People Development
      
           
   

"Whoever learns the most, the fastest,
has a competitive advantage.”

Our customized programs leverage current
      skills and knowledge helping people to reach results faster.

HR in-a-box or Trainer in-a-box designed  
for HR professionals or Trainers. We coach you on how to do the
work or as consultants we can do the work for you.
For questions, call us at 201-337-6813 or send us an email at
Customer.Service@MoZenInc.com 

                                  
Register Today!
 
  
 
MoZen Inc. Register Today!  

Q1 Webinars &
Public Classes

 
1. Change Management Certificate
2. Learn How to Become a Consultant
3. White Belt Certification
4. Green Belt Certification  
5. PMP Prep Workshop   (3 days)
6Brown Belt Certification   (2 days)
7. Gazelles Executive Workshop

 

 

                Executive Growth Seminar
Learn how to grow your business to the next level
Thousands of business owners have benefited directly from the simple and practical easy-to-use tools for making strategically smart decisions and for keeping everyone aligned and accountable to those decisions.
      
         
Topgrading    
(hiring, coaching and retaining 'A' Players)

 CEOs report that "picking the right people" is one of their most serious challenges.  
 But, most companies find that only 25% of those hired or promoted turn out to be high achievers -- that's a 75% failure rate! 
By leveraging the experience of thousands of successful managers, this workshop 
offers a simple, practical, and common sense approach to hiring the best person for 
 any position in your organization.
 
     
- Leadership Development  
- Leadership Development Programs
- Executive Leadership Coaching
- Business Strategy



 

Lean Six Sigma Certifications-Contact Us For Dates
 
White Belt Certification   
Yellow Belt   
Green Belt Certification      
Black Belt Certification        
Leadership Brown Belt Certification       
Master Black Belt Certification       
Champion Training    
Lean 5S  
Workout/Kaizen   
Safety in the Workplace    















 

LEADERSHIP & MANAGEMENT

- Building High Performing Teams  
- Budgets and Budget Management
- How to Succeed As A New Manager
- Coaching
- Critical Thinking Skills
- Executive Leadership Development
- Effective Delegation
- Human Resources Basics
- Human Resources Management
- Inventory Management
- Leading Teams
- Leading Hi Potential Teams
- Leading Virtual Teams
- Marketing
- Managing in 2012
- Managing Customer Service
- Meeting Management
- Motivating & Engaging Your Employees
- Negotiating Skills
- Problem Solving & Decision Making
- Project Management Certification
- Succeeding As A New Supervisor
- Supervisor Skill Development
- Strategic Planning
- Strategic Thinking
 












 
CAREER DEVELOPMENT
- Advanced Writing Skills
- Become an administrative Assistant
- Building Self Esteem & Assertiveness
- Business Ethics
- Business Basics
- Business Writing
- Change Management
- Communication Skills
- Conflict Management
- Critical Thinking
- Customer Service & Call Centers
- Influence Without Power
- Project Management Basics
- Project Management Advanced
- Presentations Intro
- Presentations Advanced
- Time Management
- Technical Writing
- Proposal Writing
- Learn To Work Smarter
- Getting Your Job Search Started
- Creating a Dynamite Job Portfolio
- Mastering the Interview
- Supervisors Leadership Skills
      

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BUSINESS SKILLS DEVELOPMENT
- Anger Management  

 

 

 

- Behavioral Interviewing
- Building Relationships for Success
- Controlling Anger Before It Controls You
- Change Management
- Change Management Certification Program
- Employee Generation Gap (X, Y, Boomers, etc)
- Developing and Maintaining Succession Plan
- Dealing with Change
- Diversity Training
- Employee Dispute Resolution
- Employee On-Boarding
- Effective Performance Reviews
- Conflict Resolution
- Harassment Training
- Behavioral Interviewing Techniques
- Managing Customer Service
- Managing Workplace Violence
- Mentoring Program
- Orientation Handbook
- Performance Management
- Performance Reviews
- Sexual Harassment Training
- Stress Management
- Succession Planning
- Teamwork: Building Better Teams
SALES DEVELOPMENT
- Sales Development - Lead Generation  

 

 

    

- Building Success in Sales Relationships
- Sales Presentations That Get Results
- Overcoming Objections
- Improving Sales Skills or Selling Smarter
- Lead Generation and Prospecting
- Improving Your Telemarketing Techniques
- Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
- Sales Skills Assessment
     

