Resumes, Handbills, and Interviews: How to avoid the mistakes that cost you the job offer, use techniques to shorten your job search timeline, and win the offer by edging out your competition. Critically, learn why your resume needs to be Applicant Tracking System (ATS) and PARSING tool compliant. Most resumes are NOT, and often applicants who are not up to date on understanding how often technology and automation plays a role in the process become a casualty. This is perhaps the most critical and important element of conducting a successful search with meaningful activity. Not knowing the ATS/Parsing issues will surely lengthen a job search cycle unnecessarily, while also limiting the opportunity to be interviewed.

1. RESUMES, HANDBILLS,
AND INTERVIEWING
HOW TO DEVELOP RESUMES THAT
GET ATTENTION, AND HOW TO
ADEQUATELY PREPARE FOR THE
INTERVIEW PROCESS.
Laka & CompanyGreg David
Greg.David@Laka.com
312-528-9107

2. The past does not equal the
future…
 What has worked in the past in a job search will not
necessarily work today. In fact, most previous job
search activities that you have performed will likely
yield poor results, and when they do, the activity is
likely to be highly competitive with little chance of
a positive outcome in a short period of time.
 However the good news is that you can achieve
positive results if you know how to adapt to this
new marketplace.

3. Resumes, Handbills, and
Interviews
 Perhaps the three areas of a job search that have
changed more than any other are writing and
submitting resumes, developing ‘handbills’ for use
in networking events, and interviewing in the most
competitive marketplace of your lifetime.
 Today you will learn the common mistakes that
significantly lengthen a job search, and the
successful strategies to shorten your job search
timeline while yielding more positive results.

4. Most job seekers shoot themselves in the foot by committing job search “sins”
that eliminate their candidacy right off the bat.
RESUMES: THROW OUT THE “OLD RULES”
One rule
is still
true:
Your
resume is
the first
impression
that you
make on
others. It
must be
accurate,
and
flawless.

5. Resume MISTAKES: Typos.
 Typos: More than 85%
of the resumes we
receive have typos.
 Typos include
intermittent use of
periods, and
Overcapitalization.
 Most firms will rule you
out for a single typo.
 Have your resume proof
read by a professional.
 Do NOT rely on spell-
check.
 Watch out for
fragments, run-on
sentences, and other
common grammatical
errors.

6. Resumes: Tell the truth
 Do not lie or even stretch the truth.
 You will be found out, and it may be after you are
already working for the organization.
 People are regularly terminated weeks, months, and
even years after being hired for lying.

7. Don’t join the job search madness!
 In an article, entitled “Confessions of IT Job
Seekers”, Baseline Briefing shared the following:
 23% of IT workers say it's fine to participate in underhanded or otherwise
"out of the ordinary" tactics to get a job.
 15% say such tactics are necessary because the job market is so tough.
 Over 20% say they're fine with claiming someone else's work as their own.
 32% of workers would create a problem so they could fix it and earn
brownie points.

8. Resume MISTAKES: Simple is
critical
 Avoid ALL pictures, borders, images, shading, etc. These reduce
the number of times your resume is put into a database for
consideration. This makes your resume non-ATS compliant.
 NEVER put your contact information into the header or footer.
NEVER. This often makes your resume non-ATS compliant.
 ALWAYS have your COMPLETE contact information on each page
of the resume. This includes COMPLETE residential address AND
social media URL’s. This makes your resume ATS compliant.
 Make sure you are not mixing up present and past tense in current
and prior scopes of responsibility.

9. RESUME SUICIDE
 ONLY use a business format email address such as
firstname.lastname@gmail.com or an acceptable
variation.
 NEVER use AOL, YAHOO, SBCGLOBAL, or
EARTHLINK. ONLY use GMAIL for email.
 NEVER use a different email address for job search or
on your resume. NEVER. NEVER. NEVER.
NEVER.

10. RESUME SUICIDE
 Avoid use of cliché’s, jargon, slang, vague or general
statements, and negative words.
 DO NOT send your resume repeatedly to the same
firm, or apply online to multiple jobs at the same
organization. You will get blackballed.
 DO NOT use links/URL’s share your resume. It must
always be attached and copy and pasted into the body
of the email.

