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What you wear to work matters a lot when it comes to displaying a public image. If you are working for a large multinational company, you probably want to look as professional as possible.
Corporate suits and dress pants are appropriate for these types of businesses. On the flip side, if you are working for an oil or manufacturing company, cargo pants and overalls are most likely the norm.
From business attire to casual wear, it’s important to look your best when you go to work. After all, it’s a major reflection of your character and what you represent as an employee.
If you work at a large business building, closed-toe shoes and blouses are the best fashion choices. If you are in the working field, t-shirts and jeans may be your type of style. If you are a gymnast, then track pants and sweatshirts are your go-to outfits.
Getting dressed for the office doesn’t have to be hard work. You don’t have to leave your personal style behind just to look professional in front of your boss. Your goal is to project a professional and confident image of yourself, regardless of your career level.
Don’t be a fashion victim. Let us suggest some formal, yet trendy work attire to wear!
For business people, it’s always a good idea to try on several suits before deciding to buy one. It should fit your body perfectly and you should feel comfortable in it. Don’t wear anything that is too tight or too lose. Leave some breathing room in the outfit and attach belts and accessories to make your outfit stand out.
For working men and women, this can be interpreted as anything from shorts and hats to sundresses but it mostly refers to – “smart business” attire. Think of a pair of dress pants and a blouse for women, or for men button-up shirts and black pantsuits. Sleek knits, skirts and tops are all examples of casual wear.
Don’t wear anything too fancy as to distract other employees. Denim, t-shirts and flip-flops are only acceptable under the most casual of work environments. Under any circumstance, you should always ask what the standard dress code for a company is and it’s usually determined by the person you report to.
If you own a start-up company, you can wear whatever you want as long as it makes you happy. Generally speaking though, it’s always wise to pick a standard suit and hang it on the back of your door in case you need to attend a public meeting.
Come up with a contingency plan, or a backup plan, like a jacket tucked neatly in your office closet for emergency purposes. You never know, you may have to use it one day.
Pack an extra suit and tie as well as clean socks, leather shoes, dress shirts and dress pants to work. So if someone calls you to a conference in the middle of the day, you’ll be dressed to the nines when you go.
You should avoid clothes with ruffles and keep your work attire in a bag. No tacky clothes like golf shirts with collars, unless you are going golfing later in the day.
Sometimes what you wear to work can make or break you. The last thing you want to do is pull a career killer outfit and permanently damage your work image.
You want to avoid something that is too sexy, like see-through lace shirts, miniskirts, spaghetti straps, sheer tank tops, loose-fitting sundresses and strappy stiletto sandals.
Also, you don’t want to wear anything too casual such as jeans, shorts, t-shirts, hats, sunglasses and sneakers. Lastly, you should avoid wearing clothing that is too sloppy. These would include wrinkled clothing, multi-layered outfits and long, oversized baggy-fit clothing.
If you must wear jewellery, keep it to a minimum. Don’t wear oversized earrings or what we usually call – chandelier earrings. Things like jangles that make noise or stacks of bangles can be quite distracting.
Instead, opt for stud earrings or single bracelets and necklaces that look formal and conservative.
You may not know this but colour plays a huge part in your overall professional image. Depending on your mood, there are different vibes that each colour gives out. For example, red tends to be aggressive-looking while navy blue makes you look more trustworthy.
Gray is conservative and black is chic. Most of these colours go best with pantsuits, skirts and office shoes. Also, if you are really into designer labels, avoid going overboard with your taste and limit yourself to wearing one designer suit or carrying one designer bag to work.
Everything from the style, color, lengths and fit of your fashion choices will come to bite you back if you are not careful. What you wear speaks volumes about your character and lifestyle.
So if you are concerned about your career, pay close attention to what you wear. It’s always wise to go for something more professional than something cute and trendy. Keep your look polished; wear shirts with cufflinks to big meetings and collared shirts to show professionalism (like they just came out of a drycleaner).
This is not a walk in the park or even a Saturday picnic. It’s your workplace – so treat it as such.
Open new career opportunities with our professional resume writing services.
There’s a lot of saturation in the job market these days. The attention span of hiring managers has dropped from 20 seconds to around 9 seconds. As such it’s increasingly harder to get their attention – in a good way, that is.
