• The official blog of Abacus Group — a place to share our knowledge and thoughts on trends in recruiting •

When writing your first professional resume, GPA and internships are not the only thing interviewers and recruiters will be looking at. Having participated in a variety of extracurriculars not only shows that you are a well-rounded individual, but also that you have gained experiences and skills that are not always attained in the classroom.

“It’s important to build a personal brand because it’s the only thing you’re going to have. Your reputation online, and in the new business world is pretty much the game, so you’ve got to be a good person. You can’t hide anything, and more importantly, you’ve got to be out there at some level.” -Gary Vaynerchuk of VaynerMedia

A good resume is essential to securing an interview. It is the first impression employers capture of your personal brand and as such should portray you in the best light possible.

“It’s best to be honest without going in to too much detail. If you took time off to travel or tend to a sick family member, that’s fine. If you were let go due to restructuring or a job moving out of town, that’s fine too.”

Like any role, hard skills must be complemented by soft skills in order to not only land the job but to excel in the role. Below are five important hard skills that are currently sought after in administrative professionals.

Resume writing services are absolutely everywhere—but will someone else’s version of this essential professional document improve your prospects of getting hired? Abacus Group’s recruiters, who review hundreds of applications daily and know what hiring managers seek from candidates, have a few critiques of “store-bought” resumes.

Regardless of your place in the job search process, recruiters will only reach out to you if your professional background appeals to their clients’ needs. Clients compensate recruiters to identify top-tier professionals that meet high-level qualifications. Accounting & Finance Recruiter Gary Glassman offers five possible reasons why you’re inadvertently discouraging recruiters from initiating contact with you.

On average, recruiters and hiring managers scan a resume for just six seconds before determining the candidate’s qualification. To help hiring professionals make the most of this miniature interval and screen resumes with greater efficiency, we’ve identified six of the biggest resume warning signs.

With summer’s unofficial end, Labor Day, just around the corner, many professionals have their sights set on securing new employment in the fall.  Conveniently, many employers reactivate hiring in early fall because they want to take advantage of their firm’s remaining recruitment budgets before the year’s expiration. If you aim to land a job in the fall—before the holiday season—it’s undoubtedly the best time to get started.

Many professionals are determined to secure a change in employment in the New Year. That’s a very smart plan. But commencing a job search is daunting and, with the holidays approaching, most individuals will find it difficult to make time for a full-fledged hunt. To help you begin, we’ve compiled 16 small, painless action items.