Our last post taught you what should be in your resume; this time we focus on the layout of that resume.

In these changing times, your resume has to stand out and fit all manner of medium (meaning it has to look good printed, as well within email and on various websites). So, how do you ensure that yours stands out amongst all others? Take a look at any newspaper for direction. Not only do they have to fit all mediums, they now have to compete with blogs, opinions and keep both readers and advertisers happy on a daily basis.

First thing you should notice on the newspaper is the layout. I can take one quick look and know where to find what I need. Make sure your resume is clean and easy to navigate. It may be fun to create a funky resume, but don’t go too far – if you’re not a graphic designer, you could be asking your reader to work too hard to find your information.

The most important spot on any resume is the top left corner. We read pages, regardless of website or printed piece, from top to bottom and left to right. The top left spot on a newspaper usually includes the company logo and should showcase the most important piece of your resume: your contact information. When I am scanning resumes, I always look at contact info first to see if the person is located in the correct area (more often than not, I want somebody to start immediately, so I can’t consider someone looking to relocate). Don’t use fancy fonts for your name or address (Georgia is always a good choice, easy to read and available on all computers). Again, unless you are showcasing design skills, make reading the resume as simple as possible.
The second most important spot is the rest of the top bar. This should house your objective. Hopefully you know which specific job you are applying for, so you should tailor this one sentence to that job and answer the question, “Why are you the best fit for this job?” If you are posting to a site and not for one particular job, answer that question about your ideal job.

Next, the actual content. When journalists write they use the inverted pyramid, meaning the most important information is at the top with more minor, more detailed information at the bottom. This way, editors and readers can understand the entire story from the first few sentences. Below your objective and contact information, your qualifications are next on the list of importance. Start with your most recent job and work your way backwards. If you are fresh out of college, use any positions you may have had on student government, campus newspaper or within your fraternity. Try to show how this has enhanced your education. Did you win any awards, learn organizational skills, did you have to stick to strict deadlines or come up with fresh ideas? Put this info here.

The next thing I like to put actually steps away from the newspaper layout. Put your additional info next: any volunteer work, community groups, any articles printed. The reason I put it here is habit. It’s habit to expect a newspaper’s contact information in the footnotes and it’s habit to expect education to be at the bottom of a resume. There’s a good chance that a reader will read the top of your resume and then skim to the bottom to see your education.

So, last on the list is your education and any awards or accolades (restate them if you have them in the detail of your previous jobs). Start with the highest level.

Thinking of your resume like a journalist might think of an article or an editor might think of the newspaper puts you in that competitive mindset, which in these tough times you need. To get the job you want, your resume is your lead story – make it easy to read, interesting and intriguing.

Stay tuned, next we will discuss how to Search Engine Optimize your resume.

Regular old resumes appear to be for the birds these days. According to Colorado Tech University, the resume you choose needs to include your social networking savvy as well as your standard experience. Their own infographic walks a resume writer through the necessary steps:

On Monday morning, I woke up to a text message from a close friend who made me feel as if I were the Rachel Zoe of the business fashion world. She asked, “If you wear a black skirt to an interview, do you have to wear a black blazer with it?” I thought my eyes were fooling me (I’m not necessarily known as the most fashionable of the bunch), so I rubbed them a bit and yes, the words were still there… at 7:30 in the morning on a vacation day. Turns out, my friend was doing some Labor Day shopping (both online and in stores) for a job interview coming up during the week. I guess I have to say I was flattered that she (also my elder) was coming to me for career wardrobe advice. I know this question may seem silly to some of you, but I’m curious to know… is it something you can say you’ve actually considered? I like to tell myself I know every single “do” and “don’t’” for interview and career attire, but the truth is, there are still some things I’ve never even really thought about (this scenario being one of those things).

It’s been said time and time again that carefully constructing the perfect interview outfit is worth the effort because it can be a deciding factor in whether or not you land the job. In fact, appearance isn’t just critical to first impressions during interviewing, it’s also important throughout your entire career! For example, have you ever noticed people dress up a little more at networking events or social events after work hours? That’s because they recognize that what you wear can be what defines you when you first meet new people (similar to that of an interview), so you need to make the best first impression possible. It’s just the plain truth. Once you recognize this (if you haven’t already), you may find that your career could be suffering a closet crisis and now is the time to get help!

Going back to the original story at hand… I thought to myself, well, can you wear a different a blazer and bottom that don’t match? Honestly, many of us out there probably can’t rattle off a list of exact dress-code rules for job interviews and your career other than just knowing the everlasting rule that you need to dress “professional.”

