Career Diversity

1. Have a compelling reason for why you want to be there, as in “why did you decide to join the firm?”


2. Know what it is that uniquely qualifies you for the position so that you can answer the how, as in “how did you actually get a job here?”


3. Be able to explain what ties together past and current experiences in a way that is compelling and makes sense — what is the glue that holds your story together?

1. Think relevant, not recent. There’s no rule that says you must talk about your resume in reverse chronological order. Mike was a marketing executive who took a sales position abroad for two years. Yet when he returned to marketing, he kept introducing himself as a someone who had just made a career switch, always leading off with an anecdote about his short stint in sales. Instead, Mike should have started with the fact that he was a seasoned marketing professional who had taken a sabbatical but was now back where he belonged — putting his marketing prowess to work and thinking about what drives consumer spending habits.


2. Focus on skills-based versus situation or industry-based qualifications. You don’t have to have a background in finance to be good at finance. Alex was a chemist and researcher who had gone back to business school to get her MBA. She decided she wanted to work in corporate finance for a large pharmaceutical company but she was afraid no one would take her seriously given her background. When I pressed Alex to explain to me why she chose finance, she exclaimed, “That’s the way my brain works.” Her thinking was methodical, mathematical and formulaic — all of which translated to someone who was a natural fit within a corporate finance department. Instead of focusing on the fact that her background was in academia, Alex could emphasize to colleagues and clients that she was a numbers person at her core.


3. Connect the dots — what ties it all together? If you are a chemist turned finance professional or a marketing executive with experience in international sales, you should find a way to bring together the richness of your experiences and show how each one complements the other. For me, personally, I had a significant hurdle to clear with clients as a former Peace Corps volunteer turned investment banker. I explained away the dichotomy of the two by emphasizing to others that I was big picture thinker by nature and a numbers person by training. Banking was a perfect combination of the two — I liked looking at client’s challenges and issues from 30,000 feet and then digging down into the details to come up with creative financing solutions. Whether the client was the mayor of my Peace Corps town in Chile or the CEO of a healthcare company, I could start at a high level and drill down quickly and effectively.

Great on the Job takes it one step further. I use TOUs, or thinking of yous, to encourage people to reach out to others in their network. TOUs are short emails and whereas an IOU makes you indebted to someone, TOUs instead create goodwill. Thinking of yous are inherently generous and the goal is to maintain relevance with someone by sharing information or passing along well wishes, with the side benefit of keeping someone on your radar or staying on theirs.

So what should the subject of these TOUs be?

Here are five foolproof ways to ping someone this summer with a TOU:

(1) Pass along an article of interest: Julie, I read this article in the Boston Globe today and I thought of you and wanted to pass it along. This sounds like its right in the sweet spot of what your team is working on. Hope all is well. Best, Erica. [* extra credit for highlighting or bold facing the relevant paragraph or sections of the article]

(2) Congratulate someone on good news: Adam, I spoke with Aaron last week and he mentioned your promotion / new baby / move to Chicago. Congratulations, I’m very happy for you. Once you get settled in, let’s schedule coffee to catch up and see how things are going. Fondly, Kevin

(3) Share a job lead: Cynthia, I wanted to reach out let you know that L&M is looking for a new property manager. If you know anyone who might be interested, please feel free to forward along to colleagues or friends. Warm Regards, Casey

(4) Acknowledge a sport fan’s win: Nathan, congrats! I watched the game last night and saw that the Buckeyes pulled it off at the last minute, enjoy your bragging rights today. Roger

(5) Reference a run-in with a mutual friend: Elise, Eric and I saw Katherine today and she’s just come back from L.A. and sends her regards. Let’s try to all get together soon. Jodi

National Black MBA Association knows that one key to the recovery is you. As the nation’s largest black professional organization, we are proud to partner with State Farm in presenting the National Black MBA Entrepreneurial Institute, our effort to educate and inspire today’s established and aspiring entrepreneur.

