Career Advice Podcasts & Job Seeker Network

All Blog Posts Tagged 'advantage' (18)

Turn Your 15 Seconds into Interviews

15 Seconds.... That's how long the average reviewer spends on your resume, before making an interview/no interview decision. That's IF your resume gets beyond a database search. To put it in perspective, think about what you can do in 15 seconds: Brush your teeth, kiss your significant other, uncork a bottle of wine, pour a beer, load the washing machine, pour coffee, tie your shoes, put on your shirt, tie your tie, or watch Monty Python's Slapping Fish Dance. So how can you… Continue

Added by Phil Rosenberg on September 19, 2008 at 9:52pm — No Comments

Do you have any Questions?

This question is asked at the end of most interviews, and it gives the candidate a chance to shine and stand out from the pack. Do you come loaded with questions, or do you end an interview saying that all your questions were answered? Most candidates clam up at this point, giving the impression that they are uninterested or unprepared. It’s a huge mistake. A more effective strategy is to come loaded with questions, so you’ll always have a few left for the end of each interview. You’ll want di… Continue

Added by Phil Rosenberg on September 18, 2008 at 5:21pm — No Comments

Why I’m a Twit…and why it will help you too

Yes, I’m a Twit, though still a baby twit. I’m a baby Twit because I’m new to another Social Networking phenomena, Twitter. Twitter lets you tell the world what you are doing in 140 characters or less. You can send short SMS (text messages) to the world through Twitter, plus use it to automatically update your FaceBook status. Why would anyone who’s not in school care? That’s what I wondered. I tried it out, and thought it was silly. I looked at Twitter as something my kids, in the text messag… Continue

Added by Phil Rosenberg on September 16, 2008 at 9:30pm — 2 Comments

How Effective is your Resume? Here’s how to measure…

When I’m asked for resume advice, I’ll often first ask…what's your resume’s hit ratio, or response rate? Usually, this question is answered by the sound of crickets. It surprises me, especially Finance and Technology professionals whose professional lives revolve around measuring and interpreting data, don’t think to measure the effectiveness of their resume. Isn’t it natural to track how well your resume works for you? At a minimum, couldn’t you easily track how many callbacks, interviews, an… Continue

Added by Phil Rosenberg on September 15, 2008 at 1:34am — 4 Comments

Thank You! Make an Impact in 5 Minutes

I’m amazed I actually have to write this article. Why do fewer than 10% of all candidates blow off the easiest way to stand out? It’s so simple…the thank you note. Yet so few take advantage of writing a simple thank you…so it’s a huge advantage to those who do. Why write a Thank You note? Here’s 5 reasons: 1. Thank Yous remind the hiring manager who you are 2. Thank Yous show the hiring manager that you REALLY want the job 3. Thank Yous give you an opportunity to highlight why you can uniquel… Continue

Added by Phil Rosenberg on September 13, 2008 at 7:30pm — 8 Comments

Facebook Strategies – The Power of Facebook Groups

Want to communicate your subject matter expertise to a targeted audience, or would a scatter shot approach be more effective? If you want a tightly targeted audience, that will have a high likelihood of facing problems that you are uniquely qualified to solve, then check out Facebook’s groups, one of its most powerful features. Facebook is all about database segmentation, to allow highly targeted marketing. So why not use the same features that financial services, auto, and CPG companies see i… Continue

Added by Phil Rosenberg on September 2, 2008 at 6:02pm — 2 Comments

Kewl Tool - Razume

www.Razume.com is an interesting social resume tool that allows job seekers to post resumes for public review and comment. I'm a featured resume reviewer for Razume. Career Coaches, Recruiters and Resume Writers tear your resume to digital shreds, giving job seekers free feedback. It's good for the job seeker who gets free advice, and it's good for the reviewer, who gets publicity. Your name and personal information is blocked, so no nosy co-workers or bosses can see that you're "polishin' up… Continue

Added by Phil Rosenberg on August 29, 2008 at 6:20pm — No Comments

How to Take Control of the Interview

Ever get all excited for an interview, only to be frustrated that it didn’t go as well as planned? Maybe your experience wasn’t portrayed in its best light, or your many accomplishments weren’t valued. How can you avoid this outcome, and take control of the interview? It’s really not that hard….partially it’s how you approach the interview, and partially how you employ some interview tactics. Change your approach: So how do you change your… Continue

