Effective Resume Writing Tips

One of the most difficult challenges faced by job seekers is writing a resume.  The trouble with resume writing is that almost universally, people think the purpose of writing a resume is to “get a job.”  While getting a job may be the desired outcome, the real purpose of a resume is to get an interview. With that in mind, your resume should and must set the tone and the content for that anticipated interview event!  Effective resume writing should guide the reader there.  It should make the reader want to know more about you, and more about what you can do.

Another problem arises in resume writing when there is a disconnect between the resume writer and the eventual resume reader.  An effective resume is focused, precise, and purposeful, and written as the reader will see it, not in a way that the reader sees his or her self.   Likewise, job seekers tend to write resumes from a position of needing to be employed.  Employers want to see a resume that reflects the applicant’s desire and capability to perform and achieve goals.  It’s a subtle difference, but an important one to recognize and understand when you set out to write or rewrite your resume.  Here are some resume writing tips to help you develop an effective resume that will start landing you those interviews!

Send your prospective employer the right message

An effective resume is a real marketing tool that presents your strengths, your accomplishments and your experiences in an easily understood, targeted and positive light.   An effective resume presents strong evidence of what you want, and what you’re capable of.  It details where you’ve gained the education and experiences that verify and validate those claims.  Most importantly, it leads the reader to the conclusion that you’ve gained knowledge, skill, and strength in your capabilities, and that you know how to reliably recall and use them to accomplish specific, desired outcomes.  Whether you’re contemplating a career change, a first job step, a step up, or even a lateral interim position, your resume reflects your past, your present and your future.

Critiquing your resume

Ask yourself a few questions to see if your resume will pass the HR test :

• What is the applicant’s objective?  Are they seeking more responsibility or less?  Is this a lateral career move, and if so, why?
• Do the resume skills and accomplishments add up to the objective, or is this an entirely new direction?  If so, why the change?  Are there clear reasons and a clear foundation for it?
• Given the scope of previous jobs, and the job under consideration, can the applicant’s skills be used and relied upon to attain or exceed recognizable goals?  Have they before?
• Is there steady progress in using the skills toward increasing levels of responsibility or expertise?  Is there recognition or verifiable evidence that lateral movements are not due to ineffective or unsatisfactory performance?  Are lateral moves simply because they love what they do?  Do they want to challenge or advance their abilities now?
• Is it clear that this person is professionally dedicated to their stated activities?  Are there disconnects between jobs and other non-career actions or involvements?
• Are there blank or unexplained lapses in professional history?
• Are there frequent changes in direction, or a series of short-term “job-hopping” moves?
• Are there metrics (numbers) attached to measure this person’s performance?
• Does the resume indicate that the applicant shares a common vocabulary and “fit” with the new prospective employer?

Effective resumes begin with clear resume objectives

It’s a bad sign when a resume has no clear or stated objective.  From a hiring manager’s point of view, you will need much direction, management and training to do your job.  An Objective holds your resume together, and believe it or not, it is one of the best guidelines you have for what the rest of your resume should say.  If you want to simplify and energize your resume, tell the reader what you are really after in 2 or 3 sentences, then make the rest of your resume content tell the story of your journey there.

Examples of a well-crafted resume objective:

“To continue my history of success creating and directing project management driven time and cost savings for $50 million plus complex technology initiatives.”

“I am seeking the next level in management and responsibility in my proven 15 year IT career.”

“To provide the best customer service possible in a fun, but focused and purposeful organization.”

“To add my engineering skills to a team that is creating new energy alternatives in a globally conscious and locally focused sustainable solar energy market.”

Skills and Accomplishments that Add Up with Metrics

Along with an objective-driven clear focus, effective resumes provide precise and concise information about only the most important skills, responsibilities and accomplishments.  Metrics are attached to each completed result  - what was created, what changed, what was the impact?   Even if your “metrics” are a statement about how your boss’s attitude changed about your work after an event (I was given greater autonomy;  trusted with increasing and additional responsibilities; singled out thereafter for involvement in similar activities; recognized in my performance appraisal), you need to let the reader know that your actions somehow, somewhere, or some way, made a difference.

