I’m taking on online sketching class at the moment. I’ve always loved painting and drawing, and I’m finding this a particularly rewarding way to work. But I’ve noticed a lot of the students are very uncomfortable sharing their work. They’ll preface each post with caveats like ‘this isn’t very good’ or ‘I don’t like this one at all.’ Usually, the drawing is excellent – full of life and personality and character – but all the...
This is the interview question many of us dread. It’s so open-ended and we often feel clueless as to what the interviewer wants to hear. If you’re like a lot of people, you’ll find yourself suddenly tongue-tied when the question comes up. Or you might be one of those folks, like me, who tends to babble when nervous.But it’s important to answer well because interviewers glean a lot from your reaction to this question. They’r...
Recently I got an email from someone asking if a Google Docs resume template is a good idea. At first glance, this article from Lifehacker may make a lot of sense. Like they say “why waste time…” And the Google template is attractive, so where’s the harm?The problem is that your resume is your only chance to make an amazing first impression. Using a one-size-fits-all resume template is a surefire way to send the clear messa...
I have been looking at executive resumes for years, first as an HR VP managing the recruitment process and then more recently in my role as President of Blue Sky Resumes. Over the years, I’ve seen executive candidates make many of the same mistakes over and over again, mistakes that cost them great opportunities, and yet are easily rectified. I’ve boiled the list down to my top 10 and I hope it helps you to refine your own...
In my last post on executive resume writing, I covered the importance of defining your target audience. Now I want to talk about how you can appeal to that audience.You will have heard the term "unique value proposition" (or "unique selling point") when it comes to marketing products or services, but this idea also applies when you are selling yourself.In order to write a strong resume, you need to define your own unique va...
This is the first in a series of posts teaching you exactly how to write an executive resume. I’m Louise Fletcher and I run Blue Sky Resumes, one of the world’s leading executive resume writing services. I’ve been writing executive resumes for over 13 years, and previously I worked as an HR executive for a number of international companies. This means my advice is based on my real-world hiring experience and on the strategi...
The ‘what is your greatest weakness?’ question is one we all dread – right up there with ‘so tell me about yourself.’ Frankly “what is your greatest weakness” is a pretty pointless question as it rarely gets an honest response, but nevertheless, it’s a question you are very likely to be asked.So what do you say? Obviously you don’t want to say anything that hurts your chances of getting the job, but you have to answer.Faced...
If you’re thinking about hiring a professional resume writer, or maybe just researching resume writers to understand more about the pluses and minuses, this article is for you.As a professional resume writer myself, I’m often asked by potential clients whether they really need a rewrite. You might think I’d always say yes, but actually that’s not the case. The truth is that, while many people benefit from the work of profes...
If you get nervous before interviews, you’re not alone. Most people experience some degree of stress during the interview process and sometimes a little bit of stress can actually help you perform better. But interview nerves are often a more serious problem, negatively impacting your ability to communicate your value, and causing you to lose out on great opportunities.If this is you, here are some easy ways to minimize the...
What are resume screening systems and why are they bad for job seekers?Automated resume screening systems became popular during the late 1990s, into the early 2000s and now almost any sizeable company uses one. If you’ve ever uploaded your resume online, or filled in an online application form, you’ve encountered one.These screening systems remove the need for a human being to review every single resume that comes in. So fo...