The Career Doctor Blog
Empowering job-seekers to conquer college, career, and job-search ailments.
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Keywords, Portrayal of Skills and Accomplishments Can Boost Career Transition
Jan writes: I left a successful military career 15 years ago during the drawdown after the First Gulf War. Within a year, I had a full-time job teaching in public schools. Teaching has always been a strength and I enjoy it, but I am now ready for another challenge. My conundrum is that I feel I have a wealth of good experience and knowledge, but because it has not been all in one industry or related industries, I am not sure how to communicate this the best way to employers. Additionally,... |
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Business Analyst Jobs in the Healthcare Field
Annette writes: I’ve recently relocated to the NJ area and am seeking a position as a business analyst. I have nine years experience in the health insurance/managed care industries. As N.J. does not have many opening in those areas, I’m trying to look at consulting or medical software vendors. Do you know of resources to find ‘medically related’ companies in N.J. on either the internet or in the library? Also, I’ve attached a copy of my resume for your review.... |
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Seeking a Restaurant Job in a New City
Cammie writes: I’m relocating about a thousand miles away, and your article on cover letter FAQs is absolutely great! Just wanted to thank you. I followed all of your tips on cover letters to a T. I’m looking to fill a waitressing postion in Portland, OR. If you have any advice on how to land restaurant jobs, specifically key qualities they look for, that’d be greatly appreciated. The Career Doctor responds: Hiring for waitressing and other restaurant jobs tends to be... |
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Follow Networking Etiquette for Best Results
Sarah writes: I know I need to step up my networking efforts in my job search, but I’m afraid of making the wrong move an offending people. Can you offer some basic networking guidelines? The Career Doctor responds: Absolutely. Networking is largely a matter of common sense and common courtesy. Here are five things to keep in mind: Don’t ask your network contacts for a job instead of asking them for advice and referrals. No one wants to be put on the spot and asked for... |
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Interview Question Was a Case Question, Not a Stupid One
Peter writes: Yesterday I was on a job interview at an electronics company. The first half of the interview was going well, until the female head of development who interviewed me caught me off guard with an idiotic off-the-wall question: “How many gas stations do think there are in [name of nearest city]?” I thought for a while and then took a chance and answered “20 stations” (the real answer was 70). After the job interview i felt completely drained of energy and... |
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Addressing Career Change in Cover Letter
Donna writes: I have been a call-center supervisor and am eager to start a new job and career with a new employer. I have applied for a couple of job opportunites for case-management or customer-service roles that do not involve supervison and are not in a call-center environment. I am trying to state in my cover letter that I am not looking to continue with a management or supervisory role. Can you help with wording? The Career Doctor responds: The line I like is something like this: Though... |
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Explaining a Very Short-Term Job
Veronica writes: After a month of working in what I thought was my dream job, I can honestly say this is the biggest mistake of my life. My dream job is a nightmare. Just last Friday I asked a question about why were doing something a certain way and the boss exploded! He stormed out of the room, came back in pointed his finger in my face and told me I was stupid, that he never wanted to hire me in the first place, and that he would find some way to get me fired. I was shocked and mortified,... |
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Try Contacting Schools to Learn Number of Completed Credit-Hours
Celeste writes: I am helping to update my husband’s resume because his part-time, substitute bus-driving job is about to end. My dilemma is that he attended at technical college for a year and then transferred to community college, but we couldn’t afford the fees for him to continue to obtain his degree - so, how do I list that on the resume? I would ordinarily use his credit-hours, but he hasn’t a clue how many he has, and I’m unsure what to do. The Career Doctor... |
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Jacket is Key Job-Interview Attire for Women
Tammy writes: I am a slightly plus-sized woman and wonder if it would be inappropriate not to wear a suit to an interview? Would a professional wool skirt and nice wool sweater be too casual? I am larger on top than at the bottom and suits are difficult to find plus costly. What is your opinion? The Career Doctor responds: In my opinion, a jacket is the key piece. You don’t need to wear a suit, but you should wear a jacket — over a dress or over a blouse (with skirt). I do think... |
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Don't Leave Dates Off an Academic Resume/CV
Patty writes: I have heard that some people say not to list education dates on a curriculum vitae for a job in higher education. I am wondering if this is correct? As an academic with a Ph.D my resume is close to 10-12 pages because of the experience I have. The Career Doctor responds: I’ve never heard of leaving off dates on an academic curriculum vitae (CV), and I don’t even advise it on non-academic resumes very often anymore. The reason to leave off dates is to avoid age... |
