How To Prepare In The 24 Hours Before A Job Interview

How To Prepare In The 24 Hours Before A Job Interview

Understanding how to prepare for a job interview is critical to your success in the job search process. One of the most important parts of preparing is the 24 hours prior to the actual interview. How you spend the last 24 hours could greatly impact your performance in the interview.

A job interview isn’t like taking a test in school because you can’t just cram at the last minute and “luck into” success. You should have been preparing for the interview over the course of multiple days or weeks. The 24 hours prior to the interview should be for making the final preparations and relaxing.

With that in mind, here are some tips for how to utilize the day before your job interview:

Take The Day Before The Interview For Yourself (If You Can)

Young professional takes some time to relax the day before her interview

If you have personal time that you can take at your current job and can take it without causing too much disruption, then you should consider taking the day before your job interview off. The benefit of doing this is that it’s one way to eliminate potential stress going into the interview. It also frees up time so you can make your final interview preparations and relax, which are two of the most important factors heading into the job interview.

Depending on how an individual’s schedule works, some people may work the day before their interview in order to take the day of the interview off. In fact, taking time off may not be an option at all. Having the day off before the interview isn’t essential; you just need to make sure you create enough time for your final preparations so you can get into the right state of mind.

But, if you’re one of the lucky ones who has the personal time, consider taking it. It will make the lead-up to your interview a lot easier.

Review Everything

Young professional does a mock interview with her friend

All of the heavy research about the opportunity should already be done. The last 24 hours should be for a light review of information. You should also go over common interview questions and behavioral interview questions.

Hopefully, your interview preparation included a mock interview or two. If you have time to fit one in the day before, you should give it a shot. Make one final checklist of the things you should know going into the interview. If you check all the boxes and feel good, call it a day and relax!

Do Something For Yourself

Job seeker listens to music and takes some time to relax in the hours leading up to her job interview

If you’re lucky enough to have the day off before your job interview and you’ve finished your preparations early, you probably have some time to yourself. So, do something you enjoy—just don’t go wild.

Working out at the gym, reading a book, watching a movie, and cooking are some great things that you could do in the hours leading up to an interview because they aren’t overly stressful and many people find them relaxing.

Whatever activity you decide to do, make sure it’s something you enjoy but isn’t anything over strenuous. You want to be in a good place mentally and physically going into the interview.

Get A Good Night’s Sleep

Before you call it a day, there are just a few more things that you should check on before going to bed.

Make sure you have an outfit picked out and ironed for the next day and that your alarm clock is set to the correct time. Give yourself some extra time in the morning to get ready, eat breakfast, and arrive at the interview early.

Once you’re confident in your morning routine, go to bed! The night before a job interview is not a good time to stay up late. You’ll want all eight hours of sleep so you can be rested and focused in the morning. You want to be fully engaged during your interview, not yawning.

Because there are so many factors that go into interviewing, following these steps doesn’t guarantee success. However, following them will at least have you in a good state of mind going into the interview, which will allow you to give your best effort. Whether the interview is a success or you fall short, you’ll learn something valuable and, ultimately, be a better professional for it.

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This article was originally published at an earlier date.

Why You Shouldn’t Write “To Whom It May Concern” On Your Cover Letter

Why You Shouldn’t Write “To Whom It May Concern” On Your Cover Letter

Many job seekers still don’t understand how important cover letters are in their job search. Your cover letter has the power to turn your job application from a “maybe” to a “yes.” Even the little details, like how you address your cover letter, can impact a hiring manager’s decision whether to give you a call or not.

As a job seeker, there are many ways you can choose to address your cover letter. But there’s one you should never use—no matter the circumstances.

Here’s why you shouldn’t write “To Whom It May Concern” on your cover letter:

It’s Impersonal

The whole point of your cover letter (a disruptive cover letter, at least) is to connect with the employer. How can you do that when you begin your cover letter with such an impersonal greeting?

When you write “To Whom It May Concern” on your cover letter, you’ve already lost an opportunity to be warm and friendly. This type of greeting is cold and formal, something you’d see in business correspondence. Maybe a cover letter was considered a form of business correspondence back in the day, but it’s much more than that now.

So, skip the formality. Your cover letter should be personal. It should tell a story—the story of why you want to work for the company, why you’re passionate about what they do, and how you believe you can help them achieve their goals as an organization. And no good story ever began with “To Whom It May Concern.”