11. RESUME SUICIDE
 NEVER capitalize or bold your name in resume.
 NEVER use a modern or unique format.
 ONLY use a traditional structure to a resume with your
full name, full residential address, full contact
information including social media addresses at the top
of the resume, centered in an old school format.
 NEVER embed social media URL’s into icons.

12. RESUME SUICIDE
 Resumes should be 3-5 pages long. Anything contrary
shows unconscious incompetence at understanding
modern hiring process, technology, strategy, and
performance.
 You also need to understand that in reality a resume is
0 pages long. Once integrated within an ATS, they
become nothing more than a data file. Only printed
resumes that are taken to an interview have actual
pages. Those should have contact data and page
number on each page.

13. RESUME DEPTH & CLARITY
 Resumes need to educate an audience so
completely that there is no doubt as to your skill,
scope, strength, value, and benefit.
 This makes it easy to rule you out which is the goal
when you cannot make it to offer.
 This makes it easy to fast-track you to the point of
offer which is the ultimate goal.
 If they have to speak to you to determine fit, you are
doing it wrong.

14. Competitive Edge
 Get a smart phone (Android, iPhone). Be reachable 24
x7 via phone and email. THIS IS CRITICAL. Be able
to send your resume from your device.
 When doing any kind of follow up, always have your
resume attached to the email. Always.
 NEVER upload your resume to LinkedIn but do have it
attached to your profile. Put it on Slideshare.com and
copy/paste the URL into your LinkedIn profile while in
edit mode so it is downloadable.

15. Competitive Edge
 Have multiple versions of your resume attached to your
LinkedIn profile as well as in all the resume banks.
 Monster, CareerBuilder, Indeed, ZipRecruiter, Slideshare,
etc.
 Perform resume SEO daily, d-a-i-l-y, DAILY!!!!!
 To miss a day or two here and there is INEXCUSABLE.
This shows a fundamental lack of understanding of the
sourcing, recruiting, and hiring process.

16. Competitive Edge
 You should automate resume distribution. Not doing
this will prevent most firms who have roles you fit
from being able to contact you.
 You MUST be in the proprietary databases of all the
hiring organizations, resume databases, and recruitment
firms BEFORE they have a job you fit. BEFORE!
 Email me at Greg.David@Laka.com and I will share
an automated resume distribution tool for you to use.

17. Don’t Use This Competitive Edge
 TRUE: Most searches of resumes occur through keyword or
buzzword searches.
 TRUE: The challenge is to get your resume to come up more
often, higher in the search returns, with a more favorable
statistical ranking.
 STEP ONE: Type a list of keywords that others would use to
search for someone like you. Also write down as many of the
keywords or buzzwords that firms use in their job description
requirements when they look for someone like you.

18. Don’t Use This Competitive Edge
 STEP TWO: Change the font to 1 and turn font color to
white. Copy the block of data. This is OUTDATED.
 STEP THREE: In the margins of your resume
(wherever there is currently blank space, but NOT at
the end of your resume) proceed to paste the data.
Repetition is your friend! This is OUTDATED.
 This ‘trick’ will substantially improve your ‘resume
ranking’ when firms do resume searches and increase
the number of times you are considered. This is
OUTDATED.

19. Updated Competitive Edge
 Most searches of resumes occur through keyword or buzzword
searches. The challenge is to get your resume to come up
more often, higher in the search returns, with a more favorable
statistical ranking.
 But some modern ATS’s know this trick.
 STEP ONE: Type a list of keywords that others would use to
search for someone like you. Also write down as many of the
keywords or buzzwords that firms use in their job description
requirements when they look for someone like you.

20. Updated Competitive Edge
 STEP TWO: Create a section at the end of your
resume called ‘Summary of Skills”.
 STEP THREE: Copy and Paste the list of keywords
you designed and developed, under that category.
 This ‘trick’ will substantially improve your ‘resume
ranking’ when firms do resume searches and
increase the number of times you are considered.