Resulting from 5 years of cumulative experiences in fundraising and building non-profit organizations, chosen as a Steering Committee Member, Workshop Presenter  and Project Manager in charge of volunteer teams for registration, outreach, table presentations and major sponsorship donations for national event campaign, empowering minority and underprivileged youth to enter higher education and careers in math and the sciences.  Raised $75,000 in sponsorships and in-kind donations, and filled 300 open registration slots with school and university students through close collaboration with MESA, Student Unions and other campus and community groups.

Explain the meaning and account for your time

Look objectively at your resume.  Are there unexplained times and changes in events or purpose? Are you writing a career change resume?   If you don’t explain these things or account for them in your resume, chances are you will not be given the opportunity to explain them in an interview.  You can either do this in your resume, or in your cover letter, with cleverly devised statements, such as;

“In 2009, I changed directions to refocus my career on customer service,”

“After 5 years of learning and acquiring the skills and experiences I needed, I determined to change my career so I could pursue my real lifelong desire to become a park ranger.“

“Due to uncertain economic times, the project lost funding and forced a change,”

“I left the company to pursue a more focused career objective,”

“After an extended period of attending to personal family matters, I returned to my career, and began again as an assistant.”

Put your resume to the final test

Create a list of questions and answers, structured from your resume that will likely be asked by your prospective employer.  As you create your resume, just remember;  your purpose is to answer the questions that will remove any obstacles to obtaining an interview. You want it structured in a way that leads the interview into that offer for a job. Let your passion and your excellence shine, and show how you’ve grown, improved and changed through your career.

With these resume writing tips, you should be well on your way to getting an interview.  Remember, the interview is your goal, not an offer.

Best of luck.

How to Succeed in a Job Interview – Part 2

We build on our last article and tackle tough interview questions.  Whenever I interviewed someone, I always had hard interview questions.  I would ask questions like “If you had an idea for a new product, what would you present to the CEO and what would you present to sales?”  I love this question because it forces them to think through so many aspects that were critical to the job.  Moreover, I was able to see how they think.  Right there. Right in front of me.  I could see how they dealt with a challenge.  I could see if they make assumptions, miss key factors, or just gloss over critical information.  I would always hope they would ask clarifying questions, or for more information.  Their behavior said so much to me and what they would be like on my team.

Being prepared for hard questions is essential.  Let’s review some techniques.

Tough Interview Questions

• Have you ever been fired from a position?  Why were you fired?
• Your resume looks like you’ve been job hopping lately; can you tell me about that?
• Have you ever had a conflict with your boss or a co-worker?  What did you do?
• What is your greatest weakness?
• Why should we hire you for this job?
• What are your salary requirements?

If you have difficulty creating the right answers to difficult interview questions, get some assistance!

Here is the key to all tough questions, if you don’t have a ready answer that you prepared especially for the question, don’t answer the question.  Your thinking “What?”  That’s right, answer a question you wished they asked.  For instance, “Were you ever fired from a position? Why were you fired?”  Change this into a question you want to answer.  For instance, let’s say you spent time on a side business that got you fired.  Answer with the following, “I was fired.  I took over responsibility for creating a new business line in addition to my day-to-day responsibilities.  This new business took considerable time and energy.  We were able to achieve x, y, z (enumerate your accomplishments).  However, business slowed and the company couldn’t afford to keep the venture going.  This was very disappointing because we had just started to see real progress… “  Sound good?  Always look for the bright side of the coin.

If you ever want to learn these techniques better, watch CSPAN when congress holds hearings.  When someone asks the question, you know what they want the answer to be “I am guilty”, “I did it”, “I am fallible.”  Watch how masterfully (or not) the person responds.

Even Tougher Interview Questions:

#1:       Imagine a couple that agreed to meet this evening, but cannot recall if they will be attending the opera or a football match. The husband would most of all like to go to the football game. The wife would like to go to the opera. Both would prefer to go to the same place rather than different ones. If they cannot communicate, where should they go?

