College students and their parents should realize that there is a sequence of steps that can be followed to increase the likelihood of a student’s success in the job market. Unfortunately, most students pay little attention to anything associated with their job search until they reach the second semester of their senior year. That is not good.The timing of many job search preparation actions and activities is critical. H...

Are your ears burning? I know why: An HR person or recruiter is calling your references. Maybe you applied for a new job, or maybe someone’s got an eye on you and he or she is calling around doing intel.References are a very important step in the job-search process. Most companies do a deep dive into a candidate’s background before making an offer. And that’s a good thing: If you have awesome references, there’s no better w...

Cover letters are still an important document in an executive job seeker’s collateral materials. They provide a good opportunity to build rapport with a recruiter or prospective employer. Comments expressed by more than 75% of hiring managers range from “somewhat valuable to very valuable” when evaluating an executive candidate for a position who presents a cover letter.Eye appeal is important. A visually attractive cover l...

A resume is your introduction to hiring managers and recruiters so they will consider inviting you to an interview. First impressions are important during any introduction. Make sure your resume makes a great first impression:1. Your resume stands up strongly for you. Your resume should look hiring managers and recruiters in the eye and explain exactly what you do, have done, and will do for their company. Eliminate words l...

There is an important aspect of the senior year job search that most college students fail to appreciate, undervalue and sometimes ignore. Many students don’t seem to understand that the best employers place a great deal of weight on good references. These employers won’t hire someone who can’t provide them with a list of people who are willing to serve as positive and enthusiastic references.The best references are respect...

As a career coach, I work with hundreds of professional women each year who are in various states and stages of growth, leadership and ascension. In our work together, there are key steps we walk through over a period of weeks and months to help them achieve what they’re hoping for (and everyone’s desires are different and special, of course). One of the steps that corporate professionals are most resistant to, and inti...

Cover letters are not dead yet! And they can be an effective way to help the recruiter or hiring manager identify your talents and capabilities as a viable candidate for a job opening. A well-written cover letter can also help you stand out among your peers.Your cover letter should exude enthusiasm, motivation, and drive. The reader should be able to see at a glance how well you communicate, and what emotional intelligence...

The New York Times has run a regular Sunday feature column in which the CEOs of various companies talk about their hiring procedures. Their comments raise interesting points about resumes.For example, David Politis, CEO of BetterCloud, has advised new college graduates, “The first thing I tell people is, try to go where you can be a big fish in a small pond…where you can actually have a real impact on the business. That giv...

The Career Advisory Board that I established by DeVry University recently released the fifth annual Job Preparedness Indicator survey. This year’s findings indicate hiring managers are receptive to candidates changing careers, especially if their previous experience can be applied to the new position; but above all else, integrity is the No. 1 trait that candidates should possess. Our annual research surveys 500 hiring m...

As we head into graduation season, most grads-to-be are feeling a mixture of anticipation and anxiety as they prepare to launch into the real world. But there’s a percentage who likely have another emotion blended in: panic.If you are graduating this spring and still job hunting, it can seem as though everyone else has their future lined up, and it’s hard not to panic and be jealous of those who have already snagged a posit...