Advice and resources

10 Classic Resume-Writing Mistakes to Avoid

Is your resume generating disappointing results? Have you been sending your resume for positions that you know you are qualified for, but the phone remains silent? If so, you might want to check it and revise it against these ten common errors.

1. Including an objective statement that tells the reader what you want.

If there is one major rule to keep in mind as you write your resume, it is that all of the content should be written to be employer-centered. Objective statements that tell the reader what you want are inherently self-centered. The more modern way of providing focus for your resume is to include a summary or profile section. A profile is fundamentally different from an objective in that it is employer-centered, conveying to the reader what you offer them, rather than what you want from them.

2. Writing your resume to be intentionally broad in scope.

Many people will write a broad resume out of fear that focusing too precisely will exclude them from certain opportunities. Unfortunately, this strategy almost always backfires. Resume readers are notoriously lazy and give your resume only a few seconds at most before making the decision to screen it out or screen it in. If you are lucky you have 15 seconds to clearly convey your focus (level and type of position you are seeking) and how you would add value within their organization. If your focus is ambiguous and you haven't made it crystal clear how you will fit in the company, you certainly expect the reader to make the effort to figure it out.

3. Including a generic profile/summary statement.

While it has become common and even expected that your resume will include a profile/summary statement, far too often they are just generic statements that do nothing to differentiate the individual from their competition in the job market. What is it that differentiates you and make your contributions to the companies you have worked for better and unique than your peers? What is the value proposition that you are making to the reader of your resume? What sets you apart from the competition and what uniquely qualifies you to meet the needs and solves the problems of the employer? Additionally, it isn't enough to tell a reader that you have certain abilities or traits; you must show them through examples of past achievements. Prove impact! Forget about cliches and jargon. Soft skills are often important, but even those should be backed up by specific accomplishments that illustrate them.

4. Describing your job scope and responsibilities in detail.

Think about it: Being responsible for doing something certainly doesn't mean a person does it. What a person is supposed to do and what they actually do are two different things. Many people make the mistake of selling features (responsibilities) rather than benefits (achievements/results) in their resume. It is very important to place the emphasis on achievements, quantifying results whenever possible. Document the ways in which your work have benefited your employers and quantify whenever possible. By including past achievements and results, you demonstrate your future potential. Always remember, you won't get hired for what you know how to do, you will get hired for what you do with what you know how to do.

5. Focusing solely on the achievement and forgetting about the results.

Just telling the reader that you have achievements isn't very effective unless you present them in terms of the results and benefits they have produced for past employers. You should always try to think in terms of the so what of your achievement. What did you improve, save, increase, enhance, etc? What impact did the work you do have on the companies? At the root, every single job is designed to solve a problem, save money, make money, or improve efficiency. It is crucial that you understand and be able to communicate the impact of your performance. Whenever you can do so, you should use numbers to illustrate your results, but even if you are unable to quantify achievements, the emphasis should still be on the results/benefits of your work.

6. Writing an autobiographical style resume.

Your resume is a marketing document. It is not an autobiography. While the decision about how far back to date your resume really depends on the individual circumstances, generally it is standard to go back 10-20 years. If experience earlier than that is still relevant, you can always summarize it in a couple of sentences without the use of dates. Always think in terms of relevance and impact. Does a particular piece of data or achievement support your personal brand and value proposition? Does it help promote your qualifications in relation to your current career goals? If not, you probably should not include it. In fact, by including irrelevant data, you dilute your focus and make the recipient wonder if you truly understand the position you are targeting. If you feel really strongly that particular data may be relevant to at least SOME recipients, you can always create an addendum that you choose to use selectively.

7. Including personal information.

If your resume is meant for the U.S. market, it should not include a photo, your birth date, mention of unrelated hobbies or interests, info about your family, info that reveals your religion, or any other similarly personal data. Including such data in a resume meant for the U.S. market may actually eliminate you from consideration, as hiring decision-makers may be concerned about discrimination suits.

8. Using a template design for your resume.

You should never use a template to create a resume. Your resume should be uniquely designed to highlight your unique qualifications and selling point and to set you apart from other candidates. If you use a template (or a format that looks like a template), you ensure that your resume will simply blend in with all the rest. To really compel action, your resume MUST attract immediate attention and present an unquestionably professional appearance. Create an eye-catching design, but forego the templates!