 
Train-The-Trainer
- Developing Training Programs
- Facilitation Skills
- Trainers - Basic Skills
- Trainers - Advanced Skills
- Train-the-Trainer
     
     Body Language                                                       
What message are you sending? As much as 93% of our communications at any job interview, public speaking engagement, negotiation, or even our romantic encounters are conveyed non-verbally. Our bodies are capable of producing over 700,000 unique movements, so the adage “actions speak louder than words” came about for a very specific reason. We interpret the actions of others when we’re interacting with them and if what they say are in contradiction to their subconscious body language…we read and believe their body language. This seminar is designed to make you aware of body language and help you better understand the messages you are sending to ensure it Is the message you want to send.
     
Change Management Certificate                   
Change is part of our daily lives and it seems that there is more and more change we have to deal with every day. Change if not dealt with can be painful or even costly to us as individuals or to our company. Not being able to handle change stops us from moving forward and attaining our personal/ professional goals. This program builds an understanding of change, the change process and it examines the factors critical to successful change implementation decreasing resistance.
 

Communication skills
In order to understand your relationships with other people, you must first understand yourself. Achievers throughout history have one thing in common—they know themselves. This means they don’t underestimate what they can do, they don’t sell themselves short and they know their own limitations. More importantly, by understanding themselves, they are able to develop plans to overcome their shortcomings and take full advantage of their strengths to improve their communication with others.  

       
Conflict Management
Today we are all asked to do more faster with fewer resources  this increases stress levels and often leads to increased co-worker conflict. Manager's feel if they ignore it...it will go away. Conflict impacts work efficiency, individual motivation, department results and the culture. This is particularly detrimental if you work in teams. Conflict often starts off small and then it can escalate as other employees become embroiled taking sides. It may seem petty...but if allowed to continue it can quickly have an impact on everyone.
 
   Critical Thinking Skills
The world is changing, the economy is changing, business is changing and your skills also need to change for you to be competitive. A skill now required by all is Critical Thinking. We are in information overload and to survive professionally we need to how to take in information, connect the dots and create a map to proactively move forward. You will understand your critical thinking style, and we will help you strengthen and improve it. We will teach you how to work through the critical thinking process; develop and evaluate options; determine best solutions, prepare and present compelling arguments; and to use reasoning techniques to impact your specific audience. Why is it that some people find it easy to solve problems while others find it uncomfortable, difficult and at times...impossible?   Come learn how to increase your critical thinking skills which enhances fluid intelligence. "Fluid Intelligence"  helps you determine patterns, make connections and solve problems. When you improve your critical thinking skills you improve your fluid intelligence increasing your problem solving and deep thinking abilities.
    
Dynamic Listening Skills
                                   
   
In school we took reading, writing, and arithmetic…we even took language, but who took effective or dynamic listening skills and yet this untaught skill is in valuable to our success. In a working environment defined by diversity, stress and uncertainty, it is a critical skill to ensure success. Half of the communication process is listening and a critical half for all effective communication as we all have filtering systems, levels of listening and limited attention spans. Learn new skills that will help you listen dynamically, effectively and understand what the person is thinking and/or feeling from their point of few to avoid misunderstandings and miscommunication.
 
   Executive Coaching
Everyone needs a coach...as we all have barriers to our success. Executives have a great impact on the company results so helping them develop new skills is critical. An Executive coach helps remove those barriers. Executive coaching is a three-way partnership between the executive, the coach, and the organization.  More executives are choosing coaching as a proactive component of their professional development as it helps them develop their professional, leadership skills and more. Leadership development of critical business skills should be a priority for every company. In the past...these barriers to success did not have the same dramatic impact that they do today.  
                 
     
 

 

 

 
Advanced Presentation Skills                               
 
Effective presentations are more critical today than ever before as they carry messages to employees or even clients about our company, products and services. This course offers presentation training for people at every level of your organization, from front line sales and service professionals to senior management and executives. Our approach is customized to meet the specific needs of your organization. It focuses on helping everyone deliver clear, effective presentations to audiences of all sizes. Being well-prepared to give a polished and persuasive presentation keeps you composed and ensures that you are able to deliver a powerful presentation to all audiences. We give you tips and techniques in creating, developing and delivering powerful presentations. We help you understand how to give your words an appeal that captures attention and leads to inspiration and transforms your ideas and visions into influential presentations
 
    High Performance Culture
A true high-performance culture provides a company with its single greatest source of competitive advantage. The culture inspires people to go the extra mile - to make and execute better decisions to get more accomplished. But fewer than 10% of companies actually succeed in building a winning culture, and even the ones that do so may find it hard to maintain. High-performance cultures have two central characteristics which we will discuss along with the ROI value and metrics to implementing a HP culture.
            
