Although we don't actually do any recruiting per se, we've nevertheless partaken in our fair share of employee searching. During this seemingly never-ending search, there were good times, and there were bad; we laughed, we cried, we pulled out our hair, and we most certainly grieved over the many hours lost in the whole process. So we put our heads together once again to explain to you, our readers, what should have been taught extensively in high school and college: the best, most efficient, least annoying way of writing a resume and cover letter.

The Resume

This is your initial impression, and very crucial - since this can make or break if you get the interview. There should be a course in school devoted solely to this topic, because it is sorely needed.

Spelling and Grammar: This has to be, hands down, the biggest nuisance of them all. It shouldn't even be on this list, let alone at the very top! A sloppy resume is just that, sloppy. Typos are easy to catch and will inevitably limit your call-backs. Proof your resume: this is the time to SHOW your patience, intelligence and attention to detail. And remember, if you're not sure, there's always Spell Check.

Objectives: Yes, we know you would like experience in your field, or the basic opportunities a new job brings. Instead of writing a simple, generalized statement, tell your future employer a specific goal you wish to attain. For example, instead of saying "Gaining knowledge and development training," try "Looking to enhance my abilities in Ruby on Rails." Granted, this means you can't send the same resume to everyone. If that kind of commitment just isn't your bag, then leave it out altogether, and use the space for your applicable experience.

Label Your Resume File: In this day and age, when almost all candidates are applying online, labeling your resume files has become just as important as the resume itself. When hundreds of resumes filter in daily, those labeled "Resume 2" or "aslbfh" tend to get overlooked a lot more often. Instead, just use your first and last name.

Bullet Points: To be honest, no one likes sifting through two pages of work history written in paragraph format. It hurts our brains. Make the recruiter's life easier - consolidate your information and get to the point - it allows for us to process your experience quickly. Which in turn allows for us to hire you quickly.

Conciseness: Along the same lines as keeping everything in bullet points, you'll want to keep everything as concise and to the point as you can. This means you have to keep it relevant, too! If something needs an explanation, keep it short and sweet. In cases like these, instead of trying to expound on a single piece of information as much as possible, challenge yourself to cover it in one powerful sentence, and move on.

Design: This is critical for design positions, and it never hurts to keep these pointers in mind when writing your resume for other positions as well. Since design resumes reflect your workmanship as well as experience, do not clutter the resume without thought to hierarchy or organization [of information]. The resume should demonstrate abilities in leading, kerning and ragging - as well as chosen typeface(s) that need to be selections someone who has studied typography would make - NO New Times Roman, Comic Sans, or Zapfino. You want to leave your future employer begging for more, and your only initial medium to do so is your resume.

Salary: Save this for the offer - putting a desired/expected salary on your resume makes you seem inflexible and standoffish. Instead of writing how much you are worth, show us through your work experience.

The Cover Letter

The cover letter is pretty old and outdated these days, and no longer necessary, but still a good way for people to see a personal side of you they normally wouldn't. If you DO write one, use it as the body of the email you send to employers, not as a separate document. And make sure to keep it simple and interesting! If you can't make it interesting, make it short; but never try to make yourself sound more intelligent or captivating than you really are.

Make sure your cover letter isn't generic, either. Research the companies you apply to and incorporate industry lingo or aspects of the company's profile into your introduction. It's always refreshing to see someone take two extra minutes to look into who we are and what we do - and how you can contribute to that!

Qualifications

Before frantically emailing your resume to every online job post you might be interested in, stop and think about who will actually respond? Example: if you are an Orchestra Conductor, you probably are not the best match for a Web Project Management position. When a company asks for specific experience or knowledge requirements, try to match it up with your experience as much as you possibly can. If you can't, you may need to find another avenue in which to apply.

