• Format: One third of resumes utilize the wrong structure - either a chronological when a functional would do better or vice versa. The choice of structure can make a significant impact on the effectiveness of a resume.
• Generic Objectives: Almost half of the objective statements did not provide any information on the job or industry that the job seeker was pursuing. Generic objective statements, such as the common “I want to utilize my skills and abilities to the benefit of my employer” serve no purpose and are, at best, a waste of space.
• Accomplishments: 27% of job seekers provided no accomplishments and only 40% of job seekers provided three or more accomplishments for each job held. Most job seekers emphasized their responsibilities. Although responsibilities are important on a resume, they must be backed up by accomplishments. The average resume contained 2.5 accomplishments per position and 3.2 responsibilities per position.
• Personal Information: When personal information, such as hobbies, interests and family status was provided, it very rarely related to the job seeker’s career.
• Grammar and Spelling: Very few resumes have a mistake. Less than 8% of the resumes surveyed contained a single spelling or grammatical error and less than 3% contained multiple errors.
• Continuing Education: 77% of resumes included a list of continuing education activities that the job seeker had completed within the education section of their resume.
• Employment Dates: Only half of the resumes provided both months and years for the start and end date of each position listed, leaving the other half of resumes missing key data most hiring managers want.

The 2008 Resume Benchmarking Survey is available for download on Palladian International’s Career Resources website at www.palladiancr.com/survey.html. The 2008 Resume Benchmarking Survey evaluated resumes from active job seekers within three categories: Manufacturing Executives with more than 10 years of experience, Sales & Marketing Managers with more than 10 years of experience and recent college graduates entering the workforce.

The best interviews are conversations.  What I mean by this is that the interview was NOT in the question then answer, question then answer format.  Instead, you and the are interviewer actively engaged in a conversation and you connect through similar interests outside of the work place environment.  The biggest mistake that students and young professionals make during their interview is that they try to be too professional and are so nervous that they forget that culture fit is just as important as being qualified for the job.  Remember, one of the most important questions that an interviewer will ask herself before she gives you an offer is, “Would I like working with this person?”  If the interviewer would lose her mind if she had to sit next to you on a five-hour flight, then it doesn’t matter how experienced you are or what’s on your resume.  You need to connect with you interviewer.

So how do I establish the connection?  Well I’m glad you asked.  Here are the five ways to effectively establish the connection with you interviewer:

1. Make your first impression count

When you see your interviewer, you should do three things: shake her hand firmly, introduce yourself confidently, and most important, SMILE!  You will of course be nervous for your interview, but that doesn’t mean that you have to show it.  Smiling creates a friendly and welcoming feel that will make the interviewer feel comfortable when meeting you for the first time.

Also important is to remember to stay positive throughout your entire recruitment process.  The interviewer will ask how you’re doing.  Your answer must be something along the lines of, “I’m doing amazing!”  Everything is positive when speaking to your interviewer.  If you say that you’re stressed because of an upcoming test, then your negative energy will rub off onto the interviewer.  They want to know that when there are deadlines due at work and it’s 2am in the morning, you will be the one who is lively and bringing life to the team rather than the person who is complaining and stressing out.

2. Take control of the conversation

Don’t let the walk to your interview room be silent and awkward.  Take control of the conversation by asking the interviewer how her day has been or what she plans to do on the weekend.  It is your job to initiate and keep a conversation going.  Asking her about her weekend is the perfect conversation starter because hopefully she’ll give you a glimpse of what she does outside of work.  If you find that you have something in common, then you can build upon that.  For example, if the interviewer says that he went to the park and played basketball during the weekend, I’ll immediately build upon this by expressing my interest with playing ball and how I played for my high school team.  I can then take the conversation anywhere that I want it to go by asking him if he played high school sports or if there is a company sports team.

3. Tell your interviewer about your interests and passions

The first question that your interviewer will ask you is, “Tell me about yourself?”  This is the perfect time to tell the interviewer about your interests and passions.  Most people make the mistake and simply mention their school activities and previous experience.  That is important, but finding grounds of similar interest is even more important.  A general interest that absolutely everyone shares is traveling.  At the end of your answer to “Tell me about yourself,” you can mention that you love to read mystery books, playing soccer, and traveling and experiencing different cultures.  You can then quickly transition by asking them if they have ever been to Peru and climbed Macchu Picchu (this is an experience that I use).  The interviewer may say no and move on to her questions, but what if she asks, “What’s Macchu Picchu?”  That’s perfect!  You can immediately engage into a conversation with her by telling he all about your trip and how she should definitely go there sometime.

