Giving Yourself A Competitive Edge To Land That Perfect Job Presentation

This morning, I gave a presentation titled “Giving Yourself A Competitive Edge To Land That Perfect Job” to the Philadelphia Area Great Careers Group Meetup that provided help to attendees who are looking for career advice, a new job or are who in transition on the following:

• How to improve skills while in transition or looking for a new position
• How to tailor your resume to catch and hold the attention of a hiring manager
• How to improve your interviewing skills so that you nail every interview
• Where and how to network to connect with the right people to open doors to your new position

1. Create a career plan.
2. Manage your career plan.
3. Finding a job is a FULL-TIME job.
4. Improve your skills and stay current and relevant.
5. Networking is the BEST way to find a new position.
6. Recruiters may spend 10 seconds at the most looking at your resume, so grab their attention fast.
7. Tailor your resume to the position to which you are applying.
8. Preparation is KEY for interviewing.

The more effort you put into each phase of finding a job, the better chance of you landing the perfect job.  Don’t just expect good jobs to come to you.  You have to put in time and energy looking for them.  Don’t just throw your resume up on job boards and expect magic to happen.  The 2-day Agile and Scrum workshops that I’ve been running since last year are a perfect example of what job seekers can do to improve their skills and stay current and relevant.  Always better yourself by strengthening your skills as well as acquiring new skills.  Make it easy for recruiters to see that you are the perfect fit for a position by tailoring your resume to match the skills and requirements for the position.  Practice interview questions in advance of the interview.  Research the company and your interviewer.  Show interest in the position.  And stay positive and confident, because that will come through in your interview and rub off on your interviewer!