It was an honor to be part of the Mayor’s Intern Fellows Program. I was one of nearly 300 students chosen to be an intern for a professional business that would show me the office environment and give me skills that will advance me in the future. Through being an intern, one makes connections with business men and women and so they can be used as future references. These references can then cause that past intern to get the career of their dreams by the positive feedback that was said of them.

As part of this program I learned about the career of a recruiter as well as the variety of careers and jobs within the insurance field. Recruiters contact other business men and women and help them to get new jobs,

One of my worst interview horror stories was in New York. While I was thirty minutes early and waiting in a cramped, dismantled lobby, the company was running thirty minutes late. Besides the untimely start, my interviewer and potential boss had a great attitude and got me excited about working for the company. I was asked to come back for a second interview, and I happily accepted.

Going back the next morning, the entire lobby and hallway were filled with people, and an hour went by until the same man came to greet me. I was paired with one of the employees to go out onto the “field”, and it was here where I realized the company had been lying to me. In the first interview, I had made it clear that I was applying for an in-office marketing position.

LinkedIn is the gateway tool to all your networking, connecting, and job searching hopes and dreams. The goal for your LinkedIn profile is to be descriptive and effectively brand you and your skills! These 6 tips will help you become a LinkedIn pro in no time!

1 – Professional Photo

Take the time to upload a professional picture of yourself! A professional photo can really make your LinkedIn profile stand out in a sea of LinkedIn default characters. Make sure you keep it professional – think about your occupation, not your pastime hobbies. You want to make sure your appearance stands out in the right light.

2 – Summary

Write a summary that is all that and a bag of chips.

A study conducted by “The Ladders” showed that recruiters took an average of 6 seconds to review resumes and there is no faster way to lose out on a potential job, then to not be considered at all. This post will help you maximize those precise seconds with a focused and easy to digest resume.

Cut The Fat:

Resumes are precious real estate, and although you don’t need to adhere to the “1-page resume” myth, it’s a good idea to remove information that isn’t relevant. Hobbies? Personal Interests? Generic phrases like “Hard-worker and Go-getter”? These would be fine to bring up in an interview, but it’s distracting noise on your resume. You also want to steer away from listing your basic job duties and keep your resume focused on your accomplishments.

1. Technology: You know that brand new tablet you just got for your birthday? A Skype interview for your dream job is probably not the best time to test out its savvy new camera. A safer choice would be your beloved MacBook that got you through all of those group projects and late nights in college. You two just understand each other. Bottom line, make sure you are confident and comfortable with whatever outlet you choose.
2. Have a Designated Interview Spot:Employers more than likely are not interested in those trendy throw pillows you just picked up from Urban Outfitters. Take the time to find a place in your home that is clean, quiet, and simple. Grandma’s favorite family photos in the background are going to become a big distraction.

The 21st Century Resume

Full disclosure- I’m not a millennial.  When I put together my first resume and started looking for a job, “social media” consisted of the group chat “party lines” where you dialed in from the phone connected to your wall, and the only mobile phone I owned was a flip phone that required a special clip to keep it attached to my belt.  We now live in an age where people can apply to jobs on their smartphones, FaceTime/ Skype interviews can be done anywhere, with anyone, no matter the distance; and the savvy professional updates their LinkedIn profile to ensure that they don’t need a resume.  So what does that mean to a person open to new opportunities?  Do you need a resume?