Administrative Blog

The relationship between an office leader and admins is a two-way street. If you’re a manager, fostering certain qualities can help your team thrive.

Did you land an interview? Congratulations, you’re halfway to the promise of a new job! You’re armed with interviewing tips and feel fully prepared as you walk in the door. But then you encounter an interviewer who completely throws you off. He’s either totally unprepared (e.g., lost your resume) or he makes you feel really awkward (e.g., long periods of silence). Well, sometimes bad things happen to good interviewees.

Got football fever? Trust us. No matter how fervent a fan you are, keep the sports references and metaphors out of your resume and cover letter.

As any hiring manager can tell you, a good portion of job seekers include a catalog of their favorite pastimes on their resume. Hobbies and interests, the thinking goes, help candidates show their personality. But keep in mind that employers are more interested in your professional qualifications than your love of travel. When it comes to your resume, hobbies and interests often just take up space and steal attention from your skills and experience.

Any job seeker knows that it’s hard — and sometimes darn near impossible — to get a hiring manager’s attention. So some candidates infuse their resumes and cover letters with humor, unexpected analogies, and cute and clever language in an effort to stand out. But will a clever resume really give you an advantage? Probably not. If fact, it could harm your chances of being called for a job interview.