It’s Outdated

Man on laptop deletes "To Whom It May Concern" on his cover letter

If you write “To Whom It May Concern” on your cover letter, there’s a good chance the hiring manager will think you’re old-fashioned, if they didn’t already think so after reviewing your resume.

In the job search, it’s all about relevancy. By using such an outdated greeting in your cover letter, the hiring manager will also begin to question just how relevant your skills are, or if you’re still relevant in your industry.

Simply put, “To Whom It May Concern” is outdated, old-fashioned, and can bring into question your relevancy as a professional, a business-of-one. That’s not something you ever want.

It’s Lazy

Woman on laptop avoids writing "To Whom It May Concern" on her cover letter

Writing “To Whom It May Concern” on your cover letter might’ve been completely fine before the internet and the rise of professional networking sites like LinkedIn. But now information about who works at a certain company and their roles within an organization is freely available and out there for anybody to find. You just have to look for it.

That’s why when you use this type of cover letter greeting it can come off as lazy. The hiring manager may think you didn’t care enough about the job opening to properly address the cover letter to the person who’d be reading it. So, do you really care about getting the job? Do you really want the job? If you’re lazy even before you get the job, would someone be wrong to assume you’d probably be lazy on the job as well?

In the job search, you never want to do the bare minimum. Writing “To Whom It May Concern” on your cover letter is the bare minimum.

A little research never hurt anybody. Before starting your cover letter, try to find the name of the hiring manager at the company you’re applying to. If you can’t, writing “Dear Hiring Team” or “Dear Hiring Manager” will work just fine.

How you address your cover letter is more important than you think. Every little detail can impact a hiring manager’s impression of you. So, whatever you do, avoid the impersonal, outdated, and lazy greeting of “To Whom It May Concern” on your next cover letter. You’ll thank us later.

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This article was originally published at an earlier date.

5 Tips For Writing An Unforgettable Thank-You Note

5 Tips For Writing An Unforgettable Thank-You Note

Your job interview may be over but the interview process isn’t done yet. There’s another crucial step that could mean the difference between getting hired or getting looked over. That step is sending an unforgettable thank-you note to your hiring manager.

Will a thank-you note really make a difference?

Yes, it definitely will. Writing a thank-you note gives you the opportunity to keep on making a good impression after the interview process is complete. It shows that you care about the company and appreciate the time people put in to meet you. Plus, it shows that you care about the next step in the hiring process and want to take an active part in it.

If you have questions about your thank-you note strategy (like what to put in it or how to send it along), here are some tips on how to write a thank-you note that will really wow your potential employer:

Don’t Send A Hand-Written Note—Email It Instead

There’s a good chance the hiring manager is super busy and wants to make a hire soon. You need to keep up with them. If you write a note by hand and send it in the mail, it may not reach them by the time they make a decision.

To ensure that you’re up to speed in the hiring process, send the thank-you note via email. It will get to the hiring manager much faster.

Send It Sooner Rather Than Later

Man on laptop writes a thank-you note after a job interview

The hiring process moves fast, so it’s important you make a good first impression—fast.

The optimal time to send a thank-you note is within 24 hours of your job interview. That way, the hiring manager doesn’t forget you or the conversations you had during your interview. A quick turnaround on your thank-you note also shows the employer you’re a proactive and eager job candidate.

Be Sure To Say Why You’re Thankful For The Interview

Woman on laptop sends a thank-you note to a hiring manager

Saying “thank you” in your thank-you note is a given. Take it a step further by telling the hiring manager why you are thankful for the interview.

You could mention that you liked learning more about the company, meeting members of the team, and getting to know more about the position. This shows the hiring manager that the job interview was more than just a formal part of the hiring process for you.

Remember Names And Drop Them In Your Note

Man writes a thank-you note to an employer on his laptop

During your job interview, learn the names of those you come in contact with and mention some of them in your thank-you note. You could mention a question they answered for you or give them a shout-out for making you feel comfortable.

This shows that you pay attention to the details and care about those who have helped you throughout the hiring process.

Tell Them Why You’d Be A Good Fit

Woman sitting on grass types a thank-you note on her laptop

Now that you’ve gone through the interview, reiterate why you think you’d be a good fit for the job. You got a glimpse of how the company functions, so now’s your chance to add what value you think you bring to the table.

You can also express your excitement about the position and the company. It will show that you care about the job and it will help you further stand out in the hiring manager’s mind.

At the end of the day, a thank-you note will make you a memorable job candidate, someone the employer would love to have on their team. So, don’t forget to send a thank-you note after your next job interview!

