Resume and Interview Tips

Resumes: First Impression is a Lasting Impression

Write an objective statement targeted towards the job you are applying.
List a summary of your skills, briefly describing how each was used. A hiring manager will decide within the first few lines to read on.
Use achievement statements with active words such as: developed, implemented, managed, etc. Include the tools or skills used.
Whenever possible, use measurable achievements. For example: Implemented process change that resulted in $250,000 cost savings.
Use bulleted lists for a quick read.
A chronological resume is usually the best approach. List each employer in reverse chronological order, highlighting responsibilities and successes for each position.
If your employment history consists of many contract positions, use month and year for employment dates. This shows the manager there are no gaps.
As long as the resume has substance, the length is not limited to one page.
Include a footer on each page with your name and page x of y.
Remove Hobbies/Activities.
ALWAYS use spell check. Have at least one other person review. Spell check is not fool proof.

Resumes should be attached in rich text format or pasted in the body of the email message.
When attaching a resume, avoid special fonts and characters. Depending on the receiver’s word processing set-up, your special bullets may show up as question marks or worse. You don’t want to imply your resume is questionable, now do you?
If pasting from a word-processed resume into an email message, beware of “curly” quotation marks and apostrophes. These characters will frequently be converted to another symbol like a bar.
Test out your electronic resume by emailing it to yourself or a colleague.

The most efficient method for submitting resumes to AESI is via email with a Word attachment.
Save the Word file in rich text format (RTF).
HTML resumes are not preferred.
Keep it simple when formatting the document.

Interviewing Tips: Avoiding Foot-in-Mouth Disease

Now that you’ve written an impressive resume, you’re on to an interview with the employer of your dreams. Impressing them on paper is one thing, impressing them in person is quite another. For a successful interview, remember the Scout rule: Be Prepared.

Learn about the company and the group you would be working with. AESI can give you insight into the company, specifically the needs of the hiring manager.
Determine how your talents meet the needs of the hiring manager. Your AESI recruiter can tell you the specific skills that attracted the hiring manager to your resume. Plan to sell these talents.
Prepare thoughtful questions for the interview. Possible questions include: What is challenging about this project? What are the objectives I would be expected to meet?
Prepare to answer questions such as: Tell me about yourself. What are your strengths and weaknesses? How do you stay current with technology?
Make a good impression by dressing appropriately. Know the exact time and location of the interview, the full name of the hiring manager and its pronunciation.
Get plenty of rest so you’ll be at your best.

Be positive and upbeat. This is vital to success.
Answer questions with more than single word answers.
Avoid negative comments about previous employers.
Ask if the manager has any concerns about your qualifications. Address these concerns during the interview.
Show interest in the job. Conclude the interview by stating that you feel you are the candidate for the job.

If the manager leaves the interview knowing that you have what it takes to do the job, consider the interview a success.