So your changing careers and need to write a resume; but you don’t know which format to use. Your probably already familiar with either the chronological or functional format; but have decided that neither one of these will do in this situation. Well you’ve come to the right place; where you’ll be introduced to the combination resume.

The problem with using a chronological resume is that the HR manager will normally start reading at the bottom of the work history/professional experience section and continue reading their way up through your career history. This will bring employment gaps and unrelated jobs to there attention right away, which spells trouble for your employment search. Most HR mangers prefer this format because it is so easy to find what they are looking for. If you have been in the same type of position for the better part of your career this could be an excellent advantage because this shows continuity and progression in your field.

What if you have held different positions across multiple industries? There are many reasons for gaps in employment and holding positions in different fields, but this doesn’t help your resume and subsequently your career search. Don’t be discouraged though, the first thing you will need to accomplish is tossing out your old resume and getting a fresh start with a combination resume.

The first order of business with this new resume will be to create a career summary section that will emphasize points in your career that will be of most interest to the particular company in which you are interested. In particular you’ll want to indicate transferable experience and skills that best match the qualifications of the position you desire.

To make things easier on the reader you’ll also want to create a keywords section that lists all of your transferable skills. Making things easier on the reader will put things in your favor, also this section is useful if the company employs resume scanning technology.

When writing your professional experience/work history section you’ll want to present your experience in functional sections. To do this you’ll want to gather up all the experience gained over the years and collectively categorize it into particular skill areas. When finished with this section you’ll want to have at least three categories to show multiple strengths, and you’ll want each category to have at least four bulleted sentences to support it.

Next you’ll want to make a section to list the companies, locations, job titles, and dates of your previous employment. You can chose to either title this section something like work history or you can just leave the title out and it will be generally understood.

By: Blake Siseme

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When preparing for your next job interview, you’ll want to have top-notch answers to the 8 most common interview questions. These answers provide a guideline to follow, and the most important thing to do is be yourself when answering these common interview questions. The sincerity that will come through will do more to impress the interviewer than anything you have to say.

Given that, here are the 8 most common interview questions:

1. Tell me about yourself.

Perhaps this the most famous and common interview question of all interview questions. “Tell me about yourself” is the gateway to just about anything you wish to say. When asked the question, the interviewer doesn’t want to know where you were born or what color your hair is. This question prompts you to show the interviewer why you are qualified for this job. Your answer may reveal some of your greatest achievements or how your past experience might relate to the job you are applying for.

2. Why would I hire you?

For this common interview question, you need to realize that the better answer you give, the easier it is for the employer — It’s up to you to give the employer a reason to hire you. This is a great time to tell the interviewer about any past work experience that is relevant to the job you are applying for. You might say, “When I was working at my previous job, I did (fill in with specific duty or responsibility). I feel that this experience will allow me to excel at this position I am applying for.” This helps the interviewer picture you in the position, and is a great answer to this common interview question.

3. What are you strengths?

The first thing you should do is figure out 2-3 things about yourself that you really like about yourself and elaborate. This should put you in good shape to answer this commonly asked interview question. Always support your strength with a real-life example. For example, you may say you are dedicated. You should back this up with the time at your last job where you had an important project due and worked extra hours to make sure it got done, for instance. Now the interviewer has better insight into your work ethic and how you conduct yourself in pressure situations.

4. What are your weaknesses?

When answering this common interview question, you always want to give an answer that isn’t really a weakness. You may say, “I don’t speak a second language,” or “when I start a project, I can’t focus on anything else until I get it done.” This shows that you are dedicated and hard working. You never want to truly bash yourself when answering this common interview question. That isn’t the point. Making a positive seem negative is the trick.

5. What is the most important thing to you in a job?

If there is something really important for you to have in a job, be honest and say it. Remember, a job interview is a tool to reveal the best fit for the company. If something is really important to you that the company doesn’t offer, it is best to reveal it now. Out of all the common interview questions, this is the one where you really need to follow your instincts.

6. What are you career goals?

Employers ask this interview question because they want to see what positions you might grow into if you were hired. The company may be looking for a candidate they can groom into their next Senior VP. However, if you are only looking for a job to cover you for the next couple of years, it might not be the best match.

7. Do you have any questions for me?

Do your research ahead of time and if you truly have a question, ask it. When you ask legitimate, relevant questions, you show the interviewer you put in time to research beforehand. However, don’t ever ask questions just to ask questions or to look good. The interviewer will sense your lack of authenticity right away and that may hurt your chances. Make the time to think of an intelligent question about the job before hand. You may ask, “what is a typical day like for this position?” You can also ask, “What opportunity for advancement does this position have?”