21. Old school VS New school
 The old way of
resume writing is to
simply tell the reader
what your scope of
responsibility was.
 Often written
“Responsible for….”
 This is boring and will
not get results.
 The better way to
write a resume is to
put ACTION and
ATTENTION getting
words (be careful to
avoid FLUFF).
 Sentences often begin
with an action oriented
verb: “Lowered,
Increased, Improved,
etc”.
The rule of thumb is to begin each bullet or sentence with an action verb.

22. RESUME Do’s and Don’ts
 Do NOT use an objective or summary. Screeners focus
on this to rule people out as quickly as possible.
 You may use an objective if it is surgically strategic,
but you still run the risk of hurting yourself with the
‘confidential or unwritten requirements’.
 DO use a reverse chronological method. Avoid
accomplishment or functional focused resumes.

23. RESUME Do’s and Don’ts
 You are supposed to have at least 2 resumes at all
times (many more if you are really astute).
 We take attractive resumes with formatting to the
interview.
 We NEVER use attractive resumes with formatting
electronically.
 The resume we use most and always electronically
has NO FORMATTING. None. Nada. Zilch!

24. RESUME Do’s and Don’ts
 NEVER write your resume in the 1st or 3rd person.
 NEVER have a 1 or 2 page resume. Anyone who says you
should is outdated and doesn’t know it.
 ALWAYS have your contact info on every page, but
NEVER have it in the header or footer of the resume.
 ALWAYS provide your resume as a txt and MS Word doc
ONLY when sending to someone electronically. Always
send a resume as a Word 2010 version. NO PDF’s.

25. RESUME Do’s and Don’ts
 NEVER use personal pronouns in a resume (I, my, me, etc).
 NEVER use the words ‘work with’ or ‘familiar with’.
 If you were not born in the US have someone who is well educated
in the English language proof read your resume. Use of words like
‘til date’ and ‘to date’ show poor proper command of the English
language.
 ALWAYS quantify where possible (i.e. dates, figures, percentages,
numbers of quantity, increases, decreases, etc).
 NEVER bold or underline for emphasis.

26. RESUME Do’s and Don’ts
 NEVER include personal information, hobbies, salary
information, reasons for leaving, references, or the
phrase ‘references available upon request’.
 Do not copy and paste responsibilities from one job to
another even if it is the same scope of responsibility.
 Do not repeat the same words over and over. Use a
thesaurus.
 Do not leave off dates, stretch dates to cover gaps.

27. RESUME Do’s and Don’ts
 NEVER think you are a ‘good fit’. It is impossible for any job
seeker to know they are a good fit when they don’t know:
 Unposted requirements.
 The ‘profile’ associated with the role.
 The positive or negative characteristics associated with the role or the
incumbent or previous people in the role.
 Unique experience not disclosed.
 Unique skill desire but not disclosed.
 Issues the hired employee has to deal with.
 What the puzzle fit is with the rest of the team.
 Diversity hiring requirements if they exist.
 The reason the role is really open.

28. RESUME Do’s and Don’ts
 NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, NEVER,
NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, NEVER,
NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, apply
online and then try to network your way.
 That is like putting your underwear on over your pants.
 It doesn’t just make you look funny, it also makes you
look completely uneducated.
 It really angers people, departments, and entire
organizations. This is a great way to get blackballed.

29. ACTION WORDS ARE A MUST!
 Action words create interest in your skills and draw attention to
your accomplishments. Most resumes fail to use them, and are
boring to read.
 Action verbs by category:
http://www.stetson.edu/administration/career-and-professional-
development/media/pdfs/action_verbs_and_transferable_skills.pdf
 Action words alphabetically:
http://www.elancolibrary.org/elanco/lib/elanco/images/employment/
resume_cover_letters/action_verbs.pdf
 Avoid assisted, contributed, supported, successfully. Too vague.
Also avoid ‘responsible for’. Use verbs.

30. RESUME Do’s and Don’ts
 NEVER tell people you are successful, dynamic, a
self-starter, etc. This is arrogant and alienates the
reader. Use ‘award winning’ and lose.
 If you will mail your resume, never fold it. Send it
in a 9x12 labeled envelope.
 Education should be included after your work
experience unless you are just entering the work
force.

