During the interview, the Interviewer will ask questions about your knowledge and your
experience and perhaps even some personal questions.

As candidates, we have to sell ourselves and be on our best behavior. We sell ourselves the best we can to get that job. The Interviewer has to like you to either hire you outright or to advance you to the next step in the interviewing process.

The question now is, “Why can’t I ask questions of the interviewer to see if I like the company?”  Have you thought of that? We are so desperate for a job that we forget that small factor. We say we will take any job that is out there. Why?  The question at the end of the day is “Do I like the job that is being offered to me?  Some people say, “It doesn’t matter to me. It’s a JOB!”

Take on a new attitude. It’s perfectly appropriate to try to determine if the company or this job fits your needs, to see if you like the employer and the company.  Here are some examples of questions you can ask.  

1. Where do you see me 3 years from now?
2. How long have you been with the company?
3. What direction do you see the company going in? (Is the company planning to expand within the next few years?)
4. What is a typical day for this position?

5.  What is the next step in the interviewing process?

Don’t bombard them with a lot of questions - just ask the ones that are most important to you.  And always try to relate your question with your experience so that they can see how you fit in.  For example: 

YOUR QUESTION: “Where do you see me in 3 years from now?”

INTERVIEWER’S REPLY: “As you gain more experience in this position, you will be able to take on more responsibility.”

YOUR RESPONSE: “That is terrific. I am looking for a stable company like yours, one which offers me a career, not just a job.  Your company sounds as though it will give me that opportunity.”

This elevates the interview from a question and answer session to a conversation, and you will be more likely to favorably impress them.

This is just one example of how asking questions in the proper way will enhance your chances of getting the job. 

YES YOU CAN ASK QUESTIONS!

Good luck!

2011- Cindy Cannon – All rights reserved. ©
Reprint Permission Granted* - See details below

*Permission is granted to reprint this article provided that the bio on the side and contact information are included in the publication and a copy of the reprinted article or a link to it is emailed to cindy@gmgweb.com

I just taught a class on resume writing and I have decided to share the key points with you.

Key Points: How to write a resume What to do and what not to do.

Writing a resume is describing who you are in 2 pages or less. Resume objective is to get an interview. It is an advertisement of who the person is. Research also tells us that your resume will be quickly scanned, somewhere between 10 to 18 seconds when someone reads it.  This means the decision to interview a candidate is usually based on an overall first impression of the resume, a quick screening that so impresses the reader and convinces them of the candidate's qualifications that an interview results. As a result, the top half of the first page of your resume will either make or break you. By the time they have read the first few lines, you have either caught their interest, or your resume has failed. That is why we say that your resume is an ad. You hope it will have the same result as a well-written ad: to get the reader to respond to you.

If you ask 10 people how to write a resume you will get 10 different answers.

Here are some general facts:

If you are applying for several different positions, you should adapt your resume to each one. There is nothing wrong with having several different resumes, each with a different objective, each specifically crafted for a different type of position. You may even want to change some parts of your resume for each job you apply for. Have an objective that is perfectly matched with the job you are applying for. Remember, you are writing advertising copy, not your life story.


The "summary" or "summary of qualifications" consists of several concise statements that focus the reader's attention on the most important qualities, achievements and abilities you have to offer. Those qualities should be the most compelling demonstrations of why they should hire you instead of the other candidates.    

How to write a summary?

The most common ingredients of a well-written summary are as follows. 

• A short phrase describing your profession
• Followed by a statement of broad or specialized expertise
• Followed by two or three additional statements related to any of the following:
• Breadth or depth of skills
• A special or well-documented accomplishment
• A history of awards, promotions, or superior performance commendations
• One or more professional or appropriate personal characteristics
• A sentence describing professional objective or interest.
• Skills and accomplishments
• Areas of expertise
• Career highlights
• Professional highlights

List your current and past jobs in reverse chronological order. (Most recent first.) Don't go into detail on the jobs early in your career; focus on the most recent and/or relevant jobs. Go back around 10 to 15 years of experience. A resume should never be longer than 2 pages.

Education: List education in reverse chronological order, degrees or licenses first, followed by certificates and advanced training. Set degrees apart so they are easily seen. Put in boldface whatever will be most impressive. Don't include any details about college except your major and distinctions or awards you have won, unless you are still in college or just recently graduated. Include grade-point average only if over 3.4. List selected course work if this will help convince the reader of your qualifications for the targeted job.

Do include advanced training.

It has focus. A resume needs an initial focus to help the reader understand immediately. Don't make the reader go through the whole resume to figure out what your profession is and what you can do. Think of the resume as an essay with a title and a summary opening sentence.  

1. The resume is visually enticing, a work of art. Simple clean structure. Very easy to read. Symmetrical. Balanced. Uncrowded. As much white space between sections of writing as possible; sections of writing that are no longer than six lines and shorter if possible.

2. There is uniformity and consistency in the use of italics, capital letters, bullets, boldface, and underlining. Absolute parallelism in design decisions. For example, if a period is at the end of one job's dates, a period should be at the end of all jobs' dates; if one degree is in boldface, all degrees should be in boldface.

3. All the basic, expected information is included. A resume must have the following key information: your name, phone number, and your email address at the top of the first page, a listing of jobs held, in reverse chronological order, educational degrees including the  Do not punctuate end of sentences with period.

Experience before education...usually. Experience sections should come first, before education, in most every case. This is what not to put on a resume

• The word "resume" at the top of the resume
• Rambling "objective" statements
• Salary information
• Full addresses of former employers
• Reasons for leaving jobs
• Names of supervisors
• References
•   Choose a job objective or not...
• Summarize your key points or not..