Acquiring the services of a professional career strategist or a dedicated resume writer might be the answer. They can give you an objective analysis of your resume and how it stands out, and they know how to best position yourself to get further along in the hiring process.
Nowadays, there are plenty of professional services out there to serve the struggling and the gainfully employed career hunter. Here are some of them:
We all know they’re the make or break portion of the application process. They need to market yourself; they need to highlight what you can bring to the table; and they need to do this in one to three pages.
But a professional resume writer should be your first call. If you can – DON’T write your own resume from scratch. It’s very difficult to stay objective when you write your professional bio (and resume standards have evolved more then you might think).
Even more, there are resume writers who specialize in almost every industry. They know and understand the buzzwords, terminologies, jargon and key words used. They will help you tailor your resume to the specific industry or position you’re pursuing.
While cover letters may be not always be essential, it’s still important to keep them in your arsenal as an accompaniment to your resume.
They need to be personalized, simple and compelling. Professional resume writers will help you write a top-quality cover letter that serves to introduce yourself through a value proposition to the hiring authority.
What good is it helping you fix your car and not being able to see you take it for a spin? Not only can you get help crafting your resume, you can also get help distributing it as well.
Agency and third party recruiters can also make sure your resume gets sent to specific and carefully selected organizations within your industry and geographic location.
Having trouble selling yourself? You’re not alone. Many job applicants have trouble with marketing themselves. It’s not in our nature to self promote. We are often too modest when it comes to our achievements. Overselling yourself can also be a problem.
A professional career expert can help you identify key leadership traits, transferable skills and innate talents that you can showcase and bring to the table to help you stand out from your competition.
LinkedIn is like Facebook, but for professionals only. That’s how we describe it to our clients. This popular professional (and sometimes social) networking tool has become a significant part of a job search strategy.
So, it’s important to optimize your profile as much as you can in order to build your network and sell yourself within the network. LinkedIn profile writing is an art (and part science) – just remember not to over-brand yourself.
The resume is only part one of the process. If you’ve enticed them enough, you’ll earn a face-to-face – or phone – interview. And there’s a difference between reading about someone on a piece of paper and meeting them for the first time.
Talking to an interview coach can allow you to anticipate questions, plan on how to answer them, and think about what to wear, as well as your etiquette and body language techniques.
By working with a coach, you can get ready to meet with a company for a one-on-one interview, panel interview and behavioural interview
Keep in mind you want to do to the best you can to stand out in your industry. From writing your resume to developing your LinkedIn profile to going in for an interview, it’s all one big process.
Everything counts and getting professional career help will give you an unfair advantage over other candidates applying for your next career opportunity.
Open new career opportunities with our professional resume writing services.
Behavioural interviews use probing questions to illuminate your past behaviours and to identify your similar future performances.
This question pierces right to the core. It may be difficult to maneuver your way around as you strive to remain genuine and honest in your answer. The interviewer is basically asking what kind of employee you are, and trying to decipher if you will be a good fit within their team.
My favourite behavioural interview question is: What is the biggest misconception that your coworkers have about you?
Possible Answer: Give it a positive spin.
“The biggest misconception about me was that I was a workaholic. My co-workers often joked that I had virtually no social life and (that I) took work home with me on a nightly basis.”
If this was a “misconception” do you mean to say that you don’t work very hard at all? The interviewer is guessing what kind of person you really are or if you even have a clear perception of yourself.
It never looks good to have a discrepancy in perception between you and your coworkers. Anytime you try to paint a picture of what you are not, you are left trying to play catch up as to portraying what exactly you are.
Answers like this put you in damage control mode, making you scramble for an appropriate answer.
Possible Answer: Avoid touchy topics to avoid speculation.
“My coworkers probably think I spend a lot of money on my wardrobe. Really I spend a lot of time looking for deals at outlet malls. I think that looking professional is really important and I (try to) find a way to make it work even on a tight budget.”
Unless you’re applying for a job in the fashion industry, you’ve said nothing to impress me. Your first interview may be your only chance to close the deal. You need to make every answer work to your advantage.
