As a professional resume writer, I have a commitment to giving you a clear, concise, accurate resume that shows off your value to hiring managers and recruiters and that can help you move on to the next stage in the application process, an interview. But that commitment also includes things that I cannot do for you.I cannot lie for you. If I am aware of any discrepancies or lies in your resume, I will advise you against the...

It's been a long time since anything's been simple about executive resumes. People ask questions such as: should my resume be two pages or one, can you have three or more pages, how should it look, can I have a functional resume? And people ask: why I am not getting called back, why aren't recruiters contacting me, why have I been looking for months with no luck?Well, the simple answer to all these questions is, drum roll h...

Have you ever submitted your resume for an opening that matched your qualifications and never received an acknowledgment? Or have you interviewed with a company and never been informed as to the outcome (which obviously meant they hadn’t picked you!)?Companies too often show a lack of respect for candidates who respond to openings by submitting a resume and an equally dismal lack of courtesy toward applicants they actually...

Sometimes people come to me with unrealistic expectations. It’s not unusual for people to believe a career coach will “get them a job,” just as many people assume a recruiter will “get them a job.” In each case, their expectations are hopeful but unrealistic.As a career coach, I can help someone develop a strategy for getting a job, assist with creating all the tools required and guide their preparation. I can also help peo...

Remember the “house phone,” that apparatus we now call a “landline?” Every Gen Xer recalls the torment of the long cord that was just a little too short to get you away from your eavesdropping siblings, the annoying busy signal, and let’s be honest, the thrill of calling your crush and hanging up pre-caller ID.But as house phones became relics, so, too has the notion of practicing critical communication skills at home.I hea...

If you ever thought about stretching the truth on your resume, you may want to rethink the strategy. The statistics on the amount of lying in resumes are stunning: one study claims that 53% of applicants lie. However, that is not a green light for joining the liars. It simply means that hiring managers and recruiters are well aware of the situation and have re-doubled their efforts to check out the facts on resumes.The most...

College students and their parents should realize that there is a sequence of steps that can be followed to increase the likelihood of a student’s success in the job market. Unfortunately, most students pay little attention to anything associated with their job search until they reach the second semester of their senior year. That is not good.The timing of many job search preparation actions and activities is critical. H...

Technology is outsmarting itself with every passing second. It makes work easier as well as faster, and one such tool we all are familiar with is video conferencing. It provides an instant connection with the audience. It makes idea exchange an easier process where physical distance would have previously been a barrier. Below are a few points highlighting its advantages along with few etiquette tips that come in handy for y...

Want to be marketable? Consider sharpening these in-demand competencies.Computerworld’s 2016 Forecast study has identified the hottest skills for IT professionals. The top five include IT architecture (42 percent of IT hiring managers seek this skill), application development (40 percent), project management (39 percent), big data (36 percent), and business intelligence/analytics (34 percent). And business intelligence and...

Are your ears burning? I know why: An HR person or recruiter is calling your references. Maybe you applied for a new job, or maybe someone’s got an eye on you and he or she is calling around doing intel.References are a very important step in the job-search process. Most companies do a deep dive into a candidate’s background before making an offer. And that’s a good thing: If you have awesome references, there’s no better w...