About You: Our Candidates

Before searching for your next great career move, we encourage candidates to take stock of their current career, and it’s intersection with the rest of their life. We consider ourselves “Career Doctors” and we ask you take a look at the health of your work life. As you are reflecting on the health of your career, here are some questions to ask:

  • Do you like your boss/co-workers/company culture?
  • What do you want to be doing in 10 years?
  • Are you satisfied with your compensation?
  • Are you challenged/over challenged?
  • Are you in the best location?
  • Do you travel too much/not enough?
  • How is your job security?

We are here for you as a resource. Even if you’re not ready to make a move, we are happy to discuss where you are now and what you want to do in the future. We can help you evaluate career goals and answer the question “what do you want to be doing in 10 years?”

We would be happy to consult with you on these topics and more. Feel free to call or email anytime.

Explore the Career Toolkit

Your Career Counselor

We’ll act as your “Career Agent” presenting you to the people who are looking for your skills and talents and will facilitate the entire process. This puts you in a better position to negotiate.

Industry Knowledge & Expertise

We are building relationships and trust with decision makers of many companies every day. But we focus on certain industries where we can have the most impact and provide the greatest value. This means we are prepared to guide you to the best opportunity.

Confidentiality

We are not a job board where employers can indiscriminately sift through resumes. We are very respectful of your confidentiality and will not release your information unless you give us prior approval.

Interview Coaching

We provide you with key information for your interviews including background on companies, the hiring authorities, and what they are really looking for during the interview. You don’t have to do this alone.

Let us be your career partner. If you’re ready to improve your life and your career, submit your resume or give us a call. If you’re happy as a clam, that’s great, call us anyway and we can be a resource for future moves.

Your resumes should be a flyer about you. Keep it two pages maximum with plenty of white space and bullet points. Keep job descriptions under each title brief. You want to emphasize your achievements. List examples where you can use $ signs, % signs, and numbers such as $20,000 project or 20% under budget. If your work is project related, put your complete list under a separate document and add pictures. Include just the relevant projects on your two-page resume.

Can’t think of anything to write about what you achieved in your job?

Answer some of these questions. We guarantee that you will come up with some new ideas about your successes and skills.

  • Where have you made money, saved money, saved time or made your boss look good?
  • What experience, skills, aptitudes, or traits do you have, or think you might have, that could be of some use to an employer?
  • What skills have you developed, at least to some degree, that you have never used at work?
  • Do others at work or elsewhere, come to you for any particular kind of help? What kind?
  • Do you have military experience? Provide details such as branch, grade, specialty, discharge status, duties, accomplishments, medals, citations, or commendations. Did you receive promotions ahead of schedule?
  • Have you ever published an article, report, or anything, even as a volunteer? How about a company or professional association newsletter?
  • Have you ever given a talk, speech, or presentation, or provided training to anyone at work or elsewhere? Give specifics.
  • Computer literacy and related skills: What platforms or operating systems do you use? List software, programs, Internet skills etc.
  • What foreign languages do you know, and what is your level of skill in each (native speaker; fluent; moderate; phrase-book etc.)?
  • Do you have any special travel experience, domestic or foreign? If you studied, lived, or worked in a foreign country, how long were you there?