 

     

 

 
High Performance Teams                
It is clear that in today’s fast changing complex environment we need to collaborate effectively in groups and teams to achieve results. Teams are necessary to facilitate high performing cultures and thus the team effectiveness is essential. Given the increasing  workloads high performing teams in today’s changing work environment is critical,  so understanding how teams work and how to improve teamwork is important for any company to create a competitive advantage.  We will cover the components of High Performing Teams and tips to move employees to high performing teams.
 
      Influence Without Power
The ability to influence without authority is an essential skill in today’s complex work world of  tight deadlines, limited budgets, flatter organizations, strong competition in a diverse, multi-generational workforce. Anyone who needs information from others to accomplish a task or the help from someone with different priorities, needs to know how to influence without authority. Learn how to tailor your communication along with tools and techniques that get results.
     
Linked In
It  is not enough anymore to post  jobs just to online job boards. A number of recruiters continue to utilize traditional job boards as a part of their recruiting mix, but are starting to use social networking to recruit superior employees. The world of recruiting is changing. LinkedIn and other social networking sites are advantageous for employers to use for both networking and recruiting. We will discuss both to help your recruiting mix.
 
          Meeting Management                                              
Meetings can be a frustrating waste of time and resources. Our goal is to teach you powerful meeting tools and specific tips and techniques designed to help you implement meetings that attain specific and quantifiable results. This training is designed for companies and individuals for whom time is a valuable resource and who want to decrease meeting time as they increase their professional image and meeting effectiveness.
      
 
Mentoring Program
 
Implementing a Formal Mentoring Program offers benefits to companies, leaders and employees.  A mentoring  program should be based on organization strategy and employee development needs. It also helps transfer knowledge that can leave the company as the economy improves. We will cover the basic guidelines for establishing a strong and successful mentoring programs and the pitfalls if not executed correctly.
 
       Negotiation Skills
Negotiation skills are invaluable for us all, not just for people responsible for negotiating,– in relation to salaries,  contracts and agreements with new employees, customers or suppliers; or with colleagues and managers regarding budgets, resource allocations and project deadlines. We will discuss the negotiation skills that will enable you to become effective negotiators, along with tools for both formal negotiations and informal negotiations used in routine meetings with colleagues.
     

 
Performance Management
Performance management focuses on the performance of an organization, a department, an employee, or even the processes to build a products/ services. Performance management is not just the performance appraisal or annual review and evaluation it is a full  spectrum of performance management and improvement strategies. These include employee performance improvement, performance development, training, cross-training, challenging assignments, 360 degree feedback and regular performance feedback.
 

               

Performance Reviews
Oh no, not performance review time,  again! Performance reviews.... employees hate them, managers dread them and HR gets to make sure they are completed...fun for everyone.  Performance appraisals are part the process of obtaining, analyzing, and recording information about the relative worth of an employee to the organization and where/how to develop employees to attain business results. They  are necessary and beneficial for all and so few see the true value to themselves, the department and the company. We will discuss specific steps for a successful performance reviews and steps you can take to help make it easier for employees, managers and HR.

     
       
Project Management Certificate                     
Today as more and more of us need to complete projects in addition to our daily jobs Project management training allows us to understand the process, how to avoid common project mistakes and how to attain the desired results.  Our Project Management Certificate Program addresses the skills and competencies required of a project manager within an organization. You will learn valuable techniques to understand how to start a project, and the step-by-step process necessary to successfully implement a project, for building cohesive effective project teams, improve group facilitation and resolve conflicts within teams.
 
  Team Building
Harnessing the power of collaboration to deliver successful results and discover the effective and ineffective practices of a group, allowing for necessary adjustments and coaching to move them to an interactive high performing team. With the input from everyone involved, team development can easily be assessed and accurately addressed. We help you ensure the organization has Teams Evolving And Mastering Success.  
              
