Resume

  • This is your true first impression. You will not obtain an interview without a competitive and polished resume.
  • Don’t try to be too creative. Keep it simple, nice and clean, black and white. No goofy fonts, colors, or pictures of yourself. It needs to be pleasing to the eye and easy to scan through.
  • Don’t cram everything onto one page. Two-page resumes are OK, if you’re accomplishments merit 2 pages.
  • Avoid using “I” in the resume.
    Wrong: I won “Rookie of the Year” in 2015.
    Correct: “Rookie of the Year”, 2015.
  • Include months of employment on the resume, not just years. Gaps are OK if they can be explained.
  • If you’re in sales: Your resume should have company name, job title, your territory, products sold, and call points that you sell to. Underneath these items should be your achievements/accomplishments bullet-pointed. These bullet-points should include annual percentage to quota/plan (not monthly or quarterly unless you didn’t finish a full year), territory growth, rankings vs. your peers, and special recognition or promotions.

Social Media

Have an up to date and professional profile on LinkedIn. Make sure this info coincides with your resume. If you’re on other outlets like Facebook make sure everything visible to a potential hiring manager is buttoned up. We can’t tell you how many times we’ve had candidates eliminated because of their lack of awareness and poor choices on social media.

Preparation for the Interview

  • Practice and prepare. Do not wing it.
  • Look for books like “Knock em Dead Job Interview” to boost your performance.
  • Reflect on your past careers and be able to speak to every line-item on the resume. Deal killers are when a manager asks you a question in regards to an achievement 10 years ago and you draw a blank, “I don’t remember” is not an answer that will fly.
  • Do your homework and come prepared with well-thought out questions of substance, this is a great way to separate yourself from your competition.

The Interview

  • You only get one shot, bring your “A” game.
  • Arrive early, almost nobody can recover from showing up late.
  • Dress to Impress, professional and conservative attire.
  • Maintain good posture, eye contact, and energy.
  • Sell yourself in a real and authentic manner. Don’t overthink it, this is what you do every day.
  • Close. You earn the right to close through-out an interview. If you don’t close the hiring manager on yourself, how can you expect them to envision you closing business in their role?
  • Send a follow-up with substance. This is another deal killer if you forget this standard business practice.

Additional Resources:

  • Ask us about how to prepare a competitive brag book and business plan.