Mentor Blog #4--O'Connor

        My dad wanted to tell me all about the hiring process for my last blog post. As a guy with no plan for this summer, I was happy to learn about this from the inside. He gave me a few tips to share with everyone, so if you are still looking for a job this summer then these are for you. 

First, my dad says to make sure that your resume is attractive. Make sure that it is easy to look at. Highlight your skills by making putting them in a big font so when a hiring manager looks at it he or she can easily see the things that you want to catch their eye. Additionally, tailor your resume to contain many of the same words as the job description. If the job description uses the word “develop” put that in your resume. My dad said that hiring managers do not take much time to look at resumes so you need to have something that grabs their attention. You want them to spend more time actually reading your resume. 

Secondly, an application should always be accompanied by a phone call to the hiring manager. My dad told me that this moves your resume directly to the top of the stack. He always tells me to track down a number and make the call once I apply to a job. Look up talent acquisition employees for the company at which you are applying on LinkedIn. Invite them to connect, because those talent acquisition employees always accept connections, and call the number on their profile. I actually did this today. It is a little awkward but learning how to talk to someone and tell them what you want is a good skill to have. 

When you get an interview, always thank the interviewer within 24 hours with a short email. I can attest to this piece of advice. Earlier this year I had a first round interview with a marketing firm that said they would let me know by the end of the week if they wanted me to do a second round interview. The next morning, I sent my thank you email and not 20 minutes later I get a call inviting me back for my second round. A three sentence thank you email can go a long way. 

I’d just like to thank my dad for talking to me about his experience in management and continuing to mentor me.