Upcoming cities:
Houston - August 22nd
Philadelphia - August 29th

This event is open to non-members!

FIVE MINUTES COULD MEAN $10,000
Compete in the Innovation WhiteBoard Challenge for a chance to win $10,000! Contestants get five minutes to pitch an idea, product concept or business idea to business leaders, entrepreneurs, and funders – with just a pen and whiteboard and your power to sell. - no PowerPoints, no interruptions!

START-UPS AND ASPIRING ENTREPRENEURS
Jumpstart your dreams with the practical advice and direction you need to get up and running in today’s competitive environment:

• Identify the best model and resources for you – from franchising, to partnerships or made-from-scratch
• Study real life scenarios that entrepreneurs must consider before pursuing, or continuing a specific model
• Identify the strengths and weaknesses you possess
• Learn the differences between the certifying agencies and the pros and cons of being certified for black and female owners, and how to make it work for you without bias or complication
  

ESTABLISHED AND GROWTH TRACK BUSINESSES

• Learn sales methods that help find the customer and keep them
• Identify your most profitable customer profile
• Understand the sales process
• Get up to speed on venture capital financing, financing acquisitions, creative financing
• Understand Stimulus program options
• Learn where to find pools of capital and small business loans, how to attract the attention of angel investors and how to utilize creative capital-raising strategies
• Address dilution, how much to raise and when, ownership versus wealth considerations and more

Registration links can be found on each cities page and on the registration page.

Host: NBMBAA-Houston Chapter
Date: Friday, August 28, 2009
Time: 11:30am - 1:00pm
Location: Houston Area Urban League (Downtown)
1301 Texas Avenue (between Caroline St. and Austin St.)
Houston, TX 77002

Grab your lunch on the way and meet us Downtown
Free: Members
$5.00: Non-Members

RSVP: Houstonblackmba09@gmail.com

“Hi, my name is Tom Matthews. Bob Smith suggested we meet. Is there any time in the
next six weeks we could get together for lunch?”
“Can we have lunch, just to get to know each other better?”
You have no idea how much busy entrepreneurs hate to hear these words. Despite
knowing that the meeting almost certainly is a waste of time, common courtesy to the
caller and “Bob Smith” means the entrepreneur has little choice but to squeeze something
else into his eighty hour work week, meaning that work, family or charitable duties must
suffer.

Finally, it’s the day of the meeting. Thankfully, the entrepreneur’s assistant has managed
to convert the lunch to a short meeting.
“Nice to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you.”
“So how do you know Bob?”
“We met a few weeks ago, and your name came up.”
Another ten minutes are wasted on empty pleasantries, like the weather and the latest
sports scores. Finally the moment comes.
“So what can I do to help?”
“Well, I’m not sure. I’m just trying to network with as many people as possible. I’m
thinking about changing careers.” (Heavy sigh from the entrepreneur.)
“So what kind of job would interest you?”
“Well, I’m not sure. Something that’s really exciting and pays well. I’m really open to
anything.” (Another heavy sigh.)

Then, if you are really unlucky, the guest begins to recount, in agonizing detail, his life
story. This takes another fifteen minutes. Time moves slowly. Very slowly. Finally, the
meeting is over. Another half hour wasted.
What’s wrong with this picture?
So what went wrong? Is the entrepreneur unsociable? Selfish? No, not at all. Even the
most charitable person wants to know – what’s in it for me? Even if “what’s in it for me”
is the joy of helping someone else.

Basically, as an entrepreneur with a family and obligations to my community and church,
every minute of every day is already taken. That means there’s an opportunity cost for
every new task accepted. If you waste my time because you haven’t thought about your
own goals, you are telling me that, at best, you are naïve; at worst, self absorbed. Not
exactly the best first impression.

It is a waste of time to use personal interviews to learn about an industry or decide what
you should do with your life. A stranger or casual acquaintance doesn’t know you well
enough to give you personal career advice and general career advice isn’t very valuable.
If you want to learn more about an industry, it’s more efficient and effective to read about
the industry first and then interview front line workers—not bother a CEO with general
questions.

