Free Resume Screenings!

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Have you heard? For the first quarter of 2016, we here at Rigsby Search Group are offering FREE resume screenings to professionals like you! So if you’re on the job hunt and questioning whether your resume is the best it can be, we’d love to help.

How does it work? Simple! Follow the steps below:

1. Email your resume to us at srigsby@rigsbysearch.com or submit it here on our website.
2. One of our highly trained professionals will call you with one-on-one tips for improving your resume.

We see hundreds of resumes every day. We know what works and what doesn’t, and we would love to offer our expert advice to you!

Don’t wait – this free service only has one month left!

Interview Tips: Prep, Mindset & Communication

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Congratulations! You did it! They liked your resume so much that you landed an interview. We call this passing the first test, so give yourself a pat on the back and take a deep breath. The next step, the actual interview, can seem daunting at first, but with the proper preparation and mindset, you can conquer it. It all starts with a little bit of believing.

It’s important to go into your interview exuding a quiet confidence. Through the right preparation, you can achieve a calm mindset that will leave your competition envious. Here’s where to start.

  1. Do your homework. A day or two before your scheduled interview, grab your laptop, a notebook, and a coffee, and find a quiet place to study up on the company with which you are interviewing. Check out their website, social media pages, latest news and blogs. By getting to know the history and culture of the company, you will be better able to address certain questions. If you know the particular person with whom you will be interviewing, research their role within the company as well. Maybe you’ll come across something in your research that you can be prepared to bond over if it comes up in conversation.
  2. Know the position. You should walk into that interview with a pretty good idea of what the position you are interviewing for entails. Take some time during your study session to craft some answers about why you are a good fit for that particular job and make sure you have some examples from past experience to offer. When asked about your previous positions, stay away from talking about the responsibilities that the job entailed and instead bring up some of your personal accomplishments that you achieved during your time in that position.
  3. Rest. If your interview is in the morning, prepare the night before to avoid being rushed in the AM. Gas up the car, know what you’ll wear, prep a healthy breakfast and put all your materials in one place ready to grab and go. Then, hit the hay early so you can wake up refreshed and ready. There is nothing worse than being rushed on the morning of and walking into the interview still trying to catch your breath.
  4. Ask questions. Your interview should be a two-way street, not an interrogation. You will be expected to know your value, your skills and how you can help the team, but also be careful not to focus solely on yourself during the interview. Make sure to ask questions that concern the betterment of the company. “How does the team interact with the rest of the company?” or “What is the most important quality you are looking for in a candidate?” These questions will ensure the hiring authority that you can be a team player and you will come into work each day with an aim to help more than just yourself.
  5. Get out of your head. Recognize any negative mindset that might be hindering your confidence, and part ways. You are only as good as you allow yourself to be. So walk into that room with a smile on and a positive mindset. You’re going to do great.

If you ever have any further interview concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact us here at Rigsby Search Group. We coach our candidates on interviews every day, and would be more than happy to have a conversation with you.

Nailing Your Resume

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There’s a lot of pressure riding on a resume. Usually, it is a hiring manager’s first (and sometimes only) impression of you. It has to stand out. It has to scream talent. It has to catch their eye.

As recruiters with a combined 50+ years of experience, we’ve seen thousands of resumes pass across our desks (and computer screens). We know what works and what doesn’t. We also know how difficult it can be to craft your resume so that it fully represents just how qualified of a candidate you are. It is the deciding factor in whether or not you will get a face-to-face interview for your dream job.

Needless to say, resumes are pretty important. Here’s our best tips for securing that interview and putting your best resume forward:

  1. Formatting and Organization. Rarely will a resume get a full read-through from a hiring authority. Making those few seconds that you have their attention count is vital. When writing your resume, the most important items should be at the top, clearly and concisely summarized. As a general rule, your work experience should be the first section, with your most recent job first. Be sure to use bold and italics for emphasis and bullet points to help organize your words. Ultimately, your resume should be easy to read. There’s nothing worse than frustrating a hiring authority because they can’t find what they are looking for on your resume.
  2. Cater Your Resume. It can be easy to type up one resume and distribute it to 20 different companies, but it’s probably not going to be very successful. Take some time to research the company and the particular position you are applying for. If there are a certain set of skills that you have that apply to one job in particular, maybe move those up to the top of that section. If a certain certification is needed for one position, be sure to include it. You want to display all the right qualities, otherwise, they’ll pass right over you.
  3. Include Achievements Instead of Responsibilities. While some responsibilities are alright to include, your professional achievements are what will make you stand out from the rest. If your job title at your last place of employment was Accountant, chances are anyone reading will know your responsibilities. Instead, by summarizing your achievements, you’ll grab the reader’s attention and prove that you have something unique to offer.
  4. Proofread. At least twice. Double-check for spelling or grammatical errors, and make sure your formatting is uniform throughout. If one job title is bolded, they all should be. Consistency is key because a hiring authority could see this as a quality that folds over into your daily responsibilities and work ethic.

If you think your resume still needs some TLC, we would love to help! We are offering a brand new, free service to professionals (like you!) for the first quarter of 2016. It’s really easy, too! Simply email your resume to us at srigsby@rigsbysearch.com or submit it here on our website. One of our highly trained professionals will call you with one-on-one tips for improving your resume.