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This article was originally published at an earlier date.

Common Grammar Rules For Resumes

Common Grammar Rules For Resumes

The simple purpose of the resume is to get you noticed and have employers contact you for an interview. To achieve this, resumes will typically break some common grammar rules.

For example, all sentences are written like headlines without pronouns. Employers won’t be asking whose resume it is when your name is already on it, front and center. It is, therefore, unnecessary to include pronouns like “I” or “my” anywhere on your resume.

Resumes need to read like quick, bite-sized bits of information. Adding pronouns can make the information difficult to digest because there is unnecessary clutter around the facts the hiring manager wants to know. For instance, a resume including pronouns would read something like this:

I launched the product to a new international market. My efforts resulted in the company’s sales revenue doubling within 2 years.

A more effective approach would read:

Launched product to new international market, doubling company’s sales revenue within 2 years.

See how the latter version says the same thing but gets to the point quicker? Also, notice how we did not spell out “two” because numbers draw the eye to your sentence.

Here are some common grammar rules around resume writing:

6 Common Grammar Rules To Follow In Your Resume

1. Forget about “I.”

There is no need to use “I” anywhere in your resume. For bullet points, just start with an action verb like “Delivered,” “Achieved,” “Produced,” etc. Follow these action verbs with quantifiable accomplishments and you’ll stand out to recruiters and hiring managers.

2. Keep your sentences in the first person.

Hiring managers will cringe if they see that your resume is written in the third person. It’s even worse if you switch up points of view halfway through your resume. “Excel in developing comprehensive financial models,” is correct (first person) whereas “Excels in developing comprehensive financial models,” is not correct (third person). For all non-current positions, you can use the past tense so you won’t have to worry about using the wrong point of view.

3. Keep sentences short.

Fragments are encouraged. Long, descriptive sentences and bulky paragraphs are not going to impress recruiters and hiring managers. Why make it harder for them to figure out what kind of value you provide?

4. Use bullet points for achievements so they are noticed.

Break down information into easily digestible bits. Big blocks of text will likely get skimmed or overlooked entirely. Short bullet points where you quantify your work experience (using numbers) will definitely get you noticed by all the right people.

5. Take out fluff.

All you need is simple language. Do not use flowery phrases that would not come up in normal conversation. Any kind of resume fluff will hurt your chances of getting a call from an employer. Hiring managers will see right through it. When it comes to your resume, less is more.

6. Show the most important achievement first, starting with the quantifiable accomplishment.

For example, “Reduced costs 40% by bringing services in house.” It’s all about grabbing and keeping attention. If you can grab and keep a hiring manager’s attention while they’re reviewing your resume, you’ve already gotten much farther in the hiring process than most of the other job candidates.

Remember that employers generally scan your resume for eight seconds to do the preliminary screening that puts you in the yes, no, or maybe pile, so follow the rules above for the best results!

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This article was originally published at an earlier date.

Ghost Jobs: What They Are & Why They’re Hurting Job Seekers

Ghost Jobs: What They Are & Why They’re Hurting Job Seekers

An article recently came across my desk about a new phenomenon: “ghost jobs.” In this article, The Wall Street Journal reports that there are actually thousands and thousands of ghost jobs currently posted on job board sites.

So, what is a “ghost job”?

A “ghost job” is a job that isn’t real. It’s a job for a company that isn’t actually hiring, or at least hiring for the role advertised in the job posting. More than 1,000 hiring managers were surveyed, and 27% of them admitted that they’ve left these jobs up for over four months, never intending to fill them.

Why Hiring Managers Leave “Ghost Jobs” Up For Months

@j.t.odonnell I’ve been saying this for months! Now there is proof!!! #ghostjobs #jobsearch #jobsearchtips #careertok #jobtok #job #career #careertiktok #jobtiktok #jobs #careers ♬ original sound – J.T. O’Donnell

Over half of the hiring managers surveyed said the reason that they left the jobs up for so long was to give the impression or illusion that the company was growing. The worst part? One-third of them said they left the jobs up because they wanted to give the appearance that they were actually trying to hire to help their overworked staff.

If you’re looking for work right now, you probably realized it’s harder than you thought to find a job. And applying online is getting you nowhere. These “ghost jobs” are impossible to spot among the real job postings on job board sites.

The solution? Learn how to conduct a proactive job search.

Once you learn the better way to look for a job, you won’t have to worry about “ghost jobs” anymore. Good luck, and go get ’em!

