5 Ways to Improve Your Resume
First, prepare for the interview by working with a seasoned interview coach. An interview coach can practice with you certain mock-interviewing techniques, thereby helping you to not only answer difficult interview questions but also recognize traps and avoid saying the wrong things.
Second, prepare your SARBs: situation/action/result/benefit. These are short vignettes about your experience, describing for the interviewer how you solved problems on the job and the results and benefits to employers. They are the tools you bring with you to the interview. If presented well, the examples will convince the hiring manager you’re the right person for the job.
Third, research the company. You cannot overdo this aspect of the job search, and neither should you underestimate the importance of showing the interviewer you understand — on either a macro- or micro level — the issues the company faces. Knowing details about the company improves the “cultural fit-factor”.
Fourth, use your personal connections via LinkedIn, Facebook, Google+ and Twitter to discover as much information as you can about the people you’re going to interview with. While doing that, attempt to find something in common with them. This is very important because people are known to hire candidates with whom they can build a relationship even during the interview process.
And fifth and last but not less important, make sure the position you’re interviewing for aligns with your own needs and desires. Consider your skills and attributes and traits. Evaluate the organization’s work environment, the commute, the compensation, and the benefits. Pay attention to your gut feeling. If it feels good, make sure you clearly show your enthusiasm. This is what the hiring manager wants to “buy.”
-Alex Freund