9. Using the same structure and resume writing techniques that you were taught in college ten years ago.

A common error made by experienced professionals is overemphasis of education. As an experienced professional your history of accomplishments and proven ability to produce and deliver results is far more important than your degrees. Only new graduates with very little or no experience should list education at the beginning of the resume. The most important thing is that you prioritize and organize your selling points, listing categories of primary importance first. The best structure in almost all circumstances is a combination reverse chronological order. This includes a profile/summary section, a reverse chronology of your work history and achievements, education, and other qualifications such as professional affiliations.

10. Listing all your achievements in a section separate from your career history.

It is critical to show progression and a consistent, repeated ability to produce results. By listing your achievements separately from your career history, you lose this. Go ahead and use specific achievements to illustrate the value proposition and personal branding that you convey in your profile. In fact, it is crucial that you do so. But, for the most part, the majority of your achievements are best presented within the chronological and situational context in which they happened. In other words, go ahead and include a SUMMARY of achievements that are selected to illustrate your value proposition and brand, but the body of your resume should also include achievements and results that illustrate your impact in each company or each position.

What Employers Want From Their Employees

As you attempt to launch your career or try to jump-start a career that is off-track you might be wondering what employers really want from their employees. This can be a difficult question to answer in today's ever-changing job market. Many of the old assumptions have fallen by the wayside as the workplace has transformed to meet the demands of our high-tech world.

It should be stated at the outset that employers do differ in their expectations for employees. These differences may depend upon the line of work involved, the size of the staff, the computerization of the workplace, and other factors. Therefore, if you are interested in exploring career options with a specific company, it is important that you talk with employees of that company to find out about expectations for employees in that particular business. Nevertheless, there are a few common threads that run through managers' offices things that employers look for in their employees.

Dependability

Perhaps the single-most important trait for an employee today is dependability. It is critical to have workers who show up on time for work, who stay a full day, and who complete their work in a timely manner. Managers want to be assured that their employees will take their jobs seriously and that their workers will act in a professional manner. There is nothing worse than having an employee who is chronically late, who takes frequent unscheduled breaks, who leaves early, and who procrastinates in getting work done.

Honesty

Another key trait for employees is honesty. They must be candid with their bosses. Otherwise, the workplace can erupt in turmoil. Managers must know that they can trust their employees with money, with sensitive information, and with privacy issues. A dishonest employee can be a real detriment to a company, and can significantly impact the company's bottom line.

A recognition of the value of teamwork

The days when individualists dominated the workplace are over. Today's corporate managers want employees who truly recognize the value of teamwork. Workplace divas can drain the lifeblood out of an organization, preventing a company from growing. In order to achieve anything significant in the workplace, it is important for employees to work together as a team. It is only through unity of vision that major gains can be made.

Creative problem-solving

Increasingly, employers want employees who are creative problem-solvers. Problems creep up in the workplace everyday, particularly regarding customer service. Employees need to be able to think on their feet and must be willing to try fresh approaches to solving problems. Otherwise, it is likely that a business will stagnate and profits could take a downturn.

Respect

It is also important that employees respect their bosses. Of course, it is important that bosses respect their workers as well. Only in an atmosphere of mutual respect can a workforce remain cohesive. Employee job satisfaction is also likely to grow where bosses and their employees respect one another. People want to be valued and workers who feel they are valued are more likely to perform well on the job.

A Stress Survival Guide for HR Managers and HR Professionals

Ten Stressors and Five Management Strategies

In today's 24/7, constantly changing, merging and consolidating, "do more with less" work environment the letters "HR" could as easily stand for "Hub of Reorganization" as for "Human Resources." And, in fact, it's the intersection of these two organizational dynamics - human exchange and systemic change - that accounts for the inherent challenge and performance pressure for the HR Manager and other human resources professionals. When a person, over time, is confronted by high demands along with rapidly changing requirements and responsibilities (especially related to the welfare, safety, rights, etc., of others) and believes he lacks sufficient control, authority or autonomy to deal with such high pitched and fast paced demands the result is predictable: Chronic Stress!
Let's Begin with a List of HR Related Stressors

