Back To Basics: The Resume—Tips To Make A Great First Impression

For both prospective college students, current college students and college alumnus,  there is a valuable resource often overlooked: Your University Career Service Office. The purpose of this office is to help its students navigate all aspects of the career development process providing up to date information on everything from resumes to the professional use of social media. The first step of the career development process, as emphasized in the Fordham Career Service Webpage is creating a Resume.

If you have ever been looking for a job, I’m sure you have asked yourself:  “What can I do to make my resume stand out and get an employer to seriously consider me for a job”?   If you Googled the term “resume”, you know that there’s a dizzying array of information and advice out there about what works best in putting something together that most effectively represents you.  How do you make sense of it all?

If you want your resume to have a good chance of being read by prospective employers, you must invest time and energy not only in its content, but also in its look. Whether you're creating your resume for the first time or in the process of revising it, keep the following tips that I learned during my time spent in the Fordham University Career Service office, on their website, and through their online services--that I now passing on to you to assure your resume is getting read:

1. Don’t reinvent the wheel. Particularly at the beginning of your career, it’s really hard to start your resume with a blank sheet of paper. So don’t. Check out examples at your university career center and borrow the best ideas for formatting, headings, wording and more. The Fordham Career Service Website offers easy to follow templates, and Resume Samples to help begin the process.

A Picture Guide: How To Dress For The Interview

There is something to be said for first impressions. Appearance is the first thing you communicate to others. Before you have a chance to speak, others notice how you dress and draw conclusions about you accordingly. Appropriate dress is one of the most important factors in your job search. Your dress creates an impression that can complement your credentials and give you an extra edge over a field of other qualified competent individuals.

There are standards of professional dress in all career fields. Some industries are more traditional, such as banking, consulting and business. Let the dress standards in the field(s) in which you are interviewing be a guide to what you wear for your interview. Attire in fields such as advertising, the arts, fashion, communications and entertainment is generally less conservative, so the rules are a bit more relaxed. Their dress code may be one of Business Casual Dress.

Business Dress for Interviews/Job Fairs:

Men's Interview Attire: 


Suit. Black for men was once considered severe or overly formal, and may still be considered so in very conservative industries, although it is commonly worn by many. Other color trends may come and go; avoid the extremes. Choose a solid such as dark blue, or very subtle weave pattern or plaid—the kind that look solid from across a room. Wool, wool blends, or very high quality blends with natural fiber, are the only acceptable fabrics for a conservative men's suit.

Long sleeve shirt. Choose white or light blue solid, or conservative stripes or coordinated with the suit.

Belt. Black or cordovan leather, to match your shoes.

Tie. Tie styles come and go. Select good quality silk ties. Avoid fashion extremes, like character ties, in interviews. Notice what men in your industry wear on the job, at career fairs, at information sessions, when they meet with clients.

Dark socks, conservative leather shoes. Dark socks, mid-calf length so no skin is visible when you sit down.

Jewelry. Wear a conservative watch. If you choose to wear other jewelry, be conservative. Removing earrings is safest. For conservative industries, don't wear earrings. Observe other men in your industry to see what is acceptable.

Neat, professional hairstyle.

Facial hair. If worn, should be well-groomed. Observe men in your industry if you are unsure what's appropriate or are considering changing your look Limit the aftershave.

Details. Everything should be clean and well pressed. Suits typically have tacking stitches to hold vents—on the jacket back and on sleeves — in place before the garment is purchased. Cut them off if your retailer/tailor doesn't. And that tag stitched on the outside of your sleeve is not meant to stay there like a Tommy Hilfiger label—cut it off! Carefully inspect clothes dangling threads, etc. Lastly use a portfolio or briefcase.


Women's Interview Attire:

Suit. (Navy, black or dark grey)—Wear a two-piece matched suit. Tailored pants suits are appropriate for women. Pants suits can be an excellent choice for site visits, particularly if the visit involves getting in and out of vehicles and/or the site is (or includes) a manufacturing plant or industrial facility. If you wear pants, they should be creased and tailored, not tight or flowing. If you are pursuing a conservative industry and are in doubt, observe well dressed women in your industry on the job, at career fairs, at information sessions, etc.

Skirt lengths. Much of what you see on television shows that masquerades for professional attire is actually inappropriate for a work environment. Your skirt should cover your thighs when you are seated. Showing a lot of thigh makes you look naive at best, foolish at worst. A skirt that ends at the knee when you're standing looks chic and professional. Longer skirts are professional too; just make sure they are narrow enough not to be billowing, but not so narrow that you can't climb stairs comfortably. Don't purchase a skirt or decide on a hem length until you sit in the skirt facing a mirror. That's what your interviewer will see. Ask yourself whether it will be distracting or reinforce your image as a person who looks appropriate for a business environment or gathering. High slits in skirts are not appropriate. A small back, center slit in a knee-length skirt is appropriate. On a calf length skirt, a slit to the knee to facilitate walking and stair climbing is appropriate. The suit skirt should be long enough so you can sit down comfortably

Coordinated blouse. Underneath the suit jacket, wear a tailored blouse in a color or small print that coordinates nicely with your suit. A fine gauge, good quality knit shell is also appropriate underneath your suit jacket. Don't show cleavage.