1. Format and presentation determine whether the resume is read
the average resume is scanned, not read, for only 8-15 seconds. It either creates a strong impression to the reader immediately or it is set aside. It is similar to the impression you make on the interviewer. Therefore, make sure your resume is wearing the equivalent of a "business suit" and not jeans and flip-flops!

Choose a format that complements your career goal. If you are seeking a job in your field and have experience, use a chronological resume. This resume starts with your most recent job and works backward. Conversely, if you are seeking a new type of work, you may want to consider the functional/combination resume. This style groups your skills together and includes a short chronological work history at the end.

Other ways to insure that your presentation gets noticed include:

• No errors: use spell check and also have someone review your resume for missing or misused words
• Use a consistent format and use of capitalization and punctuation throughout
• Use no more than 2 fonts
• Include your name, a phone and email address

2. Accomplishments tell what you've done; responsibilities state what you were supposed to have done
not all accomplishments have to be big, but they have to show that you got results as you carried out your responsibilities. Often, they are something you are proud of or, they can simply quantify what you have done on a daily basis. Many of your routine activities can be quantified and written as accomplishments that demonstrate your experience and knowledge, and proof of how you’ve helped the company!

Here are some things to consider when naming accomplishments. Quantify whenever possible. For instance, did you:

• save the company money? How much and how?

• help improve sales? By how much?

• improve productivity and efficiency?

• implement any new systems or processes?

• help launch any new products or services?

• achieve more with (same or fewer) resources?

• resolve a major problem with little investment?

• participate in any technical/operational improvements?

• exceed accepted standards for quality or quantity?

• identify the need for a program or service?

• prepare any original reports, studies or documents?

• serve on any committees? What was the outcome?

• get elected to any boards, teams or task forces?

• resolve customer problems?

• get rated as outstanding in performance reviews?

3. Avoid common errors in resume writing
many job seekers either don't know or don't understand the many items that do not belong in a resume. They include the following:

• Do not use "I", "me" or "my" statements; use the telegraphic method and drop the pronoun to make it more active. Instead of "I” wrote the 40-page employee manual", say "wrote 40-page employee manual"
   
• Avoid the use of the words "responsible for" and "duties included"
   
• Do not include personal information, such as age, health, ethnicity, marriage and family status. Employers will throw your resume out if it has such information because they could someday be accused of hiring bias
   
• Do not include photographs unless you are a model or actor
   
• Do not explain your reasons for leaving your previous jobs or employment gaps
   
• Don't send extra papers such as letters of recommendation, certificates or samples of your work. They clutter your presentation and are too premature. Use in the interview if appropriate
   
• Never include salary information
   
• Do not forward a list of references –just state “references available upon request”

These tips should help you write a basic resume. If you need help writing your resume, give us a call. We do consulting on how to write a resume. We won't write it for you but we will give you the guidance that you need. 770-945-5445. Good luck writing your resume. You are going to need it! :)

 I read this article that I thought you would enjoy from The Ladders, By Marc Cenedella

1. What's the biggest change your group has gone through in the last year? Does your group feel like the recession is over and things are getting better, or are things still pretty bleak?
2. If I get the job, how do I earn a "gold star" on my performance review? What are the key accomplishments you'd like to see in this role over the next year?
3. What's your (or my future boss') leadership style?
4. About which competitor are you most worried?
5. How does sales / operations / technology / marketing / finance work around here? (I.e., groups other than the one you're interviewing for.)
6. What type of people are successful here? What type of people are not?
7. What's one thing that's key to this company's success that somebody from outside the company wouldn't know about?
8. How did you get your start in this industry? Why do you stay?
9. What are your group's best and worst working relationships with other groups in the company?
10. What keeps you up at night? What's your biggest worry these days?
11. What's the timeline for making a decision on this position? When should I get back in touch with you?
12. These are tough economic times, and every position is precious when it comes to the budget. Why did you decide to hire somebody for this position instead of the many other roles / jobs you could have hired for? What about this position made your prioritize it over others?
13. What is your reward system? Is it a star system / team-oriented / equity-based / bonus-based / "attaboy!"-based? Why is that your reward system? What do you guys hope to get out of it, and what actually happens when you put it into practice? What are the positives and the negatives of your reward system? If you could change any one thing, what would it be?
14. What information is shared with the employees (revenues, costs, operating metrics)? Is this an open-book shop, or do you play it closer to the vest? How is information shared? How do I get access to the information I need to be successful in this job?
15. If we are going to have a very successful 2013, what will that look like? What will we have done over the next 18 months to make it successful? How does this position help achieve those goals?
16. How does the company / my future boss do performance reviews? How do I make the most of the performance review process to ensure that I'm doing the best I can for the company?
17. What is the rhythm to the work around here? Is there a time of year that it's "all hands on deck" and we're pulling all-nighters, or is it pretty consistent throughout the year? How about during the week / month? Is it pretty evenly spread throughout the week / month, or are there crunch days?

What type of industry / functional / skills-based experience and background are you looking for in the person who will fill this position? What would the "perfect"

 This is an article from "The Ladders" I think you will find it very helpful. Cut and paste the link.

http://www.theladders.com/career-advice/dates-of-employment-might-be-hiding-resume?et_id=2763792055&sign=y&link_id=537

I read a great article on body language. When we say to practice interviewing, this also includes practicing your body language. Enjoy the article that is written by Karl Rozemeyer  

Please cut and paste link into your browser:

http://www.theladders.com/career-advice/body-language-speaks-volumes-job-interview?et_id=2667948370&sign=y&link_id=537