T
ime Management
Time management is critical for all of us to develop as a skill, especially today.  I see the results of poor time management everywhere I go, from exhausted management to stressed employees. Today’s business world runs on deadlines, adrenalin, pots of coffer (or Red Bull) and more than a little touch of stress. The pressure to get more done faster and better than ever before with fewer resources can have a negative impact on our mental and physical health. We will cover time management and how to work smarter not harder. We will give you tips and techniques to help you gain time and get things done.
  Color, Color Theory and Its Impact
Color and color basics along with its application/appreciation. How we see color, the impact of color has on what we see and the impact on color on us. Color needs to be considered in all we do from layout to design, to logos to our marketing pieces, etc.
     
Writing a Business Plan
                                    
 
 
Writing a business plan is not easy and yet a critical step in creating a business. Our business coaches can help you create a professional business plan and if you desire a coach to help move faster and more effectively through the creation of your business and take your career—and company to a higher level. This one step is so very critical to the success of any company.   
 
Testimonials:

      It's been a while since I've been to any formalized training and you are
         such an exciting presenter.
   
  The information I obtained will be invaluable.
   
  This was a powerful program and the instructor had impressive
         knowledge.

   
"Exceptional training...great learning experience and fun!"
 
   "Excellent! Showed me how to quantify what I do in my job and how I can
         show my company my value!"
    
"The labs are extremely valuable in understanding the concepts.



           We support people in transition and
               continually add to the list below.

 

     

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Resources for People in Transition
Joseph Stiglitz was quoted, "“For the first time, we are having long-term unemployment as a problem,” in the United States. The consequences: A labor force of individuals losing skills and therefore harder to re-employ. “We need to make sure we don’t have a deterioration of our human capital,” Stiglitz concluded. In your connections you have people with many skills, learn from each other as a way to continually learn and develop. And if you need certification of training, contact us.
Best job search engines:
http://jobsearch.about.com/b/2010/12/01/best-job-search-engines.htm

14 Fatal Resume Mistakes
Make a great first impression by avoiding these common resume pitfalls:
• No cover letter
• No imagination
• Too much imagination
• Including an objective statement
• Typos or grammatical errors
• Unfocused resume
• Listing dates first
• Too short or long
• Writing in paragraph form
• Focusing on irrelevant past jobs
• Too much personal information
• You're clearly unqualified
• No keywords
• Closing with "References available upon request"
  Source: http://salary.com/Articles/ArticleDetail.asppart=par2309
 See all the N.J. groups in transition - www.landingexpert.com
 
Sample Interview Questions

Not sure what you'll be asked when applying for a job? Unsure of what to ask potential employees? These are a few lists of common interview questions that cover a wide variety of professions.

  1. Types of questions: This article from the University of Manitoba lays out some of the basic types of questions asked at interviews including direct, indirect, hypothetical and behavioral questions.
  2. Fifty standard interview questions: CollegeGrad.com lays out some of the most commonly used interview questions.
  3. Illegal interview questions: Not everything is fair game to ask at an interview. Make sure you know what's allowed.
  4. Questions for academic positions: This guide can help you know what to kind of questions to expect when applying for an academic position, as well as some pointers on how to answer.
  5. Sample interview questions for engineers: Engineers looking for work can expect to hear these kinds of questions at an interview.
  6. Interview questions for tech companies: This article provides sample interview questions for numerous types of high-tech programming jobs. Questions pertain to Perl, shell scripting, MySQL and more.
  7. Sample interview questions for teachers: Virginia Polytechnic Institute provides a list of commonly asked questions for teaching candidates.
  8. Interview questions for lab positions: Here you'll find a list of questions you might be asked when applying for lab work.
  9. Interview questions for health-care positions: Nurses and other health-care professionals will find this a useful resource when preparing for an interview.
  10. Sample interview questions for management: If you're applying or interviewing for management and supervisory positions, these questions can be a valuable resource.
  11. Seven interviewer questions for first-timers: If you're new to interviewing candidates, this article's seven important questions can help you get started.
  12. Questions to ask your interviewer: When you interview for a job, you're not the only one who should be interviewed; you should ask questions of your interviewer as well. Here are some important questions to ask before you accept a new job.
Types of Interviews

There are many different ways to interview candidates besides the simple one-on-one interview. Here are some helpful articles on different interview styles that can give employers some ideas and let candidates know what to expect.