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3 Steps To An Outstanding Personal Branding Statement

3 Steps To An Outstanding Personal Branding Statement

Your resume and LinkedIn profile are incredibly important to your job search. They not only speak to your past accomplishments but also act as a predictor of your future capabilities. However, these two things can’t successfully complete this task if they aren’t packed with quality information. This includes an outstanding personal branding statement.

What is a personal branding statement? It is a statement that communicates who you are in the workplace. Borrowed from the marketing world, it reflects your professional reputation.

On your LinkedIn profile, the personal branding statement is used to summarize, in just a few words, who you are, what you’ve done, and what you hope to do in your career. This is why it’s so important to take formulaic steps in order to develop one that gets the job done.

Personal Branding Statement Example And Formula

To get started, take a look at a personal branding statement that delivers the goods:

I am a community affairs manager with 10 years of experience visualizing, developing, and organizing company-wide philanthropic events, maintaining connections with hundreds of nonprofit organizations, coordinating diverse employee volunteer opportunities, and creating dynamic external and internal event communications.

Why is it successful? It gives a snapshot of your history in the field while providing branding attributes that describe what makes you successful. Also, it gives examples of previous accomplishments that offer insight into how you can help an employer succeed.

So, which formula could you use to create your own?

1. Consider Your Outlook On The World

Job seeker on laptop writing an outstanding personal branding statement

It may seem a bit far-reaching to say that your overall outlook on life can create a great personal branding statement, but in actuality, it is your outlook that has guided you to your profession and has helped you develop your talents.

So take time to write down your vision. Do you want people to communicate better with one another? Do you hope to expand the breadth of our already-expansive technology? Think about what it is that can help you create the broad umbrella encompassing all of the specific goals your personal branding statement will incorporate.

2. Think About Your Individual Goals

Professional man thinking about his career goals to write a powerful personal branding statement

Again, a personal branding statement is all about showing an employer that you have goals—and that you not only intend to achieve them in the future but already have in the past.

So, what are your career goals? How do you want to make a difference? Write down what you’d like to achieve along with those skills you possess that can help you attain your goals.

3. Look At Your Attributes And Professional History

Professional woman on laptop learning how to create a great personal brand

Finally, it’s important to recognize your brand attributes, then apply them to your professional history. To identify your attributes, come up with at least three nouns to describe yourself as a professional.

Are you a great communicator, leader, visionary, or organizer? Then drum up three sentences that round out your professional history in relation to those attributes (e.g., I have 15 years of experience leading groups through philanthropic efforts). Make sure to quantify this work experience!

After completing these goals, you’ll have enough information to create a truly outstanding personal branding statement that not only gives an employer confidence in your ability to succeed but boosts your own confidence as a top professional.

If you’re looking for a job, your personal brand determines how much you’ll stand out to potential employers in the job search. If you’re not branding yourself as a specialist, you could be hurting your chances of landing an interview. So, follow the tips above to write an outstanding personal branding statement today!

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This article was originally published at an earlier date.

5 Big Questions To Ask Yourself Before Taking A Job

5 Big Questions To Ask Yourself Before Taking A Job

This is it. It’s the light at the end of the tunnel. After going through the hiring process, you’re offered a position. Congratulations! It’s a big accomplishment and you should be proud of yourself. However, just because you got the offer doesn’t necessarily mean you should accept it on the spot.

Think about it. Would you buy a house without considering what it means for you in the long run? Your career shouldn’t be any different. Taking a job is a huge investment for both you and your potential employer, so some serious thought needs to go into your decision.

Before you accept that job offer, ask yourself these five questions:

Is This The Role I Want To Pursue?

This question may seem like an obvious one to ask, but it’s still important. There could be a huge difference between how you view the job and how your employer views it. Take another look at the job description to make sure it is, in fact, what you want. Also, think back to how the hiring manager described the position during your job interviews. Did you like their answer when you asked them what a typical day on the job looks like?

Don’t forget to consider what you’re good at and what you actually want to do for work. Are there skills you’d really like to use on a daily basis? If so, make sure they’re a necessary part of the position. Are there skills you DON’T like using on a daily basis? If so, see if they’re required for the job, and if they are, find out how often you’d need to pull them into your work.

It’s important to know what your role will be and what will be required of you daily. This is also a good time to ask your potential employer to clarify anything for you.

Am I Going To Be Happy At This Job?

