FEATURED ARTICLE:
Resumes & Job Interviews
Whether you are trying to find a job or a better job, there are several pieces of information that you should know. Two of the most important are how to prepare a resume and how to conduct yourself at a job interview. Even in the worst economic times there are good jobs that become available every day. People are always retiring or being promoted and businesses usually need people to fill these positions. Whether or not you are the person who takes advantage of this opportunity may depend upon how well you master these few simple suggestions.
Before beginning the job search process, you need to understand what kind of person a potential employer is looking to hires. Although skills and training may be important, you may be competing with people who are even more qualified than you for a particular job. When filling a position, an employer wants someone they can TRUST. They need workers who are honest, hardworking and perform their job to the best of their ability. They seek someone who will fit into their business "team" and will work well with others. They want someone who will learn and become an essential asset of their business. It does not matter whether the job is collecting garbage or a nuclear engineer, these are the traits an employer looks for in a potential new employee.
How do YOU let a potential employer know that you have these traits and that they can trust you. First be honest and do not lie on your resume or "puff up" (exaggerate) your experience. A resume should follow the thee C''s of business writing - CLEAR, COMPLETE & CONCISE. First it should contain the essential information that any employer will need:
Your Full Name (Legal name, not nickname)
Your Complete Address including Zip Code
Your Telephone Number (or where you can usually be reached)
Your Date of Birth (they can figure out your age from that)
Your education Level, where you graduated from, the year and what degree, diploma, certificate or other educational criteria you achieved.
This should be followed by short descriptions of your previous experience in reverse date sequence (last listed first). This should be simple summaries of your previous employment or other related activities.
Your entire resume should normally be one side of an 8 1/2 x 11 piece of white paper if at all possible. Remember the person reading your resume usually has limited time and is not interested in reading your autobiography. You want to give them enough information for them to be interested in you so that they will invite you to a job interview to find out more.
As far as the job interview, my best advice is relax and be yourself. It is like being on a "first date". Of course, you want to dress nice and look your best. You want to be polite and definitely on time. Listen to what the interviewer tells you. answer their questions honestly and as briefly as possible. Although you may be nervous, try to relax. The interviewer is simply doing their job and you would not even be there for an interview if the company did not have some interest in hiring you.
About the Author
Most of my experience with resumes and job interviews has been hiring people in the manufacturing industry for a large corporation and in several smaller businesses which I owned over the years. The few simple ideas that I have put forth in this article should help you in your efforts to get a rewarding job.
