember the
all-important "Thank you".
Many recruiters work independently or for recruiting/placement agencies.
They regularly search resume databases such as Monster or Dice, and they often
subscribe to resume distribution services. Therefore, you can expect to hear
from recruiters at agencies that you are not familiar with. This is normal. Many
employers use agencies to screen candidates and reduce their search time and human resources
overhead. These agency recruiters will submit your resume for selected positions at their
clients.
It is a good idea to know about the different types of agencies and how to approach them:
Executive Search Firms: These firms try to fill very high level positions
for their clients. They often do not advertise and they generally do not mention
the name of their client if they do advertise a position.
Executive recruiters typically receive a guaranteed fee (retainer) from each client.
They
like to work through their own network of contacts, so it is best to be
introduced to an executive recruiter by a friend or colleague.
Employment Agencies:
These agencies try to fill entry to mid level positions in a variety of industries.
Make sure that you know the level of position that a given agency tries to fill and
the industries that it serves. Agencies are easier to approach than executive search firms,
and they may be found through newspapers, yellow pages, publications, Web directories and
search engines as well as networking.
Employment agencies are generally paid by the client, but only when they actually place
a candidate in a position.
Contingency Search Firms:
These firm specialize in a particular industry or area of business. Otherwise, they are
similar to employment agencies.
Resume:
Your resume (also called a curriculum vita) is your summary of your skills and career.
A great resume takes a lot of planning and a lot of refinement. It must be direct, attractive to the
eye and easy to read and evaluate. First impressions are important and your resume will provide
the first impression of you to many recruiters, hiring managers and interviewers.
When a recruiter or hiring manager looks at your resume, he/she often has a particular position,
or limited set of positions, that he/she is trying to fill.
Alternately, he/she might be classifying your resume based on your skills and experience.
In either case. the first page MUST give the reader
a good idea of what you are about.
Simply put, if you want the reader to realize that you know about Widgets, then you need to put "Widgets"
prominently
on the first page of the resume. Why such a hurry? Because of that big bunch
of applicants on the reader's computer or desk! If your resume does not say that you know about Widgets
until page six, you are going to be passed by for many jobs working with Widgets. In addition, if you
are applying for a position that involves Widgets, then you should prepare a cover letter (below) that points out that you know a lot about Widgets.
It is a good idea to maintain your resume in three different formats: text, HTML and MS Word.
The first two versions are good for emailing and posting on Web sites (of course the HTML version
looks better). Recruiters will generally ask for a Word version when they contact you. Although Word
will export a document in HTML, there are formatting and readability problems so it might not be
a bad idea to use an HTML editor such as FrontPage or learn a little bit of HTML yourself.
The sample resume and
cover letter on this site will help you learn the basics of HTML (just view the source).
The text exported
by Word is also not very readable so it is probably best to fix it up with a text editor.
Caveat: some Web sites
will allow you to upload a Word version of your resume, but they warn that the Word version will NOT
be searchable by recruiters.
After you have uploaded your resume to a site such as Monster, return and update it frequently.
Many recruiters look at the most recent resumes first.
Types: Next, we consider the three different types of resumes
as determined by their structure.
Chronological: organized by dates, normally in reverse
chronological order. One drawback: you may feel that your most significant work was not
on your last job and you would like to showcase it early in your resume.
Functional: organized by subject, could be skills,
fields of endeavor or accomplishments. One major drawback: a lot of employers
do not trust them because they can be used to cover up for long periods of
unemployment or a lack of career progress.
Combination: combines a functional section with a
chronological work/education history.
We would like to suggest that you consider a combination resume which includes
a summary of major accomplishments followed by a chronological work history containing
additional accomplishments and further details of the major accomplishments. This helps
the reader get a quick grasp of your background and also allows him/her to delve into
further details.
Sections: Here we consider the sections that might go into such a resume, without
recommending how you label them. Below we will give a brief sample resume to show one
way that you might format such a resume.
Contact Information:
Your name, address, phone number(s), and email address. If you give more
than one phone number, mark them "Home", "Work", "Fax", "Cell" etc.
Be sure to read the section
Identity Theft below.
Some writers recommend putting your contact information, except for your name, later
in the resume, e.g. after Major Accomplishments (below).
Summary: (optional) Yourself in a nutshell. Put your
very strongest skills and background here. Remember, this is the reader's
first impression so make it a strong description without going into
superlatives. This is one of the places in a resume
where many candidates have been known to indulge in cliches ("outside the box", etc.).