In fact, unless you distract me with something I actually care about, I’m going to start thinking something else like “This person is boring,” or “You sound like a shallow person, I don’t care about your wardrobe.” If you don’t tell the interviewer what to think about you, they will form their own opinions that you cannot control.
Best Answer: Practice what you preach.
“I don’t believe there are any misconceptions about me. I’m very direct, respectful and honest. I am open about my accomplishments and weaknesses. I always welcome feedback because it gives me an opportunity to grow. Because I try to be objective and open-minded, my colleagues usually ask (for) my advice and confide in me. This approach helps me make decisions on their merits instead of getting caught up in unproductive exercises.”
This answer builds the interviewer’s confidence and confirms your role as a positive influence for the company in question. Taking it a bit further with details or examples makes your answer all the more believable.
If people who work with you every day have misconceptions about you, how can an interviewer be confident that he or she is going to figure you out in an hour? Employers usually value transparency in their employees – under no circumstances do they want to be left guessing.
Open new career opportunities with our professional resume writing services.
Open new career opportunities with our professional resume writing services.
Job interviews can often be terrifying. There’s a huge difference between reading someone’s qualifications on a resume and meeting them for the first time.
And so, there are a lot of helpful tips out there on what kind of questions to expect, how best to answer them, as well as how you should dress.
So, we’ve decided to offer further assistance with some tips that are often overlooked by job hunters. But, in reality, they can sometimes make all the difference.
We recommend looking up on three things in particular about the company:
Understand the keywords they use in how they present themselves to the market. It’s highly effective to replicate those keywords while presenting yourself in the interview. If it’s a character trait that represents their company culture you should know it.
Scope them out on LinkedIn or Google them. Know their background and interests. If they went to the same alma mater as you, or they enjoy golf, wind-sailing, or if they enjoy curling just as much as you do, it would make for a good ice-breaker.
If they recently expanded their business (or lost some of it), be aware of it or any new initiatives they have.
Based on what you find out, come prepared for the interview with a list of 10 questions. And then choose the top three to ask when you summarize your interest.
Read more tips on how to prepare for a job interview.
Remember to be well-rested, especially if you have a morning interview. You don’t want to appear groggy or half-asleep in the interview. And we suggest you to try to avoid coffee. A stimulant, coffee can make you jittery. So, if anything, we suggest Gatorade.
Receptionists are the eyes and ears of any organization. So, it’s always a good idea to acquaint yourself with the company via the receptionist or the first person to greet you as you walk into the office.
The hiring authority may even ask them for their opinion of you. If you were even slightly rude or brash to the receptionist, the hiring manager might find about it. So, remember to give a good first impression with the company’s receptionist.
Like I said, some of these tips may seem minor and silly, but they can make all the difference in how the hiring manager perceives you.
Taking off your jacket and removing your bag gives the impression that you’re relaxed, that you’re comfortable and that you’re happy to be there. You don’t want to sit down in the interview with the impression that you’re ready to leave already.
Read more on how to dress for success.
Both of these are critical. It’s important to look your interviewer directly in the eye, as you’re talking to them and as they’re talking to you. But don’t stare.
And keeping eye contact doesn’t necessarily mean looking the same way non-stop. Keep eye contact, but move your eyes around. If you have more than one interviewer, alternate between them. And this may sound weird but remember to blink.
Also keep in mind your body language. Between 30 and 60 per cent of an interview is influenced by body language. It can either give off the impression that you’re interested in the position and the organization, or that you don’t want to be there.
This allows you to reaffirm your interest in the position and sum up what you can bring to the table. But, as far as closing statements go, it depends on which of these three options you fall under:
This too can make all the difference. It leaves a positive impression in the hiring manager’s mind. It also helps to reaffirm your interest in working with their organization and remain memorable to the hiring authorities.
Remember to keep your thank you note short and sweet. And keep in mind that you don’t necessarily have to say thank you. Reaffirming your interest in the position is more important.
Also, if you had a morning interview, mail the note five hours later at the most. If your interview was in the late afternoon or early evening, try for a seven a.m. note.
The fact remains that job interviews are often about perception. Anything can happen that can lead the hiring authorities to judge you negatively. So, don’t give them a reason to.
You can read more about writing thank you note here.
Open new career opportunities with our professional resume writing services.