Save interviews and interactions with busy entrepreneurs until you know exactly what
you need. Someone who can help you naturally becomes your mentor, so make it as easy
as possible for them to help by having a specific request.

But, But, But……
“But don’t entrepreneurs want to make new friends?” Sure, but at their own choosing,
not as a social obligation because it’s rude to refuse to see you. Sometimes random
meetings do lead to long lasting friendships, but the odds are against it.

“But I just need someone to listen to me.” Sorry, that’s not an entrepreneur’s
responsibility. That’s the job of a spouse, friend or counselor.

“But I need to learn more about your industry.” Fine. Read a book. I’ll even send you a
list of books by e-mail. Surf the internet. Talk to salespeople and operators. I can’t tell
you enough about my industry in thirty minutes to do you much good. You need to do
hours and hours of reading to even scratch the surface.

“But I’d like to meet influential people.” So would I. That doesn’t mean they want to
meet me.

“But I’m really talented and wonderful.” I’m sure you are. Now do something to prove
it. Like doing your homework before you burden busy people with meaningless
interviews.

It’s Not about You
“Can you introduce me to Michael Dell? I’d like to ask him some questions about the
computer industry.”

Amazingly enough, just last year an incoming student made this request. He never
stopped to ask whether Michael Dell would have any interest in meeting him. Or what
Michael would have to push aside to make time for such a meeting. He never stopped to
consider how much personal capital it would take me to set up such a meeting or what the
cost would be to me if he wasted Michael’s time.

The first rule of “networking”—by the way, I hate that word – is that you must put
yourself in the shoes of the other person. Why would they want to meet you? How can
they help with the least possible expenditure of time or effort? How can you make such
an encounter enjoyable for the other person?

If you cannot recast your idea of networking: “Here’s what I need;” into one of humble
service: “I’ve got something to give to the world, and with just a little help from you I
can make my dream a reality;” you shouldn’t expect to get far. Bottom line: You cannot
expect the world to revolve around you and what you need.

Some Suggestions
The suggestions below will help you get the most out of personal interviews:

1. Do your personal soul searching and industry homework first.
Take a personal inventory. Take aptitude tests. Ask those who know you well what
you do better than most. Do whatever it takes to narrow your search to a few
industries. Read about these industries and the leading companies and people.
Personal interviews with teachers, entrepreneurs and executives should not be used to
narrow your search or learn about jobs or industries. A stranger or casual acquaintance
doesn’t know you well enough to map out your career. This is a very inefficient use of
a busy person’s time.

2. Be specific about what you need. Make sure the other person understands how a
little effort on their part can make a big difference in your life.

Be clear about what you want. People are more likely to help you if they understand
what you need, why it matters and how they can help with a minimum of time and
effort. If you can’t explain this in a few sentences, you don’t need a meeting.

3. Always put yourself in the other person’s shoes.
Whenever you contact anyone, stop and put yourself in their shoes. Why would they
want to talk with you? How can you make it easy on them? How can you demonstrate
that talking with you would be entertaining or educational? At the very least, be
humble and appreciative.

4. Make it easy.
Never ask for a lunch if a short meeting will do. Never ask for a meeting if a phone call
will suffice. Never ask for a phone call if an e-mail will get the job done.

5. Don’t pester.
If the other person isn’t interested, back off. Ask if there’s someone else they suggest
you could talk with or something they suggest you read. Perseverance is a great
character trait if you are pursuing a worthy goal, but an empty meeting is not a worthy
goal.

6. Start at the bottom.
Once you have narrowed the list of industries, make your first contacts with people who
are helping serve real customers. Look for people who have recently joined the
company. These are the people who can tell you the most about what your experience
will be like with a company or within an industry. You can learn about an industry’s
history by reading biographies of industry pioneers.

7. Show up prepared.
If you do need a phone call or meeting, be prepared. Make sure you have read all the
important books about the industry and the biographies about its pioneers in advance.
Thoroughly research the company and the individual with whom you meet.