31. RESUME Do’s and Don’ts
 Identify the ‘profile’ they are hiring to. It is right in
front of you.
 Be findable: Populate the “right” sites with your
content. Have multiple versions of resumes on each.
 Know how to do resume SEO (Search Engine
Optimization). This is #1 daily! DAILY!

32. RESUME GOLD
 Develop ‘mini clips’ for YouTube or MySpace or
other sites where you have video clips that speak of
your Subject Matter Expertise (SME).
 Develop articles and whitepapers that you have
made available to the public on the Internet.
 Provide hyperlinks to these in your resume so a
reader can literally click and go to your RESUME
GOLD.

33. Cover Letters or Email Content
 NEVER claim to be a perfect fit for the job. It makes you
look foolish and demonstrates assumption without knowing
facts. There usually are confidential or unpublished
requirements. Smart firms want to avoid hiring this
behavior.
 NEVER demand that they call you at their earliest
convenience. This makes you look arrogant and dated.
 NEVER indicate that you will follow up with a personal
phone call. You will alienate yourself from most recipients
before you even speak to them. It also makes you dated and
signals you are high maintenance.

34. Cover Letters or Email Content
 Never request time ‘to learn more’ about the opportunity, role,
company, etc. This practice became extinct a decade ago.
 Your cover letter or email content is an opportunity to
highlight what you perceive to be strengths, but it is critical
that you narrow your strengths to the job description or
information provided. Don’t sell what they may not be
interested in.
 Often, it is the very information that most job seekers
highlight that tends to cause the reader to lose interest.

35. Cover Letters or Email Content
 Have ALL of your contact information in each
email you send out in the event the recipient cannot
open an attached file or to make it easier/faster for
them to contact you.
 Have your email configured so all replies include
all of your contact data too.
 This also makes it easier/faster for someone to get
to you. Do the same with your phone (this means
you Apple users)!

36. Resumes, Cover letters, and
Emails
 ALWAYS tailor them for each role you apply for,
resume you send, and always include the resume as an
attachment when doing future correspondence.
 Use www.JobScan.com for each role you apply for.
 Keep a diary or log of each time you send a resume,
and make sure you do not send and resend to people or
firms over and over. Use www.JibberJobber.com
 NEVER use templates from others for anything.

37. Use a PULL APPROACH instead
of a PUSH APPROACH
 PUSH techniques alienate and make you appear
irrelevant, outdated, and unskilled.
 Anything seen as ‘pushy’ is a PUSH technique.
 Those who PUSH play checkers.
 Smart, savvy, successful people PULL and play
chess.

38. Use a PULL APPROACH instead
of a PUSH APPROACH
 Using a PULL approach is where you provide DATA that
triggers their hot buttons or search criteria.
 You want to PULL them towards you based on how their hot
buttons jump off your resume.
 Cast a net that is wide and deep when you disperse your
resume. You must also make each resume submittal
surgically strategic. Lastly, you must LURE them to you
by your use of RESUME GOLD, and by being reachable
24x7.

39. Google defines a handbill as a circular or flyer or
leaflet or promotional literature or advertisement. It
is all of these things, it is wonderful, and it is
critical for use in networking.
Handbills—What are they?

40. Handbills
 What they are: 1 page POWER documents.
 Resumes focus on where you have been. Handbills tell
others where you want to go.
 They are marketing focused---they promote you as one
would promote a product or service.

41. Handbills
 Where to use a handbill? An overlooked form of networking
are ‘roundtable’ or ‘round robin’ type networking events.
 Often, people shy away from these because they are
uncomfortable or unfamiliar with them. The key is to get
out of your comfort zone, and get good at this activity.
 People who become very good at these types of networking
events meet a large number of people in a short period of
time. You can build armies of supporters quickly and
efficiently at a low cost.
 People who are skilled at this perform better in interviews.

42. Handbill Example
 NAME AND CONTACT INFORMATION (AS IF IN A RESUME):
 SEARCH OBJECTIVE:
 PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS:
 INDUSTRY EXPERTISE:
 POSITIONS HELD / COMPANY:
 ATTRIBUTES OF TARGET BUSINESSES:
 TARGET COMPANIES:
 EDUCATION:

43. Business Cards/Micro Handbills
 Micro Handbills are a creative way to use business
cards more effectively.
 Have a normal business card on the front. On the
back, you have essentially a micro handbill, where
you assemble bullets of information on your skills.