Added by Phil Rosenberg on August 24, 2008 at 8:00pm — 2 Comments

LinkedIN strategies (1) – Tight vs Broad Network

There’s been a controversy going on within the LinkedIN crowd for years. Is it more effective for your job search to build a LinkedIN network of close personal connections? Or instead, build a network with a broad reach, but weak connections? It depends on your purpose, and networking style. If you’re reading this blog, chances are your purpose is to change careers or jobs. Also think about how your network can be beneficial AFTER you land your new job. So let’s consider your networking style… Continue

Added by Phil Rosenberg on June 9, 2008 at 12:15am — 1 Comment

Send Fewer Resumes

Which do you think is more effective: 1) Sending 100 resumes for many jobs in the hope that a few will be interested in you? or 2) Send a few resumes to a few jobs that you are a perfect fit for? While this strategy is counterintuitive, sending fewer resumes is a much more effective method. An effective and customized resume can get a 25-50% "hit ratio" (phone screens or interviews divided by total resumes sent) using a send fewer strategy. Why does this work? When you send fewer resumes, you… Continue

Added by Phil Rosenberg on May 20, 2008 at 7:09pm — No Comments

Interview like a Rock Star

Nope, this isn’t an April Fool’s joke. You just had a Rock Star interview….you walked out of the office and knew the job was yours for the taking. The company is dying for you, and even you choose that this job isn’t the right move for you – at least the ego boost feels great. There are two secrets to a Rock Star interview: Preparation and Execution. … Continue

Added by Phil Rosenberg on April 4, 2008 at 1:14am — No Comments

How to Search Optimize your Resume - Pt 1

Are you getting a 25% response rate to your resume? If you are, stop reading, this article isn’t for you. If you’re getting less than a 25% response rate to your resume, then your resume is working against you and blocking you from interviews for top positions. Unfortunately, most of the population falls into the under 25% category.… Continue

Added by Phil Rosenberg on March 25, 2008 at 5:00pm — No Comments

The Inside Track on Recruiters – Top 10 Tips

It's so simple, and so few candidates do this. And the higher up the management chain the candidate is, the more effective they can be using this strategy. Interestingly, the higher up the management chain the candidate is, the LESS LIKELY they are to actually do this! It's such an easy way to stand out, such an easy way to get priority and additional help from recruiters.

… Continue

Added by Phil Rosenberg on March 23, 2008 at 8:22pm — No Comments

Unfair Advantage

In today's job search, the name of the game today is to get noticed…and 97% of the resumes out there don't do a very good job at getting noticed. Guess what happens if you are one of the 97%? That's right, no interview, no callback, no chance at the job you applied for. Online resume submission, and HR Databases have made it so easy, yet at the same time, more difficult to get interviews. Easy as a click of a mouse, yet why is it all of a sudden so difficult to stand out? It's more difficult b… Continue

Added by Phil Rosenberg on March 21, 2008 at 11:30am — 3 Comments

The Dead Zone – Why 97% of Resumes Are Never Read

When you send your resume for a job, your natural thought is that it's like a personal letter, especially if spent time crafting a personalized cover letter. Of course it will be read, it's a personal letter.

How did you feel when you were "perfect for a job", but never got a reply back even indicating receipt? It's happened to all of us.

… Continue

Added by Phil Rosenberg on March 21, 2008 at 11:30am — No Comments

How does an upcoming recession affect your job search?

How will this affect your career plans?

Since a recession is defined as 2+ consecutive quarters of negative GNP growth, we won't know if we're actually in a recession

… Continue

Added by Phil Rosenberg on February 19, 2008 at 5:30pm — 5 Comments

How to “rig” CareerBuilder and other job boards

It's frustrating, isn't it? Many take it personally, getting angry or depressed.

But it's also your best weapon to landing interviews…

LOVE THE PRE-SCREEN:

Computerized pre-screens are a necessary result of the number of resumes that CareerBuilder and other job s

… Continue

Added by Phil Rosenberg on February 18, 2008 at 4:30pm — No Comments

Your Resume’s Audience – Cheers or Silence?

What does the content of your resume say about you? Is it an Autobiography, or a solution to your readers' problems? IF your resume gets seen by human eyes (remember, 97% get pre-screened by a database search), you have an average 8-15 seconds to capture the reader's attention. That's the average time spent reviewing a resume. In 8-15 seconds an interview/no interview decision i… Continue

Added by Phil Rosenberg on February 13, 2008 at 5:00pm — No Comments