You’ve just breathed a sigh of relief. Coming out of the office following an interview, you thought you did well. You’ve marketed yourself well. You kept your answers short and sweet. And you looked the part.
But this first step isn’t over yet. You still need to write and send a thank you note to your interviewer. However minor it may sound, this simple note helps to reaffirm your interest in the position and the organization, and it leaves a lasting impression in the hiring authority’s mind.
So, let’s go through several tips on how to write a top-notch thank you note and things to keep in mind when sending it.
If you’ve had a morning interview, send a thank you note at most four-five hours later. If your interview was held in the late afternoon or early evening, send a note in the next morning at around 7 am.
This way, when the hiring manager gets into the office, you’re one of the first things on their mind.
It’s funny that we call it a thank you note, but saying thank you isn’t actually the most essential part of your message.
Keep in mind that merely thanking the hiring manager for their time isn’t enough. It’s even more important to reaffirm your interest in continuing on with your candidacy and inquire about next steps in the process.
In terms of the writing style, it’s best to keep it short and sweet. Sure, you want to tell them again that you’re interested in the position and you want to know about the next steps in the application process, but you don’t want to oversell yourself or pad up the note with extraneous details to try to make yourself look good.
That’s what the resume and interview were for. Now, you just want to write a simple little paragraph summing up your interest and keeping yourself on top of their minds.
It’s true that hand-written notes are deemed more personal. But in this case, handwriting your “thank you” note isn’t necessary.
In fact, when you have a late interview and you’re trying to send them a note early the next morning, a quick email might be best to get something out as soon as possible. Also, if you’re like me and find your handwriting can pass for a monkey’s, email would also be better.
This is an absolute given. Like all letters, it needs to be personally addressed to the hiring authority who interviewed. If you were interviewed by more than one person, you should consider sending a note to each one.
If you do have multiple interviewers, it would also depend on whether the interview went well and if you’re developed rapports with anyone specific. Use judgment, however. You may not know who in the group makes the ultimate hiring decision.
It’s also a good idea to highlight a key part of your interview to make yourself more memorable to the hiring authority.
You think just because it’s a thank you note that it doesn’t matter if there’s a typo? Wrong!
Making a typo on a thank you note is easily in the same ballpark as making a typo on your resume. So make sure you edit it carefully before sending it out.
More than 60% of job seekers don’t send a thank you note. And more than 80% don’t send a thank you note to the person who got them the interview.
Remember thank you notes need to go out to the person who got you in the door, that could mean a friend or acquaintance or even an agency recruiter. Keep in mind that you want to brief but compelling in your thank you note. And don’t underestimate its usefulness, its the best way to stay top of mind.
Sending your interviewer a compelling thank you note immediately after the interview will further help you stand out from the competition.
Open new career opportunities with our professional resume writing services.
Open new career opportunities with our professional resume writing services.
I will spare you an intro. Here is your no nonsense guide on how to maximize your job search.
I know this seems like a given, but most people do not take the time to sit down and write a resume that truly represents their skills and experience. What most people think is irrelevant information is sometimes the most important item they forget to add to their professional resume.
There are plenty of sites online that can show you how to write a resume and if your still having trouble – hire a professional resume writer.
It boggles my mind that people won’t spend around $200-$400 for something that can increase their salaries exponentially. Don’t buy those pair of shoes this month, get a professional resume and know you can buy as many new pairs of shoes in the future.
This is one I bet most people don’t expect. But this is a great trick for someone really trying to crack into an industry or a specific company.
Create an alert of companies you are interested to work for. When those companies win new contracts they usually send out a Press Release to announce it.
With any new sale or contract win comes the need to hire people for the projects. Read the article for contacts in the company and network with them either via email or LinkedIn. Congratulate them on the new project and start to explain how you can help them in the future.
If you are any type of professional, you should have a LinkedIn profile. Period. This is the ultimate networking site for any business professional. First of all its free to create a profile (It costs to send a message to someone out of your network, but we share some great ideas around that in upcoming posts).
LinkedIn has a profile completeness meter on the side of your profile that tells you how much more information you should add to your profile.
I suggest a minimum of 80% profile completeness and be sure to include relevant keywords to your job and industry so you will be easy to find.
