Big Interview

One thing to remove from your resume ASAP: “References available upon request.” We promise that if they want references, they will ask for them! It takes up precious real estate where you could expand on recent accomplishments or add quantifiable results. It doesn’t do you any favors, and it’s overused. Drop it. #resume #references

basically the same thing

The section order in your resume matters. If you’re a student or a recent grad, start with the “Education” section first. This way, your reader will know that you’re early in your career, so they’ll focus on your academic accomplishments. If you’ve been in the workforce for over 2 years, start with the “Work Experience” section, allowing the reader can start assessing your fit for the role right away. *If you’re working in a field unrelated to your education but want to get a job that fits your major, don’t lead with work experience, even if you have it. Your work experience might confuse your audience, so you should highlight your academic background instead. e.g. Working as a Store Manager is impressive for an Engineering student. Still, the experience isn’t as relevant for an Engineering role as the coursework they’ve completed, awards they received, or certifications they have. *If you’re a career changer and went to school again specifically for your new career, you should also start with the “Education” section first. Since you’d be new at this job, your additional educational training will matter more than unrelated job accomplishments.

Quick interview tip 💡 The next time you’re asked about something you don’t know how to do, avoid saying “I have no clue how to do that.” That makes it hard to ask follow-up questions and could make things sound negative going forward. Instead, try to draw parallels with the things you DID do. For example, let’s say that the interviewer asks, “So, do you have any Figma experience?” You don’t, but you have Adobe experience. How to phrase your answer: “I have never worked in Figma before, but I did work with Adobe and they’re very similar from what I’ve heard. I’m confident I can get up to speed in no time.” Here’s why this answer works: >You acknowledge the lack of direct experience >You offer a stand-in relevant skill as an alternative >You show proactivity and hint you’re a fast learner Would this work with very different skills, such as Salesforce vs. DaVinci movie editor? Absolutely not. So please don’t try to use it as a deflection strategy. Only mention relevant, highly transferable skills.

If you’re in the final stage of interviewing, avoid these 3 common mistakes candidates usually make: 1. Quitting your current job without a written offer A written offer makes it real and official. Verbal confirmations aren’t worth risking your current role. 2. Accepting without any attempts to negotiate Unless it’s everything you ever wanted (rarely is), you should try to negotiate. Start with the basics and do market research on how much others in the same role make, according to your location and seniority, then practice your negotiation points. This sets the stage for your career at this company and your financial situation until the next raise. Do not accept anything that could not realistically support your current lifestyle—you can’t negotiate after you sign. 3. Accepting any offer to get away from your current role Suppose this new role doesn’t align with your lifestyle or preferences. In that case, it might be better to stick with your current job until you find a more fitting opportunity unless it’s toxic or unsafe.

The winter break is the best way to catch up on some sleep, bond with family, and set yourself up for success for the semester ahead. Since most people stop after the first two, preparing in advance now will give you an advantage over the competition. Whether it’s updating your resume, completing your LinkedIn profile, or finally getting that certification, now is the time to do it. If you’re not sure where to start, we got you. As per our Chief Coach, the best first step is to get organized. >Take some time to reflect on what you want to achieve in 2025 (i.e. a new job) >Write down the main goal and break it down into smaller chunks >Set realistic deadlines for milestones >Add everything in one place (such as Notion or other project management tools) >Tell a friend and ask them to keep you accountable It may sound simple, but you’d be surprised to find out the actual follow-through rate. If you’d like to read about 6 more productivity tips on how to make the most out of your winter break, sign up for tomorrow’s newsletter here: https://lnkd.in/eHnfaNSV

💀

“Responsible for…” is the most overused resume phrase. Here’s what to say instead: Led e.g. Led the sales team in [project] that resulted in 15% more sales YoY. Managed e.g. Managed a team of 3 representatives and reduced customer churn rate by 26%. Monitored e.g. Monitored project milestones and helped reduce timeline delays by 10%. Executed e.g. Executed a warm sales strategy that increased quarterly SQLs from 10 to 21. Facilitated e.g. Facilitated company-wide training that improved project completion rates by 13%.

When the interviewer asks about a resume gap, don’t immediately assume bad intentions. Often, they’re only asking to gauge how much support you would need besides onboarding. Take a Web Dev role, for instance. If a candidate took a 2-year break, they might struggle with bouncing back because this is a field that is constantly evolving, so they need more training than other candidates. But other times, the interviewer also assesses your proactivity. Using the same example, this candidate could say that they kept up with best practices during their break, and increase their chances of landing the role because it reduces the amount of time they need to get up to speed. So when the resume gap question comes around, you should focus your answers on what you did to stay up-to-date.

Companies are STILL hiring during the holidays. Most of the 2025 planning is already done, and jobs are still being posted. There are fewer jobs compared to the rest of the year, but there are still lots of opportunities you could capitalize on. You don’t have to wait until the New Year to make a move.