SECRETS OF GETTING INTERVIEW CALLS

SECRETS OF GETTING INTERVIEW CALLS

You have all the skills in the world and consider yourself to be the best in the race towards getting a good job, but then you don't get interview calls. You keep updating your resume and also mention all your achievements in your resume and you still don't get called? Ever wondered why? You are not alone; there are many people like you who go through the same fate.Did you ever analyze what happens behind the scenes when an employer goes through your resume? This article will help you discover all that. Read the secrets that will help you get more interview calls:

1. Define a killer career objective
Your career objective should define where you want to reach in the next 5 years. It should be simple, precise and ambitious. Try to define your career objective that will read like a win-win situation for you and the organization. Making your career objective simple will ensure that your employer understands it in the same way as you understand it.

2.Beautify your resume
By beautify I mean all the aspects of your resume should be enhanced viz. design, fonts and colors.The first step is to identify a good resume design / layout to start with. Search the internet to locate a good resume design that you feel good about. Just don't go ahead and pick up the first one that you get. Spend some time and narrow down on 2 - 3 good resume designs that you are comfortable with.Once you have identified on a good design the next step is to use a font that is legible and clear to understand. I prefer the standard Tahoma or Arial. You can have your preferences as well, but be sure that your resume is a pleasure to read. If it isn't pleasurable, then assume that it will surely meet the Recycle Bin.After you have identified a good resume design and a font, the next step is to choose the font color. Ideally shades of black or dark gray are very good and look professional. You should also look at providing a background color to various tables that you might have in your resume. This gives it a professional look. The point is not to leave titles of tables empty, fill it with colors. But ensure that when you print your resume in grey scale; it still looks beautiful.Beautifying a resume requires various tries and re-tries; making a good resume does not happen in a day. So plan it accordinglyreading this article on could also look at hiring a professional agency to help you prepare and beautify your resume. This should however be the last option used.

3. Put keywords in your resume
Identify keywords that match your skill set and put them all in. But be sure that it does not look like you have stuffed in keywords unnecessarily. Make those keywords part of your resume in such a fashion that it forms part of text in your resume.The reason why this should be done is because many employers/job agencies glance through resumes or uses the standard Ctrl + F (i.e. used to find something in a document). The reason is not because they are not interested in reading through your resume, but because business dynamics don't provide them the liberty of time to go through each and every resume.

4. Submit your resume major job sites
After you have defined your killer career objective, beautified your resume and also put in keyword applicable to your profession; the next step is to upload your resume to major job sites.Most of the fields of job sites would only require you to copy and paste parts of your resume. However, there are some fields that don't necessarily form part of your resume, but allow you to capitalize viz. resume title and keywords. Most of the major job sites have a field that allows you to provide a resume title and keywords. This is your chance to describe the kind of job that you are looking at.I have seen many resumes with titles like 'Need a job in Java' or something similar. Titles should define your skill set. You could re-write it as 'Java developer with 3 years experience'. See the difference!!!In the keyword field of job sites mention all the keywords separated by commas. Here you can stuff keywords (unlike in your resume). This keyword helps a prospective employer to narrow down on your resume.

PLACEMENT PREPARATION - BASICS

All the pre-placement preparations, discussions and tension, here are a few tips you can follow.

 Deciding on the company: The most important thing to do is to decide on the companies you would like to attend. Be very careful while deciding; leave out a company only if you are confident about yourself. Make sure you know the present placement policy of our college (how many offers you can have) and decide suitably. If you are not sure of which company u would like to be in, the best thing to do is to attend all companies until you u get placed. But, it is recommended that you know about the companies that are coming in for recruitment before deciding. 

Resume: Resume is probably the most important thing you will carry with you to the interviews. The resume should be flawless. Check your resume and correct spelling mistakes. The interviewer might ask you a few questions regarding the information in your resume. Therefore, it is recommended that you are aware of what you have put in your resume. It is best not to go too far from the truth. A resume usually starts with the objective. It tells the interviewer what you strive to achieve in his/her company. State your objective clearly and precisely. Do search the net and check your seniors’ resumes to get an idea about this. Also, do not exaggerate where you should not. For example, listing Microprocessors (8085/8086) under technical skills when you have no knowledge on the architecture would give you a few negative marks. 