44. Handbills and Micro Handbills
 Whenever distributing your handbills and micro
handbills, stand out by:
 Being energetic, radiate positive enthusiasm, and smile
continuously. You will be a stark contrast to your
‘competition’.
 Speak clearly, and have a ‘BRAND’ and Subject Matter
Expertise (SME) prepared, and well practiced.
 NOT an ‘elevator speech’. Those are extinct and useless.

45. Knowing YOUR Brand and SME
 Only 5-10% of candidates have an effective ‘brand’ and can
communicate their SME.
 Proper brand and SME is unique compared to others who
do what you do and it focuses on the VALUE you create
and benefit employers can receive. It DOES NOT focus on
FUNCTION or TITLE.
 Of the last 50+ ‘stories’ I have observed, not a single one
had a brand nor SME. All they did was verbalize what they
wanted, or what the functional job they previously had was.
 Fixing this is CRITICAL to getting to offer!

46. Brand and SME
 It consists of no more than 130 words and lasts no longer than
30 seconds.
 It is simple and memorized. It tells someone what you do
from a VALUE perspective.
 I project manage computer programming is NOT a value statement.
 I am an accountant is NOT a value statement.

47. Brand and SME
 It isn’t just memorized. It is rehearsed and
delivered in an Academy Award winning fashion.
 Body language enhances the verbalized content.
 Content is filled with clear, real, desirable value
that pulls the audience in with their desire to hear
more.
 Positive energy and passion reinforce the value
message.

48. Most candidates today are ill prepared to interview.
They are unskilled as to how to interview, do little
research or preparation, and are commonly ruled out due
to their performance, not their job skill.
As a result, most are out of work much longer than
necessary.
Preparing For The Interview

49. Scheduling the Interview
 It should be as close to NOW as possible, whether it is
convenient or not.
 Most people over analyze the best day, time, etc. to
have the interview.
 Most people think of what is currently on their plate
when scheduling an interview.
 These are common competitive blunders. People who
do this do not win as many job offers.

50. Scheduling the Interview
 Make the RIGHT choices!
 Candidate delayed vacation to interview.
 Candidate came back early from honeymoon to interview.
 Candidate came back in middle of trip to Disney World to
interview then flew back---at own expense.
 Candidate went on an out of state interview even though it
conflicted with her wedding anniversary.

51. Preparing for the Interview
 Do research! More than 75% of candidates are ruled
out due to lack of information they are able to provide
on the organization.
 Be prepared! Have well written questions to ask on the
organization, industry, role, etc.
 Be prepared! When is the last time you read books on
how to interview, or better yet, interviewing from a
hiring manager’s perspective (i.e. behavioral
interviewing).

52. Understanding the Interview
 Get fewer offers.
 Get lower offers.
 Firms invest less in these people.
 Career progression slows in time.
 In demand only when job market is
strong.
 Network is smaller.
 Network is less powerful.
 Periods of little control over career.
 Job searches stressful at times.
 Get more job offers.
 Get higher job offers.
 Hit career fast track.
 Career progression strong and
consistent.
 In demand regardless of health
of job market.
 Network is large.
 Network is powerful.
 More control over life of career.
 Job searches rarely stressful.
The purpose of interviews is for
them to sell me.
The purpose of interviews is for
me to sell them on my value.

53. Interview Wisdom
 Interview any place, any time, for any job (within
reason) placing no limitations.
 Focus on making people fall in love with you.
 Say ‘no’ only when you get a job offer.
 Make everyone you meet a hero of yours.
 Your network will be large and powerful.
 Should you ever ‘hit the street’, you will be picked up
quickly.
 You will end up with job options your peers never get.

