Advertising yourself....honestly

As usual, there is a bit of inspiration from my daily activities that I draw upon for my thoughts here.

The other day I was out with my friend Megan and we stopped into a store because I read about this product in my latest girly magazine and wanted to try it out. When we got in there, we learned that not only did they not have any in stock, but also, they weren't going to have any available for about 10 days....the salesperson tried to find a sample, but they were out of those as well.  Bummer right? Megan, in her wisdom and previous experience in PR, whispered to me on the way out the door...."from a PR standpoint, they really shouldn't be advertising something they are not prepared to sell." Really good point.

The same rule applies when advertising yourself as a job seeker. With the common knowledge that a recruiter only spends 30-45 seconds reviewing your resume, some folks can be tempted to including some impressive activities to garner attention. The important thing to remember is that you have to be able to back up those claims.

That same resume that the recruiter spent 30 seconds on is also the same one a potential hiring manager could spend 30 minutes on in preparation for an interview with you. Remember that they have a job to fill and specific skills needed for that position. If you come in with an exaggerated description of your skills and you cannot back those up, you could jeopardize your chances at a dream job. All the passion in the world and ability to learn every aspect of the job won't get you beyond the bad impression you left for the hiring manager when they learned that you lied on your resume.

Remember that the right job is out there for you. Be yourself and be proud of your accomplishments... that passion will go farther than you think.