Job Search Advice, Resume Writing Tips from a Career Consultant

For those who believe that interviewing is just a matter of schmooze and that you can "wing it" check out the questions below. My colleague, Billie Sucher, gathered some tough interview questions and I'd like to do the same here at CareerBoard. Remember... interviewing is not the time to think... it's the time to perform. Send us some of YOUR tough questions!

• If we hire you, will we be taking a risk, or earning a reward, and why?
• In what ways do you support a company's vision and values and in what ways do you sabotage it?
• By your very nature, do you act or react and give us specific examples of your choice.
• Please describe three strategies you will use to contribute to our bottom line, and how long will it take for you to achieve same?
• Will you lead or will you follow and which do you think is more important in today's volatile climate?
• What can we expect from you as an employee and what do you expect from us an employer?
• Tell us something about you that only your mother would know.
• Are we better off with you, or without you, and how so?
• If you were a member of this Selection Committee, what is the single-most important question that we should be asking you, that we haven't?
• As a manager, do you implode or explode when things don't go your way and what happens after that?

Labels: interview

It might be a tough market out there but these guys will disagree with you if you claim no one's hiring! These are some great victories of ordinary folks that came to me for coaching and we did it! Or I should say they did it!

Mark - After 30 years with one company Mark didn't have a clue where to start. So he came to me. He is a financial guy and required lessons on job search and interviewing in 2008. He actually beat Richard (see below) from one job offer but went on to accept a more lucrative one in a better environment.

Richard - Accountants aren't always good communicators and once he became fluid he was able to knock the ball clear out of the ball park. We rewrote a very bland and uninformative resume and then practiced and practiced and practiced interviewing. Richard attended so many job fairs that I actually saw him on TV while attending one. He was everywhere and it worked!

Pam - With very specialized technical talent Pam would have preferred to change careers and eventually I'll help her do just that. But as an unemployed single mother in a tough market (I didn't say impossible market!) she needs to spend at least 24 months in the new job and then, from a position of strength, we'll forge ahead.

Gary - Having worked for one company for years and having been unemployed for months we started from square one. It took some to get his search momentum going. After all the last time he searched for a job he merely called a few of his pals. An extremely likable manufacturing/engineering pro he just needed to learn what to do, commit to it and do it! He did.

The key here is not to ever buy in to the myth that there are no jobs. Offers go to those who learn to win them and don't give up! Remember how bad instant pudding tastes? Instant hires are worse!

CareerBoard and Worthington Career Services appear at many career fairs throughout the year. We want to make sure you to do a great job presenting yourselves to what might be your future employer. Here are some tips!

• Dress as you prefer to be remembered. Before employers hear you they see you. This is no place for jeans, sandals or beachwear.
• Bring plenty of resumes and business cards. Staple the pages of your resumes and don't fold.
• Once you have an opportunity to address an employer have a sound byte prepared that explains your background and what type of work you seek.
• Network with other job seekers. You'd be amazed how much we all have in common.
• Don't eat the candy! It will compromise your image.
• Smile and enjoy! It's a friendly crowd.

On Tuesday, June 17th, CareerBoard and Worthington Career Services, along with numerous hiring companies will be appearing at the Scioto Ridge Job Networking Group Career Fair! I encourage everyone to drop by our table. Here are the details:

Scioto Ridge United Methodist Church
4343 Dublin Road
Hilliard, Ohio 43026
Time: 1PM - 4 PM

For more upcoming events, be sure to check back regularly at CareerBoard's Columbus and Cleveland Event Pages.

To write an effective e-mail that comes across with professionalism try following these tips below.

1. Keep messages short and to-the-point so your reader isn't bombarded with too much content. 2. Avoid writing in all CAPS, because this portrays anger or frustration.
3. Don't write in all lower-case either. This gives the perception of laziness or a lack of education.
4. Double check your recipients to make sure the intended people are receiving the e-mail.
5. Proofread your e-mail before you send it to avoid making grammatical mistakes and spelling errors.
6. Delete e-mail forwards to avoid spamming your colleagues.
7. Make sure your subject line summarizes your e-mail. This will show respect for recipient's time and help them better manage your request.
8. Use the words "urgent" and "important" sparingly. Overusing these words will cause all your e-mails to lose their priority.
9. Take a moment before you send an e-mail when writing in frustration. You don't want to lose your professionalism by lashing out at people.
10. If in doubt that your message will be misunderstood. send it to yourself!
11. Have a professional email address and a professional signature line that includes your phone number and links to your web site.

Courtesy of Express Employment Processionals

How often have you responded to an advertisement that asked for your salary history (what you've made in the past) or salary requirements (current salary expectations?) Most likely, quite often. Always remember that your resume is NOT the appropriate place in which to discuss salary.

If you must say something, save this discussion for the cover letter. Tell the employer that your requirements are flexible (I don't like the word "negotiable") and that you prefer to discuss the specifics in privacy. Then find out what the job pays, go impress and then listen! The next thing you hear just might be your job offer and you could just have put yourself in an attractive negotiating posture!

In a recession, your career decisions will directly impact your opportunities in a tight job market. Therefore you cannot rely on unsubstantiated information. The best way to make sure you make informed decisions.

One common mistake among job seekers is not using free or low-cost information available from credentialed, experienced career service professionals. Instead, they listen to co-workers, spouses, or their retired uncles who teach college English. While these folks all have valuable input and good intentions, not everything they offer falls under the category of good advice.

Visit your local bookstore and locate good career books. If you can't afford to buy the books frequent the library. Use this Internet to find free information. We bloggers are here for you! However be sure to examine the credentials of any book and website authors to verify that they are qualified to offer advice.

In short, don't believe everything you hearyes. Everyone has changed jobs and many have hired staff. Believe me that doesn't make them experts. Seek help from those who spend their days in the trenches.

Everybody likes tough guys. From Vito Corleone to Tony Soprano these personas continue to be phenomenally popular. Tough guys are also good guys such as John Wayne, Harrison Ford and Sean Connery. Their movies are some of the entertainment industry's most popular. We feel good watching tough guys and amazingly some of us even emulate them, forgetting they are merely figments of screen writers.

We also hunger to study and observe corporate tough guys as illustrated by the popularity of Donald Trump, Jack Welch and even the quiet but mighty Bill Gates. What's the appeal of these tough guys? We admire their power and their successes. Most important, they win our confidence, a fact that deserves close examination by any job seeker.

Following my survey of Human Resource Directors last year, I sought to survey and study several more-accessible corporate leaders looking to see if they too were tough guys. Predictably all the business leaders I questioned (there were seven nationwide) had some combined characteristics of tough guys though not bad guys. While differing in age, diversity, economic background, industry, and even management styles, they all had certain qualities in common, and when conducting hiring campaigns, they required and sought other tough guys! Here are the qualities they preferred!

Opinionated and passionate but never arrogant... No rear view mirrors and no excuses for past failures... Insatiable hunger to be proactive... Extremely likeable... Never Greedy