Also, please don't make us play guessing games with your generalized resume. We don't want to spend extra time speculating as to how your past experience will help with the position we are trying to fill, or better yet, what position you are actually applying for. The resume that gets sent to 50 different companies a week is the same resume that gets dropped into the little virtual wastebasket most often. Instead, specify how your experience and education are pertinent to the position offered, and by all means, give details. A helpful trick: use the same key terms the company uses when describing the position in the job post. This gets your resume immediate attention.

References

Including "References available upon request" on your resume is so 1980's. If you have references you would like to provide, just bring them to your interview. It's already a given that you will hand us some of these anyway, since they are generally expected for further consideration. And by references, we are referring to professional industry contacts only: people who can attest for your work ethic and experience, not your college buddies you used to play beer pong with.

Extra credit: make sure your references are on a separate sheet formatted to match your resume.

Follow Ups

You can do this once. It annoys the hell out of us, but it does actually get us to recognize your name and pull you out of the masses. If you still don't get a call back, you really should bite the bullet and just wait. No amount of pleading, begging, calling and calling... and calling... will get you an immediate interview. And it's not a good idea to arrive anywhere without an appointment.

Pop Quiz

Yes, resume building is a very tedious and time-consuming process, and it's only natural to want to get as many resumes out there as you can when you're desperate for a job. But 5 custom made, awesome resumes are still better than 50 general pieces of crap. If you genuinely care about the direction of your future career, please take this advice to heart. Here are 2 resumes to help you kind of get the idea; can you guess which one is good and which is bad?

Sample Resume #1    Sample Resume #2

Requirements for Studio Manager Position
Organization
Presentation
MS Office
Detail Oriented
Type 50 WPM

Developers don't argue. If disagreements do occasionally occur, the topic is usually settled or dropped in favor of something more productive. And designers? These girls have so much work they don't even have the chance to realize that the workplace is a social setting.

However, this firm is constantly expanding, and even a few tiffs may eventually snowball into arguments of unnecessarily enormous proportions. With this said, Ben had the excellent foresight to offer me a chance at educating myself on diffusing difficult situations in the workplace. I found the seminar (Dealing with Difficult People, sponsored by CareerTrack) so enlightening, I'd like to share with everyone some tidbits I have learned.

Approximately 75% of long term job success stems directly from people skills; only 25% derives from technical knowledge. This is huge! So what can you do to ensure successful people skills?

Listen

This is an incredibly simple act, and yet few people take the time to actually stop what they are doing, direct all their attention onto others, and really listen. In order to do this, you need 3 things: the capacity to listen (focus), the desire (or willingness) to listen, and the ability to evaluate what you hear. In other words, you need to WANT to grasp what it is others are saying to you, and go out of your way to do so. People really only want 2 things out of their transactions with others, and that is to be valued and understood. You can show both of these by hearing them out to completion, and then going over what you heard in your own words. A good example of a listener at KSC, and I think the devs will back me up on this one, is Neal; when someone has a question, no matter how minute, he will take out both headphones, turn his chair towards you and give you ALL of his attention. This indirectly lets people know that they matter and creates feelings of appreciation and respect among employees.

Body Language

Interestingly, body language (55% of communication) and tone of voice (38% of communication) affect how people react to you much more than what you actually say (only 7% of communication). The best way to communicate, is to follow the anagram SOFTEN:

Smile
Open Stance
Forward lean
Territory
Eye contact
Nod head

The quickest way to anger someone is to fold your arms, look past him, and lean back in your chair as soon as he walks into your office. The best way to diffuse anger is by modeling behavior you would like others to exhibit. Nothing crossed implies honesty and openness, leaning forward demonstrates interest, and maintaining eye contact builds trust. Speaking softly and slowly, and avoiding personal space and pointing are also good ways to communicate effectively. To learn more, you can visit www.changingminds.org/techniques/body/bodylanguage.htm.

Don't Be Scared!