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Questions to Move Networking, Informational Interviews Forward
Aaron writes: I understand the concept of informational interviewing, but here’s my dilemma: Since you are not supposed to ask for a job in that setting, what can I say or ask to plant a seed in the interviewee’s head that I’d like to be considered for a position at that company? Also, how can get solid help from contacts in other networking situations? The Career Doctor responds: It’s true that asking for a job in an informational interview will make you seem deceitful... |
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Job Search with Social Media Takes Time and Patience
Daniel writes: I work in the IT field and am wondering how to use social networking sites to find jobs. The Career Doctor responds: Social-media for job-seeking takes a lot of time and patience. Complete and compelling profiles are important. You also need to strike a balance between the desire the build a huge network and the need to be discriminating. Both Facebook and LinkedIn urge users to connect only with people they actually know. Some users follow those guidelines; some don’t.... |
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Top Tips for Interview Prep When You're the Underdog Candidate
Matt writes: I’m a recent MBA grad, and I’ve been invited to meet with the marketing/sales manager for a company that deals with digital forensic reconstruction of accidents. I would be in charge of regional marketing and sales, mainly dealing with insurance adjusters and attorneys of the clients. Since I am going up against some people with a lot more industry experience, I wondered if you have advice for interview prep. The Career Doctor responds: Sure. Here’s a... |
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Don't Provide References Unless They Are Requested
Kimberly writes: I was just reading the article on your site, Avoid These 10 Resume Mistakes. In this article, one of the mistakes to avoid is to not put references on a resume. What is the reasoning for that rule? I can’t figure out the problem with it. The Career Doctor responds: References do not belong in the resume phase of the job search and should not be provided unless the employer asks for them. References are checked between the time the employer decides to interview the... |
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Take Fresh Donuts to a Job Fair?
Bea writes: Would it be professional or a good idea to take a fresh box of donuts to the job fair? The Career Doctor responds: I think that would be OK. People in the booths are often stuck there, and we advise job-seekers to stand out by offering to get them a beverage, so donuts would work, too. Might be a little awkward/messy to carry them around, though. |
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Breaking into Pharma Sales is Harder to Do Now
Chandler writes: How can I break into pharmaceutical sales? The Career Doctor responds: Our article, So You Want to Get Into Pharmaceutical Sales…, may help, but the scenario has changed somewhat since that article was published. Here is more current advice from our colleague Craig DeLarge, who works for a large pharmaceutical firm (though not in sales): Understand this is a shrinking pool where there have been dozens of thousands of layoffs of experienced reps. They are standing... |
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How Big a Role Should Soft Skills Play on a Resume?
Michael writes: I don’t think my “soft” skills are a big enough part of the resume. I feel like those skills should have a lot of value in my industry. What do think about “soft” skills being on a resume? The Career Doctor responds: When my partner researched a book on executive resumes, she was surprised that hiring decision-makers don’t find listings of soft skills very credible. Yes, they are important, but to make them more credible, attach them... |
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Getting Feedback from Hiring Managers
Aaron writes: I have read your article on Quintessential Careers regarding under-qualified applicants and how to make yourself stand out to potential employers. I found the information to be quite helpful. However, as I am still having issues with getting companies to respond when I apply, I am trying to see what else I may need to do. I contacted a potential employer for advice after they rejected my application. They mentioned that, while I met the requirements for the job, they found an applicant... |
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Following Up and Cold Calling
Marsha writes: I am a recent graduate of George Mason University and I have been spending the past several months struggling in my job search. I recently found your article entitled, Sleuthing Out Hiring Managers Is Key to Job-Search Follow-up and found it very helpful in follow ups. However, I did have some questions I am hoping you could answer. A couple of weeks ago I applied for a job that I am very excited about, and I would like to do everything I can to set myself apart from other applicants.... |
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Yes, Bullets Make Cover Letters Reader-Friendly
Kelly writes: I have been talking with some colleagues about cover letters, and I suggested that sometimes using bullet points can be effective in a cover letter. A few colleagues disagreed. What’s your opinion? The Career Doctor responds: Bullets make a cover letter more reader-friendly by breaking up big blocks of type. See our article Special Cover-Letter Formats Can Grab Employers’ Attention, which has links to a bulleted letter and a bulleted section of a letter. |