#2:       There are five rational pirates, A, B, C, D and E. They find 100 gold coins. They must decide how to distribute them.  The pirates have a strict order of seniority: A is superior to B, who is superior to C, who is superior to D, who is superior to E.  The pirate world’s rules of distribution are thus: that the most senior pirate should propose a distribution of coins. The pirates, including the proposer, then vote on whether to accept this distribution. If the proposed allocation is approved by a majority or a tie vote, it happens. If not, the proposer is thrown overboard from the pirate ship and dies, and the next most senior pirate makes a new proposal to begin the system again.  Pirates base their decisions on three factors. First of all, each pirate wants to survive. Secondly, each pirate wants to maximize the number of gold coins he receives. Thirdly, each pirate would prefer to throw another overboard, if all other results would otherwise be equal.

Good luck.

How to Succeed in a Job Interview – Part 1 of 2

Successful interviews happen when a targeted candidate and a targeted employer find one another, and confirm their mutual needs and expectations. Armed with your pre-interview research, your primary interview task is to let the hiring manager know you can, will and want to do the job.  Use the guidelines below to help build answers to tough interview questions.  Then, use the list of Tough Interview Questions at the end of this article to challenge and hone your interview skills.

Interview Introductions

Starting with the camouflaged opening question, “How are you today?” every question in an interview is an opportunity for you to let the employer know why they should hire you.  What’s the right answer to some typical openers?

Q:        How are you today?

A:         I’m excited to be here today!  I’m looking forward to finding out more about this opportunity!  I believe I’m a great fit for this so I’m anxious to hear more!

Q:        Before we begin, do you have any questions for me?

A:         Yes!  I’ve looked over the job post, and I’m sure I’m a good fit;  I would just like to confirm that these are the things you’re looking for, and find out what other factors will be considered when you make your decision to hire.

Interview Strategy

Despite appearances, you are in control of your interview – or you should be!  Your objective is to relay these points:

• Do you have the skills and education you need to do this job?
• Will you impact the department budget in a positive or a negative way?
• Have you done what they need before, and with what results?
• Can you do it again, and can you do it for them?
• What makes you different?  What positive qualities or experiences make you a better choice than any other possible candidates?
• How long will it take you to become an asset to the company and to the manager?

Actual questions may vary and may cleverly try to distract or confuse you, but if you remember these important points, you’ll be able to answer just about anything that is thrown your way.

More about Interview Answers

During the interview your answers are gained from both verbal and non-verbal clues.  Posture, dress, body-language and voice tone portray respect for yourself and the interviewer.  Enthusiasm and job-confidence communicate your personal style and “fit” with the company and the team.  Be concise, direct, and on-target with your responses.  You’ll let the interviewer know you listen, and translate what you hear into directed and purposeful responses. It implies you’ll be able to do the same with actions.

Q:        So, tell me about yourself?

A:         “I’m an experienced marketing professional with a successful track record crafting strategies that create new customer revenue.” “Since getting my degree at UCSF in Marketing I’ve worked my way up from an intern to a serious marketing professional.  My input to our marketing team at my last company produced about $250,000 additional dollars with several of our Fortune 2000 account campaigns.  I really love the process of producing great marketing ideas and impacting the bottom line sales through my efforts in marketing!  I’m anxious to find out more about how I can do that here.

Notice how this answer sticks to the point, provides a wealth of technical information, creates focus on the positive, and even prompts the interviewer to the next potential question – “tell me about that…”  Congratulations; if you’ve got the right skills and experiences, you’re now in control of your interview!

Succinct, Positive Words that Focus on Achievements and Accomplishments

In these next examples, the interviewer wants to hear about achievements and accomplishments.  Were results attached directly or indirectly to you?  Did you work with a team?  Did you produce revenue or advancements for the company?  Is your performance reliable and replicable? Your answers will be dependent on the job type, but remember; focus your interview answers on results and accomplishments rather than tasks or procedures, and use the interview strategy to guide your answers.

Q:        Tell me about what you did at your last company.

