After a speech, I often encounter someone from the audience who approaches me and asks: “What do you think of my resume?” I smile and ask: “What job are you applying for?” More often than not, they respond with: “Nothing in particular. I just want to know what you think of it?”I give it a cursory look for achievement metrics and style points and usually say, “It’s fine as is; but I could give you a better critique if you we...

Many technical resumes suffer because engineers, developers, researchers, and other technical job applicants have trouble communicating what they do. Many of them are more at home drawing a diagram than writing; and many are used to communicating with their peers at a level where a hiring manager or recruiter is simply lost. Still, the hiring managers and recruiters are the ones who will ultimately examine a resume and deci...

No employer is going to hire you because you’re a good person–likable, presentable, etc. Not even if you really need a job, sad to say. You’ll have to do better than that if you want to land the new job you’re after.What you need to consider is why the prospective employer should care, why they would think you could be the answer they’re looking for. That’s it, pure and simple. Of course, it’s really not quite that simple.Y...

Interview preparation is hard work. You need to practice your STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) responses. You have to vet out possible behavioral questions and craft compelling responses to them. You must ensure that your image reflects your professionalism—your shirt must be ironed, and your shoes must be polished!Be sure that you are focusing your efforts in the right area, by narrowing in on what the interviewer i...

I recently interviewed four candidates for an entry-level position on my team. One thing that is absolutely clear at the end of this experience is that college career centers are giving their students bad, outdated advice! All four of these young people had objective statements on their resumes, and presented themselves in the same bland manner. They talked about their academic achievements, and how great they were, but the...

As a professional resume writer, I have a commitment to giving you a clear, concise, accurate resume that shows off your value to hiring managers and recruiters and that can help you move on to the next stage in the application process, an interview. But that commitment also includes things that I cannot do for you.I cannot lie for you. If I am aware of any discrepancies or lies in your resume, I will advise you against the...

It's been a long time since anything's been simple about executive resumes. People ask questions such as: should my resume be two pages or one, can you have three or more pages, how should it look, can I have a functional resume? And people ask: why I am not getting called back, why aren't recruiters contacting me, why have I been looking for months with no luck?Well, the simple answer to all these questions is, drum roll h...

Have you ever submitted your resume for an opening that matched your qualifications and never received an acknowledgment? Or have you interviewed with a company and never been informed as to the outcome (which obviously meant they hadn’t picked you!)?Companies too often show a lack of respect for candidates who respond to openings by submitting a resume and an equally dismal lack of courtesy toward applicants they actually...

Finding a way to standout from the crowd has always been a key to landing a new job. With so much information and competitive options available, job seekers need to find ways to make employers say, "Wow!" Mike Perry, president of Szarka Financial, uses his decades of experience in hiring to give job seekers the inside scoop on what hits home with potential employers. He tells Tim Muma the specific areas hiring personnel loo...

If you ever thought about stretching the truth on your resume, you may want to rethink the strategy. The statistics on the amount of lying in resumes are stunning: one study claims that 53% of applicants lie. However, that is not a green light for joining the liars. It simply means that hiring managers and recruiters are well aware of the situation and have re-doubled their efforts to check out the facts on resumes.The most...