Achievements: Take time to think about all your achievements in life. It could be academics or personal achievements (like winning a competition) or sports. Certificates of all these might be asked in your interview. Please do not add things like- ‘I was a school topper in 9th std. Such things can not be proved, nor do they say much about you. Academic achievements should at least be from your tenth grade. 

Hobbies and interests: People sometimes get caught here. The golden rule is to never bluff. For example, saying philately is your hobby when the only stamp u ever had was the smiling Gandhi, could get you in lot of trouble. You can specify only one hobby that is truly yours, rather than mentioning four or five general hobbies. Remember the company people are not hiring you for your hobbies!! 

The D-Day: Schedule: 

1. PPT (Pre-placement talk). 

2. Aptitude/technical test (written or computer aided). 

3. GD (group discussion-optional depending on the companies). 

4. Technical interview. 

5. HR interview. (Some times both technical and HR are clubbed). 

PPT (Pre-placement talk): The pre-placement talks are very important as they give very useful information about the company such as the training period, service agreement (bond), and (the most important) pay packages! The PPT will give you a fair idea about the company (which comes handy in your interviews). 

Aptitude/technical test: Depending on the company there will be an aptitude and/or verbal and/or technical or all three. Prepare well for these tests and search the net for previous years question papers. It helps most of the times to be prepared for this kind of thing. The scores will be relative (at least in most companies), if the papers are difficult. So, give it your best shot and hope for the best. 

GD: (May or may not be present depending on the companies) GD stands for group discussion and not group debate! The content is more important than the quantity. Personally, I would say the only way to prepare for this is take part in GDs as often as you must. So, do make GD groups amongst yourselves. Remember - 

o Never look at the panelists. 

o Never get into an argument with another participant.

 o Never start of the GD if you’re not sure what the topic of discussion is. 

o Be as calm as possible. And try to look at every one who are participating as you talk. Address the group when you speak. 

o Be clear and make your point short. 

o Avoid ‘er’-ing through the points. 

Interviews: 

Greet the interviewers with a ‘good Morning/afternoon/evening’ according to the time. 

Be confident when you greet them and when you shake hands. 

Then sit down when asked to and wait for further instructions. 

Do not cross your hands or legs or any part of your body. 

Do not shake or look away. 

Maintain eye contact as you speak. 

Do not panic and bluff when asked a question. 

A simple ‘no’ would suffice if you do not know the answer. 

For those who get placed at the very first attempt, that’s good going! For those who do not, don’t get disheartened. Every one cannot be placed in the very first company they attend! Think about where you went wrong. If u feel u had given your best shot and still didn’t get placed then remember, rewards await for those who wait.

TYPES OF INTERVIEWS FOR PLACING IN COMPANIES

BEHAVIOURAL INTERVIEW
A common type of job interview in the modern workplace is the behavioral interview or behavioral event interview. This type of interview is based on the notion that a job candidate's previous behaviors are the best indicators of future performance. In behavioral interviews, the interviewer asks candidates to recall specific instances where they were faced with a set of circumstances, and how they reacted. Typical behavioral interview questions:

"Tell me about a project you worked on where the requirements changed midstream. What did you do?"
"Tell me about a time when you took the lead on a project. What did you do?"
"Describe the worst project you worked on."
"Describe a time you had to work with someone you didn't like."
"Tell me about a time when you had to stick by a decision you had made, even though it made you very unpopular."
"Give us an example of something particularly innovative that you have done that made a difference in the workplace."
"What happened the last time you were late with a project?"
A bad hiring decision nowadays can be immensely expensive for an organization – cost of the hire, training costs, severance pay, loss of productivity, impact on morale, cost of re-hiring, etc. (Gallup international places the cost of a bad hire as being 3.2 times the individual's salary).

STRESS INTERVIEW
Stress interviews are still in common use. One type of stress interview is where the employer uses a succession of interviewers (one at a time or en masse) whose mission is to intimidate the candidate and keep him/her off-balance. The ostensible purpose of this interview: to find out how the candidate handles stress. Stress interviews might involve testing an applicant's behavior in a busy environment. Questions about handling work overload, dealing with multiple projects, and handling conflict are typical.