54. Interview Wisdom
 DO NOT try and control the interview, interview cycle, or
interview timeline.
 You do not have control nor leverage until the time of an offer.
In a competitive job market, even then there is little control or
leverage.
 Listen, listen, listen! Nearly ¼ of qualified candidates are
ruled out because they failed to answer the questions.
 Don’t tell stories nor tell them what YOU want them to
know. Just answer the question briefly, ask if they want
more detail, and then ask if you answered their question.

55. Interview Wisdom
 Assume the follower role in an interview and let
the person or people interviewing you assume the
lead role.
 Do NOT hijack the interview or try to take the reins.
They do NOT belong to you.
 Let them have the control and focus on providing the
answers to the questions posed.

56. Interview Wisdom
 Always send thank you emails (NOT hand written notes) after an
interview.
 Proof read them thoroughly.
 Send them each time regardless of the number of interviews in the cycle.
 Send them to each person.
 Do NOT send the same thank you to each person.
 Include examples of work, or articles or whitepapers that may be helpful to
the recipient.

57. Nearly 70% of phone interviews result in failure.
More than 90% of the time, the person could have
succeeded and it was within their control.
The Phone Interview

58. The Phone Interview
 NEVER use a cell phone to conduct a phone
interview.
 Eliminate all background noise and disruption.
 Have a copy of your resume in front of you.
 Sit, don’t stand.

59. The Phone Interview
 Understand that phone interviews are usually one way
interviews with little to no opportunity to ask
questions.
 Demonstrate your ability to be flexible and “play well with
others”.
 This is also of benefit to you since it eliminates the
investment of your time, effort, and resources normally
invested in a face to face interview.
 Listen for checklist questions!!!

60. The Phone Interview
 Have a mirror in front of you so can view and adjust your body
language. Smile continuously.
 Have research data in front of you on the firm, industry, etc. If
possible, have a copy of the job description. Really know this
information well.
 Have an abundance of intelligent questions written and prepared
(nearly ¼ of all candidates are ruled out for not asking good
questions).
 Demonstrate interest, energy, and passion for the role (nearly ¼ of
all candidates are ruled out for showing lack of interest).

61. Long gone are the old days of winging it on
interviews. Today’s applicants will find
themselves competing with better, smarter, more
savvy candidates who are better prepared, better
networked, and less expensive.
Success can be yours if you know the critical
factors of success and are well prepared.
Face to Face Interview
Preparation

62. Face to Face Interviews
 Dress for success: Unless told not to, always dress
conservatively and in a suit with tie for the men, and
dress or women’s pant suit for the ladies.
 Do NOT dress in business casual or casual attire unless you
are told to.
 Someone sharing that you can come to the next round in
more casual attire might be a test.
 LISTEN FOR CHECKLIST QUESTIONS!!!!!!!

63. Face to Face Interviews
 Leave your cell phone, pager, etc. in the car.
 Do NOT wear any cologne or perfume.
 If you are a smoker, do NOT smoke for 2 hours before
the interview----wear the patch.
 If you are late, it is the kiss of death.
 Arrive no earlier than 15 minutes.

64. Face to Face Interviews
 Fill out the application completely (do NOT write ‘see
resume’). Where it asks for expected salary, put ‘open’ or
‘negotiable’.
 Treat every person you meet well. Every person.
 Act as if someone is always watching. In the parking lot.
The elevator. The lobby. Always. Never let your guard
down.
 Do not ask about salary or benefits until HR broaches the
topic.

65. Face to Face Interviews
 Extend your research on the organization beyond
just a quick visit to their website.
 Be confident with a good handshake and ‘look
them in the eye’ confidence.
 This is a chance to expand your network and make
new friends. The long term value is enormous.

66. Face to Face Interviews
 NEVER say anything negative about anyone, anything,
especially previous employers, projects, co-workers,
etc.
 NEVER discuss anything that is sensitive to the
general population such as politics, religion, sex,
natural disasters, catastrophic events, foreign affairs,
etc. NEVER, NEVER, NEVER!!!!
 NEVER take your interview game face off even if you
begin to become “old friends”. NEVER, NEVER,
NEVER!!!