A: I was an IT Project Team Lead at ABC Company.  We started out as the “Alliance Project Team” and ended up being known as the IT SWAT Team!  We started with a very difficult project and did it so successfully that we were reorganized into a specialty Team sent into national initiatives that were hopelessly stuck or too hot to handle. We were the company problem solvers. Personally, I led business and technical teams through 7 different projects over the 4 years that I was there.  I was originally tasked with creating mutually compatible technical interfaces and customized associated business processes for alliance of 5 medical centers.  Eventually my role was analyzing and assessing issues, then creating and implementing project methodology.  The smallest savings realized through my work was about $4 million on a $23 million budget.  The largest was $47 million on a budget of $650 million.  I averaged impacts to budget around 7-15%.

Q:        What was the most difficult challenge you had to overcome, and how did you do it?

A:         Our “SWAT Team,” relied on each team member’s individual strengths and our ability to work as a team. We arrived on difficult projects to either turn them off or turn them around.  Our first hope was that we were going to create positive change.  Our first obstacle was always to get people to “disarm!” The objective was to lead clients to consensually get past the problems and focus them on working toward their goal. One best example: after 2 years of failure, we led 64 lab managers into a single lab system RFP within 6 weeks.  I devised the methodology, taught a team of 15 project managers and analysts what to do, and consulted with them as they implemented the strategy with the clients.  The solution used a creative similarity-focused gap analysis and employed some specific consensus-producing procedures during strategically designed meetings.  The results weren’t really surprising, but they were amazing!  We ended up saving more than 6 months and $40 million!

Notice the important elements in both of these interview answers.  They employ the interview strategy to answer the questions with succinct, positive and purposeful words. They indicate you knew your role, why you were there, and what you were there to do.  They show you did “it” successfully, and you know how you produced that success. Try it yourself, with these examples of the most difficult interview questions;

Part 2 will cover answering tough interview questions.

Good luck.

Average Job Salary With and Without Degree

I was doing research on the fastest growing jobs for the next decade and was surprised at the average job salary difference between obtaining a degree and no degree.

In looking at the top 30 jobs, those that do not require an associate’s degree or higher were paid on average $20k-25K per year.

When you compare this to jobs requiring an associate’s degree, the average was $40K, double that of someone with no degree.

If a person has a bachelor’s degree, the average salary increases to $55K per year.  Add a masters or doctorate and the salary continues to increase.

Now, here is the kicker.  The potential salary increase for a person without a degree increases from $10/hour to $13/hour.  Annualize this on a normal 40hr week and the salary growth potential is $7,000.

An individual with a bachelor’s degree can increase from $55K to above $150K.  They can increase their salary by $100K.

Let’s review an example: a physical therapists aide makes on average $25K while a physical therapist makes $60K.  If they both have 10 years experience, the aide makes $30K and the physical therapist makes $150K.

So, what is a person to do who does not have a bachelor’s degree?  Go get one!  I recommend you go get one using night school or online classes.  Don’t worry about going back to a brick-and-mortar college.  Just get the degree.  What you want to avoid is the salary ceiling imposed because you don’t have a degree.  You are a smart person with lots of potential.

Another tip, ask your employer if you obtained a degree could you move up to an equivalent position.  The difference may be $400K to over $1M over 10 years.

Good luck.

Also read: Job search techniques that work – the 8 Step Plan

Answering Job Interview Questions

Nothing will kill an interview faster than the wrong answers to questions.  I have been through about 100 interviews in my career.  Through all of them, nothing was more important than watching an interviewee think and respond to a question.  Most often, it was not the answer but how they thought and responded.

Answering interview questions correctly starts with being prepared.  With a thorough understanding of the job and the company in hand, here’s how to ace some common interview questions.

Your first interview question is likely to be, “Tell me about yourself!”  Instead of getting personal, use a purposeful statement that presents your best skills and experience. “I’m an experienced marketing professional with a successful track record crafting strategies that create new customer revenue.” “At ABC, one of my programs exceeded expectations  with a $500,000 result.” “Do you measure the success of your marketing based on dollars or another measure?”

When it comes to talking about work history, frame your interview answers around results, achievements and activities. Use specific examples that have a direct bearing on the new job.  “My experiences have led to a real strength in mid-market CRM technology.” “At ABC, I worked with the developers to address the top improvements our customers wanted.”  “We brought 30 new$50,000 customers on board.” Remember to answer with short, focused, positive statements; “I’m a seasoned office manager.”  “At ABC, I cut expenses and I managed employees through tough workloads and deadlines with $1,000 monthly savings.”  “I can do it again.”