The best way to handle interactions with people is to do so assertively. If you aren't sure what being assertive entails, keep in mind this basic message: "This is what I think. This is what I feel. This is how I see the situation." It respectfully brings the issue out on the table to be dealt with quickly and with everyone's side of the situation in mind. You can't possibly solve a problem if you aren't even sure what it is! And don't back down! The more you stick to your guns, the more respect you'll get, I promise. If you want a situation to change, you really have to confront it immediately and persistently (as scary as that sounds). A good way to assert yourself with others is by following this sentence pattern:

"For the sake of (name the relationship), when you (name the problem) and this happens (what happens when the problem occurs), I feel (name honest feelings). What I want is (name what you would rather happen). Can we agree?"

What you are looking to do is change the behavior, not the person. It will never help to attack the person who is causing problems, but behaviors can be modified easily. It is also important to add "Can we agree?" at the end of the sentence; you are then in oral contract with the person, and can bring this up if he engages in problematic behavior again. Here's a more detailed example:

"For the sake of our friendship as neighbors, when you let your dog poop all over my yard and then I accidentally roll in it when I play with my kids, I get extremely irritated. What I want is for you to pick up the poop immediately after you let the dog out. Can we agree?"

Remember, it takes at least 6 tries and 21 days to form a new habit, so be patient with those "lazy neighbors."

The most interesting part of the seminar was hearing about CareerTrack's version of the 4 different personality types: thinkers, relaters, directors and socializers. For reference, these would be found in the Myers-Briggs personality test as Introvert Thinker, Introvert Feeler, Extrovert Thinker and Extrovert Feeler, respectively.

Curious as to where you fit in?? Here's a little test you can take to get an idea:

Thinkers

These guys are the meticulous task-oriented individuals of the world. Organized, focused and on-point, thinkers need things to be correct more than anything. In fact, their main goal in the workplace is ACCURACY. Because they can be perfectionists, thinkers are not very good at receiving constructive criticism, and may complain if they have a problem they can't seem to fix. The best way to work with them is to provide them with as much information as you can, the "who, what, where, why, and how" of the situation, so that they can see and understand your process. Also, help them move into "problem-solving mode" by directing their concerns toward working on a solution. Negativity may rear its ugly head when things go wrong, and the best way to counteract it is to bring the thinker back to the task at hand: instead of what CAN'T be done, focus on what CAN.

Relaters

Can't we all just get along?? This is the relaters' motto; their goal is STABILITY and harmony within their relationships. Sensitivity and a need to be liked drives their actions, and they tend to shut down, submit, and exhibit passive aggressive behavior when pressured. When speaking with relaters, be casual and sincere, slow down and listen to how they feel about the issue, make honesty safe by being open and patient to what they have to say, and reinforce to them the fact that you want to get along with them, and that the relationship is important to you. All of these things will help create a safe haven for confidence and honest transactions, and will prevent the break-downs in communication which lead to arguments.

Directors

Also known as people who "get it done," directors seek to be in CONTROL, and always know what they want and how to get it. Life is a giant comprehensive checklist, and great pains are taken to remain focused, direct and blunt on each task and with each individual they come into contact. Trust and respect are very important, and at times, if you don't gain either, you may become invisible. They tend to react aggressively to pressure: they may raise their voices, bully others and become irritable and impatient. When working with them, try to be proactive, task-oriented, and direct in your speech. Also, don't be afraid to stand your ground! They respect those who command it. Show them that you understand and support their goals, and they will become more flexible with your ideas.

Socializers

This one is my favorite. Socializers are direct, charismatic, energetic, creative, people-oriented and adore RECOGNITION. On the flip-side, they are disorganized, sensitive, dramatic, horrible procrastinators and cannot function without recognition. When asking them to do something, focus more on the results rather than the process; they enjoy creative freedom when working on projects. Show flexibility and positive affirmation when talking to them, and don't forget to let them talk as well; this will help them feel valued, allowing them to open up to criticism and suggestions and utilize their enthusiasm and optimism to the max.

Of course, not everyone will fit neatly into one specific category, but you can definitely use these descriptions to better understand yourself and how to communicate with fellow coworkers effectively.