Below are resume and interview tips submitted by an employer (El Paso Electric).

Cover Letter

• Name and contact information.
• Position applying for.
• Highlights of your accomplishments that pertain to the position that you are applying for, briefly stated.

Resume Don’ts

• Do not submit a resume that is not updated.
• Do not leave out vital dates.
• Do not submit a resume that is too wordy or difficult to read.
• Do not provide a questionable email address.

Resume Do’s

• Provide a career objective that relates to the position applying for.
• Provide a summary of qualifications in bullet format.
• Provide detail job related accomplishments.
• Apply only for those positions for which you qualify and meet the minimum requirements.
• Tailor you resume for each position that you are applying for.
• Ensure that your resume has no misspelled words.
• Remember that resumes should be neat and presentatble.
• Remember a resume is your opportunity to make a first impression.

Job Descriptions

• Education and or special training requirements
• Experience and minimum requirements
• Essential job functions
• Environmental demands
• Physical demands

Interview

• Do not try and set your own schedule.
• Note the date, time & location.
• Be on time, not too early or late.
• Dress to impress!
• When you enter the room, introduce yourself and offer a handshake.
• Ensure that you are familiar with the position, do your homework.
• Come prepared to talk about the company for which you are interviewing for.
• Maintain eye contact with the interviewee.
• Remember this is your time to sell yourself.
• Answer the questions as straight forward as possible without being too brief or rambling on.
• Do not take notes during the interview.
• Be prepared to ask questions after the interview.
• When the interview is over, thank the interviewee for their time and end with a handshake.

Social media is everywhere. It is advertised on TV and radio stations and occupies most computer screens in your college computer lab. Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, and YouTube have even secured a position in today’s politics and business. They key to utilizing social media in the professional world is understanding its do’s and don’ts.

Do

1. Do utilize social media. Social media opponents- incorrectly- assert that profiles and tweets have no place in a professional environment. On the contrary, social media has already cemented its stay with professionals and businesses because it is a great marketing, networking, and communication tool. Remember, many business people initially rejected email too. Below are recent examples of social media’s impact on businesses and the 2008 US presidential elections.
   • http://tinyurl.com/nal9yb
   • http://tinyurl.com/lkgf5u
2. Do keep in touch with your network of friends, followers, and subscribers. Behind the pictures, videos, and status updates, it is important to remember what serves as the foundation for social media: people. Networking sites allow its users to leave messages and comments to friends and business partners in a medium more personal and informal than emails. Although many argue that a comment or message is a lazy and impersonal means to connect to a client or employee, in a modern culture that becomes more socially-accepting and demanding to social media, a quick online plug is often the most effective way to get a hold of someone. Professionals must view social media as a gateway to a more personal relationship. It can be argued that social media makes occasions that call for more direct gestures, such as telephone calls and letters, more significant.
3. Do market yourself all the time. Everything posted on social media sites and applications should be a strategically-orchestrated move to attract positive interest to you and your enterprise. Like a well-pressed suit and a jazzy business card, your social media content should properly reflect who you are and what you’re selling.

Don’t

1. Don’t make social media too personal. A rule of thumb about your social media content: if you wouldn’t be comfortable showing it to your grandmother, than you probably shouldn’t post it at all. Avoid extremely vulgar, inappropriate, sexual, or obscene photos, videos, bio’s, and profiles. No one needs to see how hard you partied all over your shirt last weekend, especially your (prospective) bosses or coworkers. College students: Even though you’re probably young and feel less subjected to the pressures of self-censorship, remember that your social media is under as much, if not more, scrutiny as professionals. Eventually you will apply for a job or graduate school and what you publish online could come back to haunt you. Everyone loves Megan Fox, but using her 1200-pixel magazine spread as your Myspace background doesn’t always scream professional or appropriate to your Grad school application committee.
2. Don’t act without knowing your audience. Even when content is marked “private,” you never know who can get a hold of what you post online. Posts of extremely political, controversial, or revealing nature (@mikeG: I HATE WORK!!) have led to cancelled job interviews and sudden firings.
3. Don’t forget that social media is just a tool. Even if you are a tech-wizard with the ability to develop an impressive social media platform, remember that a strong handshake or elevator pitch doesn’t happen in a chat room. For every business with a Twitter success story (http://tinyurl.com/n7s5vd), there is a quality product or service behind it.