Responsibilities / Activities

  • How many people did you supervise? Orient? Hire? Train?
  • How large of a budget did you manage?
  • Who do you report to?
  • What was the highest level in the company that you reported to or communicated with directly?
  • Did you coordinate anything?
  • Serve as liaison between groups or key individuals?
  • Mediate between groups or individuals? Resolve any conflicts? Serve as mentor to anyone?
  • Did you participate in strategic planning?
  • Did you set or evaluate or participate in the setting or evaluation of policy?
  • Did you evaluate any individual or group performance, or any task or project research?
  • How did you relate to the product or service?
  • Did you communicate with customers? How?
  • Were you on any proposal teams, in-house or with a customer or subcontractor? Did the proposal succeed?
  • What was your function on the team, or your contribution to winning? Your team’s percentage of wins?
  • Did you communicate with suppliers or subcontractors? How?
  • Did you purchase services or supplies for the office, unit, or department?
  • Ever serve as a troubleshooter? In what area?
  • Did you provide back-up for someone? Who?
  • Did you create any surveys or other research or studies? Determine requirements?
  • Prepare recommendations?
  • Design or manage any processes, systems, or projects?
  • Organize any events, conferences, meetings? How many?
  • Did you administer anything?
  • Consult for anyone, inside or outside the organization?
  • Did you gain experience in any special-use software? Analytical or evaluative procedures? Equipment or hardware?
  • What kind of writing did you do, for yourself or someone else? What did you write about?
  • Did you write anything that was delivered to a customer as a product, or part of one?
  • How much reduction in costs or increase in profits did you contribute to?
  • Did you add any ease, quality, or economy of operation that noticeably improved the way things were before you assumed responsibility?
  • Any concrete or specific signs of the gain you achieved?
  • Did you propose, suggest, or initiate any programs, changes, or improvements that were implemented at least partly because of your initiative?
  • What positive results occurred?
  • What did you do as a volunteer, beyond the regular duties of your position?
  • Whether you were paid for it or not, what were you particularly good at that made a difference in how the office (job, project, assignment) progressed from day to day?

Awards / Recognition

  • Were you praised, recognized, or given a pat on the back for anything – a particular assignment, a method of working, a trait of character? How? By whom?
  • Were you promoted ahead of schedule?
  • Selected for any special responsibilities or programs?

90% of hires are based solely upon the interview according to a Harvard Business Review study. In fact, 63% of hiring decisions are made within the first 4.3 minutes of an interview (courtesy SHRM). So, the interview is probably the most important part of the hiring process. And that’s why you need to spend time with your personal recruiter to better understand who you are interviewing with and the issues that you will be discussing during the interview.

You always need to “take temperatures” because people have minds and they’re changing them constantly. Being prepared for an interview is vital. The following preparation is unique and effective in conducting a positive interview.

Things To Remember:

  • People have to buy you before they buy from you.
  • People hire and accept emotionally first and justify logically later.
  • People are most sold by your conviction rather than by your persuasion.
  • Speak from your heart.
  • Know your technology but think PEOPLE.
  • The decision to hire is made in the first few minutes of the interview, with the remaining time spent justifying that decision.

Candidate Preparation:

Your job during the interview is to create value for yourself by:

  • Answering questions with specific examples of your experience – keep it brief.
  • Asking great questions that start with who, what, where, how or why. Write them down and bring them to the interview. Avoid compensation and benefits for the first interview.
  • Be prepared. Research the company and hiring authority.
  • Show your interest in the position.

Example Questions

  • What are the duties and responsibilities of the position? This is an excellent icebreaker question for the hiring authority and a great start to a successful interview. What percentage of my job is dedicated to administration, supervisory, and technical?
  • What is my number one priority that has to be done before I leave each day? Why?
  • What are the production or sales goals? What obstacles would prevent me from reaching my goals?
  • What is your background?
  • What are the short and long-term goals set for the person in this position?
  • Why do you like it here?
  • Salary – this is a trap question. If the question is brought up a very good response is “I would like as much as the position will pay” OR “I am currently making $_____. Although I would like an increase, I don’t know enough about the opportunity to answer that fairly”). Be very careful that you don’t short yourself. Be sure to keep in mind your base salary, bonus program, stock options, gain sharing programs, performance bonuses, benefits, etc.
  • Ask for the job! “I haven’t interviewed in a while, what is the next step? Can we conclude our business today if all goes well?” Summarize what you’ve done that ties in with the new position and ask, “Do I have the qualifications you’re looking for?” then remain silent for an answer. If the hiring authority says, “I’m looking at other people,” you say, “How do my qualifications match the people you’re considering.” Your #1 priority is to receive an offer, if this is a position that you desire, your #2 priority is to know the next step. ALWAYS SEND A FOLLOW-UP EMAIL, keep it brief.

After you leave the interview, it is very important that you call us immediately!

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