Happy professionals talk during a work meeting

Your happiness level at your job will impact your work. In MetLife’s 17th Annual Employee Benefit Trends Study, 90% of workers surveyed said their loyalty is directly tied to their happiness.

When debating whether to take the job or not, consider the environment you’d be working in as much as the work itself. Is this a place you can see yourself going to every day? Do you share the company’s core values? Do you like the company’s culture? Your happiness is key to your productivity, and it’s important to evaluate if this job will help you thrive.

Can I Meet My Employer’s Expectations?

Woman gets a job offer and takes it

You got a job offer for a reason. The hiring manager thinks you’d be a good fit for the company after looking over your resume and going through a series of interviews. They believe you can do the job, but do you believe you can?

Be honest with yourself. This is a big step for both you and your potential employer, so you want to be confident in your skills. Taking another look at the expectations of the job is never a bad thing, especially if you haven’t accepted the position yet. That way, you can gauge your skills and determine if you can meet—or even exceed—your potential employer’s expectations.

Remember, you don’t want to take a job that will be too demanding and require too much from you (resulting in poor work-life balance), but you also don’t want to take a job that will be too easy for you either. The right position for you will have a manageable workload and lots of opportunities to grow as a professional. Take the job that won’t bore you, but also won’t burn you out in six months.

How Do I Feel About My Future Boss And Co-Workers?

Professionals in a meeting at work

Think back to your in-person interview when you met your potential boss and co-workers. What were your first impressions of them? Did you think your potential boss was someone you could work for happily? Were your potential co-workers friendly and eager to get to know you?

If you take the job, you’ll be spending a lot of time with these people. It’s important to be honest about how you feel about them.

Will This Job Help Me Grow In My Career?

Man thinks about accepting a job offer

Think about your short-term and long-term career goals, then take another look at the job description. Is this job going to help you reach those goals? What will you learn in this position that will take you to the next level?

The position should help you grow as a professional. If you aren’t sure about opportunities for advancement, this time allows you to reach out to the hiring manager and ask (if you haven’t already asked about this during the interview process).

Before you take a job, remember to ask yourself these five big questions. That way, you’ll accept every job offer confidently, excited about the next chapter in your career.

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This article was originally published at an earlier date.

What Employers Are REALLY Looking For In Job Candidates

What Employers Are REALLY Looking For In Job Candidates

The longer your job search drags on, the more you start to doubt your interviewing abilities. Or worse—you start to doubt your skills and experience as a job candidate, which in turn affects your interview confidence.

You may begin to ask yourself, “What are employers really looking for in a job candidate?” The good news is we can help you understand just what you need to convey in a job interview to stand out to employers and finally land a job.

Employers want you to answer three questions they won’t ask you directly. So, it is your job to answer those unasked interview questions in order to move on in the hiring process.

Here are three things you should be sharing in your job interview to make the right impression and send the correct message to potential employers:

1. How Do You Save Or Make Companies Money?

The first thing you need to convey in your job interview is how your skills and expertise save or make a company money. You are a business-of-one. As an employee, you provide a service to an employer. So, in your job interview, you have to prove to the employer that the services you can provide for the company will either save or make them money.

It comes down to your ability to justify the initial cost it would take to hire you. Most professionals don’t know that it costs an employer between 130% to 140% of their salary to hire them. It’s a big investment for a company to hire a new employee. That’s why you need to convey your efficiency and effectiveness as an employee in job interviews.

To prove you could save or make a potential employer money, quantify your past experience (on your resume and in the interview) and cite examples of how you’ve saved or made your previous/current employer money. Once a potential employer understands that you will provide a good return on investment, they will automatically consider you a great candidate for the position.

2. How Do You Like To Deliver Value?

Professional woman shakes the hiring manager's hand during a job interview

Make sure you talk about how you deliver value too. No employee performs a job the same way. We all work on tasks differently and go about accomplishing goals with different processes and strategies. If a company doesn’t think you’ll be able to do the job the way they want you to do the job, you probably won’t be offered the position.

In order to explain how you deliver value, you need to know exactly what you do and how you do it. During a job interview, let the employer take a peek inside your brain to help them get a better idea of how you would perform certain tasks that the job requires.

A great way to explain how you deliver value is by answering behavioral interview questions with the STAR technique. Begin answering a behavioral interview question by describing the situation or task you were faced with. Then, explain how you took action, walking the employer through your decision-making process. Finally, quantify your results so the employer can clearly see how you deliver value.

(If you’re not sure how you deliver value, take this free quiz! You may be surprised by the results.)