Another type of stress interview may involve only a single interviewer who behaves in an uninterested or hostile manner. For example, the interviewer may not make eye contact, may roll his eyes or sigh at the candidate's answers, interrupt, turn his back, take phone calls during the interview, or ask questions in a demeaning or challenging style. The goal is to assess how the interviewee handles pressure or to purposely evoke emotional responses. This technique was also used in research protocols studying Stress and Type A (coronary-prone) Behavior because it would evoke hostility and even changes in blood pressure and heart rate in study subjects. The key to success for the candidate is to de-personalize the process. The interviewer is acting a role, deliberately and calculatedly trying to "rattle the cage." Once the candidate realizes that there is nothing personal behind the interviewer's approach, it is easier to handle the questions with aplomb.

Example stress interview questions:

Sticky situation: "If you caught a colleague cheating on his expenses, what would you do?"
Putting you on the spot: "How do you feel this interview is going?"
Popping the balloon: "(deep sigh) Well, if that's the best answer you can give ... (shakes head) Okay, what about this one ...?"
Oddball question: "What would you change about the design of the hockey stick?"
Doubting your veracity: "I don't feel like we're getting to the heart of the matter here. Start again - tell me what really makes you tick."
Candidates may also be asked to deliver a presentation as part of the selection process. The "Platform Test" method involves having the candidate make a presentation to both the selection panel and other candidates for the same job. This is obviously highly stressful and is therefore useful as a predictor of how the candidate will perform under similar circumstances on the job. Selection processes in academic, training, airline, legal and teaching circles frequently involve presentations of this sort.

TECHNICAL INTERVIEW
This kind of interview focuses on problem solving and creativity. The questions aim at your problem-solving skills and likely show your ability and creativity. Sometimes these interviews will be on a computer module with multiple-choice questions.

TELEPHONIC INTERVIEW
Telephone Interviews take place if a recruiter wishes to dwindle down the number of prospective candidates before deciding on a shortlist for face-to-face interviews. They also take place if a job applicant is a significant distance away from the premises of the hiring company such as abroad or in another state

Opportunities after MBA

Opportunities after MBA
Often students opt for MBA in order to sharpen the skills required for being efficient manager. Completion of the MBA program leads students to find an employment where they can apply the gained knowledge. However even after competition of MBA, it is not so easy to get the desired job. But some strategies can drive you till there.

One of such strategies is networking. It is one of the essential techniques as most of the MBA openings are never advertised. Such positions are filled internally, where the management reaches you with their desired qualifications and requirements.

Another way is you can contact companies and mention about your degree and skills. Upon asking for the possible openings, they will get in touch with you as and when there are any vacancy matching to your qualification. For this you need to provide your contact details to them.

Most of the management schools offer career placements and run job fairs too. You can get in touch with college’s career office and check what they have to offer you. However do not rely much on the colleges as they concentrate on offering jobs only, but lack qualities job openings some times.

One of the other ways to hunt the job is recruitment agencies or headhunters. You have to make all your required details available to these agencies. They will help you to find job matching to your profile and expextations. They have details of various openings and it’s their job to find right candidates for the company. So it is easier for them to match your profile with the right company.

Apart from that, now-a-days you can take help of latest technology for hunting job for you. There are many job websites like www.koolkampus.com etc are available detailing about the MBA vacancies. The recent development on this front is arrival of “aggregator” job sites, which helps you a lot. In addition you can also take help of conventional methods such as newspaper.

