Sunday, May 17, 2020

How to Write Jobs Ask For a Resume That Gets YouInterviewed

How to Write Jobs Ask For a Resume That Gets YouInterviewedWhen writing jobs ask for a resume, the last thing you want to do is to forget something important on your resume. You can overlook some very basic facts that can have major consequences on your career path. In addition, you should know that there are a few areas on your resume that you can control. These tips will help you get the job you really want and give you a head start on that new position.When it comes to skills, you should include these essentials in your resume: what you do, where you work, why you are valuable to a particular company, your technical ability, and your previous work experience. You need to be sure to tell the interviewer exactly what it is that makes you a good fit for the position. What would this position require of a certain type of employee? What are some things that make you an ideal candidate? When writing jobs ask for a resume, be sure to include these types of information.There are specific skills that are required for every industry and that is what you should focus on when writing jobs ask for a resume. You should be able to provide specific examples and explain in detail what each one of them entails. For example, a dentist needs to be able to write an accurate medical office policy; a marine biologist needs to be able to answer the question of 'what will you be doing if you are not working for a marine biologist'?There are several areas that you don't fall short in and when you explain how much of an asset you are, they will realize that you are in a position to contribute more than they were expecting. Instead of saying you have no experience, they may find that you have excellent experience with a specific field. They may even consider hiring you because of your experience rather than your education or your specialized training.Another area that you should be able to quantify is your skills and abilities. If you can offer examples and describe how they will benef it the company, your resume will be much more useful. Rather than having to try to explain why you are going to help the company, you will have information that they can use to develop their skills for new positions. When writing jobs ask for a resume, this type of information is extremely important.When you write a resume, you need to think about specific goals and objectives. In order to ensure that you have goals for your future and identify the direction you want to go in the process, you should also have objectives that are a good fit for the jobs you apply for. When writing jobs ask for a resume, you should be able to tell the interviewer what you hope to accomplish in your career, what is next for you, and how this will help the company.When you are interviewing for a new position, you want to ensure that your appearance is professional. While you want to impress, you should be as unassuming as possible. While you are looking at your future, you don't want to seem overly conf ident or overbearing. When writing jobs ask for a resume, you need to stay calm and relaxed, but still be able to convey a positive message.When writing resumes, you should strive to impress. If you aren't going to come across as an arrogant or overbearing person, you will be able to present yourself professionally, but at the same time you won't appear arrogant. When you offer your specific strengths, explain how those qualities will help the company, and describe exactly what you can bring to the table that will make you a good candidate. When writing jobs ask for a resume, you should be able to go into a job interview and confidently tell the interviewer, 'I'm qualified, I know what I'm talking about, and I'm going to add value to the company.'

