Over at Lifehacker, there’s a discussion of inappropriate-yet-common interview questions compiled from readers’ experiences. They’re grouped into several types: Brain teasers (possibly to see how you think); Personal questions (often approaching or crossing the line of what’s legal); Seemingly unrelated (testing something other than a job skill). The useful takeaways: tactics for responding to these…
My contributions to a Reddit discussion on how a student can build a resume without work experience: I’ll second what others have said about volunteer/intern/pro bono/community work. “Experience” isn’t just what you’re paid for. The bachelor’s degree is probably your most valuable asset right now. Some things to consider to get the greatest ROI for…
I’m convinced that most of the people calling for infographic resumes are the people selling infographic resumes. Not employers. Here’s an article describing several cases against littering your resume with charts and graphs–and if you’re going to anyway, how to do it right. Protip: don’t eat the crayons. http://www.fastcompany.com/3037764/hit-the-ground-running/how-to-create-an-infographic-resume-that-doesnt-repel-hiring-managers
Lots of resume advice focuses on avoiding mistakes, but that’s only part of the equation–not even the most important part. You don’t stand out merely by avoiding mistakes. You must also make the most of your accomplishments. This is a lot more complex than running spellcheck, and it’s absolutely crucial to demonstrating why someone should…
Great article on sources of information about prospective employers, including company websites, social media accounts (LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, other feeds), Glassdoor, and a few others. I would add: their industry associations local and regional business associations best-of lists, industry awards their vendors/suppliers BBB listing Yelp reviews What other sources can you suggest to qualify a…
From The Daily Muse, an excellent tip for keeping track of your accomplishments: create a “brag” folder in your email inbox. Every time a client sings your praises, a colleague gushes over your contributions to the latest team project, or your boss asks you to take on a new responsibility, go ahead and drag that…