Interview questions about job departures deserve a truthful, carefully designed response. 
“My last job was not a good fit.”  “I didn’t get to use my expertise in cost savings and A/P and A/R management.”  “This job is better aligned to my strengths.”

What about negative or uncomfortable interview questions, like,  “What are your weaknesses?”  Turn negatives into positives with actions you’ve taken to compensate.  “I’ve had problems with organization, but I took some time management classes that have really turned things around.”  “Now, I meet deadlines and even finish ahead of schedule.” Research brings confidence with compensation questions; “I know the range for this type of job is between $50,000 and $65,000 per year.”  “I’m comfortable in that range, and am open to discussion.”

The parting interview question will likely be, “Why should we hire you, why do you want this job?”  Leave a great impression behind!  Pick one or two examples of skills and accomplishments, and apply them to the new job.  “I’ve consistently saved employers money.””My work at ABC saved more than $1,000 a month.”  “I’m confident I can do the same here.”  “This company has the environment, the culture and the opportunity I’m looking for.” “I’m committed to my future doing a great job for you.”

You will end up getting many more questions that you may not predict.  For these, take time before jumping to an answer.  Once you say something, you can’t take it back.  Think about the question and look to use these common tactics:

• Are there multiple right answers?  If so, verbalize them in your response and then discuss why you would choose one over the others.
• Does the question pertain to something you have little or no experience?  If so, answer by saying “This is an area where I would seek out information from other experts.  I would first look internally to see if anyone had experience with this sort of situation, then I would look to outside experts or materials to learn how others approached this type of situation.”  This answer shows you work with others to find the best solution and you seek knowledge rather than winging it.
• Does the question relate to a process or diagram?  If so, draw it.  In most cases, the interviewer will participate with you in the question.  When the interviewer engages, you are collaborating with them moving you way up compared to other candidates.  Remember, people hire people they like.

Remember, job interview questions don’t need to be difficult.  Spend some time preparing, be honest, and be excited.

Now you are ready for the big test.

Good luck.

Also read: Your must know guide to prepare for an interview

Career Change Training and Career Change Advice

Dissatisfaction, boredom, changing life styles and limited advancement or compensation opportunities headline traditional career change lists.  But today career change drivers are just as likely to be for non-elective reasons.  No matter if your decision is driven by a pursuit for happiness or a pursuit for survival; follow these important rules to insure a smart and lasting career change.

1. Objectively examine the emotional reasons you are changing your career.  Pursuing a passion or talent?  Seeking a career with meaning?  Exiting a dead end job?  You’ll need to firmly know and understand the real reasons and drivers if you expect to go the distance required in a new career pursuit.
2. Starting a new career is like starting your own business.  Make sure you have the capital and the resources to embark on the journey!  Doing related volunteer or part-time work while you’re researching, preparing, exploring and pursuing your new life will allow you to make important progress while keeping vital financial and emotional safety nets in place.
3. Know what you have to offer.  Be able to explain it in 1 minute or less. Your explanation must include new career benefits and needs you’ll fill, and a factual reason for why or how you can provide them. Use new career vocabulary and connect “old” words to new ones.  If you can’t draw those connections, find out how to create them.
4. Create a strategy!  Strategy is a backward plan.  Where do you want to be in 5 years?  Research job descriptions and career profiles and list the requirements.  Then, trace back the necessary steps, education and training you’ll need to get there.  Finally, map out the action steps, job titles and skills you need to pursue and land in the process.
5. You need a marketing plan, not just a new resume.  A resume can lock you into talking about the past, and make you sound uncertain about what you want to do.  A marketing campaign lays out your strengths, and applies them to the activities and the new direction you’re looking for. That marketing “plan” can make for an excellent new cover letter, will help you glide through tough new interviews, and help you reformulate your resume into the tool you need to gain admittance into your new career.

Changing careers requires a job change — a scary proposition.  However, with career change training, and good career change advice will help see you through this difficult challenge.  Don’t let your fear stop you from finding a job you love.

For more information on these techniques and for more assistance creating and pursuing a successful new career or career change see - Get help with Career Training

Good luck.

