4 Major Interview Mistakes (and How to Recover) Tuesday, Jun 5 2012 

interviews , , , , , , conduitsourcing 11:59 am

4 Interview Mistakes and How to Recover

After sending out countless resumes, you’ve finally landed a job interview with your dream company. You’ve picked the perfect outfit, tucked ample copies of your resume into your folder, and practiced your answers over and over.

And then—it happens. You realize the interview was at 11:30, not 1:30. You spot an error on your resume. Or you make some other totally avoidable mistake that you know, backwards and forwards, that you should never, ever make as an interviewee.

No matter how thoroughly you prepare, mistakes can still happen during the job application and interview process. But, they don’t always mean game over—yes, even imperfect people get jobs. If you’ve made one of these common blunders, a few key steps can help you make the best of a bad situation.

 

 

What To Highlight In Your Resume When You Have Minimal Experience Monday, May 28 2012 

resume , , , , , , conduitsourcing 1:08 am

http://comerecommended.com/publish2/what-to-highlight-in-your-resume-when-you-have-minimal-experience/

As a student or recent graduate, it can be difficult to draft a resume when you don’t have a ton of work experience under your belt. But this isn’t the only thing potential employers want to see on your resume. There are plenty of other things you can highlight on your resume, even when you have a small amount of work experience. Here are some to consider:

  1. Volunteer experience. If you’ve volunteered your time at an organization where you’ve put your skills to use, this is certainly something to include on your resume. For instance, perhaps your education focused on marketing, and you spent five hours per week at your local animal shelter assisting in creating marketing materials. This is something you should share on your resume

- This article does briefly highlight a number of ways to flesh out a résumé when you don’t have much experience. I would encourage someone in this position to also look at any sports or extra-curricular activities you have participated in, as it gives an excellent indication of relevant skills/ qualities you may have, such as dedication, timekeeping and perseverance

- Conduit

 

4 Reasons Resumes Are Rejected Sunday, May 27 2012 

resume , , , , , , , conduitsourcing 6:52 pm

http://thegrindstone.com/career-management/4-reasons-resumes-are-rejected-745/

Recruiters spend countless hours reviewing resumes and screening candidates. In fact, they spend so much time scanning resumes, they can often do it in one minute or less.

As disappointing as that may be given all the hard work you put into your resume, it’s the unfortunate reality…and with such a small amount of time to make an impression, it’s no wonder they occasionally get it wrong. You may have been the perfect person for the position, but because you failed to successfully package yourself, your resume and your chances end up meeting their demise with the click of a mouse. Read on to learn the top four reasons your resume may end up in recycle bin or folder.

1. The length: Have you ever read a magazine article, short story, blog, etc. and remember thinking “Get to the point already?” Well, recruiters have this same thought when they read over a three-page resume. Nine times out of 10 they will probably just move it to the rejection stack.

 

- I disagree with a few parts of this article, length of resume is very much dependent on the type of role you are applying for i.e. it would be inappropriate for an executive role to have a brief resume, as with IT roles where it is necessary to give a significant amount of detail about your technical expertise. I also don’t necessarily think that a cover letter is a deal breaker – if your résumé is well written, and specific to the role you are applying for, a cover letter, or lack thereof, is not going to damage your chances.

However, spelling and grammar errors can automatically place your résumé in the reject pile. I would suggest having someone else, with a fresh set of eyes, review it before sending it anywhere.

- Conduit

 

Recruiters Tell Us: Do Resume Fads Really Work? Wednesday, May 23 2012 

resume , , conduitsourcing 9:24 pm

http://www.thedailymuse.com/job-search/4-resume-fads-do-they-really-work/

As any job hunter knows all too well, there’s a lot of competition out there. In today’s job market, employers are inundated with dozens—even hundreds—of resumes for almost any position they post.

And as a result, job seekers have started getting creative, ditching the traditional white linen paper and trying trends like artistically designed resumes or video submissions to help their applications stand out from the pack.

But before you jump on the bandwagon, consider this: Not all these resume fads will make the impression you want them to. “I don’t like gimmicks,” says Beth Sightler, the assistant director of a Vermont-based non-profit organization. And her sentiment was one shared by several recruiters and hiring managers I spoke with. Here’s a closer look at some of the current resume trends—and what to think about before giving them a try.

 

 

Have the Rules of Job Search Changed? Thursday, May 17 2012 

job search , , , , conduitsourcing 11:23 pm

http://careersherpa.net/have-the-rules-of-job-search-changed/

When was the last time you had to look for a job? If you haven’t been job hunting within the last year, I think you’ll find things are a bit different.

