Resume Writing Blog

Rules for Sending Thank You Letters

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 15:41:10 -0500

In today’s electronic age, there is often some confusion as to whether you should send a thank you note after an interview. Some people believe it is not necessary and others think it is a nice touch. I will go beyond that and say it is a must!

Inside Secrets on How To Write a Great Cover Letter

Mon, 14 Apr 2008 12:45:11 -0500

Imagine that an employer has over 800 resumes to weed through, each with a cover letter. They pick up the next letter and it says “I am writing in response to your advertisement #50541 regarding your Project Manager position”. Pretty boring… and you just missed your chance to grab their attention. Here are some tips on how to make your cover letter really stand out.

SWOT Analysis for your Career

Tue, 05 Feb 2008 16:19:56 -0500

A basic tool used in strategic planning is SWOT analysis. This is where you take a hard look at your Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats and plan accordingly. I am a firm believer that you should perform this analysis on your career at least once a year.

Handling Salary Requirements

Wed, 16 Jan 2008 08:53:13 -0500

I am often asked by my clients how to handle requests for salary requirements. Many employment ads request salary requirements and some ads even insist on them.

Power Career Moves

Wed, 02 Jan 2008 10:19:53 -0500

The new year is here – budgets are fresh, positions are open and every statistic points to aggressive hiring. Here are 5 sure-fire steps that will get you a competitive edge and land you that job.

Following Up – What To Say

Fri, 02 Nov 2007 09:13:29 -0500

So you’ve sent your resume to a job you’re very excited about and a week has gone by without a word. Or perhaps you’ve had an interview and are waiting to hear how it went. What should you do?

How Sales Executives are Measured

Sat, 20 Oct 2007 10:14:39 -0500

Most people know that one of the measurements of a sales person’s effectiveness is whether they beat quota. I thought it would be useful to share the other key metrics employers look at when they are evaluating sales professionals.

Save Your Numbers

Sat, 20 Oct 2007 09:55:50 -0500

I often come upon a situation that is a real wake-up call for people. When I am preparing a resume, especially for managers and executives, we need to impress potential employers by highlighting the achievements that were produced. That boils down to showing percentage increases in sales, profits, productivity, market share and so on. Yet many people haven’t bothered to save their numbers, particularly when they are trying to remember past year’s accomplishments.

Parents – Add $200 to Your College Bill

Tue, 09 Oct 2007 10:47:39 -0500

Every week I get a number of calls from recent college graduates who are interested in our resume writing service. But when I tell them the cost is about $200 for a complete package, they say they can’t afford it. Does this make sense?

But I Don’t Have A Degree

Fri, 17 Aug 2007 13:17:51 -0500

Every week people tell me that they are not getting interviews because they don’t have a college degree. Degrees are great, but to hiring managers, experience counts more. So how do you get around this obstacle?

Your Name on a Resume– Formal or Informal?

Mon, 06 Aug 2007 17:39:42 -0500

The very first thing someone sees on your resume is your name and the way you put it subtly positions you. For example, do you put Donald L. Goodman or Don Goodman at the top? Here’s some schools of thought on that question.

Using Numbers in Your Resume

Thu, 12 Jul 2007 11:34:19 -0500

You have probably heard a dozen times that your resume needs to quantify your accomplishments as much as possible. However, people still are not clear on how to do this effectively.

Want A Good Resume? Write an Ad

Tue, 03 Jul 2007 14:38:48 -0500

Every day I get dozens of resumes from people who want me to critique their resume. And in most cases, they all have the same problem. They are written from their point of view, listing the roles and responsibilities they have had over the years. They assume that someone will read their resume and then figure out how they can be used in their company. You have all probably heard that someone will spend a mere 7-10 seconds scanning your resume. So that means that the only people who will actually read your resume is usually you, your significant other and maybe your mother.

CareerBuilders' View on Resumes

Wed, 20 Jun 2007 16:25:40 -0500

Here are some statistics from a research study conducted by CareerBuilder. The good news is that it is a candidate’s market: 55% of recruiting managers said it was difficult to find good candidates last year – and 81% said it is equally or more challenging this year. And here is what a hiring manger is looking for in a resume.

Simple Tip for Managing Office Politics

Wed, 09 May 2007 09:45:41 -0500

In the last couple of weeks, I have coached a few people who lost to “office politics”. However these cases stand out because a few basic tips could have helped them avoid losing their jobs.