Candidate Preparation

Candidate Preparation Resources

Position yourself for success with guidance from our experienced recruiting team. These resources will help you present your best self throughout the hiring process.

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Quick Tip:

Every career journey is unique. Use these resources as a starting point, and reach out for personalized guidance tailored to your situation.

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Resume Guidance

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Your resume is often your first impression. Make it count with these executive resume best practices.

Be Brief

  • According to ChatGPT, the average time spent initially reviewing a resume for the first time by an Executive Recruiter, Talent Acquisition Professional or Hiring Manager is less than 30 seconds!
  • Obviously, it’s important that your resume makes as much of an impact as possible in that brief window
  • So lengthy ‘Professional Summaries’ and ‘Objectives’ are distracting and 99 times out of 100 go unread. Be Brief!

Be Succinct

  • So, in the simplest of terms, you want to accomplish the following as succinctly and clearly as possible.
  • Start by answering the first question any of the potential reviewers will ask themselves- “What skill set does this candidate have?” This is question #1 in their mind and can be answered in the space usually reserved for that long-winded ‘Professional Summary’. Instead include a section of Technical Background, Software Skills, Specific Skills related to the Job, etc. can and should all be summarized here

Be Awesome

  • The second, subsequent and equally important question is- “Okay, now that I know what this candidate has, what have they done with those skills?” This is where you’ll want to incorporate those skills into the experience section of your resume.
  • For example, “Managed IT infrastructure initiatives including migration to O365 and file migrations to OneDrive, integration with Company’s IT environments” or “Leading a team of more than 200 sourcing professional responsible for sourcing more than $20.B in third party spend to operate the company, including technology & digital, facilities, transportation & warehousing, professional services, and packaging & supplies”.
  • If you keep those two primary questions in mind as you compose your resume, you’re almost guaranteed to receive more positive feedback and responses to your submittals for a desired position!

Interview Preparation

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This information has been assembled into the most comprehensive and concise candidate preparation that we’ve seen anywhere. <Candidate Advisory Download>

Online Interview

  • Once the interview has been scheduled by your Datapath Consultant, be sure to check the mailbox listed on your resume (including spam folders) for the actual invitation from the hiring firmBe sure to check all your audio/video prior to joining the meetingDress appropriately (business casual) and have all potential distractions addressed well before the allotted time frameBe five minutes early to the meeting so as to not keep the interviewers waiting for you to join. This will often give you a couple of minutes to casually interact with any of the interviewers who joined early in a team interview format.

In-Person Interview

  • You should absolutely utilize every bit of information you can assemble or access on the company with which you are going to interview. Being unfamiliar with the company will hurt you 95% of the time according to a survey of hiring managers. Also, be sure your LinkedIn or similar professional on-line profile is updated and current!

Any Format Interview

  • The first 15 minutes of the interview are the most crucial. They will set the tone for the entire interview. As with any other interaction, first impressions are lasting ones. So, make these first minute’s count.

Personalized Guidance

Every career journey is unique. When you work with DataPath Search, you receive personalized coaching and guidance tailored to your specific situation and goals.

Our recruiters have over 30 years of combined experience helping executives navigate career transitions. We’re here to support you at every step of the process.

What to Expect When Working With Us

  • Confidential career discussions at your pace
  • Market insights and compensation benchmarking
  • Interview preparation and feedback
  • Offer negotiation guidance
  • Ongoing career partnership