It has happened to all of us. Everyone has experienced a bad job interview sometime in the past. Anything from being late, botching answers to key questions or not being able to show knowledge about the company. Although the proverb is true, you never get a second chance to make a first impression, you do have an opportunity to make up some of what you lost in your bad job interview.

Often, people are their own worst critics, but this can actually be a good thing. When it comes to a job interview, you might be seeing things that weren’t actually there, or at least, that weren’t nearly as bad as you perceived them to be. Try to put the interview into perspective. Obviously, things like arriving late are negatives that will count against you but maybe other issues could be worse. Did you stumble through some questions? Did you fail to impress your interviewer with your knowledge of the company? Are there several things that were on the tip of your tongue that you were never able to express? Answer these questions and you’ll be able to tell yourself whether the interview was as bad as you first thought.

Think of it this way. Maybe that job was not the right one for you anyway. Did you feel like you weren’t able to connect with the interviewer? Did you feel out of place in the office? Were the questions exceedingly simple and not a challenge to you? Sometimes our instincts will show us in subtle ways when something is not right.

If you’ve decided that you did do very badly in the interview but still want the job, you can do damage control. The first thing to do is to analyze what went wrong. Write a thank you note or recovery letter. This is a way to follow up your bad job interview with concrete examples to back up your less than stellar answers to the interview questions. This is your chance to set the record straight and take back the initiative. Put together a concise, hard-hitting letter, using verifiable facts to back up your case wherever you can. When your prospective employer receives the letter, they will know, even if you didn’t show it in the interview, that you very much want the job and further, that you’re uniquely qualified for it.

There are any number of reasons why you can have a bad job interview. Often, it’s not as bad as you thought, or the interview will have given you enough of a perspective to convince you that the job wasn’t for you after all. But if you have a bad job interview for a job you really want, writing a timely, fact-filled and enthusiastic recovery letter can show the employer yet again that you are the best person for the job.

A lot of people have probably already done this, but it is important to make sure your executive resume is customized, tailored, and geared toward you in a good light. The best way to know if your resume is working is this: Have you been called in for a job interview? If the answer is no, then it’s time to customize your resume and try something different.

Of course, you want your resume to be a professional piece and it will be, but think about something. How quickly does someone scan over your resume? Interviewers are looking at your skills and experience, which will alert them to the needs that they are hoping you will fulfill. That takes maybe 20 seconds, tops.

So, what do you need to do? Make it pop! Bold certain words throughout your resume so they pop off the page at someone. You’ve got their attention now, right? An example would be: “have 10 years experience as a Project Manager”. OK, that sentence is just sitting there. But if you use “have 10 years experience as a Project Manager“. Much better, right?

Also, be sure to use the same phrases and job descriptions that the potential employer is using. This makes them feel as if you have really read the job requirements and understand the position. It’s only a matter of critiquing your resume so that when viewed it takes on a whole new life.

There are a number of ways of customizing your executive resume. Find the ones that work best for you. You can always find suggestions and help online; it’s just a matter of where to look.

(thanks to coolinfographics.com for use of the sample)

Thanks to a reader for mentioning the 5th type of resume. A new type of resume has become popular just in the last couple of years. It's called an infographic resume.

An infographic is an online visual representation of an idea. It can be a large visual representation that forces the viewer to use the scroll bar to see the entire graphic or it can be a smaller graphic that encompasses a single screen. Either way, it's an effective way to deliver a resume for many people today - especially graphic designers and web developers.

In simple terms, an infographic resume takes your text-based resume and converts it to graphics so that potential employers can see your experience and work history at a glance.

There are no hard-and-fast rules for creating an infographic resume. If you want to see a sample, click here.

That said, there are some rules that you do need to follow when creating your infographic resume:

1. Keep it relevant. Only add information to your infographic resume that is relevant to the job you are seeking.
2. Put the most important information at the top.
3. Keep it sectional for easy reference (though the sections can be side-by-side or top-to-bottom, or both.
4. You can still use text, but make it attractive and visual.
5. Highlight your most important skills.
6. Use color to your advantage.
7. Use links for your contact information - website, e-mail, social media accounts, and even Skype if you have it.

