6 Things to Remove From Your Resume ASAP

We all talk a fair game about what needs to be on your resume, but there’s also plenty of stuff that should be removed. The fluff. The blabber. The full-on oddities. And even some of the details you think are important.

4 Avoidable Traps Career Changers Fall Into When They're Job Hunting

If you’re thinking about making a big career change, you’re not alone. More and more people are making at least one big shift during their professional life, and they’re doing it successfully. Chances are, you already know that you need to tailor your resume, learn how to tell your career story, and explain your transition in a compelling way. So you’re good to go, right?

How to Find an “In” at Your Dream Company—Fast

You’ve heard the reports. Employers today are leaning more heavily than ever on their own employees to help them find and recruit exceptional talent. Why? Because in many instances, it’s faster, cheaper and, at least in theory, more likely to result in a hire who excels in the job and aligns well with the culture of the hiring company.

A Simple Formula for Answering “Tell Me About Yourself”

“So, tell me about yourself.”

What seems like such a simple question can really make you sweat, especially in an interview. What, exactly, should you share—not just to build rapport, but to show that you’re the perfect fit for the job?

Interview Translation: What 4 Common Questions Really Mean

Acing the interview isn’t just about having the perfect canned speeches. Yes, you need to show off your experience, talents, and personality—but before answering each question, you also have to figure out what the interviewer is actually asking you.

4 Ways to Show That You Really, Really Want the Job (Without Looking Desperate)

 

We’ve all been there. You’re sitting in an interview, discussing the position, and realizing that you really, really want this job, at this company. It just sounds perfect for you. So, it’s time to start selling yourself to the hiring manager as hard as possible, right? Nope.

Why?

5 Surprising Ways to Increase Your Productivity in the Next 5 Minutes

We all know the basic productivity tricks out there: Create a to-do list, eat healthy, exercise, get enough sleep, and wake up early. But what if you’re doing all that and you’re still feeling like you could use an extra boost? Or, you just know yourself and have accepted the fact you’ll never be able to get up early?

5 Surprising Ways to Increase Your Productivity in the Next 5 Minutes

We all know the basic productivity tricks out there: Create a to-do list, eat healthy, exercise, get enough sleep, and wake up early. But what if you’re doing all that and you’re still feeling like you could use an extra boost? Or, you just know yourself and have accepted the fact you’ll never be able to get up early?

How to Ask an Interviewer to Clarify a Question Without Making Things Awkward

Truth talk: Just because someone’s in the position to be interviewing you doesn’t mean that person’s good at it. I’ll be honest, when I used to do it regularly; I was in that boat—a lot. And my biggest flaw? I didn’t always ask questions clearly.

For example, take this all-too-common exchange between myself and a candidate:

The Resume Summary Statement: When You Need One and How to Do It

It’s been well established that the good ol’ resume objective statement has gone out of fashion in the world of resumes. But what’s all this about its replacement—the summary statement?

Depending on who you ask and how you’re using it, summary statements can either be a complete waste of space or a total game changer.

The Only Time It's OK to Use an Objective Statement on Your Resume

Ask three people to look over your resume, and you’ll get three different perspectives on what should and shouldn’t be on there.

Yet, somehow, pretty much everyone agrees that objective statements are out of fashion. In their place, you’ve probably heard, should be a resume summary statement.

What it Really Means to "Tailor Your Resume"

Applying for a job? You’ve probably heard the advice plenty of times to tailor your resume for the position.

But, you might not know exactly how to put it in action. What does tailoring your resume actually involve? How many changes do you need to make? What content should you be focusing on?

Have a Winding Career Path? How to Explain it With Ease

A few years ago, I was transitioning from one job to the next. I went from education consultant to  risk management consultant to recruiter, at which point I decided I wanted to move into human resource management. Explain that one, Roland, I thought to myself.

5 Smart Networking Strategies for Career Changers

Career changes can feel incredibly daunting. And networking for that change? Even more so. All your contacts know you for your current role and responsibilities, so how do you even begin networking effectively for your new desired role?

How to Show You Get the Company Culture in Your Cover Letter

It’s 1 AM, and you’ve come to the last part of your job application—the dreaded cover letter. Suddenly, that English degree doesn’t seem helpful, that latte not strong enough, and that confidence filling out the first half of the application all but lost. How in the world do I convince them that I’m the right fit for the job?