HOT TIPS ON RESUME WRITING

HOT TIPS ON RESUME WRITING

1. What IS a resume anyway?
Remember: a Resume is a self-promotional document that presents you in the best possible light, for the purpose of getting invited to a job interview.It's not an official personnel document. It's not a job application. It's not a "career obituary"! And it's not a confessional.
2. What should the resume content be about?
It's not just about past jobs! It's about YOU, and how you performed and what you accomplished in those past jobs--especially those accomplishments that are most relevant to the work you want to do next. A good resume predicts how you might perform in that desired future job.
3. What's the fastest way to improve a resume?
Remove everything that starts with "responsibilities included" and replace it with on-the-job accomplishments. (See Tip 11 for one way to write them.)
4. What is the most common resume mistake made by job hunters?
Leaving out their Job Objective! If you don't show a sense of direction, employers won't be interested. Having a clearly stated goal doesn't have to confine you if it's stated well.
5. What's the first step in writing a resume?
Decide on a job target (or "job objective") that can be stated in about 5 or 6 words. Anything beyond that is probably "fluff" and indicates a lack of clarity and direction.
6. How do you decide whether to use a Chronological resume or a Functional one?
The Chronological format is widely preferred by employers, and works well if you're staying in the same field (especially if you've been upwardly-mobile). Only use a Functional format if you're changing fields, and you're sure a skills-oriented format would show off your transferable skills to better advantage; and be sure to include a clear chronological work history!
7. What if you don't have any experience in the kind of work you want to do?
Get some! Find a place that will let you do some volunteer work right away. You only need a brief, concentrated period of volunteer training (for example, 1 day a week for a month) to have at least SOME experience to put on your resume.Also, look at some of the volunteer work you've done in the past and see if any of THAT helps document some skills you'll need for your new job.
8. What do you do if you have gaps in your work experience?
You could start by looking at it differently.General Rule: Tell what you WERE doing, as gracefully as possible--rather than leave a gap.If you were doing anything valuable (even if unpaid) during those so-called "gaps" you could just insert THAT into the work-history section of your resume to fill the hole. Here are some examples:
1993-95 Full-time parent -- or
1992-94 Maternity leave and family management -- or
Travel and study -- or Full-time student -- or
Parenting plus community service
9. What if you have several different job objectives you're working on at the same time? Or you haven't narrowed it down yet to just one job target?
Then write a different resume for each different job target. A targeted resume is MUCH, much stronger than a generic resume.
10. What if you have a fragmented, scrambled-up work history, with lots of short-term jobs?
To minimize the job-hopper image, combine several similar jobs into one "chunk," for example:
1993-1995 Secretary/Receptionist; Jones Bakery, Micro Corp., Carter Jewelers -- or
1993-95 Waiter/Busboy; McDougal's Restaurant, Burger King, Traders Coffee Shop.
Also you can just drop some of the less important, briefest jobs.But don't drop a job, even when it lasted a short time, if that was where you acquired important skills or experience.
11. What's the best way to impress an employer?
Fill your resume with "PAR" statements. PAR stands for Problem-Action-Results; in other words, first you state the problem that existed in your workplace, then you describe what you did about it, and finally you point out the beneficial results.Here's an example: "Transformed a disorganized, inefficient warehouse into a smooth-running operation by totally redesigning the layout; this saved the company thousands of dollars in recovered stock."Another example: "Improved an engineering company's obsolete filing system by developing a simple but sophisticated functional-coding system. This saved time and money by recovering valuable, previously lost, project records."
12. What if your job title doesn't reflect your actual level of responsibility?
When you list it on the resume, either replace it with a more appropriate job title (say "Office Manager" instead of "Administrative Assistant" if that's more realistic) OR use their job title AND your fairer one together, i.e. "Administrative Assistant (Office Manager)"
13. How can you avoid age discrimination?
If you're over 40 or 50 or 60, remember that you don't have to present your entire work history! You can simply label THAT part of your resume "Recent Work History" or "Relevant Work History" and then describe only the last 10 or 15 years of your experience. Below your 10-15 year work history, you could add a paragraph headed "Prior relevant experience" and simply refer to any additional important (but ancient) jobs without mentioning dates.
14. What if you never had any "real" paid jobs -- just self-employment or odd jobs?
Give yourself credit, and create an accurate, fair job-title for yourself. For example:
A&S Hauling & Cleaning (Self-employed) -- or
Household Repairman, Self-employed -- or
Child-Care, Self-employed
Be sure to add "Customer references available on request" and then be prepared to provide some very good references of people you worked for.
15. How far back should you go in your Work History?
Far enough; and not too far! About 10 or 15 years is usually enough - unless your "juiciest" work experience is from farther back.
16. How can a student list summer jobs?
Students can make their resume look neater by listing seasonal jobs very simply, such as "Spring 1996" or "Summer 1996" rather than 6/96 to 9/96. (The word "Spring" can be in very tiny letters, say 8-point in size.)
17. What if you don't quite have your degree or credentials yet?
You can say something like:
Eligible for U.S. credentials -- or
Graduate studies in Instructional Design, in progress -- or
Master's Degree anticipated December 1997
18. What if you worked for only one employer for 20 or 30 years?
Then list separately each different position you held there, so your job progression within the company is more obvious.
19. What about listing hobbies and interests?
Don't include hobbies on a resume unless the activity is somehow relevant to your job objective, or clearly reveals a characteristic that supports your job objective. For example, a hobby of Sky Diving (adventure, courage) might seem relevant to some job objectives (Security Guard?) but not to others
.20. What about revealing race or religion?
Don't include ethnic or religious affiliations (inviting pre-interview discrimination) UNLESS you can see that including them will support your job objective. Get an opinion from a respected friend or colleague about when to reveal, and when to conceal, your affiliations.
21. What if your name is Robin Williams?
Don't mystify the reader about your gender; they'll go nuts until they know whether you're male or female. So if your name is Lee or Robin or Pat or anything else not clearly male or female, use a Mr. or Ms. prefix.
22. What if you got your degree from a different country?
You can say "Degree equivalent to U.S. Bachelor's Degree in Economics-Teheran, Iran."
23. What about fancy-schmancy paper?
Employers tell me they HATE parchment paper and pretentious brochure-folded resume "presentations." They think they're phony, and toss them right out. Use plain white or ivory, in a quality appropriate for your job objective. Never use colored paper unless there's a very good reason for it (like, you're an artist) because if it gets photo-copied the results will be murky.
24. Should you fold your resume?
Don't fold a laser-printed resume right along a line of text. The "ink" could flake off along the fold.