Objectives: (optional) A brief description of the type
of situation you are looking for. This is another place in a resume
where many candidates have been known to indulge in cliches ("challenging position", etc.).
Arena Skills: A collection of words and phrases that
define your skills in industry-standard terminology. Group similar skills
together, perhaps separating the groups with semicolons. Caveat: as much as
you like to provide a long list of arena skills, recruiters, etc., can become
impatient if you include any skill for which you do not have a significant
amount of experience.
Work Status: "U.S. Citizen", "Green Card",
your visa type, etc.
Major Accomplishments: Your most significant professional
accomplishments. Summarize each accomplishment and try to combine accomplishments into
logical groups. Label each group. You want to encourage the reader to look
further into the resume for details; therefore, you should use the same
terminology in this summary as you use later in the resume where you give more detail.
Your most significant accomplishments and all of the previous
resume sections should fit on the first page of your resume.
Work History: Include each professional employment in reverse
chronological order. If you have period of self-employment or periods where you
were working on some sort of entrepreneurial project include that also. For each
item include all of the following items that are appropriate: time period
(in months or years), title or function, employer and details of the work. Keep
paragraphs down to less than (approximately) ten lines each and use bullet items
for organization and emphasis.
The Sample Resume
demonstrates all of the sections and obeys all of the style rules that we have set forth
in this section.
Notice carefully how the sample resume accomplishes the following tasks very well:
Gives the reader an immediate grasp of the skills, experience and accomplishments of
the candidate.
Shows how the candidate's career has made constant progress.
Demonstrates that the candidate's work has contributed to the success of his employers.
Shows that the candidate is a team-player.
Cover Letters and Applying:
Each time you send a hardcopy resume to a potential employer
it should have a cover letter. Also, many job sites and corporate Web sites will allow you to
include a cover letter when you send a resume online.
Include an inside address. Whenever you can establish the name of the person to whom you are
writing, include the person's name in the inside address
and use a salutation.
In the inside address, place any appropriate personal title ("Ph.D.", "M.D., etc.)" after the name
and place his/her organizational title
("Director of Sales", etc.)
on another line.
The salutation should be in the form "Dear ... :".
Do not use the first name of the person in the salutation unless you have already spoken
to the person or he/she has written to you and addressed you by your first name. Use "Ms"
instead of "Miss" or "Mrs." and "Dr.", "General", etc., before the name where appropriate.
The purpose of the cover letter is to give a
personal touch to your application and to acquaint the reader with your skills that are relevant
to the position for which you are applying.
Thus the cover letter needs to be customized for each
job application. This sounds like an awful lot of work, but remember two things:
You can build up a file of paragraphs that describe different aspects of your
background. After you have written several letters they will start to become much
easier to write because you can draw from existing paragraphs.
The extra effort will make you popular with recruiters because they can pass your
cover letter and resume on to hiring managers without have to write their own summary
of your relevant experience.
Be selective about the jobs that you apply for and then do a good job of applying for each one.
For example, it is better to review 100 positions, select the 20 that best match your skills and interests
and then send a customized cover letter with your resume for each one than it is to send a standard
cover letter with your resume for all 100 positions. If the employer has a form that you need to fill
out and you feel you are a good match for the job, then fill out the form. Many jobhunters will not
bother to apply; the form is a screening technique that the employer is using to eliminate applications
from unqualified candidates.
On the other hand,
remember that the employer may never find its perfect candidate. If there are a few skills
that the employer lists as required, or desirable, in a job description, you have the option of
making a statement such as "Although I have not worked with X, I HAVE worked with Y which is
very similar." If you cannot even make this statement, you can say "I would be happy to learn about
X on my own time." The latter statement may be perceived as a little weak, so only use it for
skills that appear very important in the job description but will not take a long time to learn. Do not apply for a position if your
skills are really quite different from those listed in the job description.
The Sample Cover Letter
demonstrates all of the guidelines given in this section; in particular, it is
carefully customized to the employer and position.
Notice carefully how the sample cover letter accomplishes the following tasks very well:
Shows that the candidate keeps up with new developments in his field and in the
world around him.
Shows how the candidate has outstanding experience in the areas required for the position.
Expresses an interest in the position and thanks the reader for considering him.
Interviews:
Your resume and cover letter are the bait that causes an employer to contact you. Usually
the next step is for a recruiter to contact you by phone or to write to you to set up a
phone interview. The phone interview is discussed in detail below. The interview is your
chance to make a good first impression. We said earlier that jobhunting a skill in itself
and interviewing is one of the most important subskills of that skill.
