random thoughts, by request:
brothermarcus: absolutely, and it can be a great idea IF the suit is plain, and IF you vary your tie, and IF you look killer in it. OTOH, 2nd interview is a chance to demonstrate your diversity. i would prefer to find a way to incorporate my finest shoes and custom jacket and pants in a way that said, "I am wearing $5000.00 of clothes, but i could give a shit. Let's get to work!" adjust scale per your income/disposable cash.
there is no outfit a pair of Mantellassi's won't make better. and those who don't know any better won't think you're one-upping them.
interview clothing requirement numero uno: Brooks Brothers underwear. trust me. you would be amazed at the number of successful people who choose the brothers to guard their junk in times of significance. its a small luxury that you CAN afford.
what gets my attention in a resume:
1) clean appearance. no fancy fonts. did we mention
that paper resumes get laughed at? if you must use a
paper resume, print it on some paper you stole from
your current job. if you want the psychology of why
printing a resume on plain paper is the best choice,
let me know and i'll tell you in another post.
2) name in big letters. you have no idea how many
resumes i have to endure for a given position. don't
make me work to find your name.
3) since i expect to be reviewing it electronically, i
really don't care how long it is, as long as its not
more than 3.5 pages. but it better not be just 1. is
that all you got?
4) "Objectives" are for people who couldn't spend two
seconds to think of something better. I don't care
what your objectives are. I care what you can do for
my organization.
5) That said, a Professional Experience section WILL
get read. So, you better pack that paragraph with
strong and specific statements.
6) Give me something to chew on. You made some claims
in #5, now back it up. Give me five examples of
specific successes that support #5. Two sentences
each. You will use these repeatedly during your
interview. Hammer on them. If you're good, this is
what I'll remember.
7) if you have a fancy education but little
experience, put it next. But, be modest here. I might
not have gone to as nice a school and I don't want
your Harvard ass trying to show me up (btw, I've
worked with dozens of Harvard MBAs... don't think your
predecessors have paved the way for you and your
Section F inside jokes, quite the opposite in most
cases).
8) no fancy education? work experience. don't triple
space stuff to take up acreage on that vast stretch of
empty white. do add detail about the work you did.
trust me, i'm not going to read it anyway.
9) whatever education you do have after work
experience.
10) whatever else is relevant to my business. your
professional organization memberships, your language
skills, your certifications, your specific training.
11) do NOT list your hobbies or ANYTHING personal.
terribly unprofessional. do not list anything related
to your age, your gender, your marital status, your
sexual preference, your race, or your religion. i am
very very prohibited from legally asking you questions
on these topics, and i don't want even a whiff of that
crap.
12) if you're doing a traditional CV for an academic
position, none of these rules apply.
generally:
bullet points always look organized
i don't interview for entry level positions except in
extreme circumstances, so the rules might be
different, but generally, that cover letter you worked
so hard on? gets dropped when the recruiter passes the
candidate info along. therefore, work only as hard as
the material is relevant. don't think that a good
cover letter gets you the job. a good cover letter
might get your resume read. a good resume will get you
a phone screen. a good phone screen gets you a face to
face. a good interview gets you in consideration. a
GREAT second interview gets you the job, or a GREAT
whatever-round interview. unfortunately, you don't get
to botch any of them.
a nice little trend i've been seeing is the inclusion
of personal reference statements in a separate
portfolio. this is the one case where kitsch wins. you
get five letters of recommendation from maybe a few
profs and an ex-boss or two? or best of all, from a
name-brand client... dude... that is the fucking cat's
meow. you WILL get brought in just out of pure
skepticism alone. are you REALLY that good? I want to
find out. Just expect me to have an extremely
challenging interview style for the first half of the
interview. You make it through that... we'll move
right into negotiations. You get flustered, and you're
back in with the commons.
In terms of negotiating. You are negotiating from the
first contact. Not used-car style, banish movies from
your head! Business negotiating. Go get a book on the
subject. (Your_Value - Your_Cost) is the function you
need to be familiar with, you have control of both of
those variables. We both want the best return on our
investment, and neither of us should be looking to
fuck the other. You deliver as promised-- I'll happily
pay you. I make far far more money than you, and its
not like I'm paying you out of my own pocket. Well,
sortof I am. But still, you being paid at 150% of your
salary versus you delivering 150% of your expected
results?? I am getting checks like you wouldn't
believe if all my employees do that. Appeal to that.
Friends in the company get you special consideration.
You will almost always get a courtesy interview at
least if someone refers you internally. On that note,
become familiar with courtesy interviews and be able
to recognize when you're in one. In a courtesy
interview, you'll never be asked a hard question, and
you'll never be given anything other than swimmingly
positive feedback, and you'll never be given the job.
Courtesy interviews are usually arranged by someone
else, and serve only to give you a feelgood. Sometimes
you can use them to namedrop when you get asked who
else you're talking to. Be grateful for them. But do
not pursue them. We did you a favor, ok? Lets leave it
at that. Besides, maybe you did a good job with the
interview, and when we have something for you you'll
have already made a good impression.
Remember:
Always Be Agreeable.
Only talk about money insofar as you have to to get to
the next step. Consider what concessions you'd like to
ask for. Sometimes, the first offer is totally fair.
Many hiring managers know exactly what they can pay,
and usually offer it to the best candidate. If you
push them, you might make an ass of yourself.
Sometimes, a concession can be being allowed to take a
vacation before you have accrued the time. Ask for it,
if you plan to use it. Don't negotiate a concession
just because you can. That's assholish. HOWEVER, if
you learn that the pay scale for a position ranges
from X to Y, and they always range, stand firm on
getting as close to the highest rate you can. don't
forget to value the experience. if you're a law school
grad, a clerkship for a supreme court justice is worth
far more than the shit salary you'll be given.
if you are promised promotional opportunities... have
them spell this out for you, even if not on the offer
letter. otherwise they are just hot air. you want a
specific track to a specific position with specific
objectives in a specific timeframe. anything less and
they are blowing smoke.
shit, i'm typed out. its more than you deserve anyway