   1. Availability and Accountability
      The stress factor is double-pronged: While HR may be a separate department, it is hardly an island in corporate waters; all company personnel believe they should have some representation through HR. HR should be at the beck and call of all employees. And if the HR professional totally buys into the rescuer role, taking every personnel problem home at night... beware: Burnout is less a sign of failure and more that you gave yourself away.
   2. Objectivity
      The challenge for an effective and widely accepted HR department is to maintain some functional independence even when part of the management structure. The HR professional must be somewhat detached from yet, also, be an objective and concerned advocate for both management and employees to be a robust problem-solving (not just numbers crunching) force in the organization.
   3. Multiple Roles
      In light of his or her hub position, not surprisingly, the HR manager/professional often plays many roles - from coach and counselor to cop and confessor. And, if that's not enough, he or she must be the organizational or interpersonal safety net or back up when there are breakdowns or problems with: a) manager-supervisor-employee relations, b) reorganizational change, such as a downsizing, c) hiring crises, d) outdated or illegal policies, e) prejudicial procedures, etc.
   4. Disgruntled Personnel
      Clearly, as outlined above, there are HR demands and responsibilities aplenty. The proverbial icing, of course, is having to negotiate problems with people who have a grievance with a supervisor, are upset about pay, performance evaluation or promotion (or termination) issues. Certainly, it can be emotionally and professionally rewarding helping rectify a significant personnel problem. Still, chronically providing service to angry customers can all to easily result in a case of "brain strain."
   5. Transitional Glue
      Especially in times of rapid or volatile change - mergers, downsizing or rapid startup or growth - the HR Manager often becomes a company cheerleader (or that stress confessor). He or she often must help folks sustain morale in the face of an uncertain and possibly vulnerable future. The HR goal: not allowing the company's "esprit de corps" regress into an "esprit de corpse!" The HR Manager may become the messenger helping employees and supervisors interpret reorganizational pronouncements from the management mountaintop. Sometimes the HR leader must assume the Moses mantle while the employee tribes wander for a period in the transitional desert. Anyone for the training class on, "Parting Really Large Bodies of Water?"
   6. Crisis Management
      When the hub of the wheel, a potential danger is the belief that you are the center of the corporate solar system. All organizational life depends on your energy source. The HR Manager must realize when certain crises are outside his or her sphere of productive "hands on" influence; one must resist the "solo savior syndrome" role. When downsizing trauma started evoking racial tension and threats - the pulling up of a KKK website and public playing of a Louis Farrakhan tape - in a federal government division, HR called for the Stress Doc. As a critical incident specialist my role is clear: to stop the vicious cycle before it turns violent and to lay the groundwork for productive conflict resolution and team building.
   7. Privacy Requirements
      An ongoing challenge for the HR Professional interfacing with numerous individuals, departments and senior managers is sharing critical information and upholding employees' privacy rights. Another stressor recently came to my attention: an HR Manager unsure how to respond to a supervisor's breach of confidentiality. This supervisor unprofessionally (if not, illegally) shared with her employees that a colleague was hospitalized for mental health reasons. Such a breach is like a virus that can contaminate everyone's operating system and sense of security. The HR Manager's standing as a leader is on the line, not just the supervisor's.
   8. Ever-changing Technology and Policy
      Like other corporate entities, The HR Department must keep up with new software and data processing systems. Increasingly, having an internal website for sharing key information with employees is critical. And invariably, to get up and running technologically takes longer than anticipated. Glitch happens!

      And, of course, there are ever-changing policy requirements or cultural diversity/gender issues - whether mandated by Congress or the EPA. Also, let's not overlook the rapidly changing or constricting dictates from corporate headquarters to field operations. All these systemic forces can undermine a sense of control of everyday HR functioning.
   9. Training Demands
      The HR Team cannot provide individual handholding with employees for all personnel issues. Depending on company size, HR must have enough time and staff to provide classroom orientation on HR-related matters. An HR manager often needs to delegate the training function to a subordinate. A manager who cannot delegate is a manager who cannot survive. Individuals must be encouraged to do reasonable data gathering or research or else HR will be enabling inefficient, if not dysfunctional, dependence.
10. Office Space-Time
      Finally, the HR Manager/Department must discover that elusive balance between reasonable physical access and protected space for productive energy. Feng Shui rules even in Corporate America. (A good friend sent this Encarta definition: FENG SHUI ("fung shway" = wind and water) is the study of environmental balance. The system studies people's relationships to the environment in which they live, especially their dwelling or workspace, in order to achieve maximum harmony with the spiritual forces believed to influence all places.) A department without some "closed door' time and a closed meeting space for the HR team invites both productivity and morale problems - from actual privacy violations to free-floating privacy anxieties amongst employees.

