Paul Freiberger's Blog, page 4

Handling your resume when reentering the workforce

An absence doesn’t have to leave a yawning chasm in the resume. Consider your absence a gap in your history. Focus on things that apply to people with employment gaps. Highlight things you did – even if you weren’t being paid to do them.

• Did you go to school or participate in continuing professional education?

• Did you do volunteer work?

• Were you involved in community activities?

• Did you take on any freelance work?

I’m often pleased that filling this resume gap is not so tricky to uncover.

Find more and get help at  Shimmering Resumes.

Say a Genuine Thank You for Each Informational Interview

Don’t forget the importance of writing a thank-you note after each informational interview. After all, the value of this meeting is to build your network so treat each person politely and show your appreciation.

Dear Mr. Trump,

Thank you for taking the time to meet with me yesterday. I found your advice helpful, especially your thoughts on hairstyles for the budding megalomaniac.

If you have any additional advice, I would appreciate it. In any case, I’ll try to update you on my progress going forward.

Thank you again.

Sincerely,

T. Cruz

This thank-you note is important in your job search. Why?

1) It supports your positive impression.

2) It commits you to further action.

3) It keeps your name in front of your contact.

Remember the small details like a thank-you note. Your job search will benefit and so will your career.

Job Interview Coaching Makes a Difference

It’s fun helping my clients prepare for job interviews, and it’s nice to get positive feedback like I did today:

“My interview at XXXXX went well. Better than any job interview I’ve had in years and your coaching helped. They actually asked me many of the questions you prepared me to answer. No questions about manhole covers, but they did ask me about my weaknesses and I was so ready for that. Thanks so much, Paul. If you need a reference about your interview coaching, just say the word.” – Bret

What do you need to know to become a Job Interview Expert?

I plan to add a chapter to my job interview book, When Can Your Start? Ace the Interview and Get Hired (for a 2014 edition) and I’m looking for topic suggestions that can help make anyone an expert job interviewer.

What didn’t I cover? What do you still need to know? If I use your idea, of course I’ll offer you a book, but you’ll also help thousands of people feel more confident when they interview for a job.
You can view the Table of Contents here to see what is in the current edition .

When You Need a Grad School Resume

Graduate schools often request applicants to include a professional resume as part of the application process. This is an increasingly larger segment of my clients over the past couple of years, possibly due to the struggling economy which has led many to go back to school.

“Wisdom is not a product of schooling but of the lifelong attempt to acquire it,” said Einstein. Graduate school can be part of that process, of course.

Handling the resume effectively may help your chances of attending the graduate school of your choice.

Here’s some guidance on this process.

When You Need a Grad School Resume

Graduate schools often request applicants to include a professional resume as part of the application process. This is an increasingly larger segment of my clients over the past couple of years, possibly due to the struggling economy which has led many to go back to school. Handling the resume effectively may help your chances of attending the graduate school of your choice.

Here’s some guidance on this process.

 

 

Only One Job Interview Question

An interviewer says, “Tell me your choice. I can either ask you ten easy questions or one very difficult question. Think hard before you make up your mind.”

“Ummm, I’d like one very difficult question.”

“You have made your own choice. Good luck to you. Tell me which comes first: day or night?”

“The day, sir.”

“And how did you reach that conclusion?”

“Sorry, sir. I can’t answer that. I said I would only answer one difficult question.”

http://www.amazon.com/When-Can-Start-Interview-Hired/dp/0988702800

Dealing with Resume Keyword Filters and the Automated Tracking System

It’s a daunting challenge to get past the filters that companies set up to screen resumes. That’s why the old-fashioned networking approach to job search still matters so much. Nevertheless, a little knowledge can go a long way in aiding your resume preparation strategy. Here’s an article I recently wrote that you may find practical.

 

 

Older Workers Prove to be More Reliable

Reliability of employees is one of the keys to business success. It’s more important than technology.   “More senior workers are believed to be more consistent because they are likely to have a balanced routine and stable mood,” according to an article based on a recent study.

Informational Interviews are Essential and Challenging

Fortune Magazine and CNN.com contributor Anne Fisher (“Ask Annie”) discussed the challenges of informational interviews – and mentioned some suggestions in my new book, When Can You Start?: How to Ace the Interview and Win the Job – in her column today. The informational interview gets little attention in job-hunting guides, but it should be a standard tactic for job seekers. If anything, the fact that it is so often forgotten makes it more valuable to those who take the trouble to do something a little different.