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A job interview can be a nerve-racking experience, especially when you have been removed from the job market for an extended period of time. It is one thing to sell on paper with the resume and another thing to sell in person at the interview.

Regardless of whether you have been out of a job for an extended period of time, are looking to change careers, or are still employed and seeking a better opportunity, the key to conducting a job interview successfully is a result of a collective number of factors. However, one of the more defining factors is the relationship you establish.

People hire people they like. Even if one candidate is more qualified and experienced than another, without a good relationship there is minimal chance at securing the job opportunity. The same goes for referrals. When you are referred by an existing employee, your chances are much stronger than a candidate who applied simply as a result of finding the opportunity through an ad from a job board.

So the question becomes how do you develop a strong enough relationship from a job interview to strengthen and lock in your chances at a job offer?

1. Use Appropriate Body Language
   What you don’t say matters just as much as what you do say. Your body language and facial expressions inform an employer how engaged you are in conversation and how interested you are in the opportunity.  Smile, exhibit confidence, and listen carefully so you respond appropriately and know how to build on the conversation. Refer to the blog post on “What Your Interview Body Language Reveals about You” for tips.
2. Seek More Information
   Asking questions expresses to an employer that you are engaged in the conversation. Try to ask questions to probe for additional information. Instead of simply addressing what is asked of you, respond and follow up with a question of your own and turn the interview into a conversation. This expresses to the employer that you have an interest to learn more. Refer to the blog post on “3 Ways to Build Rapport and Ace the Interview” for tips.
3. Demonstrate You Are Up for the Challenge
   There are challenges with every job. What is important to an employer is that you are up for the challenge and that you have the ability to succeed. Research information in advance of your interview by reviewing the company’s website and information in the news. You will have a better understanding of what challenges or changes the company has recently been through, and how it may impact the position you are interested in. Ask related questions during the interview to find out more. This informs an employer that you have come well-prepared for the interview. You can also take the opportunity to relay how you have experience with similar situations and how you dealt with them.

The more confident and comfortable you are with yourself in the interview, the easier it will be for the employer to develop a strong rapport and relationship with you. This is not to say that you sit back and relax as though you are sitting in your own living room. Instead, the point is to be open to conversation and for it to be developed with ease. Consider a candidate sitting stiff, head down, and who is brief in response to conversation and questions asked. It makes it difficult for him as well as the employer to try to establish good rapport and the relationship. Don’t let that be you!

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If all an employer cared about is the IT skills and technical knowledge a candidate has obtained, then there would not be the need for an interview. The fact is, in addition to looking for specific skills and knowledge, employers want candidates who are passionate about the field and who have demonstrated a track record of success and progress. A resume alone does not necessarily help demonstrate these additional attributes. This is where the cover letter critically comes into play to help secure your chances for an interview.

It is the cover letter that helps you begin to tell your story of how you achieved your experience and success in the field. It is also the tool in the job search that allows you to express to an employer the passion you have for such a career and offers a personalized way to establish your credentials and character.

Here are specific tips that will help guide you in the cover letter writing process:

• Years of Experience.
  It is not enough to simply indicate on your resume and cover letter that you have X years of experience in the IT field. What does this tell the employer? Not much. Instead, use the cover letter to highlight the type of IT environments you have been involved in during these years. How many users/desktops were you involved in managing/supporting? How many locations were involved? What types of industries did you work in? Such descriptive information will give the employer a better sense of the work environment you have experience with.
• Certification.
  Listing that you have obtained Cisco Certifications such as CCNA, CCNP, or that you have CompTIA A+, Network+, Server+ and /or Security+ certification can help with getting past an applicant tracking system, but once it is in the hands of a hiring manager, it needs to do more to establish your track record for outcomes and business results that matter. Show how you put that knowledge to work. Did you establish a small enterprise network? What kind of secure networking advances were put in place to address the need for a stable foundation to help employees interact and conduct business seamlessly? These details will help to demonstrate to an employer that you have applied your knowledge and skills well in practice. You are now building your story in a cover letter.
• Customer Service Mentality.
  Even for technical professionals, the number 1 trait that an employer wants is good communication skills. It is critical in an IT professional’s cover letter just as it is in an interview to demonstrate people skills and a customer service-oriented mentality. Employers want candidates who not only have technical skills, but have a passion to really understand the needs of the business/organization and apply those technical skills in a way that will contribute to its growth. At more advanced levels, employers need assurance that you are accountable as a leader and have the ability to establish deep relationships with functions and units across the enterprise because the fact is that your work will affect vast parts of the organization. Employers want to know they are hiring a candidate that is sincere about wanting to help the end user. Demonstrate to the employer that you are the “go-to” person for IT expertise and that you are someone people enjoy working with because you can understand challenges from the user’s point of view. You need to demonstrate that you can cater your knowledge and skills to suit the particular environment.

