It is also a good idea to tell the reader how you heard about the position particularly if you are applying as the result of information other than a recruitment ad such as from reading a website or say on a tip off from a family friend who works at the organization. It is appropriate to mention the name of someone who suggested that you write.

The information you provide in the cover letter should be information that is not supplied in your resume. The cover letter’s role is to entice the reader to take a serious look at your resume. If anything in your cover letter is repeated will be seen as redundant, it is likely to be off putting to your busy reader.

Always talk about what you can offer the employer, do not be self serving and talk about what you want from the company. Guess what, they at this stage of the process do not care about you, they just want their needs satisfied.

Using a “generic” cover letter is useless other than perhaps a basic template to get you started. As with your resume each letter needs to talk about the specific position (based on what was in the employment ad) that addresses the “wants” of the employer.

The cover letter must contain a statement as to when you will contact them for an appointment. Typically cover letters use the old phrase “I look forward to hearing from you”, this must be avoided. It is important that you take the initiative on setting the time and date for the next contact. You should finish with,… “I will contact you on (the date 7 days from sending date) so we can arrange for an interview”.

Always address your cover letter to the person and title that is shown in the ad. If they don’t state who the letter is to go to ring up and find out.

Use friendly/formal language, nothing too gushy, overly emotive or flowery. Don’t get into long winded highly descriptive explanations, of what you have done in the past, keep it short concise and punchy. You cannot however sound boastful.

Make sure there are no “typos” or grammatical errors. Have someone who is well educated proof read your cover letter.

Finally, not bothering to send a cover letter at all means you have wasted your time sending your resume, A cover letter is a must.

Great resume sample interactive form for free at resume sample.

2. Take what you may need: If the company/organization has asked for specific items make sure you have them prepared well in advance e.g. drivers license, certificates of accomplishment, copies of diplomas/degrees, your work portfolio, extra resume copies, writing pad and pen etc.

3. How will to dress: If you do a dry run try to see how others in the company are dressed. If you are going to just punt it (which I don’t recommend) opt to dress a little up rather than down. Clean your shoes well and iron your shirt.

4. Personal grooming: Be clean and tidy at all times whilst looking for work. Having a haircut or trimming your beard the morning before an interview is not a good idea. Its not so much the time it may take, its just that the fresh cut look makes you look at best, a bit too anxious and eager to impress and a phony “I only look like this for interviews” at worst. Trim your fingernail and make sure they’re clean.

5. Mobile Phones: The best way to destroy any chance you have of getting through an interview with a positive impression is to have your mobile phone ring, you must turn it off.

When you get through the list perhaps you could take a look at the Sample Resume Template | Resume Form with Examples if you are still writing your resume.

To continue the list…

6. Email Address: If you have a non commercial email address e.g. spunky1234, lilabner5678, cutie_xyz, godzilla.thegreat or any other similar get a new one that is just your name or as close to it as you can get.

7.  Prepare Some Questions to Ask: Research the company you are being interviewed by and figure out some sensible questions to ask about how the company operates.

Some good examples: How are promotions decided on seniority or performance? Who will I report to and how long have they been here? How many others work in the department I will be employed in? What are the prospects for growth and advancement? What do you think is the best thing about working here? Beware… Do not ask questions such as: “What does the company do?” You should know a lot about the company from your pre-interview research.

8. Practice Answers to Likely Questions: The internet (including my site orglearn) is full of lists of typical questions asked by interviewers. Get a list, practice some answers and have someone sensible, whom you trust, to do a dummy interview and review your answers. The more times you can do this the better.

9. Referees: Obviously ask referees for permission to use them and give the heads up on what qualities the hiring company is looking for so they mention it when asked about you. If the employers ad says “reliable” they should use the word reliable when giving you a reference. Update them before each interview.

10. The first meeting with the interviewer: Have clean dry hands, offer a firm one handed handshake, nothing too limp or too hard, look the interviewer in the eye and smile. One important trick, be standing when the interviewer arrives, do not sit down, a good idea is to read anything on the office wall, vision statement, mission statement or companies values etc. If offered coffee don’t take it, you may spill it in your attempt to greet interviewer. Don’t smoke before the interview and brush you teeth about twenty to thirty minutes before. Check your hair and the state of your dress. If you are comfortable in doing so pay a sincere compliment when greeting the interviewer… nice office, impressive factory or perhaps I like the company vision statement, particularly if it is on the wall.