4. Turn your interview answers into follow up questions

Always find ways to turn your interview answers into relevant follow up questions for your interviewer.  This is the perfect way to stay away from the mind numbing question then answer, question then answer format.  For example, if I give an example using my experience with my business fraternity, I’ll immediately follow up the conclusion to my story by asking, “Were you involved with the Greek life as an undergrad?”  It is a very relevant question because I just told an answer about my experience with Greek life and I am sincerely curious about my interview’s experience with it as well.  There is always a way to turn the question around to your interviewer; understand your interview stories and know how your answers can be turned into follow up questions.

5. Use the ending Q&A section to your advantage

At the end of your interview you will always be asked if you have any questions for your interviewer.  This is still part of your interview, so make sure you have some meaningful and unique questions.  I often use this time to take advantage and learn something meaningful about the interviewer. I will literally ask her, “So let’s get down to the important stuff.  What is it that makes you tick?  What made you choose a career with this company?”

Surprised?  Do you feel that it is too forward and that it may be crossing the professional line?  My answer to you is that you want to stand out above your peers.  Show that you are sincerely interested in your interviewer as a person, and not just as a professional.

That’s it.  These are the 5 easy steps that you can begin implementing right now in your interviewing strategies.  Turn your interview into a conversation and find a way to connect with your interviewer.  If you establish that connection and she likes you, then you’re that much closer to getting the offer!

Re-published with permission - Jobing.com Community Blogs

Alison Doyle, author of a new book, “Internet Your Way to a New Job - How to Really Find a Job Online” (Happy About; $19.95, March 2008) points out that you can waste hours searching, and applying for jobs. Since most employers post jobs to one or two sites, targeting just a few job search sites isn’t enough. The job market is becoming increasingly competitive, and has changed hiring practices which has changed job searching. Rather than just posting your resume on job sites like Monster, CareerBuilder, or HotJobs, you need to use all the online job search tools to your advantage.

The book will teach you what you what you need to know to navigate the new realities of a job search. Learn the process of online job searching and how to find a job using all the tools available online. Doyle uses her years of experience in the industry to deliver uncomplicated advice, tips, and techniques.

“I’m excited to bring this book to market as we expect it will directly contribute to thousands of individuals finding new jobs. What greater value can one give back to society” says Mitchell Levy, CEO of book publisher Happy About.

“There is a misperception that people don’t really find jobs online - which is simply not true,” notes Doyle. From job search web sites like to niche sites and job search engines, along with the social networking sites, you need a guide. According to Doyle, the biggest mistake people make when looking for a job online is posting their resume online and waiting for employers to come to them. What should they do instead? “Many people think that looking for a job online is complicated and difficult. However, that’s simply not true.” Doyle notes. You can learn how to find a job utilizing everything from large job sites to social and professional networking sites like Facebook and LinkedIn.

About the Author
Alison Doyle is a job search expert with many years of experience in human resources, career development, and job searching, with a focus on online job searching and job search technology. Doyle has been the Guide for the About Job Searching (http://jobsearch.about.com) site since 1998. In addition, Doyle has spent the last sixteen years in a college career services office, currently as Associate Director for Information Technology at Skidmore College developing resources to assist students and alumni with their search for a job or internship. She is the author of the About.com Guide to Job Searching (2006) and writes and consults on these topics. More information is available at http://alisondoyle.com.

Graber notes that with today’s competitive employment market, you should always be prepared to initiate a job search. “Having an up to date resume and some supporting documents such as articles you may have published or periodicals in which you were quoted, will make a profound impression.”

Graber suggests that you prepare a few “iResumes” that can be downloaded via a USB flash drive or transmitted via your PDA. “Ideally you should have both Word and PDF formats,” he said. “You might have more than one iResume at the ready . . . one that is more industry-focused in addition to a more skill-centered version to choose from depending on the circumstance.”

Graber advises using only a PDF format for sending articles, awards or trade papers you are featured in to preserve their visual format which will maximize their impact when opened.

“You may have to email yourself these files from another source to have them in the email history of your portable device,” Graber notes, “so be sure to highlight which iResume or article is which in the subject line so you can find it quickly. And take care that these emails don’t get archived off the device as new mail comes in.”

“These career moments can happen quickly,” Graber noted, “but don’t forget to follow up with your new contact. Be certain you get a business card or have that individual give you their information via their electronic device and check to see that it comes through accurately.”

About the company: WallStJobs.com, the premier recruiting source exclusively for financial service professionals, is a member of the Jobosaurus family of uniquely specialized recruiting sites.