Regardless of the career path you choose –software engineer, desktop support specialist, systems analyst, project manager, network architect or other IT role – it is critical that you use the cover letter to firmly establish a personal and professional presence.

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120 seconds. That’s how long it takes for an interviewer to decide whether they want to hire you or not. First impressions set the tone for the interview and in the majority of cases, once that impression is set, it is not usually turned around. Here are some important tips you can use to ensure you make a great first impression.

Energy level. Show some bounce in your step. Act like you are excited to be there and are filled with ideas.

Eye contact. Look the interviewer right in the eye to make person-to-person contact. And SMILE like you are happy to see them. People instinctively react well to happy, smiling people.

Watch your handshake. Everyone knows that a dead-fish handshake is the kiss of death. So are sweaty palms (put baby powder in your pocket if you have to). Knowing that a handshake is so important, have you tested yours? Try shaking your loved ones’ hand and see how it works. Women in particular tend to overcompensate and shake hands too hard.

Dress appropriately. You can never go wrong by dressing conservatively. If you are not sure, for example, whether you should wear a tie or not (suit for women), try asking the receptionist. Just say “I am coming in for an interview on Friday and just wondered if you could help me. What is the dress code there?” Receptionists generally love to help. DO NOT OVERDRESS. I know a well-qualified executive who showed up in a double-breasted suit, expensive tie and matching handkerchief. He made his potential boss feel like a slob and wasn’t invited back.

Be aware from the time you hit the lobby. Many companies will ask the receptionist what they thought of you, what did you read in the lobby, etc. One firm even asks the receptionist if the candidate washed their hands after going to the bathroom (you can hear the sink on in the lobby). From the moment you step onto the premises, make believe you are on hidden camera and put your best foot forward.

Finally, be friendly. Turn the interview from a question and answer session to an interesting conversation. Remember, employers hire people they like, so build rapport with the interviewer.

Practice these tips, and you will see a dramatic difference in how people respond to you.

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Your resume has to tell potential employers what you can do for them. Yet people still fall into the trap of writing sentences that describe their job duties instead of their skills. A simple way to avoid this is to use the “so what” method of writing a resume.

The “so what” method makes you think about each statement and why it is important to an employer.  For example, this is a phrase taken from a resume sent to me for an evaluation: “Provided production workers with needed inventory information”. Interesting statement but how is that relevant to a potential employer, especially since they probably don’t need you to provide production workers with inventory information? Let’s fix it by asking “so what does that mean to me”, the employer.

Digging deeper, we find that this person interfaces with over 15 workers daily to convey this information, usually between production shifts, and the information has to be retrieved from 2 different systems and had better be accurate. So what comes out of this? The following skills are illustrated:

- Recognized for ability to interface with wide range of personnel and reliably relay production-critical information during quick 10-minute shift changes.

- Highly computer proficient with the ability to quickly learn and navigate proprietary production and inventory control systems.

Which statements do you think would most impress an employer? So just ask yourself “so what does that mean to the employer?” after you write your statements and your resume will dramatically improve.

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Would you walk into an interview blindsided – not knowing what the employer does or what’s involved in the role you are applying for? For those who want to succeed and be effective in an interview the answer is “No.” You should always go into an interview prepared with key messages in mind to help you demonstrate why you are the best fit for the company and position.  This same rule should apply for your references.

To ensure you present excellent references to a potential employer, you need to prepare your contacts. It’s not simply about seeking permission from your contacts to serve as a reference, but sharing information with them so that they are aware of the company and position you are applying for. This information will inform your contacts of subjects they can focus on when contacted. The message they leave behind should complement the highlights you’ve presented in your resume and during the interview.