  1. Group interview: Group interviews are often used to see how potential employees will act in a group setting. This article gives some tips on how to prepare and excel in this format.
  2. Panel/board interview: Panel interviews require candidates to present themselves before several people from the hiring company. Here, you'll find advice on how to handle a panel interview.
  3. Telephone interview: Phone interviews can sometimes be as stress-inducing as face-to-face interviews. This article from Quintessential Careers gives candidates some advice on the proper etiquette for interviewing over the phone.
  4. One-on-one interview: By far the most common type of interview, this article from Monster gives some insight into what the one-on-one interview is all about.
  5. Impromptu interview: Impromptu interviews are often not much like interviews at all, but you still need to know how to handle one. This article can give you some helpful pointers.
  6. Dinner interview: A dinner interview can often feel informal, but you should remember that it can still have a big impact on getting the job. Use this article to help you ace the dinner interview.
  7. Situational interview: Situational interviews attempt to put the candidate in a situation like one they would experience on the job. This article provides tips on how to prepare for this style of interview.
  8. Structured interview: Structured interviews ask all candidates for a job the same questions. Learn how to make this style of interview work for you with this Cando Career article.
  9. Multiple interviews: Multiple interviews can be taxing, as candidates have to talk to many different people. Careerhub.com gives advice on how to prepare for multiple interviews.

Interviewing Techniques and Advice

How you conduct an interview can make a big difference in your ability to find good employees. Below are some techniques and tips for interviewing to help you find the best person for the job.

  1. The Microsoft interview: Your tech company might not be as big as Microsoft, but that doesn't mean you can't use the same interviewing technique.
  2. SOARA technique: Here you'll find the basic definition of the SOARA (Situation, Objective, Action, Results, Aftermath) technique and how to use it to gather all the information you'll need from a candidate.
  3. Developing a behavioral interview: This site gives you instructions on how to develop behavioral interviews, as well as some sample questions.
  4. How to interview candidates: This guide from Monster gives you tips on every step of interviewing and hiring candidates.
  5. Five steps to giving quality interviews: Interviewing is serious business, and this article from CareerBuilder.com gives you tips to preparing for yours.
  6. How to interview and hire top people each and every time: Businessman Gregory Smith gives his take on interviewing in this informative article.
  7. How to conduct an effective employee interview: This article offers pointers on building your interviewing skills, so you'll always find the best employees for the job.
  8. Interviewing for employers: While written specifically for those working in the legal field, this extensive article gives some great guidelines for interviewing in any kind of business.
  9. Seven steps to hire the best: Manager Michael Mercer provides seven tips regarding how to predict who the best employees will be before and during the interview.
  10. Seven warning signs to look for when interviewing candidates: This TechRepublic article gives interviewers seven things to watch out for when interviewing potential employees.

Interviewing Strategies for Candidates

No matter what kind of job you're applying for, you should go into the interview with a strategy. Here are some ideas on how to be successful in a variety of different interview styles.

  1. How to behave in a behavior-based interview: This article from JobWeb.com gives job seekers insight into what they'll need to know for a behavior-based interview.
  2. How to beat the stress interview: Stress interviews can be extremely taxing if you're not prepared. This article gives you some helpful hints that can help you be more successful with this type of interview.
  3. Post-interview strategies: Don't let your interview strategy end with the interview. Use this article to help you find success even after the hard part is over.
  4. Behavioral interviewing strategies for job seekers: This extensive article gives candidates everything they need to know about preparing a behavioral interview strategy.
  5. Interview strategies: This article from The Princeton Review Inc. gives some great general tips for making a good impression at your interview.
  6. Case interview strategies: Case-based interviews are growing in popularity among employers, and candidates can get step-by-step advice on looking great in them with this article.

Interview Attire

The first thing employers will see when they meet you is how you're dressed, so be sure you're making a good impression; the following articles can help.

  1. How to dress for your interview: Here, you'll find general rules for both men and women when it comes to dressing for interviews.
  2. SYMS dress to achieve: SYMS is dedicated to helping young professionals and recent college grads learn how to dress appropriately for business. Here, you'll find complete guides to dressing for an interview.
  3. Dress to impress: Geared toward women, this site uses photographs to show what you should and shouldn't wear to an interview.
  4. Dress appropriately for interviews: This article gives basic advice on dressing appropriately for your interview.
  5. What to wear by industry: This site gives candidates suggestions of proper attire for women in five different fields.
  6. Dress codes deciphered: If you're not quite sure what business casual entails, you can use this guide from CNN to give you some insight.