There is a lot to being a good recruitment interviewer, this first list of basic “positive” questions will give your managers a start in the right direction!

Tell me about you at work!

Why do you want to work for us?

Tell me what you know about our company!

What are your strong technical competencies at work?

What about past experiences make you qualified for this job?

Tell me about a problem you solved in your previous position!

Explain how your story demonstrates your problem solving skills!

How many and what level of people did you supervise in your last job?

What role do you take in a group situation… and give me examples?

What have you done in previous positions that shows initiative?

In the context of work, what motivates you the most/least?

Do you see yourself as a leader and if so why?

What is your greatest strength at work?

What are your future goals?

The second group below present some tougher “attitude” discovery questions that will uncover more about the applicant’s motivations, ethics and ability to cope with others and is based on a list found on the website: “hiringthebestpeople.com”

“Tell your best winning story.

What are you looking forward to?

What aspect of your work life do you feel passionate about?

What aspects of your career have not lived up to your expectations?

When have you felt the greatest pressure to compromise your personal integrity?”

(You must listen carefully to the answers for insights into whether the interviewee has a positive or negative personal outlook, is enthusiastic and driven and can be assumed to be honest and ethical.)

• “What have you done in the last year with your own time and money that would make you more valuable to our company?”

(The answer to this question will give some insight into if they are prepared to invest in their own future.)

• “Describe for me a situation where self-centered behavior produced bad teamwork that was expensive for the company. How did you deal with it? If you’d been the boss and wanted to solve the problem, how would you have done it? How would you have described the problem to the individual?”

(What you’re looking for here is conflict resolution skills. The more specific and objective a person can be in describing a behavior they’ve experienced as a problem with others, the greater their chances of resolving conflict.)

• “When have people you were working with not been as honest or sincere as you would have liked? What did you do?”

(With this question you are looking for both integrity and the interviewee’s attitude towards ‘honesty’, ability to discipline/counsel others and again uncover their behavioural problem solving skills)

• “Tell me about a time you’ve had to pull a team together that was faltering and how you went about building morale?”

(You may, if you listen carefully to the answer given here, gain some insights into the interviewees potential to inspire/lead others. This question is not just for those you are appointing as formal leaders, teams often have informal leaders for different tasks so this question should be asked I believe of all candidates.)

DON’T JUST ASK QUESTIONS, LISTEN TO THE ANSWERS!

Lets be honest often recruitment interviews end up with your staffing expert, (the manager who controls the critical task you are recruiting for) doing nothing more than giving a twenty-minute verbal advertisement regarding your company, his department and its challenges… and of course his/her importance to the company. Instead they should be asking probing questions to find out if the individual they are interviewing is the most competent prospect for the job. I have found often less competent or confident interviewers, if they do ask questions often they will be closed questions such as: have you done any accounting before, yes, do you like sales, yes, are you a good salesperson yes, have you had much training in this area, yes… give me strength.

Here is another list of more stress inducing questions that can expose the real traits of a potential candidate! These are open questions to get the interviewee to talk.

Tell me about the last business book you read? (Most haven’t)

What is it about your current/last position, you like the most?

Tell me something regarding your most difficult work experience?

What do you see as the most difficult task in being a manager?

What is it about your current/last position, you particularly dislike?

Tell me about a time you were criticised for your work or an idea!

How did you feel about your last boss and what was his/her weakness?

What was the most difficult decision you ever had to make?

OPEN ENDED QUESTIONS CAN START WITH AMONGST OTER THINGS, “TELL ME ABOUT” OR EXPLAIN FOR ME…”

Of course the list I guess should contain the following four standard questions… not that, with the exception of the last one, they need to be asked of course.

How much money do you want to make in this job?

If you are hired, how long will you stay with us?

Where do you see yourself five years time?

Do you have any questions regarding us?

How much effort are you putting into your managers to help them select the most appropriate candidates or is it some junior HR operative’s prerogative? Successful business is now and always has been about hiring the best people.

Social media choices are vast and it can be a bit confusing in a busy life as to where to concentrate your efforts and which technology to use.

