Veronica Yeung Early Career Advice, Interviewing, Land the Job

Upcoming virtual interview? Here’s how to prepare

As much as it might be cliché and cringey to hear someone say, “I hope you’re staying safe during these challenging times”, they’re absolutely not wrong for it. If you’re currently in the throes of a job search, you know that this one has been made exponentially more challenging during a raging pandemic, social unrest across the globe, and a tanking economy leading to fewer opportunities.

But there is a silver lining: employers also recognize the tough times we are collectively living through. Lots of working professionals themselves are cramped in tiny apartments, trying to entertain their kids and pets while taking remaining engaged on work calls, and battling through daily technology challenges.

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Veronica Yeung Early Career Advice, Land the Job, Resume/CV Help

Most people have this on their resume and it’s completely pointless

4 min read

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that resumes are daunting to perfect.

For those who are still in school or just starting out, you barely have any experience to begin with, so you have to euphemism the heck out of simple tasks (yes, I just used euphemism as a verb).

“I maintained the visual identity of our brand by selectively transferring products to primary merchandising locations”. Translation: “I re-arranged and re-stocked shelves”.

What aggravates the issue is that most people have never been taught how to do it properly. Particularly if you did not study business, meaning you were likely left to your own devices without structured and credible guidance provided by your school. In a previous post, I dive deep into what a good resume should look like for new grads looking to start their marketing careers.

But today, I want to address a specific part of the resume that I see way too often, that I plead for you to avoid like seeing your ex on the street.

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Veronica Yeung Early Career Advice, Interviewing, Land the Job

How to interview (much) better with emotional intelligence

8 min read

Over the last 5 years, I’ve had the pleasure of mentoring more than 100 aspiring marketers and students. We work through anything from finding the right job to excelling at the job. But there’s one thing that has consistently puzzled me, that is hard to explain in words. It’s embodied by those who look perfect on paper, but who fall flat when you meet them in-person. Those who seem eager and passionate, but you can’t bear talking to them for more than 5 minutes IRL. Those mentees of mine who do everything right, but still can’t convince someone to hire them. So what’s the issue?

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Veronica Yeung Early Career Advice, Land the Job

What to look for in a marketing job posting

6 min read

As the new year approaches, I’m almost certain that many of your new year’s resolutions include mention of “getting a new job” or “move to a new role”. As it turns out, almost half of Canadians are dissatisfied with their jobs, and 55% of workers aged 18 to 34 want to bid adieu to their current gigs. It seems too many companies nowadays still do not understand what it takes to retain talent (or perhaps they just don’t care, in which case STEER CLEAR). This is why it’s critical to apply to new jobs with your eyes wide open!

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Veronica Yeung Early Career Advice, Land the Job, Resume/CV Help

Recruiter’s guide to a stand-out résumé: marketing new grad edition

6 min read

No one is born with the ability to write a great résumé. When it comes to one of the most important documents in your life, it’s generally true that effort leads to result. In fact, the résumé that landed me my first “real job” was probably poked and prodded over the course of ~100 hours. You read that right: ONE HUNDRED HOURS.

“Come on, is that really necessary?” you may be wondering.

Keep in mind that 100 hours was over the span of about a year, and as I collected more relevant experiences, I continued to make tweaks and refine. So no, I didn’t lock myself in a room for 4 straight days until my fingertips were raw from turning the pages on my thesaurus.

Now that I screen résumés as a regular part of my job, I wanted to share a crash course on crafting a stellar résumé, from a recruiter’s point of view.

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Veronica Yeung Early Career Advice, Land the Job

Why you should care about boring company info sessions

3 min read

While I was doing my undergrad, I remembered it to be like clockwork: every year come Fall, big Fortune 500 names would line up one after another to host information sessions, drawing massive crowds of coffee-wired students. I was the biggest skeptic when it came to the possibility of landing an interview and eventual job at one of these events because it seemed too good to be true.

Now, coming at it from the other side, I can tell you it’s not.

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