Carrie Connell - Audit Senior

You’re always hearing about what to make sure you include in your resume, but I have a website for you that will tell you exactly what NOT to include in your resume. Resumania is a term and website created by Robert Half, founder of Robert Half International. The term is used to “describe errors made by job seekers on resumes, applications and cover letters.”

Resumania was first published in the RHI company newsletter way back in 1996 and it was encouraged to readers to submit items they came across. Over time a steady flow of blunders came in from around the United States and its popularity continues to grow. They website may be funny and give you a bunch of laughs, but its purpose if to emphasize the importance of professionalism in resume preparation.

Some things to avoid in resume writing: personal information, attempts at humor, misusing or omitting words, extraneous or inappropriate information and awkward phrasing.

Visit Resumania to find out what mistakes people are making in their resume writing and check out the Top 10 Questions Frequently Asked by Job Hunters.

Candice Gaston - Audit Senior

Your profile information tells of the high school where you graduated, the college you currently attend, your ever changing relationship status…and how hammered you were this weekend. All of your friends post messages on your wall and paste pictures of your “extra-curricular” activities - so what does this have to do with your future employer? A great deal according to the New York Times article, “For Some, Online Persona Undermines a Résumé.”

Companies are utilizing these social networking sites to find out more information regarding the students they recruit. Sometimes, what employers find will cause them to completely forget the outstanding 4.0 and the “president-of-every-club” potential employee. No matter how glowing the résumé, information on your Facebook and MySpace pages can wreck your potential internship and/or full-time position.

Within the article and according to the Patricia Rose, the director of career Services at the University of Pennsylvania, companies even ask college students working as interns to perform their online background checks. One recruiter, while performing her own online review of a promising job applicant, found explicit photographs and commentary about the student’s “drinking and pot smoking” escapades, including “testimonials from friends.” Among the pictures, she found photos of the formerly-known as “promising job applicant” passed out after drinking. Needless to say, the potential job for this promising job applicant was given to another student - probably one with cleaner Facebook or MySpace pages!

Easy lessons: review your social networking pages to ensure whatever content you have posted is something you would feel comfortable showing to a future employer! Take down the unprofessional commentaries from your friends, delete the pictures you don’t remember taking because you were in a different state of mind, and land the job of your dreams!

Don’t let your online social page outweigh your glowing résumé in the mind of your potential future employers!

Jessica Clarke - Systems Associate

You put a lot of effort into crafting a resume that will convey your talents and experience so don’t drop the ball when it comes to your cover letter. The resume you send to your prospective employer will be what gets you in the door, but the cover letter that goes along with it will be what gets them to open the door in the first place.

A recent article by Caroline Potter on Yahoo! HotJobs lays out an easy five-step formula for cover letter success created by job-search expert Deborah Brown-Volkman.

• Step 1: Cut to the chase - Begin your cover letter by clearly identifying why you are reaching out to the company. Make sure to cover all relevant facts such as the position’s title and location.
• Step 2: What I like about you - Complete the statement, “I like your company because…” Tell the organization what they have done right and why you admire them. This shows you have take the time to get to learn about the company.
• Step 3: What you’ll like about me - Brown-Volkman encourages job seekers to list their most vital qualifications up front. You want to include relevant examples of work that you have completed that matches up with what the employer is looking for.
• Step 4: What else you’ll like about me - Personalize your letter by describing who you are and what makes you stand out from the crowd. Some things to discuss may be your soft skills, strengths and what you’re passionate about professionally. This is your last chance to say, “Here’s why I’m a good candidate…”
• Step 5: In conclusion - Your closing paragraph should express your enthusiasm for the position and interview along with a plan of action. Make note of your contact information and state what the next steps will be. Whatever you put down, make sure you do what you say you will!

View the entire Yahoo! HotJobs article.

Deborah Brown-Volkman is the founder of SurpassYourDreams.com.

Nick Head - Audit Staff

Your resume will be the first impression you make with future employers and writing a resume that gets interviews is not as hard as one may think.

An article from Yahoo! Hot Jobs titled “How to Write a Resume That Gets Interviews” lays out four simple tips to ensure your resume will be a hit!

1. Keep It Simple- Make sure your resume is easy to understand and clearly communicates you possess the knowledge and experience needed for the particular job you are applying for.
2. Features versus Benefits - Do not just list your skills and features, show the employer how you can benefit their company. Think about the times you went above and beyond the call of duty!
3. Truth in Advertising - If you lie on your resume, more than likely you will be caught! Make sure you have actually done what you write in your resume. Lying on a resume is waste of time for both the employer and yourself.
4. It Takes Two - Don’t rely solely on your spelling and grammar checks when proofreading your resume. Find someone you trust to read over your resume before submitting it to any employers.

One more thing to remember when writing your resume - avoid the use of fancy words. Doing this to try to sound intelligent or qualified may just annoy the employer.

Sonny MacArthur - Audit Principal

Fall is here and with it comes the anticipation of career fairs and job interviews. To help you prepare for these important events, I thought I’d pass along some obvious, yet often ignored, resume and interview advice.

The Resume Don’t just spell check your resume, audit it! Look at it, or better yet, have someone else look at it to prevent costly errors. There is nothing worse than reading the resume of a qualified candidate and finding a typo or grammatical error. Yes, everyone makes mistakes, but on a resume is not the time or place, particularly if you are applying for a job where a numerical typo can have a financial impact!

The Interview There are many ways to mess up an interview, but keeping a few things in mind can make a big difference. First, DO NOT BE LATE! Getting caught in traffic is not an excuse. Traffic accidents are a fact of life in big cities, so plan for them. Plan to arrive early and utilize any extra time to review company information, prepare questions you plan to ask and rehearse your interview responses.

Second, know a little bit about the company and the position you are seeking. Even if you know everything there is to know about the company, be prepared to ask questions. While you might think that knowing a lot about the company might appear to be a thorough knowledge, the prospective employer might perceive it as a lack of interest if you don’t ask a question or two.

Third, keep the attitude in check. While confidence is good, arrogance is not! There is a fine line between being knowledgeable and confident and being disrespectful and arrogant. Show your confidence with strong eye contact and a strong handshake.

Finally, it is often said that you should dress for the job you want, not the job you have. This is a very true statement. In the field of public accounting, it is important to wear a nice suit, conservative shirt, tie and shoes, even if your prospective employer’s office is dressed business casual.

For more information on how to prepare for a job interview visit The Wall Street Journal Executive Career Site and review its list of interview questions.