8. Why did you leave your last job?

Whatever the reason was, tell the story of why is was mutually beneficial for you to leave the company. Never blurt out, “I got fired,” and end it at that. It makes you look bad and can even make the interviewer feel uncomfortable. Prepare an honest story with a logical reason that doesn’t reveal too much personal information or company gossip. If you did get fired, you can use this as an opportunity to discuss what you lessons you learned and what you would now do differently.

Now you have top-notch answers to the 8 most common interview questions. Keep practicing your answers and nail your next interview!

By: Robert Lawrence

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If you are in the market for a job and are nervous about the job interview, then you should know that when it comes to job interviews having the same motto as the boy scouts will go a long way in seeing you through successfully. And if you haven’t already guessed what that is, then let me tell you that it’s “be prepared”.

Of course, it’s no secret that when you apply for a position at any firm, you need to prepare yourself to contend with a variety of interview questions and answers based on the type of job and interview processes. For instance, some companies might want to test you based on your reaction in different scenarios and may conduct a behavior interview whereas other corporations might hold their interviews in group sessions.

The key to making a good job interview is to speak the right answers and ask the right questions. Depending on the job you apply for, you should be prepared not only for the questions the interviewer might ask you but you should also have your own list of questions ready that you might want to ask the interviewer.

Employers usually hire people who have displayed a keen level of interaction in their interviews. This is because; companies prefer to hire personnel who have a genuine interest in the company and are thinking about the company’s future as well.

Unfortunately though, some interviewees end up saying the wrong thing at the right time. Here are two perfect examples of worst interview answers to avoid. In other words, the two things you should NOT say during a job interview question and answers session:

Q#1 : How long have you been looking for work and why did you leave your last job?

A#1 : I’ve been looking for a job for ages now and I quit my last job because everybody there hated me and they always accused me of coming to work drunk. So one day I got sick of it and decided to walk out of the joint.

Q#2 : We require managers to work longer than the basic 8 hours per day? Are you willing to put in that kind of effort?

A#2 : Oh yes! I would love to spend most of my day here; it sure beats watching Oprah and eating chips on the couch at home!

Although the interview question and answers mentioned above may make you giggle, you should know that as bad as those answers were, there are some good job interview answers for the same questions that you can say to seal the deal in your favor. Let’s take a look at them now:

Q#1 : How long have you been looking for work and why did you leave your last job?

A#1 : I left my last job because I had a definite goal in mind and my position in the company where I previously worked directly conflicted with that. So, after I left that firm, I took some time out to assess my career ambitions and where I was headed with my life. In fact, I began my job search in the last few weeks and your company and this position, both are of great interest to me.

Q#2 : We require managers to work longer than the basic 8 hours per day? Are you willing to put in that kind of effort?

A#2 : I have no problem working for longer durations of time and I have worked 12 to 14 hour job days in the past. Although, I have learned that it is more important to work smarter rather than longer. Having said that, my primary goal is to get the job done no matter what it takes and in the most efficient manner possible.

To conclude, there really is no way of accurately predicting the questions you might face in an interview. However, you can always prepare yourself with possible interview questions and answers based on the factors that might concern your prospective employer before the interview.

By: Paul Sarwanawadya

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Answer Interview Questions

Have you tried writing a resume lately? Its one of the tasks that many people hate to do for numerous reason. One of them includes the fact that if you are contemplating writing a resume it probably means you are about to start a job search. If you are already writing one you’ve probably already started. Either way, Writing a resume has the potential to be a challenge.

Good News

There is good news however and it is that there are templates for resume writing and templates for creating stunning cover letters too. All this makes resume writing less of a challenge. Some resume builders, writing software, online resume builders and downloadable writing software hold you literally by the hand taking you step-by step through the entire resume writing and cover letter creation process. So if you require help in writing a resume, consider investigating resume writing products, both downloadable and online version.

Resume Writing Software

In addition to internet based resume creation tools, there are good software packages that give you the same options. They assist you in creating “killer” resumes and cover letters…with “killer” meaning good by the way! The best ones, the ‘creme-de-la-creme’ are very similar to the job-searching tools and help with resume circulation online resume builders provide. The main difference in my humble opinion, between online and downloadable resume writing software is that you use one online and the other you download. With a price tag of below $50 these can be great investments as opposed to ongoing price range, which is not bad for the service you’re receiving.

Why Use Resume Writing Software At All?

Making use of resume writing software and building programs gives saves you time and also allows you to and crank out your own very professional looking resumes on-demand. Being able to do this is essential if you are applying for different jobs that lay emphasis on different skill sets. Resume writing software does lots of other things too. You can learn more about these options and start to crank out your own professional interview securing resume in next to no time. The hardest part is knowing which one to use that suits your individual circumstances. Take time to consider this then take action.

By: 'Bayo Akinola-Odusola

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