Fix Your Resume

Your resume is usually the first impression a potential employer will get of you.
It's an important the resume is properly formatted and free from spelling errors. Leave the fancy fonts for birthday cards and make it Times New Roman and 12 pt font. Basic, simple and to the point. You want them impressed with your content and not distracted by bold, crazy fonts.

So lets go! Build that resume;

Center on top your name address, phone and email. 

John Smith

00 Somewhere St

City, State Zip code

999-555-0000

email@email.com

Right under that you can put a short statement but this is optional. I usually leave it off. 
Under that should be your experience. 

Experience

Place of Employment                                                        City, State
Position                                                                             May 2013 - June 2015

Write a couple of sentences about what you did here.
"Coordinated day to day work flow of the office with special emphasis on processing sales and maintaining database."
Then bullet your skills. 

• Maintained sales database
• Processed incoming contracts
• Payroll

Do this for your last few jobs. After your experience comes education

Education

BS in Business from Some College 

Do any community service? Volunteer work? Put that next.

Community Service

5K for Cancer

Ran food drive for animal rescue

Boy Scout leader

School volunteer

After that list any special credits you have. Win an award for anything? Do any online writing, publishing, 

                                   ******************

Now the important part. SPELL CHECK! Read it over a few times. Read it out loud to be sure all your sentences make sense. Ask a friend or spouse to read it for you. Double check your email address and phone number. You want them to reach you so make sure that stuff is correct. 

Now that your resume is polished --->Go forth and conquer!   

Drop By for a Job Application

Dropping by a business to ask for a job application can be a good idea, but go dressed for success.

You never know who you'll meet when you walk through the door. Receptionist, manager, or janitor, everyone you meet matters. If the receptionist hands over your resume to the boss you don't want her to say, "He dressed in shorts and a tank top." If you wouldn't wear it to work, don't wear it to drop off your resume or fill out an application.

Go in dressed in clean, professional clothes. Even for a construction job, clean khaki's and a button down shirt go a long way in showing you want the job.

Make sure your resume is up-to-date, spell checked, and neat. Don't hand over a wrinkled, coffee stained piece of paper.

No resume? Ask to fill out an application.
Make sure you have information with you. Someone who will take the time to sit down and fill out the application will go further than the one who says, "Can I take it home?"  Applications will ask for your previous work history and references so make sure you can write them down. If you need to keep a list in your pocket or on your phone, do it. Be prepared. Fill it out neatly and make sure you know how to spell the names of the companies you've worked for and their information.

Be nice to everyone you meet at that place of business. You never know who has the bosses ear.

The Second Interview - How to ACE it!

You scored that illusive second interview. Great job! The company saw something in you and you are under serious consideration for the job. They liked you!

Now, it's time to wow them. Don't go in thinking you've aced it and are definitely in. I've seen more people blow this final step to the job than get it.  The questions might be tougher and some questions might be the same as last interview.

If they asked you to tell of an incident where your strength of customer service, organization, or handling difficult people showed through, don't use the same story you used in interview one. Make sure you have another event ready to tell.
I know sometimes it's hard to think on your feet when facing two or more professionals staring at you from across the desk. Prepare before you get there.

What are your strengths?
The second interview usually puts you in with bosses at a higher level. If they ask about your strengths it's time to list them. Not a time to brag, but state the facts. Are you good at computers? Organization? Selling? Tell them that and give some details. Why are you good at computers? Know Excel, Outlook, Publisher? What kind of databases have you worked in? Organizational skills? Do you put everything on a spread sheet? Believe in keeping accurate files so anyone can find things easily? How long have you been selling and what are your sales numbers?

That second interview can get you the job. Just make sure you go in prepared. Dress to impress, think over what you're going to say, and sell yourself!
Good luck out there!

What NOT to Bring to Your Interview

Please don't bring your mama, girlfriend, bestie, coworker, or any other human. It makes you look, well...stupid? Needy? Scared? Do you really need someone to hold your hand? Are you that immature?

Put on your best, most professional clothes, comb your hair, brush your teeth, and grab that folder with your resume and references.

Everything could look great, but if you walk in with a friend it shows the employer two things.

• You're not mature enough to do things by yourself
• You're not serious about getting a job. 

Bringing a friend to your job interview or when you walk in to ask for an application with a buddy, makes you look like you're socializing and applying for the job as an after thought. "Let's get pizza. Hey, why don't we fill out an application and get pizza." 

A job hunt is a job hunt. Make it your priority and leave the extra human at home. They contribute nothing and may distract the bosses from anything you have to offer. 

Good luck! 

Get the Job ~ Thinking Outside the Box

No matter how long you've been on the job search, sometimes it can feel like you've tried everything with no luck. Checking all the job sites, (Indeed, Monster, Simply Hired, etc.) scanning newspapers, company websites, sending those resumes, and still no job.

Maybe it's time to think outside that box. Try something different. 

Print out several copies of that resume. You did polish it, right? Place them in a file so they stay nice and neat. Pulling a crumbled piece of paper from your pocket impresses no one.

