Job Tips for Resumes

Job Tips for ResumesAn important component of any business resume is your personal background. This information should not be rushed or omitted, but should be carefully considered and included in the appropriate sections. It is also advisable to use appropriate keywords when finding personal information on the Internet, in order to have it right and to optimize your resume.Personal information includes full names, addresses, birthdates, spouses, spouses' names, phone numbers, cell phone numbers, email addresses, financial information, public record, court cases, legal names, civil records, and employment history. Many of these pieces of information can be found on public records, which may be accessed through online searches or through general government websites. Some of the most interesting, if not the most current, information to include in a business resume is recent banking statements, recent tax returns, bank accounts, and retirement funds. A recent home appraisal and/or sale p rice are also useful.Using keywords correctly is essential for your resume to be searchable and therefore to get good results. The correct keywords will search all possible versions of your document on all search engines and pull up the very best and most relevant results. Also be sure to include all the necessary data that is keyed into the system. This information could include job titles, geographic locations, company names, employee information, company directors, and locations.When dealing with specific aspects of your life, including work, family, finances, and other items, be sure to include them within a chronological order so that the applicant will be able to find what they are looking for easier. In particular, if the applicant is looking for something relevant to their job, it is best to follow up with a question about their work experience.Because the search is all-encompassing, it is recommended that a resume include basic requirements. These consist of your education, training, work experience, and certifications. If you are an employee of an organization, such as a contractor, it is worth mentioning the names of all the projects you have worked on. In addition, some companies even require certain positions to be filled within certain dates.Before a potential employer ever sees your resume, it is important to create an accurate history of your work history, education, and certifications. Being honest and straightforward is the best policy.Last, but not least, include any written works that you are willing to submit for consideration for the position. In the event you have already held the position and are no longer seeking employment, consider the ability to write in a professional manner, but maintain your personality. Avoid using lengthy descriptions or content that is too technical, and be prepared to provide the reason why you deserve the position.Business resumes are sometimes difficult to use, especially if you are new to the industry or h ave no prior experience. However, the required information in a successful business resume is relatively straightforward and not overly complicated.

Graduates How to Survive Your Probation in a New Job

Graduates How to Survive Your Probation in a New Job Photo Credit â€" Pexels.comJob hopping is a common phenomenon among new graduates in their early career. Why? Because the psychological contract between employee and employer has shifted in the Digital Age.Loyalty was a given in a previous era, but it’s being chipped away by a greater emphasis on the search for genuine meaning at work and the breadth of choice and opportunity.Yes, loyalty while you are with that employer, just not for life. This creates challenges for getting off on the right foot for both employer and new employee.What personal strategies help young graduates survive and thrive for that initial probation period where both parties ask themselves ‘have we made the right choice?’evalJulie Bishop of JobHop says: “An average life-span of a job is now 3 years and that’s because our young generation of workers want as much experience as they can get, they want to climb the career ladder fast and they won’t hang about in a job that they’re dissatisfied with, t hey’ll simply hop to another.” A potential danger of a job hopping mindset in the first few months is that you underestimate what it takes to succeed in the probationary period.Here are 5 pitfalls and how to avoid them so you give yourself and the job a chance:1.Misjudged Expectations‘It’s my employer’s job to show me the ropes and to develop me, I expect to get promoted early.’ Career Influencer, JT O’Donnell cites studies that someone who doesn’t perform well in the first 90 days will get worse over time and negatively impact how their colleagues perform.As she says: “If you aren’t showing signs your personality, aptitude, and experience are going to meet their expectations, they don’t want to waste time keeping you on. They’d rather cut their losses and look for a better fit.”Be the person you sold to the company from Day One. Ensure your behaviours match your personal brochure. Keep being that independent learner you were at college.2. Complacency‘I†™ve got the job, there is plenty of time to show my abilities, if I don’t like it I can always leave.’ You may not get the chance or the choice if you don’t hit the ground running.evalTurn a first impression into a lasting impression. Every time you meet someone new, it’s a ‘moment of truth’ â€" see them as your customer and exceed their expectations. Build credibility and trust by being proactive rather than reactive, rolling your sleeves up and getting involved.3. Culture shockI feel uncomfortable because I don’t know how things get done around here, it’s tough at the start when you feel unconsciously incompetent.’ It’s common to put your foot in it accidentally when you are new to the company’s culture because you don’t know what you don’t know.Expect the unexpected. Don’t be too risk-averse â€" show initiative and accept you will make some mistakes. Discover the unwritten rules by taking the plunge, asking questions, listening and observing.You have a short window of opportunity when you are new to see what others take for granted. Reflect back objectively what you see and test if they would welcome your ideas at this early stage. If so, show them your creativity.4. Poor Relationship ManagementevalHere are some of the difficulties experienced by one graduate in her first job: “How do I speak to someone above me? What stories about my social life can I tell to my colleague next to me? How do you speak to a 55-year-old man in the office when you have only ever been surrounded by your peers? They are not your parent but also not your friend. How do you talk to them and what about?”Do the graft and show your worth. Get experience of handling working life. Learn to filter what you share. Join in with social events to get to know your colleagues. Take an interest in them as people. Getting on with your manager is crucial â€" help them to help you.5. The grass is always greenerThere is a temptation to say this to yourself when thin gs don’t go well or feel right. Data is emerging that, within corporate environments, what a person can learn between two and five years in the same company is major â€" as you get experience under your belt, become more trusted and given greater responsibility. It can set you back personally if you have to start over again elsewhere.Test your assumptions to inform the decision to stay or go. What evidence do you have for your belief? Talk it through with friends you trust, a coach or mentor. The grass is always greener where you water it.Giving it your all straight away helps to road test whether or not this job and employer is the right one for you. Anything half-hearted will get exposed quickly. And that’s not a pleasant experience for you or your employer.Be authentic and professional when you start a new job, so you nail the probationary period and get the chance to fulfil your potential.

