Before You Interview

I believe you should have only one version of your resume. I recommend using your cover letter to present any additional information you want a potential employer to consider. This is my viewpoint and others think differently. It isn’t wrong to construct multiple versions of your resume. But, if you do I recommend that you ensure you submit the correct version when applying for a position.

In this blog I am going to cover a few things that I think are important and may not always be covered in posts about conducting a job search. In addition to the recommendations below I recommend that you search for “2019 Job Interview Prep.” In these articles you will find a lot of information to help you in your preparation and in the search itself. While there is much that is common among these posts there are also many variations and conflicting recommendations. Focus on those that you are comfortable with as you may not be successful if you try to do something that doesn’t feel right to you.

Here are the few things that I think are important. Begin by finding multiple postings for the role(s) you are interested in. Look at both local postings as well as ones from across the US. More information is always better. Take note of the role responsibilities listed. Also take note of the educational requirements for the position, and any other information that is consistently mentioned.

Compare your knowledge, skills and experience with what they are looking for. You want to find as much information as you can, but don’t spend too much time on this. Your goal should be to stop when you begin to see the same information over and over. If there are too many requirements that you don’t have, you may want to look at different positions. At this point it is likely that you are seeing enough to move forward to the next step.

Next, research the companies listing the position(s) you are interested in. Do research for each company in general. Also see if you can find any information about the role(s) for which you want to apply. If the company is private this step may not provide a great deal of information, but there may be information available in articles about the company.

Hiring managers frequently look for applicants on LinkedIn. If you are not a member I strongly recommend that you join. Because you have completed your resume it is mostly just a matter of transferring the resume information to LinkedIn. There are other sections to complete, but, even if you aren’t ready to do that, begin by posting your resume content. Once you join LinkedIn, you can search the site for the positions you are interested in, as well as searching the companies looking to fill your desired role.

Look for people who are in or have held the role(s) you are looking at. Read the comments people have made about why people have done well in the roles. For what areas are they commended? Perhaps you have done something similar that you can include in your cover letter. Be sure to mention it if you think it might be appropriate for the specific role for which you are applying.

Not all people who conduct interviews are trained and know what questions to ask or how to get the information they need. I recommend that you make a list of the information that you want to communicate about yourself to the hiring team. You want to let them know as much about your qualifications as you can.

Prepare descriptions of what you have done related to what a person in the job role needs to do. Then if the interviewer doesn’t ask you for this type of information. Integrate what you want to communicate into a response to a question the interviewer asks. Say a bit and then ask the interviewer if this is information that they would like to hear. If they say “no” don’t be afraid to ask for more specifics about what they want to know about your background and experience.

Different interviewers may approach the interview process differently. Don’t be afraid to ask questions if you need more information or you need clarification in order to answer a question. If you don’t know anything about a topic you can say something like “that is an area that I hope to learn more about, I hope I have the opportunity to learn about it here in this company”.

It will really be worth your while to do the research before you interview. Again check out the job interview articles. The more you know the better you will be able to prepare for presenting yourself to potential employers. Good Luck!

It’s Not Too Early

Now is the time that some people in their senior year of college are beginning to think about applying for jobs. These are the people who are likely to do better than their fellow students who haven’t yet thought about what comes next. While some college students have a resume that they have been maintaining and updating, others have not. If you are a college student and don’t have a resume I hope you will consider developing one, regardless of where you are in your college career.

Some college students have held jobs, paid or otherwise, and can talk to their accomplishments on those jobs. Others have not been employed. However, as a college student, you have many opportunities to demonstrate your capabilities and you can document them in your notes for your resume.

Think about the classes you have taken and the assignments that you have completed. Have you done research and presented your findings? Have you worked with others on a class project? Have you done other things while in school that you would like to do more of? And perhaps get paid for? Whether you have an idea of what you would like to do once you graduate or not, you have accomplished some things that showcase who you are and what you can do for a potential employer.

Getting started doesn’t have to be difficult. Begin by making notes on what you enjoy doing. You may want to include activities unrelated to school. You may want to do this over a period of time. But don’t take too long before you start.

As you begin your list remember it is not a resume so make it as long as you want. You may decide that something you listed earlier no longer interests you. That is fine, you can delete it from your list.

The next step after you list things that you enjoy doing is to list what you have accomplished that is related to those activities you have listed. For example, maybe you did a research paper on a topic that you found interesting. List that you wrote the paper and also list any positive comments the instructor made about what you wrote. Perhaps you participated in a team activity? Here is where you can document the specific things that you did that contributed to the successful outcome of the project.

As you begin to consider the types of roles you would like to do after graduation you can go online and look at job descriptions for those roles. Review what they want entry-level people to do. Are these things you want to do? Are these things you can do? Remember as an entry-level person it is likely you will learn a lot on the job. But you do need to have certain capabilities and these are listed in job descriptions. You can also find sample resumes of people who are in the roles you are thinking about.

Of course you want to speak to your professors and advisors and get their advice too. However the key point is that isn’t too early to begin thinking about a resume while you are in college. And of course, by beginning to document your accomplishments you will hopefully find it a relatively easy task to complete that job-winning resume.

Good luck and if you have any questions please comment.