LEADERSHIP INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

LEADERSHIP INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
1. describe your basic leadership style? Give specific examples of how you practice this?
2. What is the difference between Leader & Manager?
3. Do you feel you work more effectively on a one to one basis or in a group situation?
4. How do you get people who do not want to work together to establish a common approach to a problem?
5. What sort of leader do your people feel you are? Are you satisfied?
6. What approach do you take in getting your people to accept your ideas or department goals?
7. How do you motivate your team members?
8. What are examples of interview answers that ask about attention to detail?
9. "What do you feel has been your greatest work-related accomplishment?"
10. "What is your greatest weakness?"
11. How frequently do you meet with your immediate subordinates as a group?
12. In your present job what approach do you take to get your people together to establish a common approach to a problem?
13. "What is your greatest strength?"
14. If you do not have much time & they hold seriously differing views, what would be your approach?
15. Describe one experience when you had to lead a team.
16. How do you keep each member of the team involved and motivated, while keeping morale high? What steps do you need to take to achieve this?
17. Does you like to praise team members in public? How do you express your appreciation of them?
18. Have you ever tried to act as a mentor to a colleague? Was it worth it from a professional point of view?
19. Have you ever tried to do a job for which you were unqualified for? How did you react at that time? Were you able to accomplish your task?

Integrating The Keyword

The keywords should be integrated into the following parts of your website...

1. Title

Each webpage should contain a distinct and relevant title. Incorporate the keywords into the webpage's title tag.

2. Description

Each page on website should also contain a unique description. The "meta" data, which is located in the header of the webpage, is often used by search engines to assess the relevance and topic of a specific page.

3. Body Of Web Page

The body of the webpage should also include the keywords. The words should appear naturally, and the readability of the text should never be compromised in an effort to include the keywords.

4. Anchor Text

Anchor text is the text that is used to link to a page. The "clickable" words that are hyper-linked to the page are called the anchor text. Search engines evaluate the words people use to link to your website, because they usually provide a context for the page being linked to.

5. H1 Tags

H1 tags, which are used in HTML to emphasize a topic or sub-topic, are often weighted heavier than normal text on a webpage. Using keywords in the H1 field may boost your ranking for that specific keyword.