Competition is Fierce

competitionIn many industries and pockets of the country, hiring is on the upswing. That’s good news. As a matter of fact, there has probably not been a better time to look for work in the last three years! But, and this is a huge BUT! Competition is fierce. There are tons of qualified (even over-qualified) candidates applying for every job. Why does this matter to you? Here are just three things you can do to better compete:

  1. You will want to stand out!
  2. You will have to do more than just sit back and expect a call!
  3. You will want and need to be well connected!

STAND OUT

stand outThe resume you submit has to be specifically crafted tomatch the job and company you are applying for

You should have a strong personal brand and online presence

You will need to understand key words and search engine optimization

 

 

How Far Back Should Your Resume Go? Sunday, May 13 2012 

resume , , conduitsourcing 12:47 am

http://www.careerealism.com/how-far-back-resume/

I recently came across a resume that listed a summer cashier position in 1976 as part of a person’s “professional experience.”

While it may seem a little strange or ridiculous to include an irrelevant position from nearly 25 years ago, I can tell you it’s actually not that uncommon to come across something like this.

A lot of people think they literally need to include everything they’ve ever been involved with on their resumes, and I can assure you not only do you not have to follow suit, you also don’t really need to go back any longer than 10 years.

The main goal of your resume should be to impress the reader with the specific qualifications and experiences that make you fit to be hired for a desired position.

 

 

HR overlooks applicants with non-western names Thursday, May 10 2012 

job search and screening , , , conduitsourcing 4:24 am

http://www.hcamag.com/news/hr-overlooks-applicants-with-non-western-names/128853/

The Australian Human Rights Commission has said there is a growing trend of immigrants adopting Western names in the hope it will get them hired.

“There are still elements of race discrimination in employment. It is certainly present and problematic,” Disability discrimination commissioner Graeme Innes toldHC.

His comments come in light of research released by the Australian National University which confirmed significant differences in call back rates. The research suggested that “ethnic minority candidates would need to apply for more jobs in order to receive the same number of interviews”.

 

 

Think Outside the Box: 4 Creative Resume Ideas Monday, May 7 2012 

resume , , conduitsourcing 10:45 pm

http://comerecommended.com/publish2/think-outside-the-box-4-creative-resume-ideas/

Let’s visualize, shall we? Close your eyes (on second thought, don’t close your eyes), clear your mind, and imagine a resume.

What do you see?

Do you see a piece of paper? Nice paper? Bullet points? Times New Roman font? You might be something slightly different, but probably only slightly.

While 99.9% of the world sees a resume as a document, that last .01% saw it completely differently. Check out these four offbeat resume ideas:

The “Hire Me” Webpage Resume

When trying to get hired by a dot-com superstar, why not get a .com yourself? Since Jamie Varon started Twitter Should Hire Me, many job seekers followed suit with creative blogs. My favorite has to be Squicky for combining a MIT PhD with Microsoft Paint.

 

Résumé padding: inconsequential or inexcusable? Monday, May 7 2012 

resume , , , conduitsourcing 10:34 pm

http://edition.cnn.com/2012/05/07/living/resume-padding-scott-thompson/index.html

It may sound crazy. Why would a high-ranking executive lie about his or her credentials, especially now, when all it takes is a quick phone call or Internet search to verify information?

Yet it happens more often than you might think. From a white lie about time spent as a customer service rep to a whopper about earning an MBA, résumé padding occurs regularly across industries, experts say. In a 2010 survey of 1,818 organizations, 69% reported catching a job candidate lying on his or her résumé, according to employment screening service HireRight.

The most common lie on a résumé has to do with education, said Kim Isaacs, founder and director of ResumePower.com and Monster.com‘s résumé expert. The discovery that Yahoo CEO Scott Thompson does not have a bachelor’s degree in accounting and computer science (he has a bachelor of science degree in business administration, with a major in accounting) makes him the latest executive to be targeted for falsely claiming to have a degree.

 

Turn your resume into a pitch for job interview Monday, May 7 2012 

resume , , , conduitsourcing 9:37 pm

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505143_162-57414435/turn-your-resume-into-a-pitch-for-job-interview/?tag=featuredPostArea

Resumes are marketing documents -- they need to portray you in the best possible lightResumes are marketing documents — they need to portray you in the best possible light (iStockphoto)

Can you deliver a clear, articulate, and thorough overview of your skills and value to a prospective employer without rambling on for minutes about the details of your work history? Not many people can. Indeed, over my last five years as a hiring manager, I’ve encountered many candidates who can’t succinctly respond to a simple “tell me about yourself.”

I had this problem myself a long time ago, and looked to the interviewer for help to understand how much detail he or she was looking for. If you’re in the same boat, you’re doing it wrong. And you’re missing out on an opportunity to impress the interviewer.

 

Next Page »

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.