RESUME

§         Frame your entire resume around what you want to talk about in the job interview.

§         Give the interviewer enough information about each item on your resume that they can ask you an intelligent question about your experience.  Otherwise delete the topic.

§         Focus on your accomplishments and highlight significant events (not just a history of where you've been).

§         Don't put too much detail about any one job on the front page of the resume.

§         Don't use too much technical jargon.

§         Use some wide borders and don't fill the pages up with dense text.  Use bullets and make the resume easy to scan read.

§         Add a "Publications and Presentations" section to your resume, if applicable.

§         Add a brief "Hobbies & Interests" section to your resume (it gives the interviewer some non-work related things to talk to you about and may give you a common interest). 

JOB SEARCH

§         Develop a job search plan, and then work your plan to a successful conclusion.

§         Stay focused on what you really want to do.

§         Focus on a few organizations or companies at a time.

§         Keep good records of whom you talked to or wrote to and when you need to get back to them.

§         Use your reference contacts and other associations for good job leads.  Be very specific in telling them what you are looking for.  Let them know your sense of urgency and keep following up with them until you get the job you want.  Tell them when you get your new job.

§         Do some serious research on the organizations/companies you are interested in.

§         Don’t get into a “grass is always greener” syndrome.  Stay focused on what you really want.  If not sure, do your research and do some hard thinking about it, then go back to your job search more focused.

§         Temper what you really want to do with your available options.

§         Make your next job something that you want to stay at for quite awhile, this means you want to interview for a job that you really want to stay at for several years.

JOB INTERVIEWING

§         Prepare a script ahead of time of the major points that you want to make about your resume (or bring up during the interview).

§         Focus on your accomplishments and what you think you have to offer.

§         Listen for items in the job requirement, so that you can relate them to specific things in your background, but be concise.

§         Prepare some questions ahead of the interview and plan to get them answered.

§         Do some research on the position and the company/organization - bring this along on the interview.  Maybe ask them some questions related to your research in order to illustrate your interest in their company.

§         Stay focused and don't ramble on when answering questions.  Watch the interviewer's body language and err on the side of being concise.  Ask for clarification on a question, if needed, particularly if you're not sure whether to continue with a longer response.

§         Relax and be yourself during the interview.  Put the interviewer at ease and show some of your personality.  Be professional, but don't be stiff.

§         Bring along a few (2-3), reports that you have written.  These should be current, and individually bound.  Reference these in your resume under "Articles and Presentations".

§         Plan to take a few notes during the interview and ask about anything you are uncertain about at the end of the interview.

§         Ask for the job, or for the next step in the process.

§         Don't accept any job offer until you have all your questions answered.  Ask to have a day or two to think about it, then really think about it before you accept.

§         Don't ignore issues like benefits, vacation, and retirement plans.

§         Avoid conditional jobs or trial period jobs.

§         Never accept any job offer until you have interviewed the person that would be your actual boss, and preferably his boss as well.

Try to have at least two job offers for comparison.  But if the first one looks great, don't continue shopping and risk losing it.