Getting the feds to see you as the right person for the job is no easy task, and no one does it better than our professional, certified resume specialists. Our writers will create a Federal Resume and KSA set for you that accurately describes your knowledge, skills and abilities, provides all the information government agencies require and makes it easy for federal hiring managers to grasp your credentials within the first few seconds.

Obtaining a federal position demands a resume that showcases your key selling points using the keywords federal recruiters want to see. Our Professional Resume Writers know the right keywords to use to make your qualifications and skills readily apparent to the federal government. Our years of experience in helping applicants get hired for federal positions puts us at the head of the pack-and a professionally written, keyword-and-KSA correct federal resume will put you one up on the competition.

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This package includes the KSA Statement Set - 5 KSA Points

Candidates applying for positions often must include written responses to Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs) along with their resume.

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Every single day… thousands of people apply for federal jobs—and every day federal HR personnel face a new stack of applications, resumes and KSA’s to review. They do not have time to distill the salient points from your resume, and even if they did, they are not allowed to do so.

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With a touch of humor and a quite a bit of knowledge, author Shawn Graham imparts wisdom from his experience as an Associate Directors of the MBA Career Management Center at UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School. In Courting Your Career, Graham addresses everyday questions he fields everyday from job-seeking clients. His amusing anecdotes seek to help readers avoid similar mistakes to his clients by making familiar comparisons between searching for a job and finding the right partner in life. By using these provocative parallels, Graham offers valuable strategies for landing your dream job. By exposing the interpersonal nuances of the job search and how to develop these connections, Graham helps you achieve greater success in your job search. For example, Graham compares the close of an interview with the end of a date. While you don’t actually kiss the interviewer at the end, you should reaffirm your interest in the position (in the dating world “call me”) and inquire about the next steps in the interviewing process (in the dating world “when will I see you again”).

Courting Your Career is a lighthearted approach to a serious subject that can help shed light on subtle communications that can help you land the job of your dreams.

A KSA statement actually stands for Knowledge, Skills and Abilities and outlines the qualities you possess that make you an ideal candidate for a certain Federal job.  KSA statements are not questions but each one posed requires an answer because that lets a prospective employer know if you are a viable candidate for the position.  Because your KSA statements show what you can do, well-written statements can get you the interview while poorly constructed responses will disqualify you immediately.

To write great KSA statements, you need to:

• respond completely to the statements, relating in detail how your skills relate to what is needed for the job;
• give specific examples of how and where you gained relevant experience;
• respond simply and in understandable language incorporating the keywords used in the job posting;
• incorporate all your pertinent experiences into your KSAs to maximize your potential and sell your best qualities; and
• make sure to proofread your KSAs so they are free of errors.

Hiring a professional resume writer who is familiar with Federal specifications can help you to construct effective KSA statements that mean the difference between opening doors or keeping them closed.

Sending a follow-up letter after your interview is an important tool in your career search arsenal. By sending a follow-up letter, you are reminding the job interviewer of your existence. After all, the interviewer may be reviewing dozens or hundreds of resumes and people. Your follow-up letter may be the simple reminder the interviewer needs to keep your name and face in the forefront of their thoughts. Also, sending a follow-up letter after your interview gives you an opportunity to thank the interviewer for their time. This shows your ability to appreciate the time constraints of your prospective employers as well as your sense of savvy with regard to proper business protocol and communication. Sending a well-written, polite follow-up letter only takes a few minutes and can mean the difference between landing the job you want or being forgotten after you leave the job interview.

Did you know that your package must describe, specifically and with extreme focus, how your experience supports the executive leadership competencies? Unless your ECQ essays and SES resume are top-flight, you won’t be interviewed for a government senior executive post anytime soon.

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1. your resume is not the proper length and fails to provide sufficient details – a federal resume is 2-3 pages long while most private industry resumes are crowded onto 1 page;
2. your resume does not include the right keywords to be considered for the position – it is essential to carefully review the job vacancy announcement for the keywords that describe the position  you are applying for so you can use those keywords throughout your application;
3. your resume does not contain necessary compliance details such as your social security number, citizenship information, military experience, federal government experience or pertinent background about your work experience;
4. your resume is grammatically incorrect or contains spelling errors; and
5. your resume fails to comply with the requirement for Federal submission as detailed in the job vacancy announcement.

If the Federal job application process seems overwhelming, you can make a solid investment in your future by hiring an experienced resume writer.  A professional resume can mean the difference between landing your dream government job or continuing to rewrite your resume to try to get it right.