Job Talk

by Susan K. Maciak, lead consultant, www.cameocareer.com

Your resume has 30 seconds to make a good impression on someone. It’ll go quickly to the bottom of the pile if it is:  sloppy, smudged, full of misspelled words, or hard to read at a quick glance.

Your resume will make a good impression immediately if dates and places are easy to follow throughout your career, if you used powerful words to describe your experience, if your knowledge and skills are included in concise, but specific, terms.

by Susan K. Maciak, Lead Consultant, www.cameocareer.com

Employers now often require job candidates to fill out online applications, even online resumes. Does that mean you should ditch your old one?

Please don’t! Job candidates still need a one-page, paper resume, revealing their job history, educational achievements, work experience, skills, strengths and special abilities.

Anyone who can’t provide the same information online is at a serious disadvantage today. Employers often require online applications and resumes “in addition” to paper ones.

You may still need to mail or fax your resume to show off your major work achievements. Employers only ask what they need to know. Online resumes don’t give you a chance to reveal assets.

Often a candidate sends a resume and is then invited to go online to fill out the employer’s version. Employers have several reasons for asking you to do that: 1) to test your computer skills.  2) to compare what you sent in to what you put in your online resume. They’re looking for inconsistencies.

Their software may also be able to scan for key words that illustrate that separate the candidates that qualify for  a job from those who don’t. They may simply want to level the playing field by having all job-seekers answer the same question.

If you get an interview, you can still bring a copy of your paper resume to handout to interviewers. That way, you can sell yourself again at the table.

by Susan K. Maciak, www.cameocareer.com

All employers want to know “What’s in it for us?” If we hire you, what will you as a jobseeker bring to this company? When you interview for a job you want, don’t wait to be asked. You can ensure that you’re the best candidate for the job by asking the right questions. Five questions candidates should always ask, include:

1. What are your company’s goals for the future? When you inquire about an organization’s long-term plans, you show that you are interested in helping to reach them. To show you’re really serious, take notes on answers to this question.

1. How could I help your company succeed? This query demonstrates that you will know your role as a new employee. You not only know that your position is important to the company’s bottom line, but this question also shows that you are willing to work as part of the team that

Intends to make things happen. You’re not just looking for a job because you need a paycheck.

1. What important personnel policies and practices should I know about? Again, you’re signaling that you want to be a team player. This question also illustrates that the culture of a company is important to you. And it should be. If hired, you’ll be spending a lot of your time there.

1. How would you describe the ideal candidate for this job? By asking interviewers to “put the shoe on the other foot, you’ll get important clues on which of your traits you should emphasize

before you leave, in a second interview, or in your thank you note. You also reveal to prospective employers that you want to understand their needs and fulfill them.

1. What future opportunities would this company have for me? Everyone who interviews should ask this question for their own benefit. Beyond the possibilities of future advancement, though, this probe sends a message that you would stay in this job for the long haul. It also tells prospective employers that you would consider applying on-the-job skills you learn to better the company in a management position some day.

If you can keep your interview centered on the company you will be working for, you’re most likely to be the candidate company representatives want to hire.