FREE DEMO PROGRAM

Can I suggest a four pronged approach.

1) Start a Facebook page that is separate from your personal account. Form relationships through groups that discuss work/business issues you are interested in. If you are in sales for example find the appropriate sales or marketing groups to join with a view to making a contribution and of course networking. Do some research on relevant topics and add value to the groups by posting useful articles to your timeline.

2) Start a Twitter stream and only tweet on your professional interest. Be careful with the name you set up with. If you are say a graphic designer, try to get that fact in your Twitter name. e.g. BillsGraphicDesign For research on your topics you can use “Google Alerts”, this can take much of the hard work out of the research for your tweets.

3) Write a blog. Warning writing a blog is lots of work and if you can’t consistently write on a topic you’re passionate about don’t start. As a bare minimum you will need to post one 600 word article a week. Again you can use Google to do your research. For your blog WordPress seems to have a little more credibility however Blogger (blogspot) can have ads and activity can be monitored through Google.

4) Build your profile on Linkedin and again join discussion groups and befriend others in your area of expertise or in similar careers.

You can automatically link/publish both your blogs and twitter streams to Facebook and your Linkedin profiles.

Finally what programs/widgets to use. This of course is primarily for Twitter and Facebook. I suggest you use Tweet Deck to manage your posts and TweetAdder3 to manage your audience/followers. I also recommend you start with both programs from day one. One is free and the one advertised above and below has a free demo to try it out.

If a survey of employers conducted by Hart Research Associates released Jan 20 2010 on behalf of the Association of American Colleges and Universities is anything to go by, if you want to commercially focus your personal development program, perhaps you should consider their results.

Early on in the report they state “Employers want their employees to use a broader set of skills and have higher levels of learning and knowledge than in the past to meet the increasingly complex demands they will face in the workplace.”

Employers were asked (amongst other things) what specific learning outcomes (competencies) they wanted to be developed in potential employees by educational institutions and which gives us some insights into what we need to do to become more employable.

The top five (of seventeen) items were:

The ability to effectively communicate orally and in writing 89%
Critical thinking and analytical reasoning skills 81%
The ability to apply knowledge and skills to real-world settings through internships or other
hands-on experiences 79%
The ability to analyze and solve complex problems 75%
The ability to connect choices and actions to ethical decisions 75%

Now this gives all of us wanting to select which courses to attend, or which self development books to read or even which electives to study some great basic direction for our personal development priorities. This survey is an excellent look at what you should get ready to provide (outside your technical skills) and I recommend that you read the report in it entirety.

The full report can be read/downloaded at: www.aacu.org/leap/documents/2009_EmployerSurvey.pdf

Completing your resume is a great way to assess your current functional skills and competencies and if you would like to do so there is a free blank resume with examples and samples at resume form.

1.   Saying something like “wow it took me two and a half hours to get here.”
2.   “I had a problem finding your business premises.”
3.   “Of course I’ll take the job.  How much does it pay?”
4.   Answering a cell phone during an interview.
5.   Placing your hands behind your head during an interview.
6.   Folding your arms during an interview.
7.   Turning up in dirty shoes or an un-ironed shirt.
8.   Getting too “familiar” during the interview is a no no.
9.   Getting carried away with detailing every magnificent moment in your previous work.
10. Not rehearsing how to explain a personal area of weakness and being able to sell what you are doing about it.

According to BNET hiring managers say the most common and detrimental mistakes candidates have made during an interview are:

51 percent; dressing inappropriately
49 percent; speaking negatively about a current or previous employer
48 percent; appearing disinterested ranked
44 percent; appearing arrogant
30 percent; not providing specific answers
29 percent; not asking good questions

Having interviewed many individuals I would like to add, deferring interview appointments, being late, smelling badly of body odor and a wet or limp handshake. When you are going for and interview leave time to have a quick freshen up in the company’s bathroom so you can look fresh and ready. It is also best if your stand while you wait rather than lounging in reception. A polite smile when you are greeted can’t hurt either. Oh yes… please… no perfume or aftershave.

**Link for direct page viewers return to main career success blog to check out other posts!

While you’re here take a look at the free blank resume form!

Finally… a resume may get you the interview however many times I have said and will say it again here… you must research the company you are applying to and at least have a rudimentary knowledge about what they do when you get to the job interview otherwise it is likely you will mess it up.