8. Send a list of questions in advance.
A short list of questions help set the agenda and show that you’ve done your
homework. Sending your questions in advance makes the most of a short meeting.

9. Ask questions.
Your goal in a face to face meeting is to establish a relationship. Use your time in a
personal interview to learn about the other person. How did they get to where they are
today? What mistakes have they made? What do they cherish or regret? Once you
understand the other person, and they believe you are sincere and dedicated to their
industry, and perhaps following in their same path, they are more likely to see you as a
younger version of themselves and are more likely to want to help.

10. Give something unexpected in return.
What can you give in return? Does the entrepreneur have a favorite charity where you
can volunteer? Is there some other way you can give them an unexpected gift? Will
you at least pledge to help someone like yourself in the future? Being willing to give
of yourself without being asked is a sign of maturity and character.

Busy entrepreneurs make up to several million dollars each year. That means an hour
of his or her time is worth a thousand dollars or so, and a marginal hour of time is
worth much more. At an MBA salary, an hour of your time is worth $50 or so,
meaning that you should be willing to volunteer ten hours of your time in return for a
half hour meeting. Sound too expensive? Then you really don’t need the meeting.

11. Be nice to the gatekeepers too.
Remember, executive assistants run most companies. They can be your most valuable
source of information about a company or an entrepreneur. See them as a resource, not
a barrier.

12. Follow up
Always, always, always write a handwritten thank you note. Let the entrepreneur
know how their advice or recommendation helped. Show them your gratitude by
offering something unexpected.

Summary
Entrepreneurs are busy. Every moment of their time already is committed. People who
use social contrivances or relationships to gain access for meaningless meetings take time away from more important tasks.

If you want to learn about an industry, read books or surf the internet for information.
Interview line personnel who have more time and can give you a perspective on what
working in an industry at an entry level is like. Save face to face meetings with
entrepreneurs for that rare moment when there is something specific they can do, at a
very low cost in time and effort, that will make a big difference to your life.
Valuing time like this may seem crass, but the economics are revealing.

Above all, remember that it’s not about you. People will help you if they sense that you
are on an important mission to help others and have the character and drive to make a
difference. You can demonstrate this by doing your homework up front, and always
putting yourself in the shoes of the other person.

MLT Career Prep Coach's Corner
Are you getting the word out on “Brand Me?”
By: Rishal Stanciel, MLT Career Prep Coach


How many times have you heard that networking is the key to a successful job search? Well it is absolutely a true statement. According to most job search studies, 65% of new jobs are secured via networking. Personally, I have secured 90% of my jobs over a fifteen year professional career through networking. When I consider that talking to people at my target companies about “Brand Me” and my career goals has led to over $1MM in income, it has really convinced me to be a strong advocate for the art of networking. Literally sharing “Brand Me” with my friends and colleagues, has resulted in securing key positions in my target companies. This has certainly made me a believer in the statement that networking is the key to a successful job search. You might ask, “How do I network “Brand Me?”

In the job search process, it is simply the method of GETTING THE WORD OUT about “Brand Me”. You must communicate who you are, what you have to offer, and what you are looking for to the right target audience in order to facilitate a successful job search. Your primary target audience is comprised of the hiring managers within the companies on your “hit list”. Your secondary target group represents individuals that can connect you with the hiring managers within the companies on your hit list. Just like with any brand marketing plan, you must identify all of the right vehicles to communicate your message to your target market and execute the plan. Your message can be distributed to your target audience in many ways including your 90 second pitch, cover letter, resume, introductory email, phone call, Linked In, Facebook, and any other creative way to communicate “Brand Me”.