It always surprises me that most people still don’t utilize recruiters as much as they should. Recruiters are the ears of your industry and know what is going on before most people in large companies do.
Recruiters prefer to specialize in niches. And yes while there are a lot of recruiters that prefer to work on volume and won’t give some job seekers the time of day, I find the really great recruiters will talk to you and get you on the right path.
Don’t be afraid to ask questions, don’t be afraid to ask why you won’t get a particular job, and find out what you have to do in your career path to get it. Don’t expect them to hand hold you, you’ve got one conversation with them, use it wisely.
Companies love when job-seekers are referred by other employees (up to 75% get hired this way). Employees are usually offered a bonus if the person is hired. Most of the time jobs, especially at large multinationals are posted first internally and only after a month or so, get posted to the public.
Ask a friend to either submit your resume to the hiring manager or HR for you, or even better look and see if there are any open opportunities that you might be a great fit for. If your friend is not in the same field are you are – it’s usually best to provide them with job titles that would apply to you.
Open new career opportunities with our professional resume writing services.
Resumes are often the make or break portion of your job search. They can propel hiring managers to either follow-up with you regarding potential employment or throw them in the trash.
But it’s often a hair-pulling challenge to figure out how you want to entice the powers that be especially in a one-to-three-page document.
So, to further help you write a top-notch marketing document, we’ve decided to include a few things of what you should think twice about before including:
This is your personal preference. But there are a few factors to consider when deciding whether you want to include your grades. If you’ve been out of school for a while, then the short answer is no, you shouldn’t.
Especially if you’re an experienced professional, whatever grades you got in university or colleges becomes a whole lot less significant.
And if you’re fresh out of school, use discretion. We recommend including your grades if your GPA is anything more than 3.8. If not, we suggest you lose them.
This may be iffy as well. If you have any extracurricular hobbies that relate to the position at hand, or even if you’ve volunteered, then it’s a good option to include them.
It shows you’ve been a busy little bee. But the line has to be drawn somewhere. If you’re an avid hunter, incorporating your hunting hobby may not be a good idea.
And so, try not to include sensitive information or hobbies that have no relevance to the job. Including additional information such as your birthday, looks, or marital status may also be pushing it.
Recruiters have seen this before. It can make your resume long and droning. Keep in mind hiring managers usually merely glance through them, since they have stacks and stacks of resumes to read.
So, instead, focus on your work experience that best relates to your field and the position you’re applying for. And try to go back only 10 to 12 years in your work history at the most. Optimize your resume to the position of which you’re applying to.
It may not be a good idea to include your salary expectations – or salary history – in your resume or cover letter. This might give off the impression that you’re only willing to work under a specific compensation.
However, in some job postings, employers do indeed ask you for your salary expectations. If that’s the case, we recommend you to include a salary range depending on your experience.
Above all, keep in mind that resumes are supposed to be glimpses into your professional character. So, try to omit any information you deem unnecessary. Keep it simple and clean.
Open new career opportunities with our professional resume writing services.
“Just do it”, “Impossible is nothing”, and “I’m lovin’ it!”. Can you guess the corresponding brands of these popular advertising slogans? That’s right; these slogans belong to Nike, Adidas and McDonalds.
If you’re wondering why they’re popular, it might be because they’re simple and catchy (or it might be because, together, these three companies spend nearly $5 billion a year on marketing and advertising).
In terms of self-marketing, you should apply a similar approach to your own job search strategy. I’m not saying to overdo it and have focus groups to evaluate your brand. I’m merely saying to make a self-inventory of how you can add value to the world.
In this case, you’re a pair of Nike’s Air Max running shoes, a brand new Adidas track suit or a Big Mac – or rather, your technical and functional skills are. And you have to figure out how best to pitch this tasty product to customers – hiring managers and employers.
Do what you can to make yourself remain memorable among the gatekeepers, which include recruiters and HR professionals, and appeal to the final hiring authorities.
Here are some tips to help you sell yourself and further open up new opportunities:
When it comes to marketing, it always helps to put yourself in the customer’s shoes. Think to yourself how the customer – in this case, potential employers – can best utilize you, the product, for their own personal gain.
More specifically, think about what skills or qualifications the hiring authority is seeking out. What are they looking for while reading through resumes? It’s important to go through the job description and read between the lines.