Here are Five Survival Strategies

   1. Balancing Interdependence and Autonomy
      The HR Manager and Department must strive to project both an image of operational objectivity and a defender of privacy while performing an overall management function. Collaborating with department heads is vital, for example, when bringing on new hires. At the same time, the HR professional must also develop a capacity for "detached involvement," that is, being sensitive to personnel issues and individual employee concerns while resisting the rescuer role. If you're always taking work home - literally or emotionally - your personal/personnel boundary is starting to erode. See #2.
   2. Reaching Out to Specialists and Consultants
      Whether taking things too personally, feeling overwhelmed processing a significant downsizing of staff or stressed upgrading a computer system, don't be that lone Rambo or Rambette. Reach out for expert support. Especially with seriously disgruntled or dysfunctional employees, whenever possible, collaborate with an Employee Assistance Program counselor. And as mentioned, for widespread department tension consider using a corporate change/critical intervention consultant.
   3. Balancing Administrative Work and Human Relating
      Beware becoming a solitary HR numbers cruncher sequestered in your IT fortress. Don't lose the human touch. Periodically, walk around your shop. Swap stories with folks on the workfloor. Be the HR bridge between management and employees. And, perhaps most important, rotating different hats will help you follow that Stress Doc maxim: "Fireproof your life with variety!"
   4. Encouraging Independence by Setting Boundaries
      These three boundary-setting strategies will enable the HR Manager to successfully juggle various roles and responsibilities.
         1. Delegation
            Clearly, giving others a chance to demonstrate their skills and expertise while you monitor (not micromanage) their performance is vital. Balancing "The Triple A" - Authority, Autonomy and Accountability - is a critical management and stress management tool.
         2. Education
            Another key stress manager is helping others not be so dependent upon your indispensable knowledge. Training for employees and supervisors on HR-related procedures, negotiating information on websites, and encouraging self-initiated employee data gathering, etc., is vital in today's time- and task-driven environment.
         3. Separation
            Finally, generate the space-time dynamics for optimal performance for HR. Balance accessibility and boundaries with "closed door" time; design a form and function layout that allows for vital interdependence between HR and employees. One HR department installed a dartboard on a back wall for stress relieving fun and friendly competition. Model the stress management mantra: "Giving of yourself and giving to yourself!"
   5. Maximizing Team Meetings
      For the HR Manager and his or her staff, productive team meetings are essential for sharing a logistically and emotionally demanding workload. Meetings need to be more than time- and task-driven staffings; build in a fifteen-minute "wavelength" segment for group brainstorming and venting around emotionally tough personnel issues - dealing with pink slips, reorganizational uncertainty, turf battles with other departments, and cultural diversity tensions, etc. Let a staff member acknowledge sources of work pressure; as a group, assess the strengths and roadblocks affecting solid team coordination and cooperation. Perhaps even rotate the leadership of these meetings amongst your HR staff. Learn to wear both team member and manager hats.

Recognizing the ten stressors and five strategic interventions will lighten your personal load while strengthening your leadership hold. And it will enable you and your entire HR team to... Practice Safe Stress

The Interview - Are You Prepared?

You finally made it to the interview. While you are sitting in the waiting room, your hands become cold and clammy, thoughts begin racing through your head of whether you are sweating, does it show, did you drink too much water, and what if you have to pee in the middle of the interview? What will they ask? Do I get right to the point, or do I explain every detail? What if I can't answer a question? Many other thoughts begin racing through your head when you finally decide you need some type of headache medicine. At that moment, the front desk calls you back to the office for your interview. You stand up, dust yourself from any last-minute lint accumulation, clear the lump in your throat, and begin your walk toward the door.

Your resume was the first impression you made. Your interview will be the deciding factor for the job. Before you head into your interview, there are a few things you should prepare for.

1. How large is the company - this gives you an idea of your chances for advancement, the types of jobs above yours, the number of employees, how fast it's growing, etc.

2. How old is the company - this will give you an idea about its stability and the security of the position you are seeking.

3. What does the company do? Is it a service or product in which you can develop an interest?

4. What do you know about the position and what job responsibilities does it have? Be sure the position is one you want as it should not just be a source of income, but something you enjoy doing.

