The Resume Quiz

I received some words of encouragement for the last blog I published...so on that note, I figured I'd give it another go-round...

Does your resume have an objective or summary statement?
-My resume is targeted to my current career goal and includes my desired job title in a career summary selection.
The most effective resumes have an objective or summary that includes a clear job target. This enables hiring managers to understand your career goals and qualifications at the beginning of the resume.

How did you figure out which key words to add to your resume?
-Incorporate industry buzzwords that you know apply to your career goal...review a number of job ads to see if there are any other frequently used terms that apply to your qualifications (i.e., good for use in electronic applicant searches such as sales, project management, financial analysis and education [MBA, BA, BS]). Hiring managers have reported using soft skills such as self-starter and specific company or school names as keywords.

Does your resume relay the significance of your accomplishments?
-Provide specific examples of how employers benefited from your performance, include measurable outcomes of work.
Providing quantifiable accomplishments help employers understand the impact of your job performance and can predict your chance of future success.

Avoid listing personal information such as marital status, hobbies (unless they have some direct impact on the desired career goal).

Do not use personal pronouns "I", "Me", My". Removing such pronouns makes a resume more concise...hiring managers will already assume you're referring to yourself.

Describe your ideal job and ideal company.
-Employers are looking for candidates who's main concern is to contribute to a potential employers success, and use the opportunity to reiterate how you will add value to an employers operation.

Have your resume professionally reviewed to ensure perfection. It pays to solicit feedback from as many people as possible, as one typo could cause the demise of your possibility to be hired.

DeLunte Lewis
Career Consultant
Career Solutions

Mock Interview

I was looking over my notes in preparation for a mock interview with a client of mine and figured that I would share some of the information that I uncovered in that particular session, in hopes that it might shine some light on those in the blogging community that are interested in polishing their interviewing skills. Here it goes...

Tell me a little bit about yourself?
Usually always the first question asked in an interview. Your answer should be concise/to the point...you should cover your past accomplishments, positions held, hobbies/interests (only when they relate to the position you are applying), strengths/efficiencies, future aspirations/how your skill set correlates to the position you are applying.

Where do you see yourself in the next five years?
Hopefully you will formulate an answer that will encompass what you will hope to be within the company/organization you are applying.

Why are you considering leaving your current position?
One, it is best to seek a new job while possessing one. With that stated, your answer should be short and sweet and straight to the point (e.g. I am currently seeking growth opportunities as a/n XYZ). You would also be benefited by emphasizing that you are leaving your current employer on a positive note (if that's the truth of course) and try not to bad mouth prior and/or current employers; it only places a negative view upon you, the applicant.

Describe a difficult work situation and how you handled it.
Behavioral based question-designed to discover how you handle certain situations. You would be benefited by providing concrete examples of difficult situations that actually happened at work. Then discuss what you did to solve the problem. Keep your answer positive, and most importantly, be specific.

Hope this helps...