Given the value of certifications can range from critical to meaningless, it is essential that you research the expectations of industries and employers and list only those that will enhance your chances for an interview.

As a general rule, anticipate the questions and rehearse your responses to keep them within 60 to 90 seconds in length.

While there is simply no single right way to write a resume, some components are so basic they should always be included regardless of profession, industry or years of experience. For instance, no reasonable person would intentionally omit from their resume things such as previous job titles or personal contact information. While perhaps not as [...]

NAVIGATING YOUR JOB SEARCH By MATT DURFEE     I’m convinced that many in today’s unemployed workforce don’t understand that a successful job search requires a lot of time, effort and the acquisition of new skills. A recent incident confirmed this when the spouse of my wife’s friend lost his job and asked me to [...]

NAVIGATING YOUR JOB SEARCH By MATT DURFEE Interview Often – It’s Great Practice As surprising as it may seem in today’s tight labor market, I frequently have clients tell me they have turned down interviews because the job didn’t seem like a good fit. My response? Even if a job isn’t initially appealing, the interview [...]

Several years ago when I was an HR executive with Frito-Lay International, my boss was fond of saying, “The devil’s in the details.”  That was his way of reminding us to not let the big tasks we were working on get derailed by the little things we take for granted. Those words of advice also [...]

Although it may sound trite, the best predictor of one’s future success is his or her past success. Why else do think professional sports teams draft players with impressive statistics? Or the top colleges consider grade point averages for admission? Or why smart employers look for and staff their companies with people with a track [...]

Whether it’s because of financial necessity or personal fulfillment, many job applicants today are pursuing positions that they would never have considered earlier in their careers. And that has created an interesting dilemma for recruiters and hiring managers who often reject those applicants as being overqualified. As a former recruiter for some of the world’s [...]

While there is simply no one right way to write a resume, some components are so basic they should always be included regardless of profession, industry or years of experience.  For instance, no reasonable person would intentionally omit from a resume things like previous job titles or their personal contact information. While perhaps not as [...]

Despite the claims and critiques of what seems to be an endless supply of so-called resume-writing experts, there simply is no universal “right way” to write a resume.  Unsurprisingly, it is not uncommon to get confused given the contradictory advice you can expect from multiple sources.  So while I have some very clear thoughts on [...]