Like a text resume, potential employers should be able to get a glance at who you are with your infographic resume. Its purpose is to get you the interview. After that, getting the job is up to you.

 

When it comes to writing resumes, you’ll have to decide before you start writing just what type of resume you want to have. There are 4 popular types of resumes and each one fulfills a specific function quite well.

1. Chronological Resume – Perhaps the most popular resume type because it lists your work history at the top in reverse chronological order. Employers like it because they can see your work history at a glance. If you have a stable work history, then this is a great type of resume for finding your next employer.
2. Functional Resume – The functional resume focuses on skills and experience. If you have large gaps in your work history, then the functional resume can be your friend. However, many employers/recruiters don’t like these types as they seem to be “hiding” something. Make sure you clearly list your positions and responsibilities to avoid this misconception.
3. Combination (Hybrid) Resume – The combination, or hybrid, resume is more flexible. Your skills and experience are listed first, but you also include your work history below that so that employers can see it at a glance.
4. Targeted Resume – When you are applying for a job and want to highlight the skills and experience that are relevant to that job, a targeted resume might be your best bet.

Each of these 4 types of resumes have their places. People from all different careers and management levels use each one. But another type of resume has become popular in recent years. A mini-resume is not as extensive as a full resume. It can often be presented on a postcard and gives a brief summary of your career highlights. It works as a networking tool and allows you to get your foot in the door where you can get your full resume into a hiring manager’s hands.

Everyone starts their career in an entry level position. A basic resume is great for entry level positions but will not work for executive positions as your experience grows.

And, experience does grow. There is a young lady who started out as a cashier in a motorcycle accessory store. She did not have a college education and so she didn’t make much money. But she stayed there, went above and beyond the scope of her job and got raises and more responsibility.

After a couple of years, she moved on. This time, it was still a customer service job, but it paid more and it gave her the freedom to go to school to get a degree.

She has since gotten her degree after 3 years and in this current position she just got a promotion to manage two of the stores. It can be done. Many people work hard to climb this ladder of success. But you then have to change your resume to reflect you now, not the you from several years ago.

It’s important to keep your entry level resume up to date. As you progress in the job field, keep adding new skills, new responsibilities, etc. You will also need to adjust your career outlook so that it reflects your work ethic and beliefs and how you can better a company with your experience.

As your resume turns into an executive resume, you will be able to recognize more things you can add to the resume so that it is tailored correctly, tastefully and will encompass everything you know. After all, if a resume is a reflection of you, don’t you want to be presented in the best possible light?

You have applied to the most important job of your executive career. This is the job you have been working towards for years. You have done everything right.

Then, you find out you are passed over because a reference on your shiny new executive resume came back in a bad light. What? How could that be!

You forgot all about the confrontation you had a few years back with a supervisor that you just could not get along with. Words were exchanged and you quit abruptly. At the time, you were not worried about it as you got a better job within a week.

Now, it’s come back to haunt you. Hindsight is golden, so the saying goes. If we could see into the future at the time we make mistakes, we wouldn’t make those mistakes, right? Right. But we can’t, so we burn bridges that we shouldn’t.

It’s very important not to burn bridges in any job, but especially if you are climbing the ladder to an executive position. It will return to haunt you because no employer wants someone who is hotheaded and cannot control themselves.

Be sure your executive resume is not going to have burnt bridges popping out when you least expect it. If the position has to be on your resume, then be sure to speak with the company that you had the conflict with and make sure they are willing to give you a good reference. Many times they will, as long as you are taking the right steps to work through it.

Additionally, speaking with a resume writing service and getting counseling from them on how to proceed will go a long way in helping with your executive resume and you during the interview process.

Since the new year is here and everyone is making new year’s resolutions, now is the perfect time to start the new year with a new executive resume. Make one of your resolutions a vow to find the perfect job with the right resume.

If you are currently struggling to find a really good job or any job at all, it may be that you need to polish your resume. In this instance, the phrase “if it isn’t broke, don’t fix it” doesn’t work. If it’s hard to find a job, you have to fix something. That something may be your resume. Perhaps you have not listed enough skills or it’s not powerful enough to get someone’s attention.