Now that you have identified your primary and secondary target audiences and how to reach them, the next step is to Just Do It! This means talking to everyone you know about “Brand Me”, and effectively delivering your message succinctly and effectively. Ideally, you should have 20 to 30 conversations a week on a continuous basis with your target audience. If you are able to talk to everyone you know about your brand and ask them about who they know at the companies on your hit list, then you have effectively extended your network. This type of Word-of-Mouth Advertising is critical to any job search. In essence you have extended the reach of “Brand Me” and greatly increased the number of touch points against your target audience. This represents the art of networking. The ability to effectively network has as much to do with your Brand Identity message as it does with the vehicles utilized, and the persistence of your messaging.

Lastly, tracking the results of your job search plan is very critical. The results of your job search plan should be systematically monitored so that you can continue to evolve your plan, as well as utilize key learnings for future job searches. A simple Excel spreadsheet with your target audience, hit list, and touch points should assist in accurately tracking your results.
In summary, these are the five steps to Networking “Brand Me”:

• Develop the right Brand Identity message—Who are you?
• Determine the right target audience—Hiring Managers & People that know them at Hit List companies
• Decide on the right vehicles to communicate effectively
• Just Do It-Get the word out!
• Track Your results & Maintain your records for future searches

By Mesia Quartano & Barb Freda for LatPro.com.

We may be living in a global economy, but the fact remains: There are some subtle — and some not-so-subtle — differences between the way employment interviews are conducted in the United States and in Latin America.

To help you better prepare for U.S. interviews, LatPro took time recently to speak with two experts in the field of employment training: experts who have made it their business to coach Hispanic job candidates and employers in cross-cultural interviewing techniques.

Graciela Kenig is founder and president of LatinoWorkforce.com, an organization dedicated to finding and placing multicultural recruits into the workforce. Nelson A. De Leon is a bilingual recruiting consultant, and the owner and founder of America At Work.

We asked our experts: What makes an employment interview in the United States different from one that might be conducted in Latin America? What expectations do U.S. interviewers have, and what does a Latino candidate need to know to succeed in this new environment?

Here are their top tips to help you avoid possible misconceptions and cultural pitfalls so you can get the job you want!

Top Ten Tips for Acing your U.S. Job Interview

1. Take Credit for your Professional Accomplishments
An employer expects you to “toot your own horn,” says Graciela Kenig. This can be awkward for Latinos who are more community and group-oriented, but it’s a crucial part of the U.S. interview.

Employers want to hear not just how you worked as a part of a team, but very specifically what you did on that team and what your contributions were, notes Kenig. Discussing your individual accomplishments won’t be viewed as arrogant or egotistical. In fact, if you don’t point out your solo successes, employers will assume you don’t have significant contributions to talk about.

2. Make Eye Contact
Interviewers will be picturing you as a potential coworker during the interview. They expect you to look them in the eye and act like a colleague. For some Hispanics, such direct eye contact may feel uncomfortable, as it can have different connotations in Latin America, including attraction between a man and woman, a lack of respect or a challenge to authority. All of these potential cultural implications must be set aside for the interview. In the U.S., making good eye contact shows confidence; failing to look your interviewer in the eye will not only make them uncomfortable, it could be interpreted as a sign that you are being evasive or untruthful.

3. Be Direct
“We Latinos tend to communicate indirectly,” says Kenig “We need to give context to stories, and the story gets really long.” In the U.S. interview, however, you should get to the point quickly and focus only on the relevant facts. Kenig’s story strategy is SAR: Pick the Situation; relate the Action; highlight the Results.

Plunging right in and talking about the matter at hand may seem rude or abrupt to a Latino, but it won’t to the person doing the interview. They are busy, time is short, and you need to shine during the brief time you have in front of them.

4. Focus on Professional, not Personal, Issues
Interviewers may ask a question just to break the ice, says De Leon, asking a recruit to “tell me something about yourself.” They are not asking about your childhood, your dogs or your family.

The interviewer really wants to hear about you in relation to the jobs you’ve had in the past and the job you want. “That can be tough for Hispanics, who want to ease into conversations about themselves,” adds De Leon. Practice answering these types of questions without including your entire life’s story.