Are You Effectively Targeting Advertised Opportunities - Hire Imaging

Are You Effectively Targeting Advertised Opportunities - Hire Imaging My clients and readers know that I’m not a fan of relying on applying to advertised openings as the priority or single method in job search. The statistics support around a 5% return. Why? As soon as it’s out there, it’s a candidate magnet â€" including your competition. Then, there’s the applicant tracking systems and hoops to jump through. Then waiting for the phone to ring, wondering if you made the list. So, should you use this strategy? Yes! While you shouldn’t rely on advertised positions, I do advise it as one of a multi-pronged approach to your job search. Don’t rule this method out. A thoughtfully-crafted application has a relatively good chance of getting you shortlisted, if you take care to analyze the opportunity. Applying also heightens your visibility, which can get you on the shortlist for another opportunity, or generate referrals. What I do not recommend is applying randomly for jobs that are not a fit for your skills and experience. A simple numbers game, this is not! Yes, you have to reach out to a certain number of decision-makers, but sending out hundreds of poorly targeted applications will most likely have a negative impact. You will earn a reputation for wasting people’s time, throwing yourself at jobs that are not a fit, transmitting desperation and amassing rejection emails (or not hearing at all) which will not help your case or your self-confidence. Target advertised openings with these 10 strategy steps: Learn more and ask for help. Your priority is to reach out and see if you can find someone who knows something about the employer organization. Then you can read between the lines of the posting to get a stronger feel for what the organization really wants. This is about peeling back the layers. If you can, find someone with insider knowledge to share their knowledge about the organization. Research the organization, its key people and other roles. Think about how this job makes sense in the big picture. Analyze the ad. Deconstruct the job posting. Look at the title, role description and any company or other insights. Does it seem a fit? Beyond the label, are you qualified for eight out of ten of the criteria? Scrutinize the strong, weak and neutral language. Attempt to get a sense for how strongly the employer feels about the criteria it outlines. Try mirroring key phrases found, to add relevance to your resume, cover letter or other communications (only if true, of course). How complex does the job seem to be? How is that likely to match candidate experience? Weighted criteria. Are there hints given (role title, salary, experience) about the preferred level of applicants? Look closely for evidence about the level of accountability, and gauge that against the size of the organization. Candidate and organizational personality. Is there an indication of the type of attitude and approach the company wants? Is there anything revealed about the organization’s culture that attracts or repels you? Needs and wants. Is there a distinction given as to what are preferred and required qualifications? The “must haves” and the “nice-to-haves”? Do you fall short? Does the company welcome questions or dialogue with prospective candidates before submitting a resume or application? Is there a “do not call” message? What is said about next steps or process for moving on as a candidate? Some job advertisements have a detailed description; others are vague. The biggest challenge of dissecting postings is deciphering exactly what the employer wants. First consider the selection criteria. Then go to a detailed view of the organization on its website, particularly pages describing organizational structure, departments or units, and mission. Search press releases for details of recent activities, recognition, product launches, etc. Use LinkedIn to view the organizational profile and information on current or former key employees. Explore whether there are others holding the same or similar job titles, and then use LinkedIn to see if you can find people who do the same job in other organizations. What are your thoughts around the topic?

