Resume & Interviewing Do’s & Don’ts
By: Lauren Scheidemantel, BGS Communications Associate

Employed or actively on the job hunt, it never hurts to brush up on your resume and interviewing skills. To help you keep up with the current trends in the hiring industry, Beta Gamma Sigma spoke with two hiring professionals, Jacqui Tedaldi (BGS 2005, St. John’s U.), senior recruiter at Coalesce Search, a New York City-based company offering staffing and consulting services, and Greg Demos (BGS 2005, Bryant U.), vice president of sales at Veritude Investments, a staffing firm headquartered in Boston, Mass. They gave their perspectives on the do’s and don’ts when it comes to preparing resumes and interviewing.

Resume Do’s & Don’ts

Do be clear and concise
One of the most common resume mistakes Tedaldi has seen is that a candidate will often include too much information. A resume, she said, needs to be clear, concise and easy-to-read, because a recruiter spends about 60 seconds or less looking it over – searching for keywords included in the job description. That’s why an applicant should really think of the resume as his or her “one-minute ticket to get in the door,” she said. “It’s your chance to show how you’re different than other candidates.”

Do highlight your experience
“A resume is about highlighting experience,” Tedaldi said. For applicants that have worked in generally the same roles throughout their careers, it can be challenging to make sure their experience doesn’t look identical. To avoid this, Tedaldi said, “You want to highlight some of the different things that you did to make yourself more marketable. For instance, mention a particular successful project you spearheaded that shows you were a leader and came through and helped the bottom line.”

For recent graduates with less work experience, Tedaldi advises including relevant experience – internships, coursework, and college activities. “This shows that not only are you focused on your career, but you’re also going above and beyond.”

Don’t go overboard
“You want to avoid the spirit of desperation,” said Demos. “Confidence will always be valued more, so doing anything over the top might be perceived as a last ditch effort.”

For example, “Some people think that if they put their resume on colored paper that it will make them stand out, but it makes them stand out in a bad way,” said Tedaldi. “A resume should typically be on white, off-white or cream-colored paper. Also, try not to use different types of fonts,” she added.

Do tailor your resume to the position
“Every situation is unique, but you want to keep your resume focused on the position that you’re applying for,” said Demos. “Look for keywords in job descriptions that are calling out what they are looking for in an applicant and include those words in your resume.”

Don’t be vague
Regardless of your level of experience, all job-seekers need to make sure their work history is complete and thorough. “Some people fall into the trap of being vague and just saying, ‘was involved in a team.’ You need to call out exactly what you did in that role,” said Demos. Also, if dates of positions are all occurring in the same year, include the months and the years. “It’s a real pet-peeve of the hiring industry if people aren’t clear of the months and the years. It looks like they are trying to hide something.”

Don’t forget your contact information
Make sure you have included appropriate contact information. “You would be surprised how many resumes I get that don’t have a phone number and only have an email address, or vice versa,” said Tedaldi.

As for email addresses, “Make it very simple – first initial and last name at domain.com,” she said. “You can’t imagine the things I’ve seen that could be taken the wrong way or viewed as inappropriate. It’s just not the first impression you want to make.”

 

Interview Do’s & Don’ts

Don’t show up too early
“It’s best to arrive 10 to15 minutes before the interview,” said Tedaldi. As a former recruiter for a corporation, she said, “It was interesting when I would get a call 40 minutes before an interview and I was busy and security is telling me that someone is already here. It just comes across as a little desperate.” Tedaldi suggests if you do happen to arrive a little early, “Maybe go grab a cup of coffee.”

Do your homework
“Always do your homework on the organization that you’re applying to and the individual that’s doing the interviewing,” said Demos. He also suggests reading up on interviewing techniques. “More savvy recruiters and employers are relying on behavioral interviewing,” said Demos. “Candidates need to be prepared to respond to that type of questioning, such as ‘What-if?’ scenarios and questions like, ‘Explain to me how you handled a situation.’”

Don’t rehearse, but be prepared
During the interview, Tedaldi said, you want to reflect on your experience and know your resume very well. “If an employer comes in and asks: ‘What you would say is one of your strengths?’ Let them know you have given it some thought, but don’t rehearse it,” said Tedaldi. “You don’t want to sound as if you’re reading from a sheet.”

Do ask tough questions
“As an applicant you really need to know what you’re getting into, so ask questions,” said Demos. Examples Demos suggested are: “Explain the team’s environment to me.” Or, “What created this opportunity?” Don’t let the interviewer “sugarcoat” the position, said Demos. “As an applicant, that puts you into a stronger position. It lets them know that you’re serious, and not just ‘yes’-ing them to death.”

Don’t be negative
When faced with a tricky question, such as the dreaded ‘What are your weaknesses?’ query, Tedaldi said she usually tells a candidate to think about something that was a weakness and how they’ve taken steps to overcome it and turn it into a strength. “That’s putting a more positive spin on it,” she said. “You always want to make sure you are being positive and not ending on a negative by saying something like, ‘I take a lot of work on myself and it’s really frustrating.’ The employer is going to think, wow, what a downer.”

Do follow-up
At the end of the interview, make sure to get the interviewer(s) contact information, said Tedaldi. “Within 24 to 48 hours, either send a note or email saying ‘Thank-you,’ you look forward to hearing from them and you think skill A, B and C would really help you excel in that role.”

Don’t harass
After the interview, “If they said they will definitely be back in touch with you in two weeks and it’s been like two-and-half or three weeks, it is OK to put a phone call into HR,” said Tedaldi. But, she added, “Remember HR also has Caller I.D., so you can’t call every five minutes.”