Words of Advice to Candidates
by Laura L. LashuaExecutive Recruiter/Owner.
VERTEX SEARCH & CONSULTING ®
Your Resume is the first impression that you will make. It should be your sales brochure of your best and make you stand out from the competition. Placing critical skills as key words or in a summary at the beginning adds impact to your resume and is an effective strategy to capture the reader's attention.
Stating a clear objective is also an excellent way to sell what you are qualified to do, right up front.Don't bury the key facts on the second page.
Your resume should clearly outline your work experience and showcase your work record. Whether you use a chronological, functional or combined format, what is important is to be clear in describing your abilities. Leave no room for suspicion that you are trying to hide something. Often the functional resume, which does not identify specific dates, names and places, will create this suspicion. Companies want to know your chronological employment-related experiences. When this information is not contained on the resume, they often ask about this information or pass on your resume for those that are more specific and show consistent employment history, no gaps in employment and where experiences are related to the current employment goals.
There is no one layout that fits everyone or every position. A targeted resume is ideal to direct skills and experience to the specific needs of an employer. It is a very powerful method to set you apart from the competition and capture the attention of the hiring manager. This of course requires tailoring the resume for a specific job you are applying for.
Phone Interviews with prospective employers are most common for the first interview. It is important to be just as prepared for a phone interview, as you would for an interview you may be flown in for with a panel of interviewers. The phone interview is designed to screen out and save time and money, not bringing in the unqualified, poor communicators, and those that seem to lack interest or attention. First and foremost, avoid using a cell phone for your phone interview. It is best to be available on a landline and have a confidential location for the call so you can give your undivided attention, and so that the connection is reliable. Be prompt and available when you are called. Don’t be on another line, but be ready for the call. Be patient if the person calling you is 10 minutes late and allow for flexibility in your schedule. Be sure you have done your homework and have in front of you any documentation you have gained about the company, their key products, press releases, bios of key company executives and any information you have about the person who is calling you. You may be asked the question: “What do you know about our company?” The response, “not much” will be a sure way to make this first interview, your last. You don’t have your image to sell or your ability to sit forward and present yourself with interest to the interviewer. Your voice will be what carries you through so be sure you come across with enthusiasm, clarity, well thought out responses but not ones that avoid the question or go on and on with an answer that is far more than what the interviewer was asking for. Visualize that you are sitting in a conference room with the person and act just as you would for a face to face interview, with the expressions, posture and all the things that say I am interested in this job. It will be heard in the voice!
"Client companies typically interview every candidate that we refer. This is a direct result of high quality selection."