It’s pretty easy to recognize a terrible cover letter within the first 2 seconds of reading one. People tend to forget that this document is a sales tool – you use it to sell yourself to a prospective employer. That being said, it’s very easy to ruin your potential sale with just a few simple words.

The most important thing you need to do when writing your cover letter is remember that the person reading it cares about what you have to offer them, not about who you are in…

I recently came across a resume that listed a summer cashier position in 1976 as part of a person’s “professional experience.”

While it may seem a little strange or ridiculous to include an irrelevant position from nearly 25 years ago, I can tell you that it’s actually not that uncommon to come across something like this. A lot of people think that they literally need to include everything they’ve ever been involved with on their resumes, and I can assure you that not only do…

Times have changed, after all, as Grant Cooper, president of Strategic Resumes Strategic, notes in the Resume Critique Writer software that he authored. “Brief resumes are simply no longer effective in today’s increasingly competitive job market,” he said. “The advice that ‘They only want to see one-page resumes,’ is perhaps the single most outdated and incorrect statement job-seekers hear today.”…

Some job advertisements ask you to include your desired salary, and if they ask for this, it usually means that you can’t avoid doing so. Listing salary requirements is always tricky because it’s hard to “guess” what the employer will think about your preference. Asking for too much can rule out your chances right away because you might appear unrealistic, but asking for too little can signal a red flag and tell the hiring manager that you don’t value your skills and experience. So the…

DO NOT LEAVE YOUR RESUME BLANK!!!

Every person, including you, has skills and…

Employer Interview Questions

With the current economic climate and changing job market, employers have now started to alter the types of questions they ask in interviews. With hundreds of Internet pages dedicated to types of interview questions and all listing the same “general” type questions (what are your strengths, where do you see yourself in 10 years, etc.), employers are now steering away from these types of questions and…

What is a dream job?

Do you know someone who has the dream job?

Is there really such a thing as a dream job ?

RedStarResume posted this question to our…

I recently came across a resume that listed a summer cashier position in 1976 as part of a person’s “professional experience.” While it may seem a little strange or ridiculous to include an irrelevant position from nearly 25 years ago, I can tell you that it’s actually not that uncommon to come across something like this. A lot of people think that they literally need to include everything they’ve ever been involved with on their resumes, and I can assure you that not only do you not have to…

Keep a routine: Don’t get into the bad habits of waking up late, sleeping in the…

I frequently come across resumes that include a section for “hobbies and interests” or something similar. Many people think it’s necessary to include something like this, however I can assure you that it’s probably best to avoid doing so. There is a limited amount of space for content on your resume and just a small amount of time for the reader to look over your information. That being said, you should use it strictly to highlight your professional qualifications and achievements, not your…

2010 is going to be another tough year for graduates. The economy is still in downturn and competition for jobs is as fierce as ever. No one said graduating was ever going to be easy!

Top 5 challenges facing graduates in 2010:

Competition (too few jobs and too many graduates)

Here is the…

Personalizing your application materials no doubt increases your chances of getting a call back, but I’m…