Here are some tips to managing your references:

1. Direct each reference to focus on a different important aspect.
   Let’s say you are applying for a job as a journalist. While it’s great that all your references can confirm your strengths in writing, you leave an employer more impressed when you have references that can speak to other aspects that are important on the job. Encourage one reference to hone in on your writing capabilities, another to focus on your organizational skills and commitment to deadlines, and a third reference to speak of your strong research and interviewing skills. A potential employer will see how well-rounded a candidate you are for the job.
2. Debrief your reference on the type of position and company you are applying to.
   When checking in with your contacts about serving as a reference for you, fill them in about the company and position. There’s no need to keep this a mystery. References typically want to help but they do not always know how best to do so. Inform them. Give information on the company and position and help them understand the important areas of focus for the position.

   This is also a time for you to mention particular projects and points you referenced in the interview. It helps to remind your reference about the work you were involved in with him or her specifically. If you haven’t worked together recently, your specific contributions may not be top of mind to your reference. In this approach, you are not telling your references what to say, but rather you are guiding the direction of their communication and reminding them of your specific contributions while employed together.

3. Give your references a heads up on when to expect a call from the employer.
   Just as you should be prepared to answer the phone professionally in case the call is from a potential employer, giving your references a heads up will allow them to do the same. You also want to make sure your contacts will be available to respond. Don’t have a potential employer follow up with a reference if you know that contact will not be available, whether it is due to travel or if your contact is on deadline and doesn’t have the time during that particular week.
4. Audit your references.
   Your contact’s willingness to serve as your reference does not guarantee you will get a “positive” reference. Conduct an audit by having a friend contact your references to ask questions typically posed by employers. There are also services available, such as Checkster, to help you gather feedback on your past performance from references. This will allow you to evaluate if you should reconsider who you have on your list.

References are a critical component to the job hunt. If an employer makes a suggestion to proceed with checking your references, it generally means you are under serious consideration for a job offer. And, if it’s down to you and another candidate, your references can help you through the tie breaker. Or, it can cause damage if they are not properly managed.

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Just as important a resume is to helping a job seeker secure opportunities, so is the cover letter. A cover letter helps you hone in on important messages – to create a “conversation” – and gives the employer a sense of your personality that is not always captured through a resume alone.

Yes, there are employers who may completely ignore cover letters, but you put your chances for a response at greater risk when you don’t include one.

For the many employers who do care for the cover letter, seeing no cover letter or one that lacks any concrete anecdotes can imply you are not as interested as other candidates who have taken the time to personalize a letter to clearly highlight personal talents and offerings. A cover letter is another marketing tool in your arsenal, so take advantage of the opportunity to help you better sell yourself.

Here are some cover letter guidelines:

1. Do not make your cover letter an attachment.
   This particular tip applies to applicants who are sending information via e-mail to an employer. While the cover letter and resume stand as two separate documents, your email message should be your cover letter.

   Your email message will be the first point of communication with an employer, so it should provide information to entice an employer to read on. If you aren’t captivating an employer’s attention immediately, it is unlikely they will move on to opening your attachments.

2. Address a specific contact in your cover letter.
   A reader’s attention is captured when you address him or her personally. Just think about when you receive communication from someone you are unfamiliar with. It’s more likely that you will dismiss the communication when it is addressed in general with: “To Whom It May Concern” or Dear Sir/Madam.”

   Carefully review the job posting or conduct research online in LinkedIn or the company’s website for the appropriate contact you should have your letter addressed to.

3. Create a captivating opening.
   An effective resume offers a captivating opening that summarizes your experiences, skills and strengths. A cover letter also needs to have a captivating opening.

   Avoid boring openings such as: “I am writing to respond to your ad…” or “I am interested in…” These statements are obvious to the employer and it also comes off as self-centered when you start with “I.” Utilize the beginning of your cover letter as a way to highlight information that sells. It should immediately present information that indicates what you have to offer and why it is a terrific fit.

   For instance, you may want to start by indicating how your event planning and management experience in the pharmaceutical industry can directly relate to the company’s need for a candidate with a well-established network of contacts in the pharmaceutical industry for business development purposes. Your experience may have allowed you to establish relationships with top experts in the field who are also contacts the potential employer is seeking a way to connect with.

