DossierPro: Career Coaching

A live résumé review on Twitter

by Rita Kamel

So @Ramyand3others on Twitter set up a great personal website ramiatrouni.com and shared CV. With his permission taken, I created a thread with insights on what to do to move towards international standards. Assumptions: -Looking for Full Stack Dev role in Canada -Sample Job: https://t.co/jSBHyeEBso Disclaimer: We will be collaborating live on Twitter for educational purposes. Plz note that this is going to be a high level intervention to keep the thread manageable. Also note that each case is different. My usual process is extremely more detailed. You are under no obligation to use any info. provided. This based on […]

What is the résumé writing mill problem?

by Rita Kamel

Someone called me to say they had their résumé professionally by a well-known company. They even had an “Interview Guarantee” but person didn’t get ONE SINGLE CALL. Here are some notes from the perspective of someone who delivers a customized service: 1. Photo: Most countries are leaving this requirement off to avoid discrimination & bias. 2. Irrelevant personal information: This only enforces discrimination & bias which is against human rights. 3. LinkedIn link with numbers after the name: Easily editable in LinkedIn settings. 4. No title & no branding: Leaving the reader guess which role you’re looking for is a […]

How best to answer: “What are your salary expectations?”

by Rita Kamel

This is a question that many people hope will not pop. But if the employer was straight forward and transparent from the start about their budget for the position; this question would not feel uncomfortable for many. Also, what’s the point of going through many interviews and later discover that the proposed salary is way below expectations? Yet, I don’t see that this will stop from happening soon because some employers think that it’s better for the salary expectation to come from the candidate first to see if they can or can’t match. (Many don’t have a salary scale or […]

10 reasons the recruiter disregarded your Résumé

by Rita Kamel

There are many reasons why a recruiter may end up disregarding your résumé. Here are the most common 10 reasons: 1. The photo on your résumé is a selfie with a duckface in a car or a nightclub: Not very professional, remove the photo altogether. 2. You are lying: Professional recruiters are trained to find those inconsistencies; good luck with that. 3. You applied to 5 totally different job vacancies in the same company: Err, where exactly do you think you fit? This shows that you are not targeted and don’t know what you want. 4. You applied to a […]

10 quick things not to forget before a job interview

by Rita Kamel

Before going to a job interview, you need to remember 10 quick things as a candidate: Check the company’s website As son as you are called for a job interview, check the company’s website. Find out more about the history, the products, and services offered as well as the careers’ section. Most of the employers will ask you “What do you know about us?” to see how much you actually know. For them it is also a sign of how much you care and how much you prepared. In work situations, you will have to do a lot of research […]

Anatomy of a Cover Letter

by Rita Kamel

Cover Letter or No Cover Letter? The debate is real. Some companies do require one, others say they don’t read them. However, depending on your situation, a Cover Letter could have added value as it is a valuable space to express what you can’t in a résumé. Things like: – Why do you want to work for this company and this role? – Why are you transitioning from a different job / industry? – Why do you have a gap in your resume? – Why are you looking to relocate? Whatever information that needs to be shared to make your […]

10 Quick Résumé Tips

by Rita Kamel

When was the last time you checked and updated your résumé? Updating your résumé regularly is important to ensure that you are ready for your next opportunity. Here are 10 quick résumé tips: 1. Don’t start with anything else but your name, whatever designation you have can be mentioned later in the summary and / or in the Education section. 2. Remove the photo – only keep it for Germany, France and Belgium (They are now moving away from this practice for discrimination issues). Replace detailed address with Area, Country you live in. If you are looking to relocate to […]

K. M. - Canada

COO / General Manager

Rita, thank you so much for your help, guidance, enthusiasm, fabulous knowledge and overall positive and energetic attitude. I know that I made the right decision to use you for my resume. I cannot speak highly enough of the assessments that you provide, the knowledge, and helpful and patient guidance. Your professional experience and qualifications made a big difference in my resume.

M. A. - Lebanon

Ethics & Assurance Coordinator

Rita managed to teach me a lifelong skill about how to interview and level up when it comes to my career aspirations. Especially in how to answer the most common yet stress inducing question "Tell me about yourself?". She guided me throughout the process from interview to post interview to check on how I performed and how I felt after the interview. What's special is I felt I am talking to someone who really wants me to succeed!

J.W. - Qatar

Account Manager

I approached Rita during an interview process at one of the tier 1 global technology vendors. Based on her extensive experience in HR, Rita unveiled to me the tricks and methods I should adopt to stand out among hundreds of other applicants.

She guided me through a set of actions in a very scientific manner, fine-tuned my strategies and not only made them unique, but uniquely relevant. Not to mention the grade of encouragement she had conveyed to deliver my presentation and get selected for the role.

I would highly recommend Rita for any type of guidance, consultation and career advice.

F.T. - Lebanon

NGO Project Coordinator

Rita opened my eyes to what I was doing wrong in my pursuit to find a new job. She showed me in a short time and efficient way how to make my experience more appealing to recruiters. She showed me another perspective to finding a job and made me realize why I didn't stay for a long time with previous organizations I worked for. Rita helped me put things into perspective and taught me that I should appreciate my achievements and champion them in order to land the right job for me while having what I want for a job as a priority.

M.R. - Cyprus

Senior Project Manager

Choosing to work with Rita was a great decision. As someone looking to change careers, she helped me put on paper how my experience and skills are relevant to my target industry. Rita's methodological approach also allowed me to take an outside look at my career so far in a new light and reminded me of achievements I have forgotten about. Throughout the process, Rita was always responsive, attentive, and always had useful advice and feedback.

A.F. - Canada

Chief Operating Officer

Your advice helped significantly improve my interview performance and the relevance of my answers. Thank you so much for your help.

R.G. - Lebanon

Marketing Manager

I love how confident I feel after talking to you and how my story about myself gets uplifted as if I'm Chanel or Dior!

R.M. - Lebanon

Teacher

Thank you Rita so much. I enjoyed our conversation, it made me look at everything in a different perspective. You were able to make me realize how to change my outlook when it comes to jobs. I felt so confused for a while until we spoke, you helped clear the fog. Your guidance was much needed.

A.K. - Lebanon

Sales Manager

Rita has helped me in more ways than one and I found just one session with her very enlightening. She helped me realize many things I was not aware of and gave me several tips on how to tackle and improve the job search. I can only imagine how she can help when given more than one session, kudos to you Rita!

G.J. - Lebanon

Lead Accountant

Thanks to Rita’s feedback, I was able to figure out some important points behind the reasons my LinkedIn profile and CV aren’t getting noticed. Added to that, her words were much needed to reaffirm my confidence and boost my motivation. With her I am sure one will land the desired opportunity.