Some of the assets we need as individuals seeking success:

Gates: ‘continuing to learn from those that live the topic’
Buffet: ‘developing our communication skills’

What Buffet admires about Gates: His charity to others and his commitment of energy, skill and money
What Gates admires about Buffet: His integrity and willingness to share his knowledge and experience

This is a must watch video for any aspiring and positive human being looking for something to form the pillars of their career.

Ric (orglearn) **Link for direct page viewers return to main career success blog to check out other posts!

While you’re here take a look at the free blank resume form then do your resume and perhaps you can ensure that it contains and communicates examples of how you represent a person of integrity, passion, charity with a willingness to be a continuous learner!

Spin-Doctor is a term that has spread from US politics. Spin-doctors are similar to (and as some complain often confused with) ‘REAL’ public relations or public affairs individuals. Professional Spin-Doctors are used to create ‘spin’ for everything from charities, entertainers, sports people, businesses and politicians.

Spin is usually a biased or at least a limited interpretation what has happened. The ‘doctors’ analyse the matter for us and tell us what we need to understand, how to interpret information about an event and what perspective or context we should have when considering what has happened. Spin-doctors ‘advise’ us… usually they take the approach that it’s never a matter of what actually happened, it’s always how we look at it, or that it is only their ‘true’ perspective that counts. Spin is not about reality or consequences its more a matter of understanding why something happened.

Why are these people called spin-doctors? The majority of us develop an attitude or belief about an event by the manner that event is presented to us. So if we want to manipulate people’s perception, we need to alter their perspective by the way we present the information to them. To do this effectively we must put the right “spin” or ‘bent’ on the facts to influence perception in order to manipulate interpretations. The payoff is that if we put the right “spin” on the information we may be able to lead people to the interpretation and perception that we want.

“YOU CAN FOOL MOST OF THE PEOPLE MOST OF THE TIME”

WHY DO SO MANY GROUPS USE SPIN-DOCTORS?

Spin-Doctors exist because facts, figures, events and words, all have different meanings to different people. As an example the phrase, when talking to a builder, ‘you work like lightening’ can be interpreted as FAST. If the builder, is knocking nails in it can mean, INEPT, as he keeps missing the nailhead because “lightening never strikes the same place twice”. The presentation and interpretation of information is often the key to success for those pushing their version of the truth. Careers, businesses, whole communities can be made or broken through the power of public opinion. The media moulds public opinion and the media in particular can be manipulated by spin.

Most reasonable individuals, one would hope, will take the view that although spin can help, what really matters is how people (we) BEHAVE! If you ‘suck’ (as they say in the classics), all the spin in the world won’t help. For companies, successful spin means we need to be seen as ‘good’ corporate citizens and take account of HOW OUR ACTIONS effect those with a stake in our organization.

Wisdom dictates that we understand that spin-doctors come disguised as news commentators, political analysts, PR consultants, HR directors, financial controllers, ‘in the know’ mates at the office, ‘independent’ personal financial advisors or even friends and family. (Some even come disguised as educators. The difference is that a true educator informs to allow us to learn how to think, a spin-doctor informs to control our thinking.) Beware of the spin-doctors in your organization for they can blur your vision, destroy your mission and disrupt your well-laid plans.

IN AUSTRALIA THEY USE A TERM, “BULLSHIT BAFFLES BRAINS” AND TODAY IT SEEMS TRUER THAN EVER! (Pardon my language however it says it clearly)

SPIN ON THE NET

Lets face it today there is so much rubbish on the net and the tide of spin is rising, so many marketers trying to sell get rich schemes to the gullible. I have been on the net for over ten years, I make a little money, however the get rich stuff just doesn’t do it for me at all. Sure I’ve found a couple of systems that work for me, in fact one earns me and 18% return however it takes constant work and effort to get that return, just as it does with any business. Lots of internet marking activitiy I can tell you is boring, mundane and you need persistance and commitment! So don’t throw your hard eaned cash into some thing that some slick spin doctor is telling you. Best remember the old adage “if it sounds too good to be true it probably is”.

PS If you really want an online/net activity to make a few of dollars, that’s free to try and cheap to get into, take a look at this.

