Caroline Ceniza-Levine · Career Coaching & Development Expert

One recent workshop attendee asked: When creating a profile specifically for a company’s hiring site, what is the best, most effective “generic” cover letter for different positions within various divisions?

There are a number of sub-questions implicit in this one question.

First of all, should you ever write a generic cover letter? The ideal answer is no. You should have a specific position in mind and a specific person to whom to address the letter. Knowing the position enables you to highlight the right skills and experiences within your background that position you appropriately…

One reader asked: I had an interview with a small financial services firm this week. I thought it went well and the interviewer (in this case, the owner) muttered that he would decide to hire me by the end of the day. 3 days have passed and I have not heard anything. He seemed like he would tell me either way. I really want the position and it seemed like we connected. How long do I wait before contacting him? What do you suggest I do or say?

While I normally advise waiting a business week before following up, if you know a decision is forthcoming much earlier or much later, then you foll…

What prospective employers really think when they see a gap in your resume depends on the length of the gap, the industry and function you are targeting, and how the gap compares to everything else in your marketing campaign.

Length of the gap matters because a few months or even up to a year can be explained away with non job-related activities – travel, sabbatical, etc. That said, you still want this explanation to sound empowered and interesting, not as if you just dropped out of your career. After a year, however, you really need to demonstrate that you’ve stayed active in your targ…

In this era of market volatility, people up and down the corporate ladder are being laid off. It is not uncommon to reach out to a former supervisor for a reference, only to find they are no longer there. Now what?

Your references don’t still need to be at the company to provide a reference for your work there. Use LinkedIn, Facebook, an overall Google search, or offline networking through mutual former colleagues to find a lost reference. If you do find him or her and s/he agrees to speak about your work at the former company, give your prospective employer his/ her new information b…

A lot of jobseekers get caught up following one lead at a time. Then, if that lead doesn’t work out, their job search starts from the very beginning all over again. For employed professionals, this same phenomenon is present with people who focus solely on their current role without maintaining ties to other departments, to colleagues outside the company or to colleagues in different industries. Then, if something happens to that current job, the once gainfully employed person is caught unawares. Or, she wakes up several years later and realizes she doesn’t want her current role but is …

A lot of the job search is waiting: drop your resume and wait for the interview; attend the interview and wait for more interviews; attend the second interview and wait for the decision. Many jobseekers want to know how long to wait before checking in or moving on.

Don’t wait! Always move on! (Check in after a few days as well but move on in the meantime.) You actually maximize your waiting time by moving on. You work on several job search leads concurrently so that while you are waiting for one, another is invariably moving. Stopping and starting takes a lot more energy and is far…

At a recent virtual coaching workshop, an attendee asked where to meet executives in person. First of all, I assume that one is looking for executive hang-outs so they can meet executives to ultimately develop a productive, long-term relationship. If that is the case, then my first advice is not to limit yourself to live gatherings but to remember the value of online networking as well.

That said, if you are looking to do live networking, the best source is a targeted professional group. There often are several so you need to think about your needs and research the groups accordingly:…

At a recent workshop, an attendee asked about what to do about her low GPA and her resume. For recent graduates and current students, the GPA is standard on a typical resume so it’s a question worth answering. But even for more experienced hires, where GPA matters less if at all, this question is still relevant because it speaks to what to do if you have any potential red flag on your resume that you feel obligated to disclosed (e.g., a gap in employment). How do you address possible red flags on the resume?

Determine if you even need to disclose it. GPA is very important to certain i…