Three Simple Ways to Promote Your Strengths - Hallie Crawford

Three Simple Ways to Promote Your Strengths In a previous career blog post, we discussed an easy process to unearth your strengths for greater career satisfaction. Now that you have identified your top strengths, you want to let the professional world know what makes you different from other job seekers, employees, or consultants. So how can you start to promote them? Here are three ways to start promoting your strengths. Update Your LinkedIn Profile. LinkedIn is an excellent platform to use to promote your strengths. Check your current LinkedIn profile for the following: Are your top strengths mentioned anywhere in your profile? Does your headline capture attention, or is it a default sentence that LinkedIn provides? Does your current summary showcase your strengths? What is your main purpose of using LinkedIn (job search, networking, etc.)? Take some time to revise and customize your LinkedIn profile for your target audience. While you want to stay professional, don’t be afraid to be creative and to grab attention by using unique adjectives to describe your top strengths. Craft Your Elevator Pitch. Your elevator pitch is, essentially, your sales pitch that showcases why you are unique. It is generally 150 words and should last the length of an elevator ride, 12-20 seconds. This is an effective way to get the attention of a hiring manager, attract new clients, and expand your network. There are three components of an effective elevator pitch. Identify your target audience: who do you want to address and why? This could be a new job, a promotion, a new client, etc. Identify what you deliver: the services or products you deliver and how it benefits your audience. Create an attention-grabbing opening statement. When creating your elevator pitch, make sure that you have highlighted your top unique strength. Keep in mind that this statement should be about your listeners, not about you. How does your unique strength benefit them? Use Your Email Signature Line. Knowing your strengths makes it easier to create a branding statement. Your branding statement tells others what you bring to the table and why you deserve a job, promotion, or another form of career advancement. Make sure that your branding statement highlights your strengths and then add it to your email signature line! If you need help crafting your branding statement, download our free presentation, Three Keys to Unlock Your Strategic Career Plan.

Monster Resume Writing Advice - How to Write a Monster Resume

Monster Resume Writing Advice - How to Write a Monster ResumeIf you've ever gone to a job interview or even just needed advice on how to write a Monster resume, you'll know that it's not always easy. Monster resumes are essentially a series of bullet points, and any person who knows how to write a resume, even a simple one, will quickly pick out mistakes. So how do you get an amazing Monster resume?This question is often asked in forums and online. My answer is simple: You have to hire a professional. Don't try to do it yourself. I know this is a lot of work, but I'm willing to bet that if you get hired, and this is the case, you'll never do it again. You'll be proud of yourself!It's a good idea to know that your goal with Monster resumes is to do everything you can to make them unique. Don't try to be all things to all people. There are plenty of copywriters who specialize in Monster resumes. They know all the little tricks, and they do them very well. A good Monster resume writer k nows how to write a good resume, which is why most businesses prefer them.Another thing to keep in mind is that Monster is not a 'one size fits all' business. It's different from a fast food restaurant. A restaurant has a uniform, easy to read format, so that the person applying for the job has a chance to see what they're looking for in a place. A fast food restaurant doesn't have a uniform, and the format is not very easy to understand, either. Your resume is meant to communicate a message, and you want to give it the best chance possible. All employers are not looking for resumes that are filled with Monster info, but you need to make sure you are selling yourself to them.When you're researching and asking questions on Monster, you can be a lot more open with your questions. You can ask the author questions, and they can respond. If you're knowledgeable, you can take the answers and apply them to your own situation. Your resume will be a reflection of what you are, and not how yo u looked. I recommend asking each question several times, to make sure you're getting all the information you need.The format of Monster resumes is extremely varied. There is a 'make up' template available that most copywriters can use. However, these templates aren't free, and they're not ideal. Most people don't have the time to write a form letter, and you can do better. The best place to get some advice on how to write a Monster resume is on the Monster forum.Many companies are willing to review Monster resumes, and if you do research, you can learn a lot. Some employers even go as far as to offer suggestions on how to rewrite your resume, but it's usually better to hire a professional to do it for you.

