So you've networked successfully or reached out directly to employers and landed an interview, now what can you do to capitalize on this opportunity and convert it to a job offer for the summer?
Effective preparation, delivery and follow up will all be critical to your success. Here are the top ten tips for successfully interviewing for a summer job.
Also take a look at the summer job interview questions you'll be asked. And if you are still working on your job search, review these tips for summer job hunting success.
Read More: Summer Job Search for Students | Summer Job Resumes and Cover Letters
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Taking a career test is a little like playing "what do you want to be when you grow up?" with a twist. The twist is that personality tests and career aptitude tests can give you ideas about what you possibly should do rather than you simply pondering what you want to do. It's also fun to see the options for your future.
There are a variety of online free career tests, so, spend a few minutes and see what could be your new career!
What do you think? Do you have ideas about what you might want to be when you grow up? And even if you are grownup already, it's never to late to think about what you want to do next in your career. Let us know What You Want to Be When You Grow Up and take a look at the types of jobs and careers other About.com readers are interested in.
Related: What Do You Want to Be When You Grow Up? | Career Tests | Career Aptitude Tests
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Sometimes, it's the little things that can send your resume into the reject pile, without it even getting a close look. Naming your resume "resume" can send it to the trash faster than you can blink. So can forgetting to write in proper sentences.
At ERP Software Advice, the company sorts through about 150 candidates for each hire they make. Only about twelve of those 150 candidates get to a first-round phone interview. Many of them are rejected for little, and sometimes silly, things like how you name or save your resume, that are still enough to knock the resume out of contention.
Don Fornes, CEO of ERP Software Advice shares his tips on how to name your resume, how to write your letters and resume, and how to save your resume.
Don't name your resume, "resume." About a third of applicants name their resume document, "resume.doc." "Resume" may make sense on your computer, where you know it's your resume. However, on my computer, it's one of many, many resumes with the same name. By using such a generic file name, the applicant misses a great opportunity to brand themselves (e.g. "John Doe - Quota Crusher"). If you're qualified enough to sell or market for us, you won't miss the opportunity to at least use your name in the file name.
don't use all lowercase. i'm not sure where this trend originated. is it some text messaging thing? it's so easy to capitalize properly on a keyboard. how much time is this really saving you? to me, it screams out, "hi. i'm lazy. my pinkies are really heavy and I'd rather not move them to shift. when i start working for you, i'll look for other ways to be lazy. i'll also rebel against authority figures like you, just like i'm rebelling against the english teachers that dedicated their lives to helping me become literate."
Proofread your resume. It's unbelievable the number of spelling, grammar and punctuation mistakes I see in resumes. Again, this is a blaring clue telling the hiring manager that you don't check your work and you don't pay attention to detail.
PDF your resume. Not everyone uses the same operating system and word processor that you do. I use a Mac. I don't have Word - don't want it. My ATS can't handle .docx files. A lot of the resumes I see come through horribly garbled. So much for that nice formatting you did (Did you?). PDF, or portable document format, is a simple solution.
Here's how to get your resume into the hands of the hiring manager, plus more tips on what not to do and what not do when you're applying for jobs from Don Fornes.
Related: How to Send a Resume and Cover Letter | How to Name Your Resume
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