Interview Success: Five Easy Tips for Making a Great First Impression

Cathy Eng, Certified Advanced Resume Writer

Some experts say more than 90% of communication is non-verbal, and in this ultra competitive job market you must pay attention to every silent detail in order to make an impression. Why? Because there are many other candidates out there who are equally qualified and dedicated, and who know how to make a great first impression.

But there are lots of ways to get the edge utilizing your professional appearance, communication, and attitude. You may think, ‘Surely employers aren’t so shallow that they will judge me based on my appearance.’ While a lot more goes into their impression of you, your appearance is certainly a big part.

By showing an employer that you know how to make a great first impression and you have attention to detail, you can communicate way more than you may think. Here are some basic and sometimes overlooked areas that make a big difference in an interview: Continue Reading

4 Steps to Researching Companies Before Writing Your Executive Resume

Jessica Holbrook Hernandez of Great Resumes Fast

The process of writing an executive resume seems as though it should be a simple one: your stellar professional background speaks for itself, right? Actually, this is not always the case. Because you are competing against a lot of other candidates with equally stellar backgrounds, it’s important that you work harder to make your resume stand out from the rest of the pack.

Researching companies is a great way to show representatives that you have a solid understanding of the company and what it stands for. So what are the steps you can take in order to conduct thorough research? Here are four to consider: Continue Reading

What Is Resume Rebranding and Why Is It Important to My Job Search?

Jessica Holbrook Hernandez of Great Resumes Fast

Resume branding is a critical concept when developing an interview-worthy resume. It differentiates you from your competitors and truly highlights the unique value that you bring to employers. Rebranding your resume simply means that you’re taking your original, branded resume and you are tweaking it for each different position that you apply to so that you become the best match possible for each particular position.

Why is rebranding so critical?

Rebranding or targeting each resume to the specific position for which you are applying is so critical because a generic resume doesn’t prove that you’re a perfect match for the position. If you’re applying for an engineering position but submitting an IT resume, you obviously aren’t the perfect match for the job. Each resume you submit should be customized for the position. Below are a few areas to retarget: Continue Reading

Academic Planning – Now??

It’s easy to get so busy with day-to-day demands that you forget to take a step back and consider the big picture. This time of year, for instance, your current academic course load might be so demanding that it’s hard to take a break to think about your overall academic goals and your graduation plan. Figuring out what you want to do in your future—whether that’s the near future of next year’s course selection or the further-out future of a post-college career—can be challenging because there are so many options. Figuring out how to prioritize and manage the steps on the path to your future can be even more challenging: What are the options? What are the requirements? What requirements have changed? How do other factors—study abroad semesters, independent study classes, internship opportunities, etc.—affect the overall plan? Continue Reading

How to Maximize Your Resume’s Real Estate

Cathy Eng, Certified Advanced Resume Writer

Real estate is not just about properties and land. It is how advertisers see ad space and web developers see web pages – it is about the value of a particular area within any space, even resume space. Yes, a simple 8.5×11 piece of paper is real estate when turned into a resume.

However, it is a common mistake for job seekers to bury their best qualities, skills, and accomplishments in bad real estate – hidden in long paragraphs, under irrelevant content, or even on subsequent pages, leaving the reader feeling unimpressed because they can’t find your best stuff. If you want to market your best qualities, you must position them in the best place possible on your resume.

But, why? Because employers will take about 30 seconds to scan your resume for keywords, specific skills, measurable achievements, etc. and if your best assets aren’t advertised in key real estate, they will easily be overlooked.

So, what is the best way to get the biggest aesthetic bang for your buck? Here are some suggestions. Continue Reading

Writing an Amazing C-Level Resume in 5 Steps

Jessica Holbrook Hernandez of Great Resumes Fast

Writing a C-level executive resume can feel pretty intimidating to just about any chief executive. While some may wonder how someone at such a high position on the corporate ladder can ever feel intimidated, it’s quite easy if that person hasn’t been on a job hunt in years and feels out of practice.

A great way to jump back into the saddle and build your confidence is by creating an amazing resume. In five quick steps, you can get this done. Continue Reading

How to Incorporate Your Brand Into Your Resume

Jessica Holbrook Hernandez of Great Resumes Fast

Writing a resume is not an easy task. There are always several aspects to consider, including which information to incorporate that can help yours stand out from the pack. Many job seekers have found that branding the resume makes a huge difference because it works well in defining candidates as major contributors to their field. So how can you incorporate your brand into your resume? Here are some tips to consider: Continue Reading

You, Online.

You’ve heard the idea that everyone is connected to everyone else by just six degrees of separation? Well, make that just two degrees of separation, thanks to social media such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. Because of this, your online presence—and the relationships you build through social networking—is vital to building your career.

The majority of people still find jobs and get hired through personal connections. Social media is your route to making more personal connections—and to making them more, well, personal. Having a strong network not only gets you the job—it also gives you the opportunity to exchange ideas and knowledge with other professionals. Continue Reading

Cost of Private Colleges Falls Even As Costs Skyrocket for Public Colleges

Here’s the average sticker price and average net price for tuition and fees at public and private colleges in the U.S. over the past 15 years:

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Lessons Learned – Job Search Strategies

Over the past decade, I have had the privilege of working with a range of organizations, from some of the world’s largest and notable engineering firms to the smallest non-profits. Since I first entered the job market, times have changed. When I look back on my professional experiences and job hunts, I realize that in one 7 year period, I worked for 5 companies from New York City to Chicago on over $100 million in projects. I marveled at the variety of companies and projects that I had worked on as well as the resolve it had taken to secure and add value at all of them. In the end, I discovered some common threads and themes that I found worth sharing which helped me. And in this article, I have decided to share the lessons I believe any student facing graduation with or without a guaranteed position in their future would benefit from. Continue Reading