Resume and Cover Letters
Your resume is a one or two page summary of your experience, skills, qualifications and education – it is your 30 second sales-pitch. Your goal is to make an immediate good impression – you may not get a second chance. As a marketing tool your resume needs to express to a potential employer that you are worth talking to. Your main goal is to get to the next step – the interview. Learn how to target your resume to the job you want. Applying for a cook position? The skills you want will to highlight will be much different from those you would use for a retail position.
Employers often have a large number of applications for each position they advertise. As part of the screening process, they may start by discarding resumes with spelling or typographical errors, as well as ones that don’t show you have the desired qualifications or skills. Let your Career Practitioner be an extra set of eyes to help you catch errors and help you create the right resume for the job you want before you start handing it out.
Interview Preparation
There is more to an interview than the questions, and to do well you have to be prepared. Did you know that you make a first impression the minute you meet?
- What kind of impression do you give?
- How will you dress?
- When will you arrive?
- What will you do while you are waiting?
- Do you have a good handshake?
- What kinds of questions could you be asked, and how would you answer them?
- Do you know how to handle behavioral descriptive interview questions?
Instead of fumbling your way through, be ready. Your Career Practitioner can provide you with an interview preparation session. She will ask you some of the toughest questions you may get, and help you fine tune your answers so you are giving the employer the information they need to make the decision to hire you! Beat the nerves – make an appointment today!
Most questions will be about your:
- education, training, previous employment and volunteer or community activities
- career plans
- interest in the position
- strengths and weaknesses
- knowledge, skills and abilities
- availability to start work