Once you have completed the research, you need to get ready for the actual interview. Dress for success. Remember, you only have one chance to make a good impression. Your first impression makes a lasting impression. Not to put any pressure on you or anything!!! BE EARLY, but not too early!! This sets the stage for your attendance in the future. Understand the background of the company you are interviewing for. Know what they are about and what they stand for. Research it if you have to.

The Interview

Always greet the employees you meet before, during, and after the interview with an aggressive handshake, except the receptionist. What I mean by aggressive, is, don't be afraid to squeeze their hand a little, and initiate the shake. Don't give a puny handshake by laying your hand inside theirs with no squeeze and no shake. Let them know you are there for a purpose and SMILE!! Comment on their clothes, office, facilities, or something, but don't overdue it. For example: Mary (yes, please remember your interviewer's first name and USE IT!), I love those earrings, where did you get them?

Your appearance makes a lasting impression. Before you even open your mouth at an interview, you have already made an impression by your manner of dress. It is vital you dress at a level appropriate for the job and not be a distraction. You should look fashionable, but not over dressed. For example, no large fancy earrings, only mild perfume or cologne, hair neatly combed, neatly trimmed facial hair (for the guys of course), and remove your hat and/or coat during the interview.

Your attitude is the next most important piece of the interview. You have already grabbed their attention with your resume and they are talking to you because they believe you meet the qualifications of the job. Now, it's your time to convince them you are right for the position.

1. Smile and be friendly - try to demonstrate a genuine enthusiasm and sincere interest in the position. Don't be overly happy or bubbly and on the other hand, don't be depressed and passive, either.

2. Give the interviewer the respect and attention that the position requires - don't try to be a know-it-all; you should display a willingness to take direction, to learn and to grow within the position. Highlight what you do know, but don't play it up. If you don't know about a subject, ask. At least let the interviewer know the truth about your knowledge. Often times, they will not have an exact fit for the position, but if you are willing to go the extra mile to learn one subject you're not very familiar with, the interviewer understands you can grow into the position.

3. Exhibit a desire to do more than the job requires - going one step beyond what is requested.

4. Keep your personal problems out of the interview - if you don't, you may cast doubts on your ability to focus your full attention on the job. Problems with spouse, parents, or family are not an appropriate subject during the interview. Neither is the fact that your financial situation may be growing serious and you really need a job; no interviewer is going to respond favorably to being pressured should you try to guilt them into hiring you.

5. Thank the interviewer for their time - if you enjoyed talking with them, say so.

6. Be on time - many employers are on a tight schedule. Arriving more than 10 or 15 minutes before your scheduled appointment may interfere with other tasks they need to do; arriving late never makes a favorable impression.

7. Do not smoke

8. Do not chew gum - doing so gives the impression you don't know how to behave in a business setting.

9. Avoid heavy perfumes and aftershaves - they are distracting and prevent an interviewer from focusing on your qualifications to do the job.

10. Sit across from the interviewer - there may be several chairs when you enter the interview room; choose one facing the interviewer. In the case of multiple interviewers, choose the best seat where you can see all interviewers.

11. Maintain good body posture - sit erect. Do not cross your arms. Be aware of nervous mannerisms; swinging your leg, clicking a pen, cracking your knuckles, etc.

12. Maintain eye contact - when there is more than one interviewer, divide your attention equally among those present, even if most of the questions are asked by just one person.

13. Do not use slang - words such as yeah, you know, okay, or nah should be avoided.

14. Do not ramble - give brief answers, yet provide all the necessary information; most answers should take no more than 30-40 seconds. Make sure your answers apply directly to the questions asked; when possible, emphasize your strong points within your answers.

15. Answer all questions fully - avoid replying with I don't know since you DO know all about you and your feelings, likes and dislikes. If you don't know the answer to a question, simply state the reason you don't know the answer.

16. Do not bring friends or children to the interview - your social/home life belongs outside the employment setting.

17. Be honest - don't mislead the interviewer by overstating your qualifications or understating your abilities.

The entire purpose of an interview is to determine whether your personality will blend with those of the other employees and the general atmosphere of the employment setting. Your qualifications have only gotten you to the interview; it is your attitude, personality, and your ability to describe your skills which will get you the job.