67. Face to Face Interviews
 Bring 5 copies of your resume to the interview (unless
you know you need more).
 Get a business card from each person you meet with
(write down their name and title and email address if
they do not have a card with them).
 Bring intelligent prepared questions to the interview
broken into several categories (i.e. industry,
organization, role, why do you work here, etc). You
need 5 prepared questions for each person you meet
with. 5 people=25 questions.

68. Face to Face Interviews
 Don’t brag or name drop----this is the sure way to
ensure a loss.
 Don’t needlessly disclose that you are actively
interviewing with other firms unless asked. Share
the information humbly.
 Focus on humbly getting everyone you meet to fall
in love with you.

69. Face to Face Interviews
 Focus on being a beacon of enthusiasm, positive
energy, and someone who is solutions focused.
 If you do not know the answer to a question,
simply tell the interviewer. Do not lie, and do not
guess.
 A great way to respond when probed about a skill
you do not have is: “I have always wanted to
_______. Would I get to do that in this role?”

70. Face to Face Interviews
 Listen to the QUESTION. LISTEN, LISTEN, LISTEN! If you are
unsure, ask them to rephrase it.
 Do NOT go off on tangents. You are virtually guaranteeing
yourself a loss.
 If you know that there may be a ‘long’ answer, ask the interviewer
if they want the short or long answer. Then proceed carefully.
 The clock is ticking. Do NOT monopolize the interview or talk too
much because you will prevent the interviewer from completing
their prepared interview questions. If they fail to get through them,
you are likely to be ruled out.

71. Face to Face Interviews
 After answering each question, ask them:
 Does that answer your question?
 Would you like more detail?
 Was my answer too long?

72. INTERVIEW GOLD QUESTIONS
 How do I compare to others performing this role now?
 How do I compare to other candidates you have
interviewed?
 How do I compare to your ideal or dream candidate?
 How do I compare to the person that was in this role
previously?

73. INTERVIEW GOLD QUESTIONS
 What concerns do you have about my experience?
 What concerns do you have about my interview?
 What can I do to improve my interview
performance?
 How may I improve my candidacy?
 How can I alleviate concerns that you may have?
 What gaps do you see in my experience?
 What strengths do you feel I have for this role?

74. Interview Maturity: Do you have it?
 Don’t choke the baby! Most people choke their candidacy out of poor
emotional or interview maturity or desperation.
 It is impossible to get them to hire you by following up over and over.
 It is possible to follow up too much and ‘turn them off’.
 When in doubt, channel your nervous energy and anxiety into things
you can control.
 Whatever timelines they establish and share, rarely will those timelines
be accurate. When in doubt, LEAVE THEM ALONE!

75. Use the Internet
 Use known resources like www.crains.com and
www.wsj.com and www.cnn.com and
www.hoovers.com to do research on firms.
 Target industry magazines and journals and get
your hands on annual reports to perform due
diligence.

76. INTERVIEW GOLD
 If you are interested in the role and company, tell them.
Do NOT play poker and do NOT play hard to get.
 Be prepared to explain WHY.
 The number of firms passing on qualified candidates
who commit this ‘interview sin’ is at an all time high.
 If you like them, tell them and be sincere, genuine, and
be able to articulate when asked, WHY IT APPEALS
TO YOU.
 Make sure your response is NOT fluff and NOT vague.

77. INTERVIEW GOLD
 Organizations today do NOT hire the best candidates. They never
do.
 They hire the candidates who interview the best.
 That is great news for you as you have complete control over how
well you interview.
 Take ownership and be accountable for your interviewing success.
 Become the best interviewer and you will be the one that wins the
offer more often, with greater success.

78. Recommended Reading
 Who Moved My Cheese by Dr. Spencer Johnson
and Ken Blanchard.
 Winning Job Interviews by Dr. Paul Powers
 Acing the Interview by Tony Beshara
 Interviewing Skills by Tim Hindle
 Competency-Based Interviews by Robin Kessler
 You’re Hired! by Lorne Epstein
 Instant Interviews by Jeffrey G. Allen

79. Read what they are reading!
 High-Impact Interview Questions by Victoria A.
Hoevemeyer
 Hire With Your Head by Lou Adler
 Crisp Behavioral-Based Interviewing by Terry L.
Fitzwater
 96 Great Interview Questions to Ask Before You Hire
by Paul Falcone

85. REMINDER: It’s all about the
TECH!
 Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS).
 Resume PARSING tools.
The most common errors in job search involve using
documents, files, content that fails when it comes into
contact with the ATS or with PARSING tools.
Chances are, yours fails too. And if it cannot be retained
correctly in the ATS, or PARSED correctly, you DO NOT
EXIST. Think ‘automatic deletion’. UGH!