Preparation:
The first step in preparing for an interview is, above all, review all about
yourself! Otherwise, you may go to an interview and discover exactly how much
you have forgotten about your own experience. Just as you prepared a cover letter
for the employer that emphasized the aspects of your experience that are
relevant to the position(s) offered by the employer, be sure they are prepared
to discuss those experiences during the interview. And review all of your other
experience as well. Always remember to prepare real-world examples of all the
skills and experiences that you claim!
Second, you should learn as much as possible about the employer and the position(s)
they you seek. A employer's Web site is an excellent place to start. Also, do a
Web search to find out what others have written about the employer and what press
releases have been made by the employer. The Employer Research
subsection will provide a great deal of help finding information about the
company. Get as much information as possible about the position from your
contact(s) at the employer, without becoming a pest, of course.
Practice:
If you take a jobhunting course, they will very likely include practice interviews
as part of the course. You can then see other people being interviewed, conduct an
interview yourself, take one or more practice interviews and receive feedback from
the facilitator and the other students. A plus is the possibility to view a video of
yourself during a practice interview. If you do not take a course, ask a friend to
help you by conducting one or more practice interviews. It is good if you can have
practice interviews with several different styles of interviewers (below), even if the
friend has to play different roles. Evaluate your practice interviews in terms of all
of the suggestions given in this section, particularly with regards to eye contact and posture.
Watch carefully for how you respond to
questions that make you think. Frowning, looking away or pausing for a long time are
out. It is better to think out loud a bit and come to a final answer than it is to remain
silent for some time and then answer. In the latter case, the interview might think you are
working out a fib; as long as the thinking out loud all seems plausible, it is more
likely that the interviewer will believe you.
Clues:
Always be on the lookout for clues regarding what the employer, and the interviewer(s),
is looking for in a candidate. Step one is reading the job description and learning
about the employer very carefully.
When speaking to an interviewer, be attentive to the interests of the interviewer.
Listen and look as well as speak. Do not press an issue if the interviewer is
disinterested or uncomfortable with it, even if you really feel like talking about it.
Consider the role of each interviewer; one might be interested in how you interact with
coworkers and another might be interested in some detail of your past work experience.
Be prepared so you can exploit all of the clues.
Interviewers: Closely related to the need for picking up clues
is an appreciation of the situation of the interviewer. First, do not be surprised if the
interviewer does not have time to review your resume before speaking to you; the work
day is just plain busy and the interviewer may not even receive your resume until he/she
receives you. Beyond that, expect to meet the entire spectrum of personalities
of people as you are interviewed by different interviewers. How can you deal with such
differences? Always look for clues (above), always be polite and anyways be prepared.
Always be aware of the interviewer's tone of voice, as well as your own! Do not interrupt
the interviewer and allow the interviewer to interrupt you whenever he/she wants to.
During in-person interviews be aware of the interviewer's facial expressions
and body language, as well as your own! One of the purposes of practice interviews is
to build this awareness.
Above all, never let the personality, mood or interests of the interviewer deter you from
promoting yourself. Picking up clues are only valuable for the purpose of figuring out
how best to promote yourself. Do not give up if you feel the interview is going badly and
do not become too casual if you feel the interview is going well. Sell, sell, sell!!
Classic Questions:
Always be prepared with excellent answers to the following classic questions.
You may need more than one answer to some questions in order to accommodate the different
roles of the interviewers.
Can you tell me about yourself? Always consider the role
of the interviewer here. Emphasize you work ethic and experience. Do not go into
excessive detail about subjects that do not interest the interviewer. Usually
you will know the role of the interviewer before starting the interview. If you
are not told, begin in a general way and start looking for clues.
What are you strongest points? Keep it work-related and
slanted toward the role of the interviewer and the position.
What is your greatest weakness? Do not go overboard; only
give one weakness unless pressed for more.
Either pick something minor and not
closely related to the position that you are seeking or
tell what you have done to overcome the weakness.
Why did you leave job X? In the current job market, there is nothing
wrong with saying that you were terminated; just have a good explanation such
as "The company downsized" or "The company changed their strategic plan".
Never complain about the employer. If you left the job voluntarily, it was
because you found an exciting opportunity elsewhere, needed to move close
to your family, etc.
What do you know about our company (and/or its competitors)?
Good company research is important here. Always be positive.
Why do you want to work for this company?
Do you company research and prepare an answer that is consistent with
the employer's needs and your own goals and background.