Conservative shoes. Should be leather or fabric/micro fiber. Shoe styles and heel heights come and go. Choose closed-toe pumps. Regardless of what is in style, avoid extremes; no stilettos or chunky platforms. Make certain you can walk comfortably in your shoes; hobbling in uncomfortable shoes does not convey a professional appearance.

Limited jewelry/accessories. (no dangling earrings, or arms full of bracelets.) No jewelry is better than cheap jewelry. Wear a conservative watch. Jewelry and scarf styles come and go. Keep your choices simple and leaning toward conservative. Avoid extremes of style and color

Neutral pantyhose. Should be plainly styled (no patterns), sheer (not opaque), and in neutral colors complementing your suit. Avoid high contrast between your suit and hosiery color.

Always remember to use a professional hairstyle; the more simple, the better. 

Cosmetics. Light on the perfume. Keep makeup conservative. A little is usually better than none for a polished look. Nails should be clean and well groomed. Avoid extremes of nail length and polish color, especially in conservative industries.

Portfolio or briefcase, Pad folios. Preferred over a bulky briefcase. A small briefcase is also appropriate. But if you have no reason to carry a briefcase, don't; you risk looking silly.

Purse/bag. If you carry a purse, keep it small and simple, especially if you also carry a briefcase. Purse color should coordinate with your shoes. You may choose to carry a small briefcase or business-like tote bag in place of a purse. Leather is the best choice for briefcases; micro fiber or fine woven's are also acceptable.


In conclusion, a suit for both women and men is almost always appropriate for all types of interviews. Buy the best quality business suit you can afford. Make sure it fits well, is comfortable, and is pressed before you wear it.

For some interview tips refer to my post: Do Your Research Before A Job Interview. For more clarification, a Google search will give you both picture examples and tutorials. Good luck interviewing!

Do Your Research Before A Job Interview

Congratulations! You submitted your resume and you landed a job interview. Take a minute to bask in the glow of confidence that comes with knowing your skills and experience have interested an employer to the point where they’d want to meet you in person. So now what?
 

You hear it all the time from career experts: "Research the company before you go into a job interview." But what does that mean, exactly? This post will provide some tips on using the Internet and tapping your network to gain information and insight that'll improve your interview answers and help you ask the right questions.  

Step 1: Research the Career Field
As a newbie it is vital that you  thoroughly research  the company's career field and current industry research. Knowing the most you can about the companies career field helps you compensate for lack of actual or extensive job experience. 

• How does this industry work--what do the organizations do, how do they make their money (or, in the case of nonprofits and government agencies, how and whom do they serve)?
• What are the skills, personal qualities, education and career paths that successful professionals in this industry share?
• What are the significant trends in this industry? Read relevant trade journals and websites: Professionals in many industries rely on journals and/or websites that provide current news and information on trends within the industry (e.g. in education  it's Education Week; in advertising, it's AdWeek).

Step 2: Research The Company

Performing research about a company shows interviewers that you are genuinely interested in the opportunity they’re offering. Most people like where they work, and if you seem enthusiastic and knowledgeable about their organization, they’re probably going to be more inclined to like the idea of you working there.

• Know the Company's Mission: Your prospective employer's Web site is a’s a treasure trove of information. Look for its mission statement: something that outlines the company's values (perhaps on an About Us or similar page). Consider how the position you want relates to that mission and think about how your experience and background have prepared you to support the company’s goals. 
• Research recent Company achievements and rewards: While you're at the company's site, look for a Press Room or Company News page that links to recent news releases. (Or simply search the Web for news about the company.)
• Research your Interviewers: If the company site has a search tool, use it to search for the names of the people you'll be meeting. You may find bio pages or press releases that give you insight into their activities at the company. Then look to LinkedIn or do a general Google search to get some more background information about them. You might find some common ground you can bring up in conversation, or a recent professional achievement for which you can talk about or pay a compliment.
• Know the Company's competitors and what makes the company different from their competitors: Get to know your target company’s competition and what they are doing. Wouldn't it be impressive to a prospective employer if you were able to give them a heads up on what their competition was doing? Even more impressive would be if you told the target company why you want to work for them over their competitor!
• The Company's clients: Knowing and discussing the Company's clients is touching on something the interviewers are passionate about because a company's clients is who they do work for everyday.  Knowing this shows diligence and shows that you took the time to go above and beyond in your research.
• Company Blogs, Twitter and Facebook accounts: Many companies  have corporate pages on Twitter, Facebook and Blogging platforms that announce their latest news and happenings. Social media is really useful to follow conversations about job opportunities, new products and the overall culture of companies.
•  Look up the Company on Glassdoor.com: This site describes itself as an anonymous workplace community that gives a free inside look at over 200,000 companies including salaries, employee reviews and interview questions. It's helpful in researching companies because the reviews are by actual employees and they give both pros and cons of that company. You can also identify salary expectations and prepare for interviews by seeing actual interview questions that other job candidates were asked. 

This all might sound like an unpaid consulting project or business school assignment, but I guarantee it's worth your while. Doing your research will make the difference between the “We’ll call you”, and the “When can you start?” that much smaller!