Follow these strategies to master your job search process.
Articulate Your Personal Brand
Questions to ask yourself:
- What's my competitive advantage?
- What do I offer an organization?
- Unique? Distinguishable? Memorable?
Resume
Employers spend less than 9 seconds to look at a resume.
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Under Work Experience, start each bulleted point with an action verb. For example:
- Delivered excellent customer service.
- Conducted financial analysis.
- Too much work experience?
- Delete high school information and lower level skills/jobs.
- Summarize activities
- Skills/Abilities Employers Want
- Ability to make decisions and solve problems.
- Verbal and written (reports) communication.
- Obtain and process information.
- Plan, organize, prioritize work.
- Analyze quantitative data.
- Tech knowledge related to the job.
- Software proficiency.
- Influence skills.
Filed papers.
Maintained filing system for three-person office with accuracy and timeliness.
Cover Letter
Questions to ask yourself:
- Why work for ABC Company?
- What value do I offer?
- Can I write well?
Don't forget to spell check! ("apart" vs. "a part").
- Include a photo and contact information.
- Customize your LinkedIn URL (LinkedIn.com/in/sarahdove, not LinkedIn.com/in/sarahdove13x%#4ag
- Summary: A narrative/story about your activities, interests, passion, and future employment desires/goals
- Experience: Can be different from your resume.
Elevator Speech
- "Hi, I'm Sally Brown. I'm studying marketing and will graduate in May this year. I'm doing a marketing research internship currently for Agilent Technologies which I really enjoy. What kinds of entry-level marketing positions are available at ______?"
Email Signature
Tim J. Delaney, CPA/PFS
Your wealth, your dreams, realized
John Brown
B.S. in Business Administration '12, Concentration in Wine Business
Passionate about Wine
Develop Strong Networks
- North Bay Business Journal | San Francisco Business Times
- Young Professionals Network (Chambers)
- Professional Groups - HR, Accounting, etc.
- Your parents' friends and contacts
- Handshake Jobs Listing | LinkedIn
- Staffing Firms: Aerotek, Nelson, Star Staffing
Master the Interview Process
Prepare for behavioral and traditional questions. First impressions matter - wear proper attire, pay attention to your body language, use a positive and energetic tone, smile, be confident, and give a strong handshake. Sell yourself!
What employers are interested in:
- Who are you?
- Why are you here?
- What can you do for me?
- Why should I hire you?
Questions to ask during the interview:
- I've seen from your website that you value teamwork in your organization. Would you please describe how that plays out day by day?
- What makes new hires at ABC Company successful in their jobs?
- What training opportunities are available in your organization?
End of Interview
- Have I answered all your questions to your satisfaction?
- ASK for the JOB!
- "I now have a firm understanding of the position and the expectations you have. I'm confident that I will bring value to this role with my skill set and work experience. I really want this job!"
- Find out "next steps" in the process.
After the Interview
Follow-up with handwritten thank you note and email immediately. State why you're a good fit. Explain why they should hire you.