3. Why Do You Feel Connected To The Business?

Job candidate answers the hiring manager's questions during a job interview

The last thing you absolutely want to convey to an employer is how you feel connected to their organization. Consider the company culture and their mission, and use that to your advantage.

During a job interview, it’s important to explain to an employer how you feel like you’re a part of their “tribe.” Why do you want to be a part of the team of people dedicated to solving this specific problem? You can also talk about why you admire their products and services, why you understand and identify with their customers, and what you love about the way they do business.

Tie all your pre-interview research back to what excites you about working for the company. Employers want to hire people who would integrate well within their organization. By talking about the above factors, you’ll connect with employers on a deeper level and show that you’re passionate about the job. Therefore, you’ll come across as a great cultural fit.

You can also begin to convey that connection to a potential employer in your disruptive cover letter. A disruptive cover letter catches an employer’s attention and gets them excited about you as a candidate. So, even before you walk through the door to your interview, an employer will already feel a connection to you.

Knowing what to say in an interview in order to make the right impression can feel incredibly overwhelming, maybe even impossible. If you follow these three tips, you’ll be sure to send the correct message to an employer, and ultimately increase your chances of landing the job.

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This article was originally published at an earlier date.


6 Reasons Why Your Resume Isn’t Getting A Response

6 Reasons Why Your Resume Isn’t Getting A Response

It can be hard to ascertain if it’s your resume, the job market, or who knows what else when you’re job hunting and your phone just isn’t ringing. Your mind begins to wander as you anxiously await an employer’s call or email.

Many job seekers have contacted us and said, “I think it’s my resume, but I’m not sure.” After reviewing their documents, we find ourselves telling them, “Yes, it’s your resume,” 99% of the time.
So, how do you know if it’s really your resume or if it’s something else?

Take a look at these six mistakes job seekers make on their resumes, and if one or more of them can be found on yours, that’s probably why your resume isn’t getting a response.

1. It Still Has An Objective Statement

An objective statement is a section of a resume that expresses your goal of securing a future position. What this statement fails to do, though, is substantiate your fit for the job opening—or articulate the value you offer to the employer should they choose you over another candidate.

Ditch the objective statement and utilize a personal branding statement and experience summary instead. An experience summary is a list of skills you have that are needed for the job you’re applying for. They’re hard skills and transferable skills, not soft skills.

By having an objective statement on your resume, you’re missing out on the opportunity to start proving your value to the employer within the first few seconds they glance at your resume, which is exactly the purpose of a personal branding statement and experience summary.

2. It Lacks Any Form Of Personal Branding

Hiring managers read a job applicant's resume during an interview

When employers read a resume, they need to see what attributes you bring to the position. It helps them differentiate between you and other viable candidates. Are you deadline-driven and customer-focused? These are important to employers and how they operate business. What is it that’s important to the employer from whom you’re seeking to obtain employment? And how do your expertise and experience correlate to their greatest need?

Personal branding is about how you market yourself to the potential employer. They have a need to fill, and you have to figure out how who you are and what you offer meet that need—then effectively communicate that to the employer. If you can’t meet a need, then they won’t see the value in choosing you over another candidate who does.

3. It’s Fluffy

Job seeker on laptop works on his resume

Your career summary and work history are full of fluff and filler words that could apply to every job seeker on the market. Here’s an example of what we mean:

Dynamic, results-focused IT specialist with broad-based expertise in project oversight, systems implementation, process improvements, and integrating cutting-edge technology that exceeds expectations. Proven ability to quickly analyze key business drivers and work directly with internal/external staff, leveraging a team-centered effort that increases profitability.

Sure, it might sound good, but it hasn’t told us anything specific about who this candidate is, their experience/expertise, and what they offer the employer. It would be better to address how many projects the candidate has overseen, which processes they improved, the outcome of the improvement, and how the cutting-edge technology they integrated exceeded expectations. But just saying they exceed expectations is vague; tell us which expectations were exceeded and by how much.

4. Skills & Accomplishments Are Not Highlighted

Job candidate gets nervous when the hiring manager reads her resume during an interview

The top third of your resume is the most important section when the hiring manager is giving it his or her initial scan. This is your prime opportunity to market your skills and achievements. Remember the experience summary we mentioned above? That’s where you’ll write the skills you possess that are needed to succeed in this particular job.

Highlighting your skills in the experience summary will draw the hiring manager in and entice them to keep reading. Then, as their eyes move down your resume, they’ll see all of your accomplishments underneath your work history. What career successes are you most proud of that correlate to the job you’re applying for?