Thursday, May 14, 2020

2010 Top 10 Executive Personal Branding and Job Search Trends - Executive Career Brandâ„¢

2010 Top 10 Executive Personal Branding and Job Search Trends Things have changed in the world of work and executive job search. Tried and true methods still apply, but the impact of the Internet and our recovering job market require building a different kind of job search strategy and becoming much more proactive. In a nutshell, what you need to do along with real-life networking, is embrace and leverage personal branding, social networking at sites like and Twitter, and social media, while building a strong, brand-evident online presence . . . or get left behind. Your peers who finesse the new tactics already have a competitive advantage over people who don’t. They’re strategically positioned to accelerate their job searches. Here’s how things are stacking up for executive job search in 2010 â€" some new rules, some old rules: 1. Be flexible. Dont assume that your next job will be a full-time position with one company. Temp to perm and portfolio careers (a mix of part-time employment, temporary jobs, freelancing, interim consulting, self-employment), especially for boomer executives, have become viable strategies. Creating income security, instead of job security, is the new wave. 2. Get clear on what job you seek and target the companies where you’ll find it. Frame your entire job search strategy around your target audience so that everything you put out there will resonate with them. Realize that in job search, youre in the middle of a sales and marketing campaign for your company (i.e., YOU) in which you’re pitching your value proposition. Keep an eye on market trends and opportunities. Dig into targeted industry and company research for due diligence, market intelligence, and to position yourself as an informed, engaged candidate in interviews. Compile a list of at least 10 companies that will fulfill your needs and the key decision makers within each one. Google the decision makers’ names to find out where they hang out online and offline and how you can connect with them. Here’s your chance to circumvent the gatekeepers by identifying and connecting directly with top decision makers and tap into the hidden job market of unadvertised positions and possible newly created opportunities tailor-made for you. In your research, learn about the culture of each company, and determine what their issues and problems are so you can develop your pitch around their needs. Set up Google Alerts to have Google email you up-to-the-minute news on your industry plus companies, people, and relevant keywords of your choice. See my Job-Hunt article, Power Your Personal Brand Using Google Alerts. More details in my post How to Target and Network into Hidden C-Level Executive Jobs. 3. Define your personal brand and amplify it in your personal marketing communications. Personal branding is all about defining the unique set of strengths, personal attributes, passions, and drivers that differentiate you from your peers, aligned to resonate with your target audience. Branding generates chemistry and makes it easier for recruiters and hiring decision makers to visualize you at work making things happen. It helps them determine whether you’re a good fit for their organization and whether to hire you or do business with you. And because the brand development process identifies your vision, purpose, values and passions, it also helps invigorate you and gain a keener understanding of what kind of work is a best fit for you. Branding helps you position yourself to move toward career fulfillment and to work your passion. Expect the process of defining your executive brand to take some time, so get started on it. For more specifics, see my post The Executive Personal Brand Worksheet: 10 Steps to an Authentic, Magnetic Personal Brand. And to dispel the misinformation you may be hearing and reading about personal branding, read my post What Personal Branding is NOT. Once you’ve defined your brand, design your paper/digital executive resume, career biography and other personal marketing documents to resonate with your target audience. Just as the executive job search landscape has changed, so have these documents. They don’t read and look the way they used to, based in large part on the fact that more and more hiring professionals will be reviewing your digital documents on their PDAs or netbooks (think tiny screens). Make their job easier and entice them to scroll down through the whole document by writing concise statements of value (no more than 3 or 4 lines) surrounded by enough white space for each one to stand out. Tightly packed dense information doesnt attract the reader well. Pay special attention to what lands above the fold or on the top of the screen. This prime real estate can make or break your chance to be considered. Since many hiring professionals have limited time and may read no further, assume that this part of your resume should stand on its own to showcase your value proposition. Remember that these are marketing documents, not career histories. Include just enough information to capture attention and compel people to contact you. Precision writing and strategy are key â€" everything in these documents should align with what your target audience will be looking for in them â€" nothing included should be arbitrary. See samples of executive resumes, career bios and other documents I’ve created for actual clients, to get an idea of how they should look and read. 4. Create a fully-fleshed out and searchable profile and develop a strategy. Did you know that recruiters and hiring decision makers use special applications to search for viable candidates? Use your executive resume and some of your career bio as the foundation for your profile. As always, capture attention with what lands above the fold (in this case, whatever lands at the top of the screen). Pack searchability and a powerful brand punch into your professional headline. Make inroads connecting with your list of key decision makers within your companies of interest. Check their profiles and join the LI Groups they belong to. You may be sitting on a lead right now that you havent leveraged. Make a list of everyone you know at work and in your personal life. See if theyre on LI and connect with them. Let them know what kind of job you want and who your target employers are. Download my free e-book for more details, Executive Branding and Your Profile: How to Transform Your Executive Brand, Resume, and Career Biography Into a Winning Profile. 5. Get visible elsewhere online. Build a strong e-brand and brand equity. Surveys show that the majority of recruiters and hiring decision makers search online when they’re sourcing and assessing top talent. See my post, Does Your Online Identity Scream “Hire Me”? Design a far-reaching personal marketing strategy to consistently communicate your unique promise of value across multiple channels, online and offline. Position yourself directly in front of your target key decision makers: Establish presence where they’re hanging out online searching for people like you. Get published online to showcase your subject matter expertise. Make sure you have plenty of brand-supporting search results on the first several pages of results when you Google your name and that absolutely no digital dirt exists related to your name. If it does, start building up positive results to push the bad ones further down. It takes time to become sticky and build credibility and visibility online. If you have little or no brand-reinforcing presence online when you’re job-hunting, you’ll have a hard time catching up with your competition who have already worked on establishing themselves online. Here are a few places to build presence online and increase the number of positive search results associated with you: Create a VisualCV to house your portfolio of your personal marketing documents. Create a Google Profile. Clean up your ZoomInfo profile, if one exists. Otherwise create a fully fleshed out one. Blog in some way â€" your own blog and/or guest blog and comment on other relevant blogs. Keep building up keyword-rich content so you’re more likely to be found when people search relevant topics. See my post, Executive Job Search and Blogging: Perfect Together. Create a key word-rich profile on