What did you do on job X?
Know your own background very well. Always be positive and find a way to
stress teamwork while talking mostly about your own work.
What did you like best/least about job X?
For "best" find similarities with the job you are applying for;
for "least" avoid similarities.
Never complain about pressure, long hours, etc.
Where do you want to be in five years?
It is important to prepare a customized answer to this question for
each employer and position, just like writing a cover letter.
Are you a team player? Of course you are, but back it up with an example
and be prepared with a couple more.
How did you get the day off from your current job to come to this interview?
Absolutely, positively, you took a vacation day, NOT a sick day!
Are there other aspects of your background that we have not
discussed? Keep track of everything you have discussed in order to be
ready for this question. Then try to select a significant part of your background
that is related to the position that you are seeking.
Do you have any questions? Also be working on a question about
the company or the position. Never ask "How did I do?".
Whenever answering questions, always remember that the interviewer will consider the
following as positive: optimism, team spirit, confidence, integrity, loyalty, good communication skills, knowledge, experience
and the willingness to take
on responsibility.
Finally, the more you can get the interviewer listening the better. The more that you can say about why
you are perfect for the job and keep the interviewer interested, the more liberty you have to
present your own case. Just watch the
interviewer to see if he/she is getting bored and respond with immediate quiet if the
interviewer tries to interrupt.
Phone Interviews:
The phone interview(s) usually precedes an in-person interview(s) and has its own special
advantages and disadvantages. Get ready for a scheduled phone interview by assembling all of
the references, computer and hardcopy, that you will want to use on your desk. These can
include your resume and other information about yourself, the job description, information
regarding the organization and the interviewer, and your notes regarding previous contacts
with the organization. Always take notes quietly on paper and be sure to write down the name and
phone number (if offered) of the interviewer. If you want to send any information to the interviewer,
ask him/her to email the necessary contact information so you do not make a mistake trying
to write it down.
The down side of the phone interview is that you can't see the interviewer. All of your
clues must be drawn from what you hear. It is especially important to listen carefully
and be careful about when you speak. Make sure nobody in your household interrupts during the
interview. If you have more than one phone, be sure to shut off the ringers on the others!
The Big Day:
You have earned an in-person interview! Feel good; very likely only a small fraction of the
applicants for that position you want have gotten this far. You know how to watch
for clues and sell, sell, sell! There are just a few more things you need to consider for
the in-person interview.
First, preparation for an in-person interview is particularly important because you will
not have your references in front of you. Go over your background, the job description.
information regarding the employer, notes about previous contacts with the employer and your
answers to the Classic Questions (above) very carefully.
Next, you must give an image of professionalism. Always make eye contact and
maintain good posture!
Get a good night's sleep the night before the interview; no last minute all-nighter!
Arrange for your personal comfort during the interview, remembering that it might take several
hours. Eat a light meal before going to the interview, unless it is going to start with a
meal. You don't want to be hungry or stuffed and sleepy. Usually interviewers will ask
you if you want to use the restroom between meetings, but do not be afraid to ask if they
forget.
Arrive on time and dress appropriately. Make sure you know how to get to the interview by your chosen method of
transportation. Allow some extra time.
Proper dress will vary somewhat with your profession and the individual
employer, but always remember to look neat and NOT flamboyant.
A good clothing store will be able to help you with this.
Finally, you should bring some
hardcopy resumes with you, just in case, and keep all materials that you bring in a
nice looking case. If there is documentation that you might like to present, be sure to
take it with you.
Always be polite to everyone: the parking lot attendant, the administrative
assistants, the help in the lunch room, everybody!! And turn off that cell phone!
Meal Interviews:
The meal interview has its own special difficulties, but you can work around them with care.
Hopefully, the interviewer(s) will give you an idea of the proper price range by ordering
first. If not, stay away from the expensive items and, if it is lunch time, order from the
lunch specials. Do not order any food with a strong odor because it might offend the
interviewer. Order a soup or appetizer if the interview does so.
Also, order food that is easy to chew, in case you need to respond quickly to a
question. Take human bites and follow other rules of good manners. Respond to questions but
do not speak with your mouth full unless the interviewer asks you a question and you are
not ready to swallow. Do not order alcohol. If the interviewer orders a bottle of wine,
indulge sparingly. Accept an offer of coffee and do not offer to pay.
Group Interviews:
The main key to group interviews is to look at all of the interviewers, even if some
interviewers are very quiet. All of the interviewers will have an input into the hiring
decision so they all deserve your attention.