5. Duties And Responsibilities Have Taken Over

Woman on laptop revises her resume while job hunting

Bullet points that only share basic duties and responsibilities fall short every time. Maximize the space on your resume by using the STAR method (situation, task, action, result).

Talk about the challenges you faced, how you addressed them, and what the outcomes were. This makes the information contained within your resume much more impactful.

6. Metrics, Facts, And Figures Are Nowhere To Be Found

Hiring manager confused by the job candidate's resume during an interview

Give the employer something to remember you by. Don’t just tell them you reduced costs. State a percentage or dollar amount. Manage projects or clients? Put a number to it. Ask yourself questions like how much, how many, and for how long? This is how you quantify your work experience on your resume. It’s the secret to getting a call from an employer.

Asking yourself questions like the ones above leads to answers that help you define your successes, develop your personal brand, and market yourself more effectively to potential employers.

Review your resume with the six points above in mind. Ask yourself if your resume reflects any of the above. If it does, then use the tips and advice we’ve provided to correct the issues within your resume—and ultimately improve its response rate.

Need more help with your job search?

Become a member to learn how to land a job and UNLEASH your true potential to get what you want from work!

This article was originally published at an earlier date.

2 Things Recruiters HATE To Read On Cover Letters

2 Things Recruiters HATE To Read On Cover Letters

A lot of people ask, “Do recruiters even read cover letters anymore?”

The answer is yes, they 100% do. That’s why it’s important for job candidates to write one that stands out to recruiters in a good way—NOT a bad way.

There are things on your cover letter that could be sabotaging your chances of getting an interview.

If you do the following two things when writing a cover letter, there’s a good chance a recruiter won’t give you a call…

You Start Your Cover Letter With “To Whom It May Concern”

Starting your cover letter off with the phrase “To whom it may concern” is very impersonal, and it shows that you didn’t do your homework.

It’s also an abrupt way to start your cover letter. To top it all off, it’s an outdated approach. People used this phrase on cover letters decades ago.

Instead, you want to start out with a phrase like “Dear hiring team,” or “Dear hiring manager,” or if you can find the name of the person who posted the job, address the cover letter to that person. These phrases help you put a personal touch on your cover letter, which can make you more memorable to recruiters and hiring managers.

You Put A Recap Of Your Resume In Your Cover Letter

Hiring manager reads a cover letter with common mistakes

Often, job seekers will put all sorts of information about their job history and accomplishments in their cover letters.

The big issue with that? The hiring manager or recruiter is already going to read that information in your resume.

Quite frankly, by recapping your resume in your cover letter, you’re wasting a recruiter’s or hiring manager’s time. You’re essentially making them read something twice since they’ve already had to look at your resume.

This is also risky because a job candidate can put something in their cover letter that makes hiring managers decide that they’re not the right fit for the job even before looking at their resume.

Instead of recapping the resume, you want to get the hiring team at “hello” by writing a disruptive cover letter. This disruptive cover letter will help you stand out from other candidates and make a connection to the company you’re targeting.

So, How Do You Write A Disruptive Cover Letter?

Hiring manager reads a disruptive cover letter with no mistakes

Writing a disruptive cover letter that recruiters will love isn’t as hard as you may think. In fact, it can be pretty fun if you know what to put in it!

Here’s how you can write a stand-out cover letter, and why it’s so important to make that initial connection with recruiters or hiring managers.

Hundreds of our members at Work It Daily have used a disruptive cover letter to land job interviews. Try writing one during your next job search and see how much of a difference it makes!

Need more help with your job search?

Become a member to learn how to land a job and UNLEASH your true potential to get what you want from work!

This article was originally published at an earlier date.

3 Ways Professionals Should Respond To Job Rejection

3 Ways Professionals Should Respond To Job Rejection

You polished your resume and sent it to the right person, along with a stellar cover letter. You got a call. You aced the interview. You were brought back in—twice! You sent thank-you notes after each interview, to each interviewer. Your follow-up was polite and appropriate. You were told you were a finalist. The HR person thought it was looking good for you…yet they gave the job to someone else.

After all that effort and waiting and wondering. After joking with the receptionist about being a “regular” in the lobby. After establishing what seemed like a genuine rapport with the executive in charge of the department. After what the HR person said about it looking good…

Yes, it’s a disappointment. But in spite of what you might think, all is not lost. What can you do to maximize your chances of having some good come out of this seeming loss?