Also read: Changing Careers Over 40

Job Interview Preparation and Interview Tips

Bill, a Hi-Tech recruiter, and I were discussing our experiences from interviews we had conducted in the past few years.  Of course, we started off having some laughs about the worst interviews.  I feel compelled to share just two of them as they are funny.

One interviewee took notes on his bank statement because he forgot a piece of paper (or maybe trying to tell us that he really needed the job).

One interviewee came in with white socks and tennis shoes with a black suit.  Not the worst thing, but when you are interviewing for a position where public presentations are part of the job, this is not your best foot forward.

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Each of these candidates never prepared properly.  If they had followed some simple steps for interview preparation, they would have performed much better.

We later started talking about one particular position we struggled to fill.  After many interviews with various candidates, we just felt everyone was the same and unfortunately no one had impressed any of us.  While everyone possessed the right skills, they just didn’t differentiate or distinguish themselves from the others.  As we reviewed each candidate the interview team had similar feedback: they could recite their experiences like reading out of an encyclopedia, but that was it.

We went on to discuss our experiences about great interviewees, how they sold themselves, and how they differentiated themselves from other candidates.  Here is a shortened version of our conversation.

• Start with a strategy to differentiate yourself.  Great interviews start with interview preparation including your differentiation strategy. Look to your experiences, knowledge, schooling, connections, whatever it is to differentiate yourself.  Think about what the interviewer wants to hear: they want somebody they can believe in, stand by and promote.  When you differentiate yourself, you give them reason to believe in you.
• Don’t generalize or try to be a Swiss Army knife.  This is the most common fault of all interview preparation.  This most often leads to boring interviews or worse this leads to overselling and credibility issues.  Often, I would comment to myself “if you have done all of these things so well, why are you interviewing for this position? You should have my job or my boss’ job.”
• Tell a story and be specific.  Being specific gives you more information to convey, a story to help make it stick, and something for the interviewer to engage.  To prepare for an interview, you need to be thinking about the story you are going to sell. Here is an example.  I recently interviewed marketing writers.  Compare these two responses when I asked them about their work history:

• Interviewee #1: I have worked for many leading companies in Silicon Valley, including A, B, and C.  I have expertise in product specifications, product documentation, sales presentation, press releases, product training, and sales collateral.  I have done this successfully for the past 10 years.  At company A, I did X, Y, Z.
• Interviewee #2: I have 10 years experience in creating marketing collateral.  My biggest success came most recently when we wanted to improve our awareness in the market.  We sold safety equipment.  Most of our customers bought our products on a schedule and safety concerns were not a top of mind issue.  To help generate more interest, I wanted to use the major publications in our market to assist us with our sales efforts.  My boss hated the idea because making buzz about safety has negative implications.  No one wants to buy from the company saying there is a safety problem.  Instead, he felt we needed to focus on the sales people.  I still thought this was a good idea, so I set out to be included in 3 of the 5 major publications in our market with my boss’ approval.  I focused on current healthcare costs in the market and related our safety products to reducing healthcare costs.  The sales team loved the materials because they could relate to them and so could their customers.  I then contacted the publications inquiring about articles related to safety and healthcare costs.  In our discussions, they learned what we were doing and wrote articles about us.  In the end, I exceeded my goal with 4 of the 5 publications writing about us and the sales team went crazy to get the articles so their customers could read about us.

Hopefully, this helps guide how you approach the interview.  Remember, you need to standout.  Most interviews are a blur.  When you prepare for an interview, create a story or something people will remember you by so you are elevated to the top of the list.

Good luck.

Also read: Your must know guide to prepare for an interview

Job Interview Tips and Preparation

Congratulations; you’ve landed an interview – the first step in the hiring process!  Celebrate for a moment, and then take a deep breath.  There are a few more hurdles to jump before landing that job.  How do you prepare?

Your goal is to get a second interview! Armed with your goal and a copy of the job description, it’s time to check out the company.  What do they do?  What do they sell or provide, and to whom?  Look for evidence through research and interviews with similarly employed professionals about how your role fits into the company’s mission statement and overall operations.  Familiarize yourself with this information and incorporate it into your tone and content for the interview.