It seems that we all might have our own slightly different perceptions of what’s considered the “right” thing to wear to a job interview. So how can you play it safe? I did some research and I’ve compiled a list of rules that are generally accepted as what to wear and what not to wear to a job interview and throughout your career (including the answer to the suit question!). Take a look below, you may actually find some you didn’t know about.

For women:

1. Bring a basic handbag in neutral or dark color.
2. Wear neutral hose with a skirt! Do not go bare legged in a skirt.
3. Use appropriate accessories such as small classic styled earrings, a thin necklace or strand of pearls, no more than one ring per hand. No tongue, nose or eyebrow pierced jewelry. Avoid noisy or chunky jewelry as it could be considered distracting.
4. Don’t put on too much makeup.
5. Avoid sleeveless tops and dresses as well as skirts that are too short (above the knee).
6. Leave the heavy perfume at home and stick to body splash or small dabs of regular perfume.
7. Make sure to wear close toed heels. Do not show up in open toe shoes, flip flops or sandals!
8. Make sure that the hairstyle you choose holds back any stray hairs from falling on your face. You do not want to play with your hair or have to touch it very much while speaking about yourself.
9. Avoid anything ruffled, frilly or lacy, along with accessories on shirts in the form of extra buttons or bows. You want to be classy, not cute.

For men:

1. Polish or clean your shoes – no scuff marks.

1. Be careful with cologne and aftershave! Most likely, your interview will take place in a small interviewing room with just yourself and the interviewer. You may want to consider using none at all.
2. Remember to trim your facial hair! If worn, it should be well-groomed. Observe men in your industry if you are unsure what’s appropriate.
3. Hair should be clean and well kept. Shorter hair is generally considered to be favorable.
   1. Do not wear too much jewelry. No more than one ring per hand. Wear a watch with a leather or metal band. If you wear cuff links, choose a classic style.

For both:

1. Stick to basic, conservative colors and fabric: Navy, dark gray and black work for suit colors. Button down shirts and blouses should be reserved to basic colors, avoid patterns. Wool and wool blends are generally the best fabrics in all seasons. Avoid acetate / rayon blends. Remember that simple, classic styles will save you money in the long run because they never go out of style.
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By Phil Rosenberg

Most job seekers leave their recommendations up to chance when careful planning can help you tell the most important parts of your story to a potential employer.

The extent of most candidates’ reference planning stops at asking prior bosses, peers and clients to give a reference. While it’s polite to ask your reference first, it’s just not enough.

Do you know exactly what the reference is going to say to a potential employer? Since this is something you can control, why leave it up to chance?

Why Manage References?

Most candidates leave the content of their references up to chance because they don’t know what their references are saying… placing their faith that it will be something “positive.”

Just because a reference is positive, doesn’t mean it provides the help (or the right type of help) that you may need.

1. ”Positive” references come in many flavors: Will your reference give you just an OK ref, a good ref, or a truly great reference? The difference between these types of “positive” references can be communicated by tone, pacing, enthusiasm, and word choice. Do you know how “positive” of a reference you are being given (may not correlate to the positive reviews you got)?
2. References each tell a part of your story: A “positive” reference may naturally talk about the same aspect of your performance as the rest of your references. On one hand, it’s nice that everyone says the same thing, but it limits the outside corroboration that references provide your personal story. You’re typically better represented if each reference focuses on a different skill that you bring to an employer. Often the references you choose truly want to help, but don’t know what to say that will help you.
3. Reference doesn’t know what’s important to the company: Will your reference choose to talk about what a great team player you were, not realizing you are interviewing for a role where individual contribution is more important than collaboration? Will your well-meaning reference talk about the great job you did as a generalist, when your prospective employer is looking for specific subject matter expertise?

Most candidates leave these types of issues with references up to chance. Since there is so much out of your control in job search, isn’t it in a candidate’s best interest to actively manage the things they can control?

Now that you realize some of the risks of unmanaged references, let’s talk about how to manage your references.

Ah, summer, what power you have to make us suffer and like it.”

–Russell Baker, American journalist and humorist

Monday marked the official start of the summer and while most of us may be concerned with losing a few extra pounds around our midsection or toning up our pecks before hitting the shores this season, this might not be the only shaping up that needs to happen.

This summer, treat your resume like you do your bathing suit bod and you will find much more ease with your job search! You may want to evaluate your current situation and determine the best strategy to boost your chances of getting a call back. Depending on where you stand, you may find yourself bulking up, slimming down or simply just toning up your resume a bit over the summer:

Need to bulk up: Is your resume looking a little bare? Need to beef it up? If you need to add to your resume, you may want to consider doing some volunteer work at local charities, alumni associations, community groups, professional interest groups, etc.