86. WANT TO AVOID THIS?

87. THEN REMEMBER!!!
 Use an UGLY resume (txt version) to apply. Bring
the attractive resume to the interview. When
emailing, send both. NO PDF’s!!!
 Stop CAPITALIZING your name at the top of your
resume.
 Stop using formatting of ANY KIND including
bold, italics, underlines, etc.
 Eliminate all pictures, graphics, lines---anything to
make the resume “look” good.

88. THEN PAY ATTENTION!!!
 NEVER include certs or other info with your name
(i.e. CPA, MBA, PMP, etc.). This is true in your
resume and on sites like LinkedIn.
 NEVER alter the traditional structure or workflow
of a resume.
 ALWAYS include FULL residential address and
FULL contact information.
 Unless you are Gandhi or Madonna, use your
FULL name.

89. REMEMBER!!!
 A traditional resume begins like this:
Full name
Residential street address
City, State Zip code
Phone
Email address
LinkedIn address
Twitter address

90. THEN PAY ATTENTION!!!
 Deviate from that and become a ‘statistic’ as the
technology used to add you to the ATS and include
you in the process will likely either not be able to
complete the automation process, or you may be
subject to the system default of ‘automatic
application deletion’.

91. THEN PAY ATTENTION!!!
 SUMMARIES, OBJECTIVES, etc. get in the way
of ATS and PARSING tools.
 In order to be ‘friendly’ to the ATS and PARSING
automation, have your academic experience at the
end of the resume, unless you are a recent grad.
 In order to be ‘friendly’ to the ATS and PARSING
automation, have your current SCOPE and
EMPLOYMENT information as close to the
beginning of the resume as possible.

92. THEN PAY ATTENTION!!!
 NEVER have your CONTACT data on each page
of the ATS/PARSING resume.
 NEVER have page numbers on each page of the
ATS/PARSING resume.
 Savvy and educated job-seekers know in the world of
resume automation, there are NO page numbers---
anywhere.

93. THEN PAY ATTENTION!!!
 If you use a resume writing service, demand that they
produce a document that is compliant with ATS and parsing
automation.
 Fully expect them to NOT understand the issues, or why
you need an UGLY and an ATTRACTIVE resume.
 Even when they kind of, sort of ‘get it’, don’t get hung up
on teaching them. It is likely to turn into a tug of war, or
you’ll find them in “Quadrant 1” of Maslow’s Competency
Model.

94. THEN PAY ATTENTION!!!
 Always fill out all QUESTIONS during an on-line
application or electronic interview process.
 ALWAYS.
 ALWAYS.
 ALWAYS.
 ALWAYS.
 ALWAYS.
 ALWAYS.
 ALWAYS.
 Even if you are the BEST applicant for the role, you’ll be
ruled out as a risk, and for failing to be compliant with the
process.

95. THEN PAY ATTENTION!!!
 DON’T use the social media (i.e. LinkedIn) profile
versions of a resume when given that option by job
search sites or tools.
 Most firms will not accept such a limiting
document with little to no contact information.
 You will lose competitively to other applicants.
 It frustrates most hiring workflows, processes, and
people.
 Such profiles are generally NOT ATS compliant.

98. FIRST, SMILE!

107. IT is NOT about
JOB-SEARCH!!!

111. GREG.DAVID@LAKA.COM
OFFICE: 312-528-9107
WWW.LINKEDIN.COM/IN/GREGDAVID
WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/GREGDAVIDLAKA
WWW.TWITTER.COM/GREGDAVIDLAKA
WWW.PINTEREST.COM/GREGDAVIDLAKA
It is not what you know. It is not who you know. It is who
knows you. Who thinks of you when they have a need?
Greg David
Laka & Company