Do you have a job interview coming up soon? Awesome! However, take a moment and put yourself in the interviewer’s shoes. When looking at all the candidates who applied for this job, what does the interviewer see? If the job posting and applicant tracking system (ATS) perform as expected, the interviewer might be looking at a collection of clones! What do I mean? Remember, the candidates selected for an interview should all have, at a minimum:

• The same required education, degree, or training
• The same amount and type of work experience
• The same license, certification, or other credential, if one is required

All the candidates—including you—had to meet the same minimum requirements or else no interview, right? Additionally, if they prepared themselves adequately, they will all likely:

• Be professionally dressed (yes, even for an online video interview)
• Have submitted polished, professional resumes and cover letters
• Be polite and articulate

So, what makes you anything special?

This Problem is Nothing New

At its core, this is a problem that marketing professionals have struggled with for years! Consider the following example. When you purchase facial tissue, do you spend time researching all the products available and then stress over the decision of which brand to get? Probably not. For most people, a tissue is a tissue is a tissue. You likely either buy what you have always purchased or grab whatever happens to be on sale this week. For the manufacturers of facial tissue, your behavior is an absolute nightmare! They MUST find a way to convince you that out of all the tissue choices available, their brand is the one you want to buy! Continue reading →

Like many job seekers, you have probably received conflicting advice about preparing your resume. What is a reasonable length (number of pages)? Should you include a picture of yourself? What fonts and font sizes are acceptable? What is the correct file format and size for a resume? Until now, such details may not have resulted in an automatic rejection when applying for many jobs. However, back on September 27, 2025, the United States government implemented numerous new requirements mandated by executive orders that determine whether your resume will be accepted or rejected immediately when applying for a federal position. Before covering the resume requirements, first, we will explore how job seekers find and apply for positions with the federal government.