4. Don’t rehash information or tell your life story.
   A cover letter is not meant to be redundant in information and does not benefit in being a long-winded life story. Customize your cover letter to directly address information the employer desires and seeks without repeating anything directly from your resume. Keep information succinct. You’re not writing to a pen pal, so maintain focus and keep it to no more than a page and no more than 3 to 4 paragraphs. There should be a captivating opening, a body to flush out more information that helps you make a point and a closing.
5. Make sure you address everything that is asked for.
   Many employers indicate specific instructions in the job posting for applicants. It may be a request to address specific questions or salary requirement information. It is important to address what is asked by the employer or you will come off as a candidate that does not follow instructions well. It is an easy reason for any employer to dismiss your application.

A cover letter is meant to be another marketing tool you can utilize to sell. It is an opportunity for you to present information that may not be suitable in a resume. Maintain focus and personalize information to directly inform an employer what you have to offer and why you make a good fit.

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Every week I see hundreds of resumes sent to me for a free evaluation. Most of them start with an Objective indicating what that individual is seeking. Then they list the various roles and responsibilities they have held in the past. Where this style of resume was successful 5 years ago, it isn’t going to work in today’s market.

You used to be competing with about 200 other resumes for the interview. Now you are competing with about 600. Companies can’t bring in 100 people for interviews and they can be choosy, so your resume better make you stand out.

Think about it – an OBJECTIVE says “this is what I want”. Better to start a resume with “this is what I offer”. So instead of an Objective, have a Profile of the skills and experience you offer. Try to put meaningful information in the Profile, not just fluff. Imagine yourself on a game show and the host is about to introduce you – “Our next guest….”. What would they say? This should be your Profile.

Next, under your Professional Experience, don’t just list your roles and responsibilities. Everyone knows that an Administrative Assistant answers phones and files correspondence. Tell how successful you were on the job. Indicate the scope and scale of your responsibilities. For example, state that you “Provided administrative support for 5 managers and 15 staff in an extremely fast-paced, deadline-intensive environment”. Tell them that you were “Consistently praised for professionalism, pleasant demeanor and the ability to meet the most aggressive deadlines.” See the difference?

Simply put, unless your skills are so unique and your accomplishments so great that you truly stand out, you should consider investing in your career by hiring a professional resume writer. The state of the art of resume writing has changed so much in the last few years, as has the economy, that knowing what keywords to include and what skills and accomplishments to highlight is a tough task. And it’s difficult to write about yourself – I’ve written thousands of resumes and I think I would hire a professional to serve as a sounding board and draw out of me the things that should be on my resume.

If you are unsure, take advantage of my Free Evaluation and I will personally review your resume and let you know what it needs.

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Writing a resume is more than just articulating your skills and accomplishments. Perhaps the most important part of the resume writing process is to start by defining your brand or positioning statement often called the “elevator pitch”. (An “elevator pitch” is what you would say to Bill Gates if he got on an elevator with you and you had 20 seconds to tell him why he should hire you before the elevator doors open at the lobby). And in the process of defining your positioning statement, you need to give some thought to your overall search strategy.

For example, let’s say you’ve gained most of your experience in small firms where you had to do a lot of everything. Perhaps you had your own company and successfully grew it to a reasonable size. You have demonstrable skills in sales, business development and P&L management. So how do you position yourself? The answer depends on what kinds of companies you are targeting.

If you are sending your resume to Fortune 500 firms, you’ll need to pick your strongest and dearest area and tailor a resume towards that. Conversely, if you target small and medium sized firms, then your “jack of all trades” skills are in demand. One resume will not work for both kinds of firms.

Remember that there are 3 steps to getting a job: having a great resume, getting it read by the right people, and acing the interview. The first 2 must be considered together to develop a winning resume.

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There’s no guarantee that all interviews will go smoothly. It would be fair to say that from time to time there will be an occasion or two where you do not perform your best. It may because of one or several factors, such as an unexpected late arrival to the interview, your inability to communicate with focus because questions were not clear, you stumbled on responses because you did not have enough information or did not come prepared enough, your nerves got to you, or there was a lack of rapport with the interviewer.