With as many people out of work in today’s market, it is important that your resume be above par. It may now be time to hire the services of a professional resume writer. Someone who knows just how to make your executive resume stand above the rest.

Our writers will meet with you to discuss what may be working and what might be hindering you on your resume. We’ll also discuss the type of role you are seeking and what you bring to the table. We can then put together a resume that you will be extremely proud of and know that it was well worth the expense of having it professionally done.

So make it your new year’s resolution to clean your resume up so that you will have that dream job in 2012.

With the advent of the internet, emails, texting and online applications, some consider the thank you note after an interview to be over. Those of you who know me, or are used to my ranting about this, know how I feel.

Not by a long shot it’s not. It is never and will never be proper etiquette to ignore a simple thank you.

By not showing proper etiquette and respect for the employer who is interviewing you, it is telling that person that you really just aren’t concerned with trivialities. This sends the wrong message to a prospective employer, who may very well put your resume to the side simply because you didn’t seem to be that interested if you couldn’t even send a thank you.

In today’s world, it is proper to send a thank you email. You don’t have to mail it and you certainly don’t want to text it. Texting can cause way too many spelling errors. It is also proper to send that email very soon after the interview, while it is still fresh in your mind.

Some things to include in the email is the thank you, followed by what you found interesting about the company and how your particular skills would be an asset to that company. You do not want to speak in a laid back fashion as if you are talking to someone on Facebook. That is totally unprofessional.

We may be living in a new technological world but old world manners are still more important even in the employment field. Manners and simple respect toward another will return to you in the same fashion. Think about if you were the hiring manager and you didn’t say thank you for the interview, you just might be a little put off by that.

As your mother probably used to say to you, “mind your manners,” and send those thank you emails so that you will be one step ahead toward landing that job.

With so many people out of working and vying for all the available positions, many are tweaking their resumes, executives included. For some, cleaning up an old resume is easy to do. For others, they prefer to have professional resume writers do the work for them. So, how do you know which company to go with? What do you look for in a professional resume service?

The first thing to look for is if the person or company you are considering is certified. Did you know that for the past twenty years, there has been an organization for Professional Resume Writers? The Professional Association Of Resume Writers (PARW) is an organization for certified resume writers, career coaches and interview professionals. Another fantastic one is Career Directors International (CDI). CDI stays current on all the hot trends and offer you choices in resume writing companies. The reputable ones will be a member of these organizations. There are actually a number of organizations that good resume writers will be a part of.

The next thing to consider is how long that person or company has been in business. There are many questionable websites that advertise professional resume services. Check the site out, read testimonials and see how long they have been doing business.

A professional resume writer will know how to make your resume reflect you in the best possible light. They know the right keywords to add to your resume for targeted job positions and can coach you for the interview process.

Take the rest of this year to research professional resume consultants so that you can find one that will make 2012 a success for you and your career.

I’m sure most people remember the song “Working 9 to 5″ by Dolly Parton (that song is in your head now, isn’t it?). Not too long ago, that was the perfect job position, to work nine to five with weekends off. Everyone wanted to work those hours. But today, can you even find many positions like that? Are work environments changing? How, and is it for the better?

With the advancing use of the internet, more jobs are offering telecommuting and work from home positions. Some of the older generation does not understand this concept because they can’t walk by and see an employee at work. They feel that it will hurt business by working from home. In fact, studies show that the opposite is true. More work is actually getting accomplished and at all hours of the night and day. The eight hour shift is not the norm any longer.

The companies who are embracing new technology are seeing more loyalty out of their employees. There is less absenteeism as people can schedule their day to have time with family and still work. There is not a log of turnover in employees who can telecommute or have the freedom at a workplace to stay in contact with family while at work.

In a word, yes. Work environments are changing, for the better for everyone involved. If you are looking for work, now would be a good time to overhaul your resume to reflect the flexibility and work ethic that you can bring to the table. Even if it doesn’t mean telecommuting, but flexibility in a managerial position that you would do what it takes to keep employees happy and willing to work.

Expert resume writers will help you fine tune your executive resume so that you will be reflected in a more powerful light for the new workplaces.