5. Get Rid of the “Yes Syndrome”
The Yes Syndrome is something De Leon identifies as an idiosyncrasy of Hispanic culture. As an interviewer is talking, the recruit may be nodding his head, saying yes over and over, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’ve understood everything. It does mean they’ve heard; they are listening, and they won’t interrupt for fear of seeming rude.

“It’s okay to ask questions,” says De Leon. “Ask, ‘Can you explain that?’ or just repeat back to the interviewer what you’ve heard: ‘You need A, B, C and D for this job.’” It doesn’t make you look stupid, as some fear. It makes you look and sound engaged in the interview.

6. Don’t Be Passive
This goes hand in hand with getting rid of the Yes Syndrome. If you are too humble or too reserved, says De Leon, you may appear uninterested in the job. Once you start asking questions, it shows you have a good grasp of the job at hand. The smartest people don’t give the best answers, they ask the best questions, showing potential employers they can identify problems.

7. Beware Tú vs. Usted
Latinos are aware of the formality of the “usted.” But because English only uses “you,” be conscious that you don’t get too familiar with your interviewer. De Leon sees this especially with people who have grown up in the Latino culture within the United States. While a recruit should not be subservient, there should still be respect. And if you happen to be interviewing in a situation where you will use Spanish, stick with “usted” during the interview. Don’t lapse into using “tú” for the entire corporate culture.

8. Dress Conservatively
“It’s always better to be overdressed rather than underdressed,” says De Leon, but what is dressy for going out on the town is not appropriate attire for the interview. Kenig reminds recruits, “Whatever you wear makes an impression and says something about who you are.”

Even if the day-to-day dress of regular employees is casual, you should choose conservative business attire for your interview. A professional appearance shows that you respect the interviewer and are serious about the available position. Avoid anything that will detract from the interview, including too much jewelry, perfume or aftershave. You want the focus to be on your abilities, not on an overpowering fragrance or distracting accessories.

9. Don’t be Discouraged if the Interviewer Seems Impersonal
Employers who don’t ask about your background, your family, your kids and your church aren’t being rude, and it doesn’t mean they don’t like you as a potential employee. In the U.S., these types of personal interview questions are prohibited. “There are a lot of legal issues they cannot discuss or bring up first in an interview,” says Kenig. If the recruit mentions a spouse or children, the interviewer can follow up on it, but they are bound by law not to ask first.

10. Research the company before your interview – and don’t forget your Hispanic connections!
It’s a big world, but our cultural connections can make the world seem smaller. In addition to more traditional research methods, use your cultural connections to gain valuable insights into a company. Within the close-knit Hispanic community, chances are good that you can find someone who has already interviewed with or worked for a particular company. Professional Hispanic organizations and their members can also be a wealth of information. All you have to do is ask!

A Few Pointers on the Letters of Recommendation

1. Don't get one from Lee Iococca. There's nothing wrong with Lee (not that I know of, anyway), but he doesn't really know you and it shows in his letter. The most common mistake applicants make with respect to the letter of recommendation is getting one from a hotshot at work or from a brand name like Lee Iococca. The admissions people are not impressed by your boss's boss's title, and they are regularly bombarded by generic recommendations from celebrity business people. So don't send them another.

You need a recommendation from someone who knows you well, preferably someone who works with you daily and can provide personal insight into your character. The job title of that person is meaningless to the admissions committee.

(And just to confirm, yes, my students have submitted recommendations from brand names ranging from Lee Iococca to Charles Schwab. In fact, the person who submitted the Lee Iococca letter and the person who submitted the Charles Schwab letter ended up at the same MBA program.)

2. Have your recommender discuss specific details of the jobs you've done. Detailing specifics will shed more light on your personality than will mouthing vague platitudes such as, "Billy will make a good leader" and "I think he is very conscientious."

3. This one may sound a little obvious, but pick someone who can write! You know Maury, the section manager who thinks you're the greatest thing on earth but who reads at a 3rd grade level? Don't ask him for a recommendation.

4. When the recommendation asks for a flaw or area of personal improvement, don't let your recommender say, "Billy works too hard." No one buys that line.

