by Lucretia | Aug 29, 2016 | business, career, jobs, resumes |
You’ve applied for that dream job and your moment to shine is in two days…the interview. Now it’s time to prepare. Here are my top five tips for making the best first impression.
- Learn everything you can about the organisation, its key staff and clients (i.e. make Google your friend). This information will enable you to provide insightful answers and help you to ask well-informed questions during the interview.
- Brainstorm the top 10 questions you might be asked, then practise your responses. Also make sure you are prepared to succinctly and eloquently discuss and present (when necessary) relevant work examples from your previous roles. Your responses should outline your particular skills and achievements (i.e. you may have worked in a team but you need to highlight what you specifically contributed).
- Prepare two or three questions in advance that will demonstrate your understanding of the role and the organisation (see tip 1). This is where you can also learn more about particular aspects of the business you are interested in.
- Arrive 15 minutes early and be dress appropriately (see today’s post by Bec Smith, The Personal Stylist’s on dressing to impress). Running late will make you look unprofessional and will stress you out. Make sure you check public transport and/or parking details, arrange your outfit and collate any relevant paperwork or electronic files the day before your interview. Also ensure your phone is turned off before you enter the building.
- Make a good first impression. Greet each panel member by name, shake his/her hand firmly and maintain good eye contact. Remember, this is your chance to shine so be confident, friendly and relaxed. Also ensure that everyone you meet (from the receptionist to the panel members) can tell you have a positive attitude and are excited about the opportunity work for the organisation.
Don’t forget to check out today’s post by Bec Smith, The Personal Stylist on What to Wear to Your Next Job Interview (part of our collaborative weekly Revamp Your Career series). #10%offResumeRevamp&StylingPackagesuntil30Sept2016
Next week’s Revamp Your Career post will focus on getting that important first job when you graduate from university.
by Lucretia | Aug 22, 2016 | business, career, jobs, resumes |
A strong resume (or curriculum vitae) is a vital document when you apply for that dream job. Unfortunately, I constantly see clients make the same resume errors time and time again. It doesn’t matter if you’re an executive looking for promotion, a recent graduate or someone looking to make a career transition, there are common resume fails that can be avoided.
Top 5 Resume Fails
- Spelling, punctuation and grammar errors. These will make you look unprofessional. If you’re unsure, ask a friend to proofread your resume before you send it to your next potential employer.
- Copying information from you current job/position description and including it in your document. This approach will produce a resume that is generic and doesn’t showcase your unique skills or contributions.
- Promoting your employer instead of yourself. A recruiter wants to know what you can offer. They are not interested in the intricate details of your previous employer’s success unless you can connect it back to your achievements, skills and experience. Use your resume to promote you.
- Chronic underselling. Make sure you highlight a few key achievements in each role that showcase your strengths. Don’t simply list your responsibilities as they appeared in the role description as this won’t provide the recruiter with any real insights about who you are and what you can do.
- Bad fonts and layout issues. Sometimes people get carried away and over-complicate their resume with multiple fonts (two different types is enough), small fonts (no smaller than 10 point please!), too much information on one page or formatting errors. Keeping it simple will help ensure your application looks professional and is easy to read.
Do you need help with your resume? Check out my Resume Revamp services today. #10%offResumeRevamp&StylingPackagesuntil30Sept2016
Make sure you check out Bec Smith, Personal Stylist’s post on Corporate wear doesn’t need to be boring (part of our collaborative Revamp your Career series every Monday).
by Lucretia | Aug 18, 2016 | create your life, follow your dreams, jobs, resumes |
Every Monday for the next few weeks, my good friend Bec Smith – the Personal Stylist and I will be teaming up to share our tips on resumes, interviews, choosing the right outfit for your job, making a career change, and getting you through the first week of your new job fashion-wise. We’ll also look at returning to work after having a baby (how to get yourself out the door in the morning and still look fabulous with less time to prepare) and what to do with your LinkedIn profile and photograph. Check out this blog or our Facebook pages Lucretia’s Words or Bec Smith Personal Stylist from Monday, 22 August.
#10% off Resume Revamp and Styling Packages until 30 September 2016.
