Polished

Job Search Tips:

DO:

• Populate your resume and cover letter with concise, well thought out examples that illustrate your strong character and capacity to learn.

• Remove dated information from your resume that you cannot fully support if asked to.

• Create "hooks" in your resume and cover letter to "reel in" the reviewer to your skills and strengths.

• Have someone with superior grammatical skills proof-read your resume and cover letters. It will be very hard for you to recover if there is a mistake. Two would be fatal.

• Learn as much as you can about the culture of the firms in which you are interested in interviewing. Each one has its own unique character. Finding the ones that best fit your own personality is an important determinant of future success.

• Be honest with yourself and your future employers. You are looking for a "fit". Don't be afraid to let the free market push you in the direction that you should go.

• Show up on time for your interviews. Smile and be polite. First impressions are very important.

• Practice for your interviews. Your responses should not sound rehearsed, but you don't ever want to appear unprepared.

DON'T:

• Misrepresent your skill level on your resume and cover letter. Words like "superior" and "excellent" should be used with extreme caution. It is very likely that your interviewer will have a higher bar for these superlatives than your peers.

• Have irrelevant information on your resume or cover letters. Stick to skills and examples of your character and capacity.

• Shrink the font size on your resume to cram every piece of data about yourself on one page. Fonts below 11 point are irritating. You do not want your first impression to be a negative one.

• Ramble during your interviews. Practice delivering short, insightful answers. Your interviewer will ask a follow-up question if she wants to know more.

• Douse yourself with cologne or perfume immediately before your interview. Some of the interview rooms are quite small and you can literally leave a bad taste in your interviewer's mouth!

Presentations:

April 27, 2010 - Staying out of the "NO" Pile Presentation