Sell yourself

You need to impress an employer with the fact that you possess many of the qualities that make a good employee. Giving concrete examples of these qualities makes you a much stronger candidate:

1. Creativity - Ability to listen to others

2. Initiative - Ability to learn from instructions

3. Maturity - Ability to take supervision

4. Self-starting ability - patience

5. Working with details - ability to accept criticism

6. Ability to work with others - sincerity

7. Innovation - neatness

8. Sensitivity - confidence

9. Problem solving ability - cooperativeness/teamwork

10. Punctuality - assertiveness

11. Striving for advancement - motivation

12. Sense of humor - dependability

Questions you should be prepared to answer:

1. Tell me about yourself - give a brief autobiography. This should include your schooling, education, interests inside and outside work, skills, etc.

2. How does your background fit this position - this is your chance to bring out those points which demonstrate your ability to do the job.

3. What did you like the most about your last job/What did you like the least - give a brief statement. This is a chance for the interviewer to find out what most concerns you about a job.

4. Tell me about your last supervisor - they are really asking, How well did you get along with your supervisor? BE HONEST! If you got along, provide some evidence of that good relationship. If things didn't work out, explain why and what you've learned. Don't be overly negative as you will only present yourself as a complainer.

5. Tell me about the people you worked with - the interviewer is really asking, How well did you get along with your peers? Answer the same as the previous question.

6. Why are you leaving the job you have now/Why did you leave your previous job - again, be honest. Don't blame others for past difficulties. If you quit, state your reason, if you were fired, give an honest estimation of why.

7. Tell me about your most significant work accomplishment/What has made you the most proud of the work you have done - this is your chance to expand on your resume. Give details of the accomplishments for each job function and/or position you have held.

8. What has made you the most proud of yourself outside of work - this gives the interviewer an indication of how your initiative, motivation, and self-confidence have translated into actual achievements.

9. What do you know about the job/What do you know about this company - this is your opportunity to impress the potential employer with how well you have researched the company.

10. Why do you want this job - don't answer I don't know or I need the money. Tell them what makes THIS the job YOU want.

11. Did your job responsibilities change at any time in your last job - Simply a yes or no will do.

12. Have you taken any additional courses since graduating or leaving school - this lets the interviewer know if you are willing to learn.

13. How did you do in school - make a general statement concerning your grades, attendance, and extracurricular activities. The interviewer is looking to see if you are teachable.

14. What do you do outside work - make a general statement concerning your community involvement and leisure activities.

15. What are your future plans - give short-term and long-term goals. Make a simple statement, don't drag it out.

These are general questions which would be asked in a normal interview, however; I have found that in answering some of these questions, they spark other, more complicated questions like:

1. How do you deal with stress or conflict

2. Describe your personality

3. Who do you turn to for help when making decisions/If no-one is available, are you comfortable making difficult decisions

4. Describe a difficult obstacle you had to overcome and how you handled it

5. Is there a question I haven't asked you that I should

6. Why should we NOT hire you - this was difficult and I answered the question without answering it, if that makes any sense.

7. How would you describe your organizational abilities

8. When have you failed and how did you deal with it

Remember, during the interview process, answer all questions and try to ask a few for yourself. If you don't get the opportunity to ask during the interviewer's questions, they will give you the opportunity to ask questions at the end. Some interviewer's don't give the opportunity for you to ask questions for the simple reason that they want to see if you will initiate the questions if you aren't asked. Here is a short list of questions you can ask if they are not answered in your discussions:

1. Is the position permanent

2. Why is the job open

3. How soon does it begin

4. What are the work hours

5. Who would be my supervisor/What does the supervisor look for in an employee

6. What qualities do you look for when considering people for promotion

7. When will the decision be made as to who is hired

8. What are the company's business objectives/Where is the company going/Based on what I've read, it seems to me the company wants to _______; is that accurate

9. Do you encourage employees to further their education

10. What is the company's policy and/or expectations regarding overtime where this job is concerned

11. ALWAYS ask about items you didn't understand during the interview. If the interviewer is discussing a type of item you aren't familiar with, ask them to elaborate on how their company uses it.

