11 May
Think A Little White Lie Won’t Matter? Don’t.
Many people embellish the truth a little on their resume. Most common is when candidates “clump” all of the jobs at a single company under their current and, probably, highest position.
A reputable resume writer will warn his or her clients not to do this. However, it happens all the time.
If you’re considering exaggerating on your resume. Don’t.
Getting caught in a little white lie will likely put you out of the running.
The majority of employers said that discovering a lie on a candidate’s resume might derail his or her chances of being hired according to survey conducted by CareerBuilder.
03 May
10 Ways To Make Your LinkedIn Profile More Compelling
Standing out is critical in a job search. Showing recruiters and hiring managers what makes you different, why they should hire you is key. While your resume is a great way to market yourself, LinkedIn offers additional ways to catch a recruiter’s attention.
Yes, a compelling summary and achievement-focused job descriptions are vital. If you’re serious about your job search you should carefully craft your LinkedIn profile or hire a pro to do it for you.
Unfortunately, even the most diligent job seekers often forget to add documents, photos, and media.
There are many things you can add to your LinkedIn profile. Save recruiters and employers time by uploading your resume in Word or PDF format. Got a certification? There’s probably a JPEG for that.
20 Apr
20 Steps To Better Business Writing
Strong marketing documents can help you get in the door. But, as you know, they are not that easy to write. So, before you spend an hour composing a cover letter, spend ten minutes reading the following proofreading and style tips.
While these guidelines will help with your resume, cover letter, and LinkedIn profile, following them will improve all your written communication. Always represent yourself in the best possible light.
Here are 20 steps to the write stuff.
11 Apr
4 Ways To Get Called Back After A Job Interview
You know achievement-based resumes get much better results than boring lists of responsibilities and job duties. However, a strong resume can only help get you in the door. Then it’s up to you.
During the interview, it’s up to you to sell yourself to the employer. You need to convince the interviewer to invite you back for the next round. And eventually to hire you.
If you want to make it to the next round of interviews, it’s essential to be prepared, stay in the moment, and treat everyone with respect. Here are 4 things to remember.
05 Apr
How To Choose The Right LinkedIn Profile Picture
Despite being a business networking tool, LinkedIn is still considered social media. The “social” in social media is why it’s essential to have a photo.
While some people feel that including a profile photo might open them up to discrimination, there is no way to hide from a potential employer. Sadly, discrimination does exist. However, you can’t prevent an employer from thinking you are too old or too young or too whatever.
The key is to have a recruiter- and employer-ready photo that shows you at your best, business self.
Add Photo Do’s
While a photo taken by a professional is nice to have, it’s not critical. A clean head shot, wearing appropriate attire, and preferably smiling is all that you need.
While you may think that employers will respond to a serious look, studies show that likable people are more apt to be hired and promoted.
23 Mar
5 Smart Job Search Moves
Finding a new job isn’t easy. If it were no one would keep working for a boss they don’t like. But there are things you can do to make your job search more productive.
And a more productive job search leads to a faster, smoother, less stressful transition. Here are 5 simple, although not necessarily easy, ways to find a new job.
Don’t Stop Looking
It can be tempting to slow down or even stop your job search completely once you think you’ve a job on the line. You may have sailed through several interviews. Met your future boss’s boss and the team you’ll be managing. It may be down to a final interview which is “merely a formality” or so you think.
But you never know what can happen. A new candidate may be introduced into the mix. A job may suddenly lose funding. I’ve seen it happen more than once.
14 Mar
Who Are You? – Don’t Waste Your LinkedIn Headline
Your LinkedIn headline is one of the most valuable spaces available on LinkedIn. It’s at the top of your profile, right next to your picture. (You have one of those, right?)
It’s the first thing that comes up in a recruiter or employer search for potential candidates.
Yet, many people waste this space with useless, sometimes irrelevant, information.
To begin, if you don’t set your own Headline, LinkedIn will default to your current position. While, while not the worst thing, it’s a waste of space. It doesn’t say anything about you beyond your current position and where you work.
Just make sure when you create a new Headline you aren’t making one of these mistakes.
01 Mar
4 Ways To Age-Proof Your Resume
A breadth of experience, combined with a solid career progression are prized by many employers. Unfortunately, the biggest concern for many job seekers who possess those assets is age discrimination. Particularly those of a certain age.
There’s no doubt that some employers do discriminate. However, often the reason they are reluctant to hire candidates over 50 is because they are afraid they won’t be current with their skills or familiar with not-so-newfangled things like social media.
While to-date there is no anti-aging cream for your resume, there are ways to ensure that your resume doesn’t make you look old and, maybe worse out of date. Here are four.
11 Feb
5 Musts Before Starting Your Job Search
Like most things, a key element of job search success is planning. Unfortunately, many job seekers just jump right in. They begin looking at job ads and internal opportunities.
Bad idea.
Most people wouldn’t just put their home on the market without some planning. They would consider different neighborhoods, maybe research realtors, and evaluate mortgage rates. They would appraise their home and find out what they should repair or replace to get top dollar.
Yet every day, people decide that today they’re going to start looking for a new job. Once they find a few exciting opportunities they dust off their old resume and realize it needs an overhaul.
They quickly find that jumping into a job search without planning doesn’t lead to success. Here are 5 things you need to do before you begin your job search.
27 Jan
3 Career Transition Strategies
Changing careers can seem daunting. Even impossible. But, the truth is it can be done. Several of my friends and colleagues have done it successfully. I’ve done it too.
When you’re thinking about a career change, understand that every position has two parts: the job (responsibilities, duties performed, skills needed) and the field (the industry where the work is done).
For example, a marketing VP at an Internet start-up has strong communication skills, is a strategic thinker, and has experience creating marketing campaigns. She also understands the Internet industry.
By the same token, a director of operations in a pharmaceutical company can improve processes, manage budgets, and oversee a staff. He also has knowledge of the healthcare industry. He has both operations experience and healthcare expertise.
Keep this in mind when thinking about your job.