Saturday, May 9, 2020

Six Style Tips for Interview Success - CareerAlley

Six Style Tips for Interview Success - CareerAlley We may receive compensation when you click on links to products from our partners. Job interview success is not just about your ability to answer questions correctly and show up with an impressive resume. You can also improve your chances by creating the perfect first impression. In order to do that, you need to have your style sorted out. Here are six style tips for interview success. Tip #1: Suit up, always! There are only a handful of occasions when you shouldnt show up to your job interview in a suit. If youve been handed a specific dress code request, you, of course, follow it. But in most other situations, a suit is your best option. Dont even think about other combinations a suit shows respect and it looks professional. A suit is a great option for both men and women. A pantsuit is currently fashionable choice for women, but you could also opt for the traditional skirt and suit jacket combination as well. Tip #2: Black is the new black If you dont have a lot of money to create a suit collection right now, then trust in the power of black. Pick a black suit from an affordable high-street retailer like marksandspencer.com. Forget about the fashionable and trendy suits you want something timeless. By having a black suit in the wardrobe, you always have something to wear for interviews, formal events and so on. Black is a versatile color and you still have plenty of opportunities to personalize and style your suit. You can opt for patterned and colorful ties, shirts and shoes. Tip #3: Polish your shoes Dont put all your attention on the suit; your attention should also be on the small details. Shoes are especially important to get right because your interviewer will notice them and make judgments about your character. You should definitely invest in a good pair of dress shoes. For men, Oxford-style shoes are a great pick in either black or brown leather. You can, of course, be more playful with the color as well just make sure it fits all of your accessories. Women should pick court shoes in black, white or another color with a moccasin or a leather finish. Schuh is an affordable place to find shoes. Even if you cant spend money on new shoes, pick the most suitable pair you have and give them a good polish before the interview. You want them to look pristine and looked-after. Tip #4: Go with current, not trendy When you are creating your style, picking out accessories or shopping for interview clothes, keep in mind another tip: you want the style to be current, not trendy. Trendy outfits tend to draw a lot more attention they are bold and they are fun. But youre not looking to be fun and bold in your job interview. Every item you pick should be something thats current and in style. However, it shouldnt necessarily be the trendiest item on the shelf. The same applies to things like your haircut and makeup. You dont need to necessarily change your hair color just for the interview, but dont go for the craziest styling option. Modern style that slightly falls into the conservative side will work the best. Tip #5: Focus on comfort Although you want to ensure your clothes are stylish and professional, you shouldnt forget about an important part of a stylish look: comfort and confidence. Have you ever worn clothes that didnt fit? Youve probably worn a shirt that seemed too tight or a jumper that made you itch. You dont want this with your interview clothes if you feel comfortable in them, you dont stress about them. In a job interview, you already have enough other things on your mind so dont make your clothes one. Try your outfit, sit, and walk around in it before to interview to ensure you feel confident in it. Tip #6: Make it fit Above all, ensure your clothing is the right fit. If you can, stretch your interview budget to allow a tailor to spruce up the suit. The perfect fit will boost your confidence and create a polished and professional look. Aside from ensuring the suit fits, you also need to make sure the accessories and colors you use match the look. So, ensure you know what are your best color options and pair your items with jewelry that fits the style dont go overboard with accessories. Think of your interview style like another part of your resume. It should tell a story about you and your ability to succeed in this role. Make sure your suit, shirt, accessories and even things like the haircut and makeup fit the narrative. If that black skull necklace is drawing too much attention in your toned down look, then you should remove it. The above six tips guarantee you focus on the right elements in your look and show up at the interview looking professional. What's next? Ready to take action? Choose the right tools to help you build your career. Looking for related topics? Find out how to nail the interview and get hired. Subscribe and make meaningful progress on your career. It’s about time you focused on your career. Get Educated Contact Us Advertise Copyright 2020 CareerAlley. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy + Disclosure home popular resources subscribe search