How to Make Decisions

How to Make Decisions Tough choices cross our desks every day. Oftentimes (thankfully) we know what we want to do and we know how to go about getting it done. However, every so often a choice might leave you scratching your head and wondering what your next move should be. If you’re feeling indecisive, but need to move forward somehow, here are some tips to help you get over the hump. 1. Don’t jump just to jump. If you don’t know what you want to do next, don’t do anything. Time pressure aside, it’s better to wait until you feel more sure of what you’d like to do before settling on any one option. What you need is more information. Instead of focusing on making a choice, isolate a few questions to which you’d like to find answers. This could help you gain the information you need to settle on a decision. Wait, learn, and be patient. The answer will be more obvious once you have more information, and you’ll feel better about moving forward. 2. Collaborate. Collaboration isn’t just about gaining the viewpoint and opinions of others. Talking an issue through with a group will also help you engage with the problem or decision in a different way. By sharing your thoughts about the choice, and the pros and cons, out loud and with others, you’re likely to gain more insight yourself. Not to mention the benefits that a collective weighing-in on the matter will have. 3. Use the Pugh Method. Sometimes, a quantitative tool can be really helpful when you’re not sure which road to travel. A decision matrix (also known as the Pugh Method) could help you get started. Basically, you create a table listing the options and the factors impacting those options, and then assign a rating value to each of the factors. After carefully considering each part of the table and assigning values to each, tally up your score, and you’ll know what to do. This approach could help you take emotions and bias out of the equation and break down the details in a concrete way. 4. Sleep on it. The old saying is true: sleeping on an important decision before forging ahead is often a good idea. Sometimes, when the conscious mind isn’t able to arrive at a solution, our subconscious self can be of assistance. The insights that come might not be as data-driven as the ones we make during the day, but that doesn’t mean that the ideas are any less helpful. Subconscious determinations come to us often as gut feelings. It’s important to check those thoughts against facts and figures before moving ahead, but the thoughts of the subconscious mind are often worth paying attention to along the way, and they’ll be easier to access after a solid rest. 5. Remember, most decisions can be undone. Often, we have trouble making a decision when the outcome feels very important and when we feel like we’re under a lot of pressure. Trying to relax a little should help improve the clarity of your thinking, which will likely lead to a better decision-making process overall. One way to do that is to remember that most decisions can be undone. Sure, you’d love to make the best choice possible, but if you need to go in another direction further down the road, chances are you’ll be able to do just that. So, relax with the choice a little, and remember that few things are as permanent as they feel in the moment. You can always change course later if you need to. More From PayScale: 5 Mistakes People Make When Looking for a Mentor Another Reason to Avoid Giving Your Salary History: The Gender Wage Gap This Site Will Tell You Exactly How Much Maternity Leave Your Employer Offers Video Player is loading.Play VideoPlayMuteCurrent Time  0:00/Duration  0:00Loaded: 0%Stream Type  LIVESeek to live, currently playing liveLIVERemaining Time  -0:00  Playback Rate1xChaptersChaptersDescriptionsdescriptions off, selectedCaptionscaptions and subtitles off, selectedAudio TrackFullscreenThis is a modal window.Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window.TextColorWhiteBlackRedGreenBlueYellowMagentaCyanTransparencyOpaqueSemi-TransparentBackgroundColorBlackWhiteRedGreenBlueYellowMagentaCyanTransparencyOpaqueSemi-TransparentTransparentWindowColorBlackWhiteRedGreenBlueYellowMagentaCyanTransparencyTransparentSemi-TransparentOpaqueFont Size50%75%100%125%150%175%200%300%400%Text Edge StyleNoneRaisedDepressedUniformDropshadowFont FamilyProportional Sans-SerifMonospace Sans-SerifProportional SerifMonospace SerifCasualScriptSmall CapsReset restore all settings to the default valuesDoneClose Modal DialogEnd of dialog window.PlayMuteCurrent Time  0:00/Duration  0:00Loaded: 0%Stream Type  LIVESeek to live, currently playing liveLIVERemaining Time  -0:00  Playback Rate1xFullscreen

3 Ways You Can Help Boost Employee Engagement - Your Career Intel

3 Ways You Can Help Boost Employee Engagement - Your Career Intel This is the final post of a three part series: In the previous two blogs I discussed the importance of developing a mentor-mentee relationship and creating open channels of communication.  This week, I consider the unprecedented opportunity that lies in affording employees the flexibility to balance their professional and personal lives. The first two blogs in this series  are available here. Afford Flexibility. The work-life balance is a challenging task for most employees. Effectively balancing one’s professional and personal life is one of the key factors professionals evaluate when seeking employment. Offer team members the flexibility to attend their child’s holiday parade at school or to take a day off before a long weekend if they are traveling. In addition, understand the ebb and flow of employees’ work rhythms, and where possible, incorporate the times at which they are most productive into a flexible time schedule. For some, it is early in the morning, while others are most productive burning the midnight oil. Career Growth, Training and Development. Offer training opportunities to employees and encourage them to attend seminars and conferences. Providing an accessible path for professional development not only keeps employees engaged, but shows that you are invested in their long-term personal and professional success. Recognition and Reward. Publically recognize and praise employees for a job well done â€" an encouraging motivator that shows you notice and appreciate their efforts.   If the budget allows, give promotions when they are earned and increase or redistribute responsibilities. Recognize employees’ efforts and success by taking them for lunch or giving them tickets to a sporting event. Essentially, remember that all employees want to work in an environment where they feel valued, respected, and appreciated. It is through your thought, word, and deed that employees are inspired to succeed, and in turn, your organization thrives. From mentorship to flexibility, developing and nurturing a successful, cohesive team requires taking a dedicated and consistent approach to management. As an executive recruiter  in the field of  Human Resources, I’d like to hear what steps you have taken to invest in your employee engagement and retention strategies.