Your Quick Start Guide to Successfully Switching Careers in 5 Weeks

In a previous life, I was a recruiter. In a previous life before that, I worked in ad operations. And in a previous life before that, I worked in account management. But, as cliché as this may sound, I’ve always wanted to be a writer.

3 Ways to Instantly Connect With Your Interviewer

When you’re prepping for an interview, it’s easy to get caught up in how you’ll respond to tough questions, how you’ll come across to your potential employer, and how you’ll put your best foot forward. In other words, it’s all about you.

The Perfect Cover Letter Template to Show Off Your Skills

When it comes to writing a cover letter, you often hear the advice to walk through the highlight reel of your career path, showing why your background and experiences make you an ideal fit for the position in question.

But, well, what if you don’t exactly have that perfectly trodden path?

4 Avoidable Traps Career Changers Fall Into When They're Job Hunting

If you’re thinking about making a big career change, you’re not alone. More and more people are making at least one big shift during their professional life, and they’re doing it successfully. Chances are, you already know that you need to tailor your resume, learn how to tell your career story, and explain your transition in a compelling way. So you’re good to go, right?

Dear Job Seekers: Stop Apologizing for the Experience You Don't Have

Let’s say you’re applying for a new job, but you have limited relevant experience. You’ve cleaned up your resume and crafted a beautiful cover letter outlining the value you hope to create for the company and how you see the skills you’ve built transferring to this new position. In other words, you’ve taken exactly the right approach.

3 Steps to Applying for a Job When You Don't Meet the Requirements

Are you ready for one of the best-kept secrets of the job search process? Unless the person doing the hiring has previously worked in the exact role he’s trying to fill, a fair amount of the job description is guesswork.

How to Get Experience in a New Field Without Starting at the Bottom

One of the most common questions I get asked by job seekers is: How can I transition into a new field when I don’t have any experience in it?

It’s a great question—and a frustrating situation. You know you have the transferrable skills, the drive, and the ambition to do the new job you’re seeking, but it’s hard to compete with others who’ve done exactly what’s required in the position’s description for years.

Hate Your Job? Here's a 4-Step Plan That'll Get You Out of There

It’s Sunday night and once again you find yourself dreading the upcoming start of the workweek. You know your company is all wrong for you, but you’re not sure if there's anything better out there. At the time you accepted it’d sounded like a good offer, but now you’re stuck in a position you hate.

The Best Way to Give Yourself a Boost at Work

When you find yourself feeling a little drowsy or unfocused at work, you probably grab the nearest caffeinated beverage. And while coffee and tea can certainly perk you up, there are other, healthier, options to get the boost you need.

7 Reasons You Can't Get Motivated Today (Solutions Included!)

You started the work day ready to have the most productive day possible, but you have a slight dilemma on your hands. Because all you can think is, “I have absolutely zero motivation to do anything right now.”

A Simple Formula for Answering "Tell Me About Yourself"

“So, tell me about yourself.”

What seems like such a simple question can really make you sweat, especially in an interview. What, exactly, should you share—not just to build rapport, but to show that you’re the perfect fit for the job?

What Your Reaction to Going on Vacation Says About Your Career Path

Whenever I take time off from work, whether it’s just a day or a week, I always have varying reactions to leaving. Not just an emotion toward the reason for leaving—happy because I get to spend two weeks in Kogi, or fear because I have to go to the dentist (who isn’t afraid of the dentist)—but also a gut feeling about parting from my job.

How to Ask for More (and Get It!)

When it comes to getting that big fat raise or next level promotion, you’ll never know if you never ask. Regardless of how hard you work, how much you want that promotion, or how much you really need that raise, nobody—not even a manager who is more like a friend—can read your mind or will freely offer to hand over more moolah.

6 Reasons You Really Need to Stop Comparing Your Career to Everyone Else's

Theodore Roosevelt once said, “Comparison is the thief of joy.” Well, Teddy, I can’t help but agree. Oftentimes, seeing how you match up against others is a frustrating, discouraging, and simply unproductive use of your time.

3 Signs (That You're Ignoring) That It's Time to Restart Your Job Search

Job searching’s hard. There’s no other way to put it. So, it’s completely reasonable that you’d want to take a breather for a bit. For many people, this break’s exactly what you need to recharge and start again.

The 2 Traits All Hiring Managers Look for During Interviews (Without Even Realizing It)

How cool would it be to have an X-ray into the head of the person who controls your career fate? To understand exactly what a hiring manager at your dream company is thinking when she’s picking which lucky candidate she’ll bring on full-time?