6. Name Of Web Page

The domain and URL of a webpage can also help influence search engine ranking. Integrating keywords or hyphenated keyword phrases into the URL of a webpage may also help a page rank well in search engines for those key phrases.

7. More May Be Better

Keep in mind that studies show that the average number of words used in a search query is 2.57, so do not be afraid to integrate keyword "phrases" rather than individual keywords, since phrases tend to be more popular than single-word searches.

Keyword positioning plays a small but very important part in the search engine optimization process. Learn how to effectively use keywords to your website's advantage. Keyword usage and optimization will help a webpage rank better in organic search results. Use relevant keyword phrases that will boost your search rankings.

DRESS FOR AN INTERVIEW

DRESS FOR AN INTERVIEW
The first impression you make on a potential employer is the most important one. The first judgment an interviewer makes is going to be based on how you look and what you are wearing. That's why it's always important to dress professionally for a job interview, even if the work environment is casual.
What's the appropriate dress code for an interview? You'll want that first impression to be not just a good one, but, a great one. The candidate dressed in a suit and tie is going to make a much better impression than the candidate dressed in scruffy jeans and a t-shirt.
How to Dress for an Interview:

Men's Interview Attire

Suit (solid color - navy or dark grey)
Long sleeve shirt (white or coordinated with the suit)
Belt
Tie
Dark socks, conservative leather shoes
Little or no jewelry
Neat, professional hairstyle
Limit the aftershave
Neatly trimmed nails
Portfolio or briefcase

Women's Interview Attire

Suit (navy, black or dark grey)
The suit skirt should be long enough so you can sit down comfortably
Coordinated blouse
Conservative shoes
Limited jewelry (no dangling earrings or arms full of bracelets)
No jewelry is better than cheap jewelry
Professional hairstyle
Neutral pantyhose
Light make-up and perfume
Neatly manicured clean nails
Portfolio or briefcase

What Not to Bring to the Interview

Gum
Cell phone
Ipod
Coffee or soda
If you have lots of piercings, leave some of your rings at home (earrings only, is a good rule)
Cover tattoos

Interview Attire Tips

Before you even think about going on an interview, make sure you have appropriate interview attire and everything fits correctly.
Get your clothes ready the night before, so you don't have to spend time getting them ready on the day of the interview.
If your clothes are dry clean only, take them to the cleaners after an interview, so they are ready for next time.
Polish your shoes.
Bring a breath mint and use it before you enter the building.

Additional Interviewing Resources

How to Dress for Success
How to dress for an interview including advice on what, and what not, to wear on a job interview, appropriate interview attire, how to impress a prospective employer, business vs. business casual attire, and tips on dressing for success.
Interview Etiquette
Interviewing can be even more stressful when you are expected to eat and talk at the same time. Here's how to survive a lunch or dinner interview.
Interview Questions and Answers
The key to successful interviewing is to review these typical interview questions and prepare your answers. Also be ready with questions for the interviewer .
So with a proper impression and answering to interviewer questions proply you can ger success in your interview.

Top 5 Interview Blunders

Learn about the top five job interview blunders and how to avoid them.

Beware of the Top 5 Interview Mistakes

We've all heard stories of job candidates who looked great on paper but who were absolute disasters in person. With fewer interview opportunities available in our competitive job market, it's essential to make the best possible first impression. Learn from the mistakes of others and avoid these top five worst interview blunders:

1. Not preparing for the tough interview questions.

Like every job seeker, you probably have your own set of tough interview questions you hope will never be asked. The best strategy is to prepare ahead of time with answers to ALL of these questions. A career coach can be a great resource for helping you work out suitable answers with a positive spin on negative or challenging career situations.

2. Failure to match communication styles.

Making a great first impression is easier to do when you communicate effectively with your interviewer. The best way to do this is by mirroring his or her communication style. Allowing your interviewer to set the tone of the conversation will put him or her at ease and makes the conversation flow more naturally.

For instance:

If the interviewer seems all business, don't attempt to loosen him or her up with a joke or story. Be succinct and businesslike.

If the interviewer is personable, try discussing his or her interests. Often personal items on display in the office can be a clue.

If asked a direct question, answer directly. Then follow up by asking if more information is needed.