Finish Strong:
Always be prepared with a business-like question for the interviewer(s).
Always remember to thank the interviewers for taking the time to speak to you and let
them know that you are very interested in being hired for the position in question.
Never say anything like "I already have an offer so I will need to hear from you
right away."
Negotiations:
You have the offer. Congratulations! Now how do you respond?
Absolutely the first thing to do is to say "Thank you!" and let the employer know that you are
flattered to receive the offer and very interested in working for them.
The next thing to consider is how long you have to respond with
a Yes/No answer. As long as you were careful to create a good jobhunting
plan, only applied for jobs that you are really want and are qualified for,
already discussed the salary, benefits and perks with the employer,
and did your employer research, it is very
likely that you will be happy with the offer.
In any case, if you ask for a little more time to decide than the employer originally
suggests, be sure to emphasize how happy they are to receive the offer.
Be sure to consider all facets of how accepting or turning down the offer will affect
your future. Is the salary enough to live comfortably in the area where you will work?
Does the position fit your long-term career goals?
Are the salary, benefits and perks competitive with other employers?
Will you and your family enjoy living in the area where the job is located?
Will existing medical problems suffered by any of your family members be covered under
the new health plan? Be realistic in your expectations
but also do not sell yourself short.
The time to try to negotiate any improvements in the offer is BEFORE you accept it.
Be realistic and, above all, know the industry standards! For example, it will do no good to try
to get a salary that it much higher than most others in your profession with similar experience.
In fact, it will be a turnoff because the employer will now fear that they have an unhappy
worker coming in if you accept a salary a lot lower than what you wanted.
Also, consider the level of competition for positions in your profession;
you always have more bargaining power in a sellers market.
If you are tactful and realistic in your negotiations, and you express gratitude for the
final result, you will start off your new job on the right foot.
Identity Theft:
The very nature of jobhunting, spreading the word about yourself, can make the jobhunter vulnerable
to identify theft. Here are some basic guidelines:
Guard your social security number or individual taxpayer identification number carefully.
Be very careful about who you buy from online. When in doubt, prefer paying by a money order
or PayPal over paying with a credit/debit card or check.
Beware of emails that appear to be from your bank, credit card company, PayPal, etc., which
ask you to give information about yourself. They are very likely to be "phishing" emails
that really come from a criminal trying to steal your identity. Some of the messages look very
official and include graphics stolen from the real organizations Web site. Call customer service
when in doubt.
Do not access your financial institutions' Web sites from a computer that is available to others.
This may leave a "cookie" on the machine which will help others access your account or you
may simply forget to disconnect.
Check your bank and credit statements carefully and follow activity online as well.
Use a service which alerts you whenever a new credit card or bank account is opened
in your name.
Whenever you consider entering private information on a Web site, look for "https", instead of
"http", at the beginning of the URL of the site. Also, check the security "certificate" of the site.
On Internet Explorer this is done with the following sequence of choices: File, Properties,
Certificates.
FTC National Resource about
Identify Theft (www.consumer.gov/idtheft/)
Privacy Rights Clearinghouse (www.privacyrights.org/ar/): Has a subject "job seeker privacy".
Pep Talk: Jobhunting can be discouraging. Whenever the depressing
"I can't find a job!" thought creeps into your head, fight back with more positive
thoughts like "I can learn to hunt better!", "Rome wasn't built in a day!" and
"I'm as good as anybody with a job!". Always keep your home office neat;
that gives a feeling of being in control of the situation.
Many people believe that you do a better job on phone interviews if your
home office is kept in good shape.
Allow yourself
some quality leisure time, even if you have to take a free walk in the park instead
of spending money on a football game, etc. On the other hand, do not waste a lot of time
watching television shows you don't really like, surfing the Web in unproductive
ways, or sleeping more than you really need to sleep. Seek
companionship from friends and family, but be sure to make yourself pleasant company.
Seek professional help if the situation really gets you down.
Think of your jobhunting as a learning experience. This eGuide and other resources will help you.
Not finding good leads? Investigate
better ways to find leads. Didn't do well on an interview?
Analyze what sent wrong and figure out how to fix it.
Your job applications are not getting people's attention? Improve your resume, with particular emphasis
on the first page, and cover letters.
People not convinced of your skills? Consider tests and/or certification (below).
Not enough job skills? Look into further training/education.
Remember: the perfect job for you is out there; it is just a matter of linking up properly.
Good luck and have a productive job search!!