Next, dig into the company’s performance.  What strengths and weaknesses are evident; have they recently reached any milestones?  Let your interviewer know you have skills that can solve issues specific to the industry.  Review company reports, press releases and news stories to look for clues about what the company wants to accomplish or fix, and where money and resources are being spent.  If the company is public (or a competitor), I highly recommend using Yahoo! Finance to research the company performance, competitors, annual letter, and analyst reports.  You may need to buy an analyst report, but it will be the best money you can spend.  Formulate questions and know the answers ahead of time.  You’ll be able to converse on the answers you receive with intelligence and confidence.

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Now, you need to practice your interview. Check the company website for info about the actual interview process.  Research and be ready for any specific approach you may encounter.  Find out if tests or technical questions are involved and make sure you’re ready to address them.  Answer these five questions to cover the basics:

1. Are you qualified for the position?  Simple statements work here – cover your education, training, and pertinent experiences.
2. What motivates you?  Discuss what thrills you about this work.
3. What are your “negative” factors?  Be brave – nobody is perfect.  Talk about these frankly, but be sure to include a positive evolution from the condition or the results!
4. Are you a good fit?  Teamwork or lone activites?  Introvert or extrovert?  Ethics?
5. Why do you want the job?  Focus on how the company can lead their competitors with your help.  What benefits will you bring to the job?

And finally, relax!  With great preparation, you’ll get a good night’s sleep and be at your very best on the important day.

Good luck.

Also read: All You Need is Me

Career Schools and Career Training

More than 80% of the next decade’s top 30 jobs require post-secondary degrees or certified training to enter or advance in the field.  With the future in mind, investing your time and money in school and training is an excellent choice for almost any career.  Your investment and commitment deserve to be taken seriously. Start out right by asking questions and creating a plan before taking the plunge.

What are my goals and how will I reach them? Where do you want to be in 5 years?  The right education and training strengthens your job entry position, hastens career advancement and insures additional opportunity in the future.  Research your chosen career path and decide which education moves you have to make to get there.  In addition to classes, be sure to consider interim jobs and assignments and volunteer or part-time work that add up to what you’ll need.

What school choice is right for me? Do you need a degree, a license or a certification?  What accreditations must the school have to be valid in your chosen field?  Will your choice of schools strengthen your employment options and opportunities? Do you need test scores to gain admittance?  Is starting out with Junior College an option?  Will JC units transfer to a high-level institution later on?  Are on-line courses or hybrid programs a good choice for you?

Do I have the financial resources I need? What kind of tuition is involved?  How much will books and equipment cost?  Will you need financial aid?  Can you qualify for it?  When is the money disbursed, and to whom?  Are scholarships or tuition reimbursement available to you? Money troubles in school set you up for learning and grade failure. Plan accordingly.

How does my schedule or my lifestyle need to change while I’m in school? Should you or will you be able to work while you attend school?  Will your work hours need to change?  How will your home and family life need to change to support your decision and commitment?  What kinds of extra-curricular and recreational activities will fit into the scheme of things once you start school?

Doing your career school homework is time well spent.  By answering these tough questions, you’ll be sure to choose the program that’s perfect for you.

Learn more about career training options.

Good luck.

Effective Job Search Techniques

Is you’re current job search technique yielding interview results 80% of the time?  It can!  Make it your job to find a job!  With your fine-tuned resume in hand, incorporate this proven Job Search and Targeting Strategy into a comprehensive Job Search Action Plan that will yield definite results.

Job Search Strategy:

Statistically, networking lands jobs 80% of the time.  Match that with 60-70% of your job search effort. (Also read – Best Networking Tips for 2010).  Dedicate about 20-30% of your job search time following the Job Search Action Plan.

The Job Search Action Plan

This Action Plan keeps your job search moving, and your job search activities structured and organized.  Work in batches, spending about 1-2 hours each day working the Plan.  Networking results are definitely HOT status (Step 4).  Handle them in a dedicated, unique batch.  Restart the plan for Steps 4-8 once you land an interview.

Good luck.

More on Job Searching: 9 Ways to get into 2010’s hottest jobs