What Not to Do

While it's useful to know what you should do in an interview, it's also important to know what you shouldn't do. These articles offer advice that helps both employers and candidates alike avoid common mistakes.

  1. Eight hiring mistakes employers make: This article on About.com gives some assistance in avoiding common hiring pitfalls, saving you time and money.
  2. What not to wear to an interview: Think yo have the perfect outfit for your interview? Check out this article to make sure you're not making one of these fashion blunders.
  3. Avoid these 10 interview bloopers: You can be the most qualified candidate and still botch your interview if you make these mistakes.
  4. Make-or-break interview mistakes: This article from BusinessWeek gives some advice on what not to do in an interview and how you can impress HR.
  5. The most common hiring mistakes and how to prevent them: This article gives some statistics-backed reasons not to make these hiring mistakes.
  6. Six IT interview mistakes: Score that tech job you've always wanted by avoiding these interview mistakes.
  7. Twenty things not to do at an interview: This site provides a guide to the most basic blunders to avoid when interviewing. Much of it may seem like common sense, but it's better to be safe than sorry.
  8. How not to act in an interview: Here, you'll find real-life examples of outrageous interview behavior, which is definitely not to be imitated.
  9. What not to put on your résumé: GeekInterview.com gives advice on things you should never put on your résumé if you want to get hired.
  10. Things not to say at a job interview: Top personnel executives of 100 major American corporations compiled a collection of the absolute worst things to do at a job interview, providing education and humor to the rest of us.

Preparation Resources

Don't go into an interview just expecting to wing it. You need to prepare beforehand if you really want to be successful. Try checking out these resources before you go into your next interview.

  1. Six steps to prepare for an interview the right way: This article walks you through the steps of preparing for an interview to make sure your interviewer will want to hire you.
  2. The ultimate guide to job-interview preparation: This extensive guide helps you get ready for your interview with tips on self assessment, research, references and more.
  3. Preparing for a software-engineering interview: Written by Niniane Wang, who has worked for Google and Microsoft, this article offfers helpful pointers on what you need to do to get ready for a software- engineering interview.
  4. VideoJug's how to prepare for an interview: VideoJug has how-to videos on almost everything, and interview preparation is no exception. Watch this short video to get on the path to success.
  5. How to prepare for a behavioral interview: This wiki can give you the tips you need to prepare for any behavioral interview.
  6. How to prepare for a phone interview: Even though you don't have to see your interviewer face-to-face, you need to prepare. This article can help get you ready for that phone call.
  7. Preparing to interview candidates: These simple criteria can help you prepare to interview candidates for any position.
  8. Practice interviews: Practice makes perfect, so why not give your interview a test run with these practice interviews?
  9. The virtual interview: Get a friend to help you go through this virtual interview so you'll be better prepared for the real deal.

Follow-Up Resources

Just because the interview is over doesn't mean your work is done. Following up is just as important, so use these resources to make sure you're getting it right.

  1. Interview follow-up do's and don'ts: Professor of Marketing Dr. Randall Hansen offers some advice on what you should and should not do after the interview.
  2. Ten tips for interview follow-up: This article provides an informative look on what to do while you're waiting to hear back about the job you interviewed for.
  3. Guide to follow-up letters: Don't let a job slip through your fingers because you fail to write a follow-up letter. This guide can help you through the process and offers sample letters and advice on what to include.
  4. The follow-up process: Here, you'll find a step-by-step guide to dealing with the follow-up to an interview.
  5. Thank-you letters: Want to write a thank-you letter but not quite sure how to go about it? This article gives you insight on what to include and how to address the letter.
  6. The two most important post-interview activities: Don't drop the ball on these two very important elements of the interview process.

Résumés and References

Doing well in your interview is important, but you also need to have a great résumé and some reliable references for potential employers to call. Use these resources and articles to help you with both.

