I'm Back... sort of

Well, the gang here at PRI have been through quite a few changes these last months.

For starters, I gave birth to my second child in August. I have been warmed by all the well wishes and congrats I've received from candidates, clients and affiliate partners alike.

Special thanks for the support of a couple candidates who were, quite literally, right in the middle of their final interviews and offer stages when I had my baby. Your text messages while I was in the hospital keeping me updated were great!

Next, while I have had to completely abandon this blog due to extremely limited time, I have kept focus on our clients and candidates. Congrats go out to the following for great interviewing and securing their new positions: Jose D., Production Supervisor, WI; George C., Engineering Project Manager, IL; Bruce J., Manufacturing Project Engineer, CA; Jeffrey K., Chemist, NC; Elizabeth H., Quality Control Manager, CA. Again, congratulations to each of you.

And there are more changes, including more positions available in the food and beverage industry and more openings than we can keep up with. We aren't able to keep our Hot Jobs section up properly, but if you search the Jobs section, you'll find many of the listings.

We are trying to keep up with sending out new jobs via email to our active candidate database. If you haven't received jobs in a while, email us to make sure we know you are actively searching. If you email us, keep in mind that we're swamped, and I'm only back from maternity leave part time yet. But, we will get to you, and we have the jobs and in spite of the current economy, we are getting candidates in front of employers for interviews and our candidates are landing great offers!

Resource Round Up: Job Search

Resource Round Up: Recently Published Tips and Advice on Job Searching

How to Create Job Search Chi

Three Sure Fire Mistakes That Scare Off Poential Employers

Top 5 Reasons Your Resume Ended Up In The Trash

Special Announcement

PRI would like to announce to our candidates that Barb Garczynski, Executive Recruiter, has chosen to move on to other ventures in her life. Her last day is this week.

Barb has been with PRI for over 2 years and has successfully placed quality engineers and production management candidates. Here at the PRI office, we have benefited from Barb's tenacity, bubbly personality and high level of professional ethics. She will be truly missed.

If you are a candidate that was working with Barb, your profile was transferred to a team consisting of Lisa Gutknecht, Executive Recruiter and a team of research assistants, Peg and JoAnne. All client presentations, interviews in process and candidate searching has been transferred over the past couple of weeks. If you have any questions, feel free to email Lisa directly.

We wish Barb well in her future ventures and know that she will bring about great things for her next employer.

Think Positively and Plan To Interview

As part of our work as recruiters, one of our core tasks is what is called "candidate prep", a conversation or two where we work through details of the upcoming interview between the candidate and a client. It always amazes me how many candidates tell me that they "hadn't thought about the interview", or "didn't think about that question." Didn't think? You are the one who initiated the search and/or expressed interest in the job!

Start thinking, and think positively! You will get an interview. A phone interview, an in-person interview, hopefully many interviews. And, to land a job, you need to be good at interviewing. For most people, that doesn't come without some thinking, planning, prepping and rehearsing.

Make it a goal of yours to practice, read or brush up on one to two interview skills each and every week. Schedule time in your planner to do this; be committed, and start right away.

Here are a few points to review to make sure you are ready for that next phone or face to face interview:

1. Have you reviewed lists of common interview questions, and do you have your answers prepared? Take time to write out your answers, and then practice saying what you've written. Not all interviewers will ask you the same questions, but this exercise will help prepare you.


2. Prepare your answer to the question "why are you in a job search?" This will come up in nearly every interview and you need to be ready to answer this honestly, conscisely, with emotion but not excess explanation and, most importantly, with an overall positive attitude - regardless of the situation that launched you into your current job hunt.


3. Memorize your resume. Know it inside and out.


4. Read up on interviewing. Current books, career articles and blogs offer great sources to brush up on the interview process, protocol, tips and more to help you "ace" the interview. Start with going through previous posts on this blog, and I would recommend visiting Darlene McDaniel's blog, Interview Chatter. Dedicated to the interview process and all that surrounds it, she often posts helpful insight and tips.

Related Posts:
Resource Round Up: Interview Tips
Refresh Your Phone Interview Basics
New Resource – Free E-Book on Interview Tips

Resource Round Up: Resumes

Resource Round Up: Recently Published Tips and Advice on Resumes

Prove It

From the Search Tip File: Refreshing Resumes

Review: Ogilvy On Advertising

Avoid the 90% Pile!

Top 5 Resume Do's and Don'ts

Resume Workshop: Simplicity

In my Resume Workshop posts, I've taken you through length, content, keywords and more. Today's blog is about keeping the resume clean and simple.

1. Clean. White space. If you're reading this blog, you should be seeking a professional position in a manufacturing firm. Therefore, you are not likely a graphic designer. Leave the graphics out. No pictures, no colored bars. Love the white space.


2. Clear. Simple font. Use a common business font, and avoid any type of script or "fancy" fonts. Choosing a straight, non-serifed font (like Arial or Tahoma) can be an advantage because you can use a smaller font size and still have your resume legible. Avoid the old typewriter style look (using Courier New); you don't want the reader's first impression to be that your resume is "old". Also avoid excess (or any) use of bold, italics and/or underline formating.


3. Concise. Use bullets. Avoid lengthy narrative descriptions and opt for the use of bullets whenever possible. Be sure to use the same style of bullets (and, again, keep the choice of bullet small and simple) and style of writing (full sentences, phrases, keywords, etc.).

The Art of the Thank You

I recently had a conversation with a friend who was asking for advice on writing a thank-you note after an interview. "What is the correct way of doing thank-you notes today?" Here is my advice as both a current executive recruiter and a former human resource manager:

Do you write a thank-you note? YES!! The method of delivery and style may have changed, but the concept still exists.

Thank-you notes give you an opportunity to set yourself apart, re-confirm your interest in the position and employer, show your attention to detail and respect for protocol and process, and one more (or last) chance to show off your communication skills.

That being said, thank-you notes are not to be epics. Short, to the point, and sent via email is commonly today's accepted method.

An individual thank-you email should be sent directly to the position's immediate boss, and to the individual who arranged and/or conducted a good part of the interview (likely the HR Manager). Sometimes this is one and the same person. Other thank-you notes should be sent to everyone who was involved in the interview process, although this can be difficult if you did not receive email addresses from the entire group.

If you were involved in a panel style interview, it is acceptable to send one thank-you in a group email - except for the position's boss and/or the HR Manager or other key personnel that had one-on-one contact with you.

Back to keeping it short - a few sentences will do. Thank them for their time, for the opportunity and express that you are very interested in the job. One to two sentences that offers more support for what you can do is acceptable. Something like: "I feel that my experience managing a high speed assembly operation in a lean manufacturing environment will lend itself well to your organization..." If sending to a group, stick to the basic thanks and the fact that you would welcome the opportunity to join their organization. Do include something you may have learned about the organization that impressed you.

The biggest part of the thank-you process -- Don't forget to spell check and proof, then proof again! Sending an email with spelling or grammar errors will end your chance to secure an offer.

Here are a few other opinions and resources:

No, Thank YOU!

The Great Thank You Note Debate

Give Thanks with an Appreciative Note

Free Sample Thank You Note Book from Ultimate Resumes