Now that you have completed your Cornell University certificate credential, it is time to put it to use and advance your career to the next level. Lisa Rangel, eCornell’s Career Services partner, guides you through brushing up your résumé to reflect your new skills, taking concrete steps to build a professional network, preparing yourself for your next interview, and managing your online presence.

After completing this course, you should be able to:

Talk about your skills and professional development on résumés and in interviews
Network within your industry and beyond
Plan a successful job search or seek a promotion that leverages your Cornell University credential

transcriptView a TranscriptHide Transcript

Transcript: Course Welcome

Hello, I am Lisa Rangel, eCornell’s Career Services partner and managing director of Chameleon Résumés, a résumé-writing and job search consultancy firm. I have developed this course to help you use your new Cornell University credential to advance your career. I will show you how to design an impressive résumé and cover letter that showcase your skills and Cornell University credential, and walk you through the steps you need to take to move ahead. We will talk about how to build your career network, develop a professional résumé, and interview effectively. At the end of this course, you will have a better understanding of what to do to leverage your Cornell credential and your experience to land the right assignments and advance your career.

The process of seeking new job opportunities is a great adventure. I can imagine that you may feel some anxiety about this process and overwhelmed about where or how to start. Don’t worry. It is this uncertainty that holds all the promise and possibility that lies before you. Embrace it and don’t fight it.

Successful job seekers maximize their opportunities by tapping into the resources around them. The spark of inspiration can come from places you may never expect, such as a conversation held over coffee with a friend that fosters new directions and ideas. Or reading a book suggested by a trusted advisor, attending an inspirational seminar, or being encouraged by a colleague to attend a networking group, industry conference, or alumni get-together.

What sets people apart who have achieved job-hunting success? They took an action without knowing where it would go. They did not have all of the answers before they started. However, they took action anyway. They evaluated the results of that action and then they took another action. Sometimes the overall direction was not clear nor its global purpose completely obvious. But they kept taking action and recalibrating their next efforts based on the previous action’s results. They did not set out with a rigid vision of what the final result should look like, nor did they have a fixed mindset of which path needed to be taken to get there.

What does this mean for you? The key here is for you to take an action. Do not think you have to have all of the answers or analyze every option before you start. Don’t make the assumption that the action you take has to be a huge step, either. Start with a small step. Make a phone call. Send the email. Attend the meeting. Write a thank-you card. Promote yourself. The direction of the next action will become apparent when you need it. Just take a step now. Action will beget action. Success breeds success.

I am here to help you take YOUR next step. Prior to opening my firm in 2009, I was a recruiter for 13 years, so I understand what hiring managers look for on résumés and in interviews when selecting new talent for their organization. As I continue to work with clients on taking their next steps, I have seen what gets people in the door for a hiring interview. I have watched my clients learn to network and build on their professional resources to find a position that challenges and excites them.

By having completed a rigorous set of coursework here at Cornell, you have positioned yourself to take the next step in your own career path, and I congratulate you on what you have accomplished. Let me show you now how to leverage that credential and take your next step forward, whether you are looking to be promoted within your current organization or hope to find a new challenge with a different company. Let’s get started!

Lisa Rangel is the managing director of Chameleon Résumés, an author, a professional speaker, and a graduate of Cornell University. She is a former recruiter and holds six career certifications (Professional Résumé Writer, Professional In Human Resources, Employment Interview Consultant, Job Search Strategist, Microblogging Career Strategist, and Social Networking Career Strategist and Online Professional Networking Strategist).

As a recruitment professional for over 13 years, Lisa knows firsthand, from reviewing thousands of résumés to find talent for premier organizations, which résumés get a response. She understands which résumé styles and formats recruiters respond to when recruiting top-notch candidates. She has written résumés, prepared candidates for interviews, and performed job search coaching across a multitude of industries for professionals looking for promotion or seeking to transition careers.

Lisa is a member of the Society of Human Resources Management, Career Directors International, the Career Thought Leaders Consortium, and the Professional Association of Résumé Writers. She has been quoted on Good Morning America, LinkedIn, Monster.com, U.S. News & World Report, Fox Business, and community job blogs. Lisa is the Career Services partner for eCornell. She is the author of two ebooks and has been cited in many other publications.

Start Course