I received a resume this week from a candidate who was applying for an Associate Acquisition position. Although the candidate received an undergraduate degree from a top 20 school and had some excellent work experience, his resume was so poorly formatted that there is a greatly likelihood that he needs help getting dressed in the…
Although making a good first impression is always important, it is critical if you want to land a position in today’s soft job market. Generally common sense governs what you should or should not do; however, let me give you a few reminders: Don’t arrive late to an interview! We had one candidate who showed…
I received a cover letter last week that included three different fonts (sizes and types). It was quite evident that that candidate had cut and paste from several other cover letters to respond to my job posting. It was ridiculous that the candidate did not even bother reformatting the text. Additionally, the cover letter accidentally…
Here is a sample of some excerpts from cover letters that I have recently received: “I am very detailled oriented and my employers have been impressed with me.” Note to candidate…perhaps you should consider spell check the next time you are so “detailed” “I have had the advantage of knowing very early on what I…
Over the past two weeks we have received in excess of 200 resumes from the job postings we have listed on behalf of our clients. All of these job postings are for Analyst positions; yet, candidates who have no intention of doing analyst-level work are applying for these positions “just because” they want to have…
I recently interviewed a candidate who sounded like Steven Wright. I practically needed to check his pulse during our conversation. He slouched in his chair, had very little energy, and never smiled. Instead of recommending him for the job, I gave him the name of my friend who is a psychologist and suggested immediately counseling!…
I received an email this week from somebody who was responding to a job listing that we have for a financial analyst. Although the candidate had pretty good experience, he did not have the specific skill set and work history we were seeking. Unlike many employers these days, we try to respond to every resume…
Anytime you are interviewing for a job, you will surely be asked if you have any questions. This is a fantastic opportunity to demonstrate that you have researched the company and the job responsibilities. Don’t answer “no, not at this time” or “when do you expect to make a decision.” Instead, I have a couple…
About 6 months ago I was interviewing a candidate for an asset management position. During the interview the candidate informed me that he did not like writing, did not want to sit at a desk running a lot of numbers, and found financial reporting to be boring. I asked him why he was interviewing for…