Ep. 15 (FIXED) - Resume & Interview Advice with Zachary Evans

Zach's Advice:

Resumes

Every aspect of your resume is subject to review, not just the content itself. Formatting, structure, and other minor details may help or hurt your cause.
Attention to detail is critical, typos are unacceptable. An unwillingness or inability to be diligent and thorough in preparing your resume doesn’t speak well to companies looking for employees to manage critical projects.
Highlight your strengths while masking your shortfalls.
A resume shouldn’t be static. Adjust your base resume to specifically relate to the position for which you’re applying.
A quality cover letter is essential, as it helps to personalize your application and humanize you as a potential employee while again showing a willingness to go the extra step.
Don’t embellish. You are accountable for everything you list on your resume and will be held accountable for it.
Put the good stuff first. Lead with your strongest qualifications, be it education or experience.
Avoid the “wall of text.” Don’t water down the best quality content in your resume with unnecessary filler and poor structure. Make sure your resume is thorough yet efficient and digestible.
Save and submit your resume as a PDF. Don’t leave yourself at the mercy of bad software merges that may mangle your resume in terms of formatting before it gets to the hiring staff.
Everything in your resume should be based on answering the question of why you would be a fit for “this” job, not just that you want “any” job.

Interviews

Cliché interview advice still holds true: dress well, be early, and be prepared.
Have your resume on hand, know it front and back, but don’t rely on it as a crutch. Use the interview to build upon your resume, not to repeat it.
Be confident but not cocky.
Be prepared for typical interview questions. Like everything, practice makes perfect.
If you’re asked a more novel question, allow yourself time to consider your response. How you answer is just as important as what you answer.
Be aware and avoid as possible “red flag” answers to questions. Even the best interviews can be marred by a single response that signals significant risk.
Do your homework, both on the job and company, and make sure your responses conform to the opportunity at hand.
Be honest and open but avoid oversharing. Do your best to present your individual personality while balancing with more rigid professionalism.
Like resumes, every part of your interview is up for review, from arrival to dismissal. Keep that in mind with things like body language, casual banter before and after the formal question and answer period, and discussions over meals if applicable.
The resume process is about qualification. The interview process is about fit, both for you and the company itself.