Here are three ways you should react to a particularly disappointing job rejection:

Be Gracious

Yes, you were obviously the best candidate, at least as far as you could tell. And maybe some of the people on the other side of the interview desk thought so too. But a decision was made, no matter how difficult. And it’s time to touch base one more time with a thank-you note to all involved for their time and consideration.

Be A Resource If You Can

Professional man gets rejected from a job

If there’s some topic that was discussed and a piece of information that the interviewer wished they had, track it down. If the interviewer wanted to connect with someone you know, offer to make the introduction. There’s not always an opportunity like this, but if there is, take advantage of it.

By doing this, you’re not only being professional about the rejection, but it’s also an opening to add the hiring manager to your professional network. Consider connecting with this person on LinkedIn down the line.

As they say, “Out of sight, out of mind,” so try to stay on the hiring manager’s radar.

Keep The Door Open

Young woman and HR manager discuss the next steps after she is rejected from a job she applied to

Even though you didn’t get the job, it’s important to reiterate your respect and admiration for the company and the fact that you would like to work there. It’s okay to say, “If another position comes up—or if the candidate you hired doesn’t work out—I would still love the opportunity to join the team over there.”

A sentence like this can cement you in their minds as the backup or as the first person to be called when something else becomes available.

HR officials will sometimes forward resumes of promising candidates to colleagues at other companies for their open positions. Getting the original job is just one good outcome of the job interviewing process. Consider a “near miss” at getting hired one more step in building your reputation for overall career success.

Need more help with your job search?

Become a member to learn how to land a job and UNLEASH your true potential to get what you want from work!

This article was originally published at an earlier date.

Why You Can’t Find A Job In 2023

Why You Can’t Find A Job In 2023

If you’re struggling to find a job in 2023, I bet I know why. And I’m going to tell you exactly what you need to do to find one.

For the last 20 years, I’ve been a career coach. After I left corporate America and the staffing industry, I hopped to the other side to become an advocate for you, the worker, to reveal the secrets that you needed to know to get hired and build a great career.

So, here’s another secret: The biggest mistake people are making right now is using traditional job search strategies.

Traditional Job Search Strategies Don’t Work Anymore

@j.t.odonnell Why you can’t find a job in 2023. #job #career #jobs #careers #jobtok #careertok #jobsearch #jobsearchtips #jobsearch2023 #jobtips #careertips #careeradvice ♬ original sound – J.T. O’Donnell

You’re probably heading over to those really big job boards like Indeed or ZipRecruiter and you’re applying and not getting any results. Maybe you’re over-applying, saying, “I’ll just spray and pray and apply for anything, even things I’m overqualified for.” And you’re still not getting any results, right?

That’s because everybody else is doing the same thing.

Let’s add a little complexity to that. Everyone’s talking about the low unemployment rate and how there are two jobs for every one person, but that’s actually not true. The majority of those jobs people don’t want. That’s why they left them. Those really good jobs—the jobs you want—everyone’s going after them, especially when they’re on job boards. So there’s too much competition.

Studies show that only about 2% of people who apply online ever hear back from the employer. That’s not even ghosting. You’re not even getting to the table to be ghosted. And that’s a really unproductive and depressing way to look for work. It makes you feel like a failure. You’re not a failure. Nobody taught you the new rules for the job search. So here’s what you’re going to do about it…

The Best Job Search Strategy To Find A Job In 2023

Woman on laptop looks for a new job

Change your mindset from becoming a job seeker to a job shopper. A job shopper chooses where they want to work next. Now, in order to become a job shopper, you’re going to get really intentional. Look for the 20 or 30 companies in your area that you would like to work for that hire for your skill set.

When I say you’d like to work for them, it’s not because you heard they pay well or have great benefits. It’s because you really respect and admire what they do for work.

This is not something we were ever taught to do before and it might feel really weird to you. But think about it. There are reasons that you’re attracted to certain brands, right? We all have a brand that we’re in love with. That’s called a brand connection. And with it, there’s a connection story, meaning somewhere along the line you fell in love with that brand through an experience.

Well, guess what? Employers are brands, and when you can share with them your connection story—tell them why you admire and respect them and how you came to know that they’re a great place to work—you are going to stand out.

Once you’ve got your connection story and interview bucket list of employers, you can apply some smart job search strategies to get their attention and go around the ATS to get results.

If you want to learn how to do that, sign up for my free newsletter or become a Work It Daily member.

Good luck and go get ’em!