3. Talking too much.

In my recruiting days, I abhorred over-talkative candidates, and so did most of my client employers who interviewed these candidates. Over-talking takes several forms:

Taking too long to answer direct questions. The impression: This candidate just can't get to the point.

Nervous talkers. The impression: This candidate is covering up something or is outright lying. To avoid either of these forms of over-talking, practice answering questions in a direct manner. Using role-playing in preparing for your interview will help you avoid excessive, nervous talking.

4. Saying negative things about your current or past employers or managers.

Even if your last boss was Attila the Hun, avoid stating your ill feelings about the person or work situation. No matter how reasonable your complaints, your negative comments will be viewed as disrespect towards your boss. When faced with the challenge of talking about former employers, make sure you are prepared with a positive spin on your experiences.

5. Giving away too much salary and earnings information.

Candidates often weaken their future earning potential by speaking too freely about their current income. No matter the official salary range of the position you are interviewing for, your current earnings have an enormous effect on the size of the offer. Investing in a career coach to help you answer salary questions can add thousands of dollars to your new job offer.

You already know that it takes a strong resume that sets you apart as a candidate of choice to be invited for an interview. The next step is to hone your interviewing skills to actually win job offers. Polishing your interviewing skills can mean the difference between getting the job and being a runner-up.

Career Change Resumes

Career Change Resumes

Looking for a career change? Get helpful advice on how to write your resume.

I'm Changing Careers -- How Do I Format My Resume?

The best resume format to use is the combination resume. This resume format is not chronological nor functional. It combines both! It is extremely flexible and allows you to use strategies in a way that would normally be considered wrong.

The difference between the combination format and the chronological format is that the chronological format resume is very easy to follow. The hiring manager will typically start to read the chronological resume at the bottom of the work history or professional experience section (heading depends on your career level) and will continue reading his or her way up towards the top to trace your career history. If there are employment gaps, it will be obvious because it is difficult to hide breaks in employment using this resume format. This is why most hiring mangers prefer the chronological resume format. It is easy to read and leaves little to the imagination. This can be a great advantage (marketing tool) if you have been in the same type of position because it shows continuity and progression in your industry.

But what happens when you've held different types of positions across several industries? Reasons for gaps in employment and holding too many or unrelated jobs include raising children, caring for a family member, illness, returning to college, corporate downsizing or merger, joining the military, and difficulty finding work for long stretches of time because of a tight job market or weak resume! So, the first thing you will need to do is toss your old resume. It will not help you to change your career. You need to make a fresh start!

What To Do

Create a resume that clearly indicates at the top what type of position you are seeking.

Include a career summary section that highlights where you've been in your career. being careful to only mention what would be of most interest to this particular company. 

Emphasize your transferable experience and skills that match the qualifications of the position (if there is a job ad, study it and do your best to make a connection between the position's requirements and what you've done. Do not use the exact wording!).

Use a keywords section to list transferable skills so the reader can find them immediately. This is also important if the company uses resume scanning technology. This will ensure your resume is retrieved from the company's database in response to a keyword search.

Under your Professional Experience section or Work History (again, depends on your background), present your experience in functional sections such as General Management, Sales Management, Staff Training and Supervision, Budget Planning and Tracking , etc.

Take ALL of the experience you've gained over the years and categorize it into skill areas that the new position requires. If the company is seeking someone to manage budgets, and you managed budgets ten years ago and four years ago, but not in your last two jobs, then list the collective experience under a Budget category.

Continue this formula until each respective category has a minimum of four bulleted sentences or two two-lined sentences to support the name of the heading. It is a good idea to have at least three categories to show how well rounded you are.

Below this section, list the companies, locations, job titles, and dates. You can either create a separate section named Work History if you've already called the above section Professional Experience, or simply list the section without a main heading as part of the main section. It will be understood. Or, you can start the section off with the company names and dates followed by the functional categories. In other words, flip it.

The most common problem with this resume format is identifying where your experience was gained. But, that's the whole idea. If they are interested in what you can do, they will call you in for the interview. It is at that time you can explain the how, when, where, and why of it all. 

It will make for great conversation--which by the way, a job interview should be. A meeting between two people with a common interest (the position) who engage in conversation in a professional manner.