Asking one question is better than not asking any. This shows you have interest in the company and are genuinely interested in the position. Avoid these questions:

1. How many sick days do you provide

2. How much vacation time do I get

3. Do you give an hour for lunch

4. When will I get a raise

5. How soon can I expect to be promoted

6. What does the position pay

These are all questions asking, What's in it for me? This is definitely not an attitude that is going to get you hired. You must always keep in the front of your mind that you are asking someone to give you THEIR money. Would you be willing or eager to give your money to someone you felt was not going to give you what you paid for? Once the interview is over, don't hesitate to call them with questions if they extended that option to you, but don't bug them every hour with questions about getting hired. Your questions should be directly related to the functions of the position. Only during the second interview or the job offer should you discuss salary and benefits. At that point, you know they are interested in you and you should get into deeper subjects within your previous positions and what you can do for their company. The same rules apply to the second interview.

Being personable and approachable is the key. I know this is a wealth of information, but this is my experience and what I found worked well and what didn't. I have been to several interviews where the interviewer was overwhelmed by my qualifications and explained that I was over qualified for their position, but offered me advice on my resume and interviewing skills. Simply because you are not offered the position, does not mean you should simply walk away. Ask the interviewer why they are not interested in you and what tips could they offer you in future interviews. Always walk away with something.

How to Screen Your Candidates

As recruiters, we have a natural tendency to go easy on our candidates, especially during the first screening. We’d prefer to treat them deferentially, as if they were royalty and we were Barbara Walters. To avoid confrontation, we ask superficial questions and accept clichés for answers. Or worse, we simply tune out the answers we don’t want to hear.

Unfortunately, there’s a downside to "fluff" interviewing: We end up working with a lot of poor-quality job seekers who can potentially wreak havoc on our performance—and our reputation as recruiters.

Are You Playing Hardball—or Softball?
Every time I screen a candidate, I try to apply a healthy dose of scrutiny. If the candidate’s free of defects, great. But if the candidate fails the litmus test, you could be in for a bumpy ride in the form of a turndown, a falloff or an accepted counteroffer. By tightening up the initial screening process, you can save time and avoid a lot of headaches down the road.

To help you decide whether a candidate gets the red light or the green light, consider these four factors:

1. Time frame. Is the candidate ready to accept a new position now? If not, file the person away for future use or use the candidate as a source of new referrals. A typical time frame question might be, “If I set up an interview next week, and the company offered you the right job, would you be able to accept the job, turn in your resignation and start your new job at the end of this month?”

2. Profile. Does the candidate possess the skills and work history needed for a job you’re trying to fill? If so, fine. If not, come back to the person when his or her skills are in demand.

3. Motivation. Can the candidate give you a sufficiently good reason for changing jobs? If not, you may find yourself stuck with a tire-kicker or recruiter-manipulator. With the exception of certain circumstances (such as a spousal relocation or imminent unemployment), people only change jobs if there’s something they desperately want and can’t get at their current job, or if there’s something they have at their current job and can’t deal with.

To find out if a candidate is money-motivated, remember this simple rule: The only acceptable reason for changing jobs for more money is if the increase in pay will materially change the candidate’s lifestyle or self-identity. If it won’t, the “more money” candidate should be quarantined and filed under “MONEY ONLY.”

4. Urgency. A person may be genuinely motivated to make a job change, but unless there’s a sense of urgency, you may end up coddling a whiner or enabling a serial interviewer. Try to discover the tipping point that pushed the person from “passively disgruntled” to “locked and loaded.” If you can’t find the urgency, you may be better off working with someone else.

By asking the right questions, you can vet your candidates accurately—and quickly. And by spending more of your time with the winners, you’ll make your clients happy and your bottom line healthy.

Candidate Control: The Key to Recruiting Success

Like any other professional service that deals with the public, recruiters continuously struggle with the issue of control. The same way doctors wrestle with “patient control” and lawyers boast about “client control,” so recruiters agonize over “candidate control.”

If you look at recruiting realistically, you’ll recognize that you can no more “control” the actions of another person than you can control a speeding vehicle that’s hydroplaning down the interstate at 70 miles an hour in a driving rainstorm. That is, the force of momentum will to a greater or lesser degree affect the direction your candidate takes, just like it will a 3,000-pound car.

The best you can hope for is that you’ve selected the right vehicle for the trip and that your preparation, training and reflexes will guide you safely towards your destination. Your degree of control, in other words, is relative to a variety of external factors, the most important of which is the candidate’s true motivation for change.

Revealing the Source of Discontent
I’ve found that people experience dissatisfaction with their employment situation due to one or more of the following reasons:

• Personal. The candidate’s relationships with those at work are unfulfilling. Perhaps the peers and/or supervisors are incompatible with the candidate, or they have different goals. Or maybe there are vast differences in political, religious, socioeconomic or educational backgrounds. Or the overall corporate culture seems out of synch to the candidate, or the “feel” or “look” of the company’s surroundings leaves something to be desired.