Go online and make a list of all the companies in  your area where you'd like to work. Get directions if you need them.

Dress professionally. No jeans, sneakers, or t-shirts. Wear a suit, dress pants and shirt, tie. Dress to impress.

Get in the car and walk that resume into every business where you'd like to work.
        "Hi, I don't know if you're hiring right now, but I'd like to drop off my resume in case something opens up." 

If they are hiring, ask if there's someone you can talk to. Some businesses will give you an interview on the spot so be prepared.

Do not go on Mondays. 
Monday at most businesses is the busiest day of the week. The chance that you'll snag an on-the-spot interview is low. Also, forget about Fridays. On a Friday people are looking forward to the weekend and that all important person you'll need to meet, might be ducking out early.

Good luck and Go get 'em! 

Interview Screw Up? How to fix it.

Photo credit: Got Credit

Interviews are nerve wracking. You put yourself out there, lay it all bare, and hope they pick you. Nothing is more stressful or emotional than trying to sell yourself to a perspective employer, but what happens when you screw up that all important first meeting?

Did you get lost on your way to the interview? 
     You're late and can't find the place as you drive in circles. I know this one because the building I work in is hard to find.  Now the time is ticking and you know you're going to walk in that interview late.
     Here's what you do. Stop and call. Let them know you're having a problem finding the place and ask for directions. When someone calls in like this I give them careful directions and landmarks to help them get to us. Then I call the person they are interviewing with and let them know.
     To avoid this problem; Go the day before to scope out the place so you know exactly where you're going. Time the drive but give yourself an extra 15 or 20 mins to allow for traffic problems.

Did the interviewer keep you waiting too long?
     Don't spend the time staring at your phone. Even if you're in a room by yourself, someone may be checking on you. Random people walking by might really be looking to see if you're okay or getting upset at the wait. Employers don't want someone glued to their phone all the time. Turn it off and put it in your pocket. Relax, think of the interview questions you practiced. (See those here.)
     Understand most work places are busy. The interviewer might have received a phone call or had an urgent matter land on their desk right before you arrived. Not all things in business are predictable. Be understanding and don't give them an attitude.

You forgot your resume or references?
      It's always a good idea to bring a copy of these with you even if you already emailed it to the company. You want it in front of them and don't want to rely on them remembering your one resume out of the hundreds they probably received.
     If you forgot it, offer to email or fax it over with references. It's not as good as handing it over, but it's all you can do.
     One way to avoid forgetting is to keep a file with extra resumes in your car. This helps in two ways; You'll always have that extra one if you forget to bring it to the interview and you'll have one handy if you happen to meet someone who says their company is hiring. (I once got a job because I had a resume in my purse and handed it over as soon as someone mentioned they were hiring.)

Gotta pee?
     Don't be afraid to ask to use the bathroom if you have an urgent need by the time you arrive. It's better to stop at the nearest store before getting to the interview so you don't have to ask, but its really not a deal breaker. Quite a few people ask to use the bathroom as soon as they come in for the interview. We understand that some people drive a distance to get to us. You want to be comfortable when you're interviewing and not thinking about a pressing bladder problem. Ask politely and get in and out in a timely manner.

Interviews are like auditions. Bring your best and relax. A well prepared interviewee, has a good chance for landing the second interview.
Go get 'em and good luck!

Best Job Search Sites

With New Jersey's unemployment rate among the highest in the country, we all need to know where the jobs can be found. Here's a short list to help the hunt for that perfect job.

Indeed ~ Job site that pulls from other job sites to keep your search covered. Indeed also has a cell phone ap so you can search for jobs anywhere you go. I like their email alert. Put in what you're looking for in a job and as they pop up, Indeed sends you an alert. This is one of my favorite sites.

Monster ~ One of the most popular job sites will let you search jobs by state from this page. Post your resume and keep it updated.

ZipRecruiter ~ Has an easy to navigate site that makes finding jobs in your area easy. I like this site for it's user friendly search tools. Email alerts also available. This is a great tool. If you see a site that offers email alerts for jobs, sign up so you can be the candidate that sees (and gets) that job first!

Jobs2Careers ~ Another job search site that will help you find the perfect job to fit your life. One thing I couldn't find on this site was a distance button. So I could search within a certain amount of miles from home base. Not a great site.

If you're looking for a specialized job field do a search for that word and the word jobs.
Examples;

Veterinary Jobs at iHireVeterinary.
Engineering at EngineeringJobs.

Post office jobs ~ Go to their website and see what's available. 

Search your state's website for their job list. New Jersey's list his here. 

ProBlogger ~ writing jobs. If you have any writing skills you might want to check out the freelance jobs here for some extra bucks.

Let's not forget Craig's List ~ Since it's free to post jobs here a lot of local employers use it. However, there have been a lot of horror stories about meeting people on Craig's List so be careful. If you find a job there, research the company online to be sure it's legit. Don't meet anyone in their home or at a location that seems sketchy.

Good luck and don't give up! The right job is out there.