  1. Resumes.com: Whether you get a free or paid membership, Resumes.com can help you build a better résumé with a résumé database and tools to help you create your résumé.
  2. Resume Help.org: Resume Help.org provides readers with resources for writing cover letters and résumés, plus advice for doing well in interviews.
  3. Best Sample Resume: If you're not sure how to format your résumé or what to include for your particular field, résumé samples can be helpful. This site has offerings in dozens of professions.
  4. How to write a résumé: Find out how to put your résumé together using this site.
  5. Ten tips for an interview-winning résumé: It's hard to get an interview when you don't have an effective résumé. Check out this site for advice on how to put together a résumé that will fill your calendar with interviews.
  6. Reference guidelines for your job search: References can be an important part of getting a job. This article offers advice on who to recruit.
  7. Keys to choosing and using the best references: Here, you'll find a list of tips on the do's and dont's of giving references to a potential employer.
  8. Sample reference-check questions: If you're not sure what to ask when calling a candidate's references, try these questions.
  9. Cover-letter checklist: Before sending out your cover letter, make sure it includes these basics.
  10. Ten tips for writing effective cover letters: The cover letter is arguably the most important part of your résumé. Make yours stand out with these ten tips.

General Resources

Make sure to take a look at these general resources before your interview. They provide a wide variety of useful information for both interviewers and candidates.

  1. Interviewing potential staff: Here, you'll find everything you need to know about interviewing candidates, from preparation to questions.
  2. Tips for job seekers: Job seekers will find tons of information at this site, including strategies for before, during and after the interview.
  3. Interview resources at Monster: Monster is one of the largest job-placement sites on the Internet, but its usefulness doesn't stop there. It also has loads of information and resources for interviewing.
  4. Quintessential Careers: Here, you'll find articles on just about any career-related topic you may need information on, including a job-interview-question database.
  5. Interview Info.net: InterviewInfo.net is a place where job seekers can get together and discuss their experiences and provide advice.
  6. JobWeb.com: JobWeb.com provides job-search and career advice for new college graduates and has a lot of valuable interview-related resources.
  7. 360JobInterview: Career Advice from the decision makers themselves: 300 HR Experts, 55+ categories LIVE and 24/7.
  8. HR.com: HR.com is your one-stop site for everything related to human resources. Find articles on hiring, talent scouting and more.
  9. The Riley Guide to Interviewing: The Riley Guide compiles tons of articles on everything you'll need to know about the interviewing and hiring process.
  10. CareerOneStop: Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor, CareerOneStop has resources for education, training, job searching, interviews and résumés.
  11. Job Searching at About.com: You'll find lots of helpful information on interviews, networking, job listings, résumés and more on About.com.
  12. Free course in taking on new employees: Expand Your Business created this extensive guide to hiring, with step-by-step instructions for interviewing candidates.
  13. Key words to include in your resume
  14. 2011 top 50 jobs

Keywords to Include in Your Resume

Just as job seekers use keywords to find jobs on search sites like SimplyHired.com, many employers use keywords to determine whether candidates are qualified for the roles for which they’re hiring. Today, many large employers (as well as many other smaller companies) use an applicant tracking system (ATS) to manage the hiring processes, which scans resumes for keywords chosen by the employer. To make sure your resume passes the initial scan–by machine or person–make sure to include important keywords in your resume related to the position.

To determine which keywords should be included in your resume, take a look at the job description. Here, the employer lays out exactly what the requirements are for the role in their own words. In your resume, work the terminology that the employer uses into your resume. For example, if the job description calls for experience “answering customer billing questions”, and if you have this specific experience, that phrase should be included in your resume. If you say you “Answered customer service questions in a variety of areas,” even though that might include billing questions, it may not pass the initial scan.

Keep in mind that often, many words that companies are scanning for are not verbs, but nouns. While it’s important that you “performed” or “wrote”, chances are those are not the words that would be picked up by an applicant tracking system. Instead they’re scanning for skills, experience, names of hardware or software, degrees, certifications, and job titles.

A stipulation to the last point is to include powerful verbs when describing your experience, such as “managed,” “increased,” and “achieved.” These words should describe your achievements rather than job duties. In addition, use numbers to back up those achievements.

One important thing to note is that you should be honest about your experience. If you don’t fit a requirement in the job description, don’t say that you do. Employers typically examine potential candidates closely and will find out if you’ve exaggerated your skills or experience either during the interview or while performing reference checks.

Specific keywords to include are subject to the industry, position and company, but by following these guidelines, you will increase your chances of passing the initial keyword scan when applying for a job.

Comment below with keywords you’ve found to be helpful to include on your resume, as well as the specific position and industry where they are typically used.