MyLifeMyCareer.com

I am a strong supporter of companies, ceo's, and recruiters striving to be as truthful about the positives and negatives of the company that they represent, the job responsibilities, and their honest opinion on if the job is right for you more so than if you are right for the job. I'm always focusing on the flaws of recruiting entry-level employees as a result of misrepresentation in order to meet hiring quotas or simply to fill a position, but it is equally important for all of the job seekers out there to bring the same attitude and honest approach to the table.

Other than telling the truth and fully answering questions, how do you make yourself transparent or appear to be transparent? If you had an interview with no time limit, how much should you reveal?

These are tough questions, and I don't think that you can say that revealing the same amount of information to every recruiter is a wise decision. I think there is something admirable and ethical about not just answering the questions that they ask you, but revealing details about your experience and past that they didn't necessarily ask to hear about. If the recruiter is a seasoned interviewer or HR professional they will appreciate any additional information that you are willing to share with them in order for them to decide how good of a match you actually are.

That's the easy answer for the situation where you applied for a position, they offered you an interview, and you are in the room with them. What about making your resume and details of your past available through your profiles on Monster, CareerBuilder, LinkedIn, Facebook, or your blog? I'm not talking about the pictures of you passed out on a couch with sharpie all over your face, but more about the details highlighting your previous employment, current interests, portfolio of sample work, or academic performance.

My answer to this: the more the better. Go into detail about successes and failures at each of your previous positions. Justify any possibly negative points of your past. There is no limit to what you can post about yourself on the social networking sites or your personal website. The popularity of social networking sites lies in our enjoyment of making and managing personal connections. Use the same power to attract the attention of a recruiter who seems to connect with you - your profile, actually, and you will be a step ahead of everyone else. Hopefully, you are attracting companies who are more aligned with your skills and interests since you would have revealed more of these details. When you apply for jobs they usually want a one or two page resume included with a one page cover letter. Three sheets of paper amounts to several millimeters of thickness. If you want to trust a recruiter to let you know if you are right or wrong for a job based on this minimal amount of information combined with several hours of interviewing that's your call.

Honestly, does anybody do this anymore? Believe it or not, there are more companies than you think that only accept resumes and cover letters through the regular, snail, USPS, or whatever you want to call it - mail.

The "big" tip that everyone used to tell me was to fax your cover letter and resume to get noticed. Since only contracts and papers that typically need to be signed are sent through fax, people receiving the fax generally know that it is probably an important document since it was faxed. I always thought that was funny, but then I started working and receiving faxes is a big deal, especially if it was received through the main fax number for the company instead of my personal line and ends up in the regular mail box. The only other mail that comes through my company mailbox is my paycheck report and corporate junk mail. If I saw a letter in there, I would definitely pay attention to it. Maybe this wasn't such a bad idea, and it should be attempted by some of you.

It's a pain to print out your cover letter and resume, pick up a decent folder, stuff it into a parcel envelope, and pay for shipping something that you could send for free, but I can see where this would get more attention. There is something about reading a document printed on paper rather than my computer screen that instantly scores positive points in my book, and I tend to retain the information more. Again, I think there is a significant advantage here if the company accepts resumes through the mail.

Whichever route you choose: email, fax, or mail, only send your resume and cover letter down one of the possible paths. Do not overwhelm and piss off a recruiter by sending double or triples of your resume that they receive from several different directions. Roll the dice, pick a method, and do it.

Sort of. Many people try to make their resume stand out with fancy fonts, glossy marble looking paper, and lots of large words. Don't use fancy fonts. If you're going to use classy paper then buy the "exceptional resume" paper which is more of a parchment color and looks more professional rather than gaudy. It's not about the quantity of information, it is the quality.

Guess what though? You can't make a resume stand out no matter how hard you try, unless you have made yourself stand out the past few years. The resume is simply a snapshot or profile of your past three of four years of experience and education. Many people don't work hard enough when it matters, and try to make their resume stand out by listing positions that sound important but didn't really benefit them. You will have to explain your resume in at least 90% of your interviews and definitely in all of your first and second rounders.

Prepare by pursuing internships starting after your first or second year of college, and working while you are in school at a campus office or a place that is applicable to your possible area of work after college. By building up your experience you will naturally stand out, and hence your resume will stand out.

