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Please take advantage of all the materials provided to assist you in your career search.  For questions or if you need more help please contact our VP of Professional Development. 

Creating a great resume....

begins with PARS Statements

You only have moments to capture the attention of an interviewer, resume reader, or new network connection.  You have to pack an impressive, inspirational, inviting, message into a powerful short statement.   We call those PARS statements or Problem/Action/Result statements.

Overview of the PARS creation process –

  1. Remind yourself of good stories to tell.
  2. Write them down to help you recall pertinent facts.  (3 paragraphs)
  3. Distill the short stories into powerful short statements.  (30 second elevator stories)
  4. Take the short statements and create bullet points for your resume.  (30 words)
  5. Use a list of possible interview questions and figure out how you can answer the question by using one of your PARS stories to put you in the best light.


Pre-Interview Research

1.Know their business

What does the company do?  What product or service?

Imagine going to a Williams-Sonoma interview and having to say you haven’t actually been in their store lately?  Figure out what their brand is saying and who their market is.   If they don’t have a store then make sure you visit the sales videos on their web site.  Include some re-sellers or partners.

Who are their competitors?

Don’t walk into an interview with UPS carrying a FedEx envelope (I know a guy who did that, he liked to keep his resume’s in it). 


The Interview

Congratulations!  You’ve passed the hardest part of the job hunt; getting the employer’s attention!  You are part of a select group of five to ten people they want to interview for the position.  Now come the crucial moment and you have only a few days to prepare if you are lucky!

Overview -

1. Prepare

  • Research the company.
  • Prepare PARS stories for every skill on the job posting.
  • Make every attempt to use your network to learn more about the business.
  • Get a list of common interview questions and have a positive answer for each one.
  • Dress for success.

2. Practice

  • Rehearse your responses to interview questions.
  • Participate in mock interviewers.

3. Perform

  • De-stress and cheer-up.
  • Be on-stage from the moment you hit the parking lot.
  • Use your success stories.  Display calm, confidence, and respect.
  • Follow-up with a thank-you.