Even if there are times when you do not perform your best in an interview, it is important to not give up. Continue with a professional follow-up and stay motivated. You should:

• Send a follow-up thank you note.
  Express appreciation to the employer for taking the time to speak with you. You should never burn any bridges regardless of whether you are no longer interested in the position or believe you no longer have a chance at the opportunity. While you may have not performed your best, there was clearly something the employer saw in your resume that captured their attention initially. Your interview may have also had some positive moments. Your follow-up thank you note will provide the potential for another chance or consideration to future openings that may be more suitable with this particular employer.
• Admit obvious errors and redeem yourself.
  “Obvious errors” refers to your actions, such as arriving late to the interview. Apologize for your lateness. While there is no way to change the facts of what has happened, a sincere apology will leave a much better impression than acting or responding nonchalantly about any wrongdoings. The after-interview follow-up should also be used as a chance to help you redeem yourself. Add clarity and reinforce information that you felt could have been conveyed more strongly during the interview.
• Reiterate your qualifications.
  If you have done your homework, you should walk out of an interview with a clear understanding of what the biggest challenge a person in this job will face. Take this knowledge and use it to your advantage. Address those areas further or take the opportunity to present additional information that may have been lacking in your resume and during the interview. This will highlight your capabilities in those areas and strengthen your standing.

Job seekers need to stay motivated when going through the job search and interviews. Whether you performed well or poorly in an interview, these experiences offer much needed practice to help you perform even better in future interviews. You can learn from each experience and know what areas you should be more prepared for the next time.

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While the Internet is a great resource to find templates of resumes and to view other individual examples, it does not necessary help you create an effective resume for yourself. Reviewing these examples help you determine what structure and order is best to use with your own resume, but it will not help you effectively develop the most critical core elements necessary to showcase your professional experiences and passions – the content and brand that differentiates you from other candidates.

There is a reason why professionally written resumes produce greater results than one written on your own. Professional resume writers know the ins and outs to what works well in today’s challenging environment. They have written and seen hundreds of resumes and know the best practices to make you stand out. They also know the various tools and technologies that employers are using to screen candidates. In short, they know how to create a resume that will help differentiate you from others.

Here we discuss some of the top reasons why it is beneficial to work with a professional resume writer.

1. You need to create a personal brand.
   For your resume to stand out, you need to know how to create a value proposition or personal brand. This opening of the resume is particularly challenging because you only have a few lines to answer the big question: “Why should I hire you?”

   Good professional resume writers have the experience and strategies to help narrow down what needs to be highlighted on your resume to create your brand. These experts know what employers and hiring managers are looking for and how to make you stand out.

2. It is hard to write about yourself.
   A resume is not meant to tell your entire life history. It simply calls out key highlights of your experiences that are relevant to an employer. It also tells them how you have achieved success in specific areas of importance to the employer. This can be a difficult task to complete on your own. Even when you think you have established a master resume, a third party may interpret the references differently. Don’t be misled by the fact that you have had first-hand involvement in it.

   On the other hand, a professional resume writer gives you an accurate assessment of how the employer would view your background. A professional resume writer knows what questions to ask to secure the necessary answers from you in order to produce an effective resume. If you can find a professional resume writer with experience in your particular field, it is similar to having direct access to feedback from the hiring manager of the employer you apply to. He knows if your resume can stand up against other top applicants vying for the same position and he can help you strengthen your competitive position.

3. You need to get through the ATS resume machine.
   The majority of employers are now using ATS or Applicant Tracking Systems which scan your resume for keywords and rank you accordingly. If you do not get a high ranking here, chances are a human will not see your resume. A professional resume writer is skilled in making sure your resume has the right mix and density of the appropriate keywords to achieve a high ranking.
4. You need to impress the hiring manager.
   Once you have gotten past the ATS, you need to impress the hiring manager so your resume must be visually attractive and content-rich. Where the ATS software looks for roles and responsibilities, the hiring manager looks for skills and accomplishments that support your brand.

We have written over 20,000 resumes for people and the best most people can generally expect when they write their resume is to score 5 or 6 on a 10-scale. In this market, that is just not good enough. Your resume is the most important document in your career so it makes senses to spend the money and use a good professional resume writer. That being said, there are a lot of scams and bad services on the web so see our Free 10-Point Checklist on How to Choose a Professional Resume Writing Service at http://tinyurl.com/2dbay27.