It's all in the hips. It's all in the hips.

Do not pay for someone to write your resume or to review your resume. Don’t be stupid. Get together with your friends or people who sit around you in a certain class or anyone who is willing to reveiw your resume for you. Return the favor by reviewing their resume, and you will be surprised what you will learn. Everyone has their own tricks and style, and if you switch resumes with enough people you have a nice little bag of tricks from which you can choose from for different job applications with resume submissions. The people around you that are going through the same search and experience that you are will be your greatest resource.

If you absolutely can’t find a single person to review your resume, go to the career center and they will help you out. Don’t feel stupid. It would be stupid of you to not ask these people for help because 1) it is their job 2) they have seen many students’ resumes and 3) you need a great resume in the right format to be considered.

I have seen the site, AfterCollege.com, before, and at first glance it looks like a career and job posting site targeted at college students. In fact, that is basically what it is. I can't speak for the results you may or may not get through their searches, but I did find an article that aligns itself with my opinion on resumes. I've touched on the technical aspects (in detail in a certain book), but I feel that this article adds a little more advice and insight on the technology used to accept masses of resumes. That's right, many times your resume won't even make it to the review process by humans when submitted online. (Hint: sell yourself in person, on-campus interviews, career fairs, etc. You will get this soon enough). Check out the article on resume advice in the world of online and electronic submissions. Sometimes, even your paper resume is fed to a scanner (or a paper shredder unfortunately), but at least in in an interview the recruiter will study it and it will see daylight. It's hard out there for a...resume. (*article link has also been posted in Resources section)

I don't care if you have close to a 4.0 GPA. If you don't have previous experience from a past job, you are digging yourself a hole. Companies are taking a big financial risk when they hire a new associate, and when it comes down to Al who had 2 successful internships with companies and Pete who volunteered with a student group on campus we all know that Al is getting the job unless he has no personality. Get out there and work. Build up a successful history of constant employment with no gaps. When you work for a company, you typically work year-round minus vacation here and there. They don't want somebody who is going to get bored and quit after a few months. Show them that you are dependable and experienced, and then get paid.

I don't know too many companies that are without an on-line career site that handles resume submissions and job postings. This means you can submit your resume all over the place. I guarantee you will not hear back from half of them if they are larger companies, but that leaves the other half to hope for. Always submit a cover letter explaining why you are the right candidate for the position, a skill or experience that qualifies you, and then a nice little ending. The cover letter in my opinion really sets you apart from everyone else and gives you a chance to show off your personality. Plus, all those lazy people who just upload their resume and submit them without the big CV won't compete with your extra effort. Companies can still tell who really took the time to submit a thoughtful cover letter and perfectly constructed resume over the ones who just treated the experience like the drive thru at your fast food restaurant of choice ordering off the value menu. Include something about the company that you really like, and research their website to find inspiration. Keep it short, personal, and true (for more details, check out the book, shameless promotion I know). Good luck. The more jobs you apply for then the greater your exposure and chances of being noticed in a faceless online job market. Once again, your best chances for job and internship offers will be at career fairs and campus interviews/events. Too many college students fall into the trap of searching for careers online due to the heavy marketing of those types of sites, and the effort and time spent on-line is not worth near as much as attending career fairs.

I know many people that still list relatives and parents of their friends down as references on applications and resumes. This may have worked for your first job bagging groceries or renting movies (those were the days), but now you need solid, professional references. The easiest way to obtain a good reference and more importantly, a mentor, is to get to know one of the professors that you really enjoy. Attend office hours enough to where you are comfortable enough to carry on conversations that do not revolve around school. If you enjoy and respect the opinions of this person, this should not be a task at all. You will probably get great advice for getting a 4.0 in the course, how to survive college, and more than enough tips for life after college. The other good reference would be from an employer on campus or the ultimate reference, your boss from a summer internship. Just ask for a reference letter at the end of your term of employment (assuming you did not get canned, and actually performed above average), and you will be money. Get around 3-6 reference letters that were written during your college years. If you are going for a full-time job, it's good to have them from the last 2 years of college. Not all employers will ask for the actual letters, but all of my applications required at least 3 references, phone numbers, and my relationship to that person. Obtain the letters just to have in case they are needed, or you can go down the risky route with no letters and grandma as your reference. Your choice.