5. Give your recommender an outline of the assignments you have handled at work. Include in that outline some suggestions on how he might address specific issues such as leadership potential and motivation for attending business school. In addition to improving the recommendation, providing this information should encourage your recommender to write the letter himself rather than ask you to do the dirty work.

This annual Guide describes diversity programs at 500 major corporations--diversity internship and entry-level programs or efforts; profiles of diversity team members, part-time/flex-time options, family leave policy, quantitative information regarding diversity staffing levels, and special programs or historical details.

Get insider information on top employers and education programs, job search advice, salary info, job listings, employee message boards and surveys.

You Got the Look: Crafting the Right Resume Appearance

Your resume: your career history, your years of education, your commitment to your employers, your dreams, all ascribed on a sheet of white or ecru paper titled, at the top, with your name. But to be effective, a resume must adhere to one rule: information must be delivered in an attractive, efficient, and easily accessible manner.

The properly prepared resume of a less-experienced candidate can trump a poor resume from a more-experienced candidate. The difference between a good resume and a bad one is the difference between a new job and continued unemployment. But armed with the proper instruction on how to negotiate the art, writing a powerful, clear resume can be as easy as filling out a form. Here are a few simple rules about a resume's basic look.

^ Font

Don't get creative. Really. What you want in a font is not a decorative design choice, but a simple, easily read font that shows you mean business. In other words, when looking for a font, think gray suit.

Unacceptable Fonts:

Courier font: If you didn't have to write your cover letter on a 1930s travel typewriter, why make it look like you did? This font looks like the default font of a malfunctioning computer and is also notorious as the typeface that mediocre high school students use because of its massive, page-filling size. Do you really want such a dishonest font representing your words?

Say no to anything that looks remotely like handwriting or hints at it, like italicized versions of regular fonts. This is a business document, not a thank you note to a neighbor. And these fonts are difficult to read.

Avoid any font that looks like it would be more appropriate on a mediaeval manuscript or the label of a malt-liquor bottle. No Ye Olde Fonts. No historical-period fonts at all, for that matter. No art-deco twenties, no early-80s computer geekdom.

Whatever you choose, remember this: what impresses readers the most should not be the letters on the page but the words they spell.

Paper

A stroll through most business supply stores will reveal a sea of paper choices, from traditional plain white to hot pink and purple. Outlandishly colored resumes are to be used by people whose jobs demand more dramatic visual statements: hairdressers, fashion designers and clowns. The rest of us need to focus on the understated dignity of whites, light grays, and ecru. Use the same paper for your cover letter.

Envelope

While many employers say they do not focus their attentions on the envelope a document is sent in, others do. To some, a resume's wrapper can be a factor in their evaluation. Shannon Heidkamp, the recruiting manager for a division of Allstate Insurance says, "If a resume is being sent snail mail, the envelope should be typed." Typing the envelope is especially important if you have messy handwriting.

Scanning

Since so many business now scan resumes into computers, so they can be better accessed for future reference, a job applicant has to consider a few additional factors about his resume's appearance.

Scanners often have a difficult time reading underlined, italicized and bolded text or any unusual font (which you shouldn't be using anyway). Scanning also can create problems for those who write their resumes on anything but plain white paper. Even gray and white-flecked paper has been known to cause problems on picky scanners. A good way to test your paper's scanability is to photocopy your resume printed on the paper you plan on using. If the copy comes out blurred, dark, specked, or anything but white, think again about sending it out to a big company: their scanners might not be able to distinguish the information on the page from the page itself.

While the resumes are often organized according to the industry, they are most often pulled from within those categories by keyword searches, which means that it's more important than ever that you use the correct terminology in describing your knowledge and experience.

Interviews can be nerve-wracking but if you follow these tips, you will feel less anxious.

Interviewing is an important step towards getting your dream job. Here are some Do's and Don'ts for Interview Day.

Writing a resume is very stressful. Here are some quick tips that will ease the the writing process.