If you do like the media ownership idea and need any help you can Skype me at rictownsend

I’m also in another small marketing group that is very helpful and has taught me lots of good stuff that you could take a look at. Although I haven’t personally made a lot of money from it, I have made friends and learned not what to get into. This one is a bit like a marketing social group mainly older guys and girls and the friendship value itself has made it worthwhile let alone the knowledge I’ve gained. This one is Ric’s RML Friends

Ric (orglearn) **Link for direct page viewers return to main career success blog to check out other posts!

Want to ‘spin’ yourself to an employer? While you’re here take a look at the free blank resume form!

These are questions asked by Phil Rosenberg of “reCareered” sometime back, the answers are however probably even more pertinent in today’s business climate. I receive many resumes on my free resume form page and I am astounded by the lack of understanding that most resume writers have about the purpose of their resume and how a resume needs to be presented.

Phil’s main points:

FACT: ‘IF your resume gets seen by human eyes (97% get pre-screened by a database search), you have an average 15 seconds to capture the reader’s attention.’

So how do you grab your reader’s attention? Write about what is important to them. [You need to read the advertisement and match what you offer to what the ad and employer are seeking!]

FACT: “Most resumes don’t address an employers’ problems? Most are written for the job seekers own pride or ego.” [My own research unfortunately bears this out, even when the advice on my free blank resume form specifically states what bad practice it is.]

Phil then asks: “Do you think it matters much to your audience what you are most proud of? Will your reader care enough to read your resume in detail to get an idea of who you are and what you can do? Or does your audience care more about rapid solutions to their problems?”

If you want even half a chance at getting an interview you will need to heed Phil’s advice.

So: WRITE FOR YOUR AUDIENCE – the hiring manager.

What’s important to hiring managers? Hiring “people who can solve their problems without much ramp-up time or training.”

The full original article is at:

http://www.recareered.blogspot.com/2008/02/your-resumes-audience-cheers-or-silence.html

ONE MORE TIME “Please for your own sake remember if you ‘write your resume to solve an employer’s problems you’re likely to get interviews. Discuss how you can an solve employer’s problems in an interview, and you may even receive a job offer’

ps from Yahoo hotjobs: (http://hotjobs.yahoo.com/career-articles)

What to leave off your resume:

The Unquantifiable Accomplishment

e.g. “I am the most talented employee my company has ever had.”

The Not-So-Notable Accomplishment

e.g. “I get along with coworkers.”

Offbeat Accomplishment are also a waste of space:

e.g. “Set record for eating 45 eggs in two minutes.”

“Make sure any accomplishments you place on your resume will impress a potential employer. Your ability to do average work or fulfill the most basic requirements of a job does not warrant special mention.”

Ric (orglearn) **Link for direct page viewers return to main career success blog to check out other posts!

While you’re here and this post is fresh in your mind take a look at the free blank resume form and perhaps start to build yourself a better resume!

TENACITY

A) Is willing to do more than normally expected by others the complete task even if it comes at some personal cost.

B) Able to maintain focus and interest over a long period of time and sees quitting as the least desirable outcome.

C) Stays with the task till its completion in spite of rejection or resistance from others with competing agendas.

D) Prepared to repeatedly present an idea or point of view with new arguments/facts and is willing to explore new avenues to successfully reach agreed targets.

HONESTY

A) Acts conscientiously in the best interest of the company and his/her colleagues; admits to mistakes and respects the company’s and colleagues’ property and values.

B) Correctly and truly reports facts of a situation without colouring the story for personal benefits and openly says what he or she will do and does it.

C) Willing to disclose personal shortcomings, feelings and attitudes for the sake of the organisation and common good of colleagues.

D) Demonstrates high level of ethical behaviour in spite of personal difficulties and inspires others to do the same.

FLEXIBILITY

A) Alters procedures and activities to fit company goals and decides how to act to match situations.

B) Able to change own ideas or attitudes based on new/contrary information.

C) Copes effectively and is able to maintain operational standards even when faced with the unexpected.

D) Readily moves to adjust to rapid changes, multiple demands and shifting priorities.

Ric (orglearn) **Link for direct page viewers return to main career success blog to check out other posts!

Looking for a management position? Perhaps you should highlight these traits when you take a look at (and fill in) the free blank resume form on orglearn!