• Professional. The candidate’s ability to achieve career goals or technical fulfillment is stalled, or unattainable. As recruiters, it’s on the professional aspects of a candidate’s employment equation that we most often (and erroneously) focus our attention.

• Situational. The candidate’s dissatisfaction has nothing to do with the personal or professional aspects of the job; rather, the dissatisfaction is tied to circumstances. For example, the candidate’s commuting distance might be intolerable, or the air quality or school system in the candidate’s city might have deteriorated; or the candidate’s spouse might have recently accepted a job in a different city.

The point is, there may be a hundred different value-related reasons behind a candidate’s apparent discontent. As recruiters, it’s our job to develop an awareness of the factors that motivate a candidate to explore his or her options—and to offer viable career solutions.

Unless you’ve pinpointed the precise motivation behind a candidate’s interest in interviewing for another position, you’ll have no leverage in the job-changing process. And worst of all—if the candidate has no real motivation for making a change—you’ll find yourself as a mere facilitator in a tire-kicking exercise, in which your efforts will serve only to satisfy a candidate whose only interest is to extract a counteroffer.

Ace your resume

Your resume is your weapon while hunting for a job! Work seriously on your resume to trim and sharpen it with lists of your skills, achievements, and load it with tons of your previous experience efficiency and expertise. Most of the times, you list out what you have done so far in a chronological format and happily push the same to your prospective employer with a covering note which lists again the same things explained and listed all over your resume. If this is true in your case, better read this article to gain an insight into the thinking of the HR (Human Resource) world, and how they judge your resume at its first glance!

A resume has to be treated like a weapon in the same way as how a knife/sword is to a hunter. Just like, how the hunter always keeps with himself a sharp knife/sword, you, as a job seeker, have to have a smartly worded and aptly presented ace resume so that you can attract the greedy eyes of the HR department (of the prospective company) and make them latch and excited at your skills. Once they are game to take you they will start chasing you, do a rigorous follow-up, and at last plead you to join their company by accepting the fat figure, you quoted!

A regular resume does not have a conceptual context in it. This conceptual context is very important in today's job searching; why because in today's world, you are being bombarded with multiple jobs asking for different skill sets. However, at the same time all those wanted skills are nothing but an extension of the existing skill set you possess right now. Nevertheless, on the face of it, the new skill looks like as if it is new to you and you do not have an iota of knowledge about that! So make sure that your resume should contain the relevant conceptual context.

Your resume should list out all the relevant job skills and the tasks you can do using those skills. That way, you can tell the prospective employer that you either know or at least have knowledge about his/her requirements and the required skills they require. If you support your skill set with certifications, then that will be an additional advantage. But in most of the circumstances, you can overcome the certification problem with your experience. At the end of the day, the employer wants people who can do the job with required efficiency and without wasting time. If you can satisfy this requirement, no matter whether you have certifications or not, your employer wants you and s/he is ready to pay whatever you quote reasonably.

Is it necessary to tell your prospective employer everything whatever you have done in a chronological format? Well! A few employers want the whole history starting from your birth date and others are not as much interested in all those details except about your previous employment. The employer who wants the whole story of yours is looking for a picture perfect, spotless character oozing integrity, etc, characteristics in you; whereas the others are more interested in whether you can do the given work or not. Therefore, depending on whom you are dealing with, modify your resume and concentrate on the areas, which you think are more important and relevant to your prospective employer and write a covering pleasing covering note mapping your skill set with the requirements of the job; finally, write your name, put your contact number under it and send the mail.

In summary, a good resume is more important to get a better job. Most job seekers prepare resume on their own and apply for the target jobs thinking that their resume will push their candidature to the next level. This strategy might have worked in olden days, but not now. HR people in their search for eligible candidates, do few searches through their gathered job seekers databases. To get your resume picked up during these searches by the search engine, your resume should contain at least a few relevant keywords. If these keywords are not there in your resume, no matter how good your resume is, there is no point of getting it recognized and acknowledged by our prospective employer. So, if you are not confident of writing or preparing your own resume with all the relevant keywords and key points, better hire a resume writer, who can get the job done professionally and successfully.