You feel ready. After all, this isn’t your first rodeo. You’ve got half a dozen job interviews under your belt by now. You know what not to wear, what fragrances and flashy pieces of jewelry to avoid. You’ve got a firm grip on your strengths and weaknesses and feel ready to conquer just about any question that comes to pass.   However, sometimes it is the more subtle questions that carry the most weight. The sneaky opportunity that the hiring manager may take to determine what exactly you can offer the company. After all, this interview is less about you than you may realize. Your strengths, weaknesses, assets, and former glories are but a glimpse as to the promise you bring as a potential employee.   “Why Should I Hire You?” This is the question that seems as though it would [...]

  Your resume is seamless. Your skill set is impressive. You’ve been practicing a realm of possible interview questions for months. All things considered, you feel confident when the phone call or email arrives letting you know that you have been chosen for a job interview.   However, many hopeful job seekers fail to take into account their body language when it comes to landing their next job. Just as you take note of body language in casual conversation between friends and family, the hiring manager will be studying your body in the interview. The idea is to come across as warm and likeable versus over-confident or frazzled.   You may have little to no control over the circumstances before you on the day of your interview. A flat tire on your drive in or a heavy rain on your perfectly [...]

In a society that relies so heavily on self-sufficiency, most job-seekers head straight to Google to take care of business. They simply search for a decent looking resume template and plug in a few pertinent details. This method may do the trick for some, but for many who are seeking a more professional position…the basic resume format is severely lacking.   When you go to apply for a job and submit your resume, you want it to be something that you’re proud of, that which does a solid job of representing your aptitude as a potential employee. The hiring manager that sits down to take a momentary glance at your document will quickly dismiss anything that is not well-written or lacks a professional touch.   If you want to rest assured that your resume will stay at the top of the [...]

We all go to work each morning for different reasons. While we could categorize those different reasons across the board, we are all very individual in what motivates us. No two combinations are the same when it comes to understanding what it is exactly that we want from our work, what it is that drives us toward our personal definition of success. Of course, we all do it for the paycheck. But, shouldn’t there be more than just the money that keeps us going from day to day?   Some of us like to have a set of goals to accomplish. We want to feel as though we are contributing to something bigger and more important than ourselves. Others may have a personal mission that they want to see accomplished through their work. This type of workplace motivation is very inwardly [...]

Every actor must prepare for his audition before he lands the role he is after. Every athlete must spend time perfecting his or her game before the gold medal is in hand. Looking ahead to the prize you seek is what keeps you focused and helps you to know what work needs to be done to get there.   Assessing your career’s future is no different. The decisions you make today, for the worse or for the better, will impact your chances at advancement. One cannot sit back and assume that today’s work ethic won’t apply to tomorrow’s opportunities. Someone who has plans to climb the ladder of success and eventually wind up in a job other than their present one can never start too soon in getting there.   A great leader makes wise decisions in difficult situations. Leaders must [...]

It is a full-time job to keep up with all of the new apps that are circulating in our world these days. Virtually every need that you have throughout the day can be met with the use of one app or another. For some, this is music to their ears, and they have to purchase an extra device just to hold all of their apps and data. For others, the number of new apps is so overwhelming that it’s just easier to stick to the few that you already know and love, or at least those that you somewhat understand and tolerate.   Although stepping out into unknown territory can be scary, it’s hard to know whether or not you have the best tricks up your sleeve at any given time if you don’t take a look at your options. When [...]

Your resume and cover letter, as professional and pristine as they may be, can only go so far in authenticating your credibility as a potential job candidate. You need people in your corner who will attest to the things you have shared about yourself. You need men and women who know what you’re made of and who can articulately speak to your strengths and abilities. The references that you choose will become a vital part of your application process, for better or for worse.   The references dossier that we assemble for our Platinum Resumes clients is set apart from most other pieces of referencing documentation. There is no need to keep the same, dry format that every other guy uses. You need something that pops, something that provides the hiring manager with more than just the basic contact information and [...]

For many of us, the first step of the job search process is thought to be marked by the entry line of a resume or the opening paragraph of a cover letter. We know that we need these important documents in place before we even begin to fill out an application. This thought process holds truth. We do need a solid and dynamic resume and cover letter to boost us high above the other job contenders.   However, many on the job hunt often drastically underestimate the power of networking. Whether you are turning the dial back six months or six years, there is often opportunity missed if you fail to evaluate your personal and professional connections. There are those that have success in pouring over LinkedIn connections to find potential and pertinent job openings while others comb through past emails [...]

Summer is drawing to a close, and the madness of all things back-to-school is in full swing. Parents are tearfully sending their kids off to kindergarten or college for the first time. Teachers are reluctantly returning to their classrooms after an all-too-short summer break. And, many of you are wincing as you fill in the blanks on your upcoming calendars regarding school-related events, games, practices, and so forth.   Busy seasons in life are always full of both excitement and weariness. We wake up in the mornings with the best of intentions and fall into bed at night with merely a shred of energy left to spare. For those who are cycling through the back-to-school rush while also trying to remain steady on the job hunt, the journey can be challenging. Whether you are a parent who is juggling a busy [...]

Have you been busy on the job search for weeks? Even months? The grueling process of filling out applications and resubmitting your resume time after time without any real results can be disheartening, to say the least. There are some days where you need help reconvincing yourself that it’s all worth your time and efforts.   There are a few key mistakes that some of us make along this journey that can be avoided if brought to our attention early enough in the game. We make all the right choices when it comes to our resume, cover letter, interview prep, etc. We have spent the time, and maybe even the money, ensuring that our resume and personal brand is seamless and delivered with professionalism. But has our outlook been prepared just as methodically?   When one sets out on the job [...]