Find out who you’d be reporting to at the company and why the position is open. Do they have an immediate need for someone or are they taking their time in going through their options?
Taking into consideration the employer’s wants and needs will certainly affect how you market yourself to them going forward.
Once you’ve thought of the employer’s needs, it’s essential to have a strategy of how you’re going to promote yourself. In other words, plan out what you can offer the hiring manager that no one else can.
Ask yourself, “What is the differentiating factor about me from the other hundred or so candidates vying for the position?” Having a clear idea on how to effectively market yourself will significantly enhance your job search strategy results.
No matter what you’re selling, confidence is key. If you don’t believe in yourself, why should anyone else? So remember to believe in yourself! Don’t sound arrogant, but try not to be too modest when selling your contributions and major achievements.
Strike a balance between selling and overselling. Be humble but tenacious!
Let’s go back to McDonald’s – unfortunately, only figuratively. How many times have you seen an ad for a Big Mac or McChicken, and wanted one right then and there? Even the Filet O’Fish looks good. I’ve only had one once, but every time I see an ad for it, I could go for another.
Part of selling a product is making it look visually attractive to customers. The same goes for your job search strategy. Highlight your track record on paper.
And, in the interview, remember to dress to impress, look calm and present yourself with confidence. Make yourself appealing to the hiring authority at every level.
Keep in mind that an effective self-marketing strategy is important when it comes to job hunting. It’s essential to put yourself in the customer’s shoes and ask yourself what the customer’s needs are.
And then, take the next step and tailor your own skills to reference the needs or the organization of which you’re applying to.
Open new career opportunities with our professional resume writing services.
LinkedIn has become a significant part of your job search strategy. So, we tried to write a lot about it, especially in the last few weeks.
But this is an interesting question regarding how people make use of this increasingly popular professional networking tool. And we set out to find the answer.
Recently, we polled active LinkedIn users – and professionals ranging across different industries and ages – on this issue. Here’s what we found out:
What these statistics tell us is that it ultimately depends on personal preference.
Furthermore, we found that most of the people who said they already have their number on their profile seem to belong in the younger age brackets, with 18 to 29 and 30 to 36 being the highest. Similarly, most of those who said they wouldn’t put it on their profile have been generally identified as being in the older age group (37 and over).
Another interesting element was gender. Out of 194 male voters, 78 said they have already their number on their profile, 54 said they wouldn’t and 31 said they would. And out of the 93 female voters, 38 said they already have it listed, 33 wouldn’t and 14 would.
Some of our voters thought including a contact phone number is a significant component of connecting with professionals. “LinkedIn is supposed to be about business connections and branding. Would you give someone a company brochure that did not have an address or phone number?” wrote one person.
Another voter, who is in the sales industry, explained that including a phone number is especially critical if you’re in sales, marketing, consulting or an industry that demands constant communication with clients.
But others have different views. “I have reduced my telephone usage considerably and will continue so to do,” another person wrote. “My landlines are gone and I have a cell phone and Skype, which are used sparingly and rarely answered at the time of the call. E-mail, though also a significant consumer of time, allows me to manage my tasks on my schedule.”
Similarly, another voter commented that “I consider the ability to communicate in written form to be a critical skill. We’ll move to a phone call if it seems promising.”
What we recommend ultimately depends on the kind of LinkedIn user you are. If you’re an active job-seeker, you should list your mobile number with a professional voicemail message.
If you’re a more passive job-seeker, you should only include your number if you want to be contacted directly. Otherwise, you could connect with people via inmail on LinkedIn and start there.
And if you’re a business professional, it’s important to keep in mind that your LinkedIn profile is an extension of your business card.
But there are options. LinkedIn allows you to customize your settings so that, if you do decide to include your number, it would only be seen by people within your professional network.
And if you’re still unsure, you could always use Google Voice or Skype as alternatives.
When dealing with clients, head-hunters will most likely initiate communication by sending an in-mail via LinkedIn first (although professionals don’t check their in-mail all the time).
It’s important to keep in mind that head-hunters usually prefer the telephone. And they can often be tenacious, hence the name!
So, after reading this piece, would you include your phone number on LinkedIn?
Open new career opportunities with our professional resume writing services.