Friday, May 8, 2020

Tough (Question) Tuesday Whats the catalyst for your productivity - When I Grow Up

Tough (Question) Tuesday Whats the catalyst for your productivity - When I Grow Up Having an external deadline (like walking 40 miles in 2 days on October 20th). Collaborating with someone amazeballs whos as excited about what were collaborating on as I am, and keeps moving forward along with me. Knowing its up to me to make it work (and never have to work for anyone else ever again!). Delegating the unfun/unknown stuff to someone I trust to the nth degree. The intention that whatever it is Im working on (coaching, writing, speaking, etc) helps other creatives through their career transitions. I love being a part of that. Breaking down my time in my Google Cal and my project in Basecamp. Whats the catalyst for *your* productivity? Here are my Clubhousers with their answers! (Click on their pics to be taken to their blogs/businesses/sites!) Whats the catalyst for *your* productivity? Cant wait to read about it in the comments!

Monday, April 20, 2020

Rules For Resume Writing 2020

Rules For Resume Writing 2020There are certain rules for resume writing 2020 that you need to follow in order to make sure that your resume is done with the right style and format. Let's go through a few of them to see how it's all done.Remember to use bullet points to highlight the points that you want to make in your resume. This is something that I usually do when I'm writing the resume of someone who is very creative. But you should also use them when you're writing a plain old standard resume because people appreciate having bullet points.As I mentioned earlier, you should include all of the necessary information. If your job objective is for someone to find out more about you, then you need to show all of that. Don't go into too much detail in the resume; just stick to what you need to talk about.Avoid putting any spelling mistakes. The rule of thumb here is to never put a typo in your resume, especially if it means that you won't get an interview. Unless it's something that's going to be really hard to fix later on, the chances of you getting the job are pretty slim anyway.Make sure that the resume has a section that explains why you're qualified for the job you're applying for. It should contain that information, along with your skills, skills that you're good at, and other details related to that specific job. Your resume should be designed to showcase your best qualities, and make sure that it does so.One of the most important parts of the resume is the cover letter. It should really be something that you'll use again in your future interviews. It should contain the things that you want to say about yourself and your qualifications and then also include some examples of other things that you can bring to the interview that will help you get the job.These are just a few of the great tips and ideas that you can follow for making sure that your resume gets the best possible exposure for your application. You can rest assured that if you follow these tips , you'll have no trouble getting the job that you applied for.

Wednesday, April 15, 2020

Email and Meetings Are Killing Workplace Productivity

Email and Meetings Are Killing Workplace Productivity Between endless email chains, office chatter, and meetings to discuss future meetings, it can be hard to get work done some days. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Bob Pozen, the author of Extreme Productivity (and five other books), former vice chairman of Fidelity Investments, a senior lecturer at the MIT Sloan School of Management, and a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, knows a thing or two about maximizing your productivity at work. And no, spending more time in the office is not something he would suggest. “I want people to think about what were the important goals for this week and did they get them accomplished, not whether they spent the hours” at their desk, Pozen says. Unsurprisingly, Pozen believes that two of the biggest time killers in the workplace are email and meetings. Here’s how to streamline both. Only Handle It Once When it comes to email, Pozen, who teaches executives how to manage their workloads, suggests following the acronym OHIO, or Only Handle It Once. If you receive an email you need to respond to, reply to it immediately and be done with it. “If you need to wait a few days to gather information, put a reminder in your calendar to respond to the request on a specific date in the future,” he says. Often people put off responding to certain emails and messages, leading to further distraction, because the unanswered email is never far from your mind. This also eliminates the chance that you’ll forget to respond to something important and frees you from combing through your inbox later on. “You may remember a week later, then you spend half an hour searching for it,” Pozen says. “Only handle it once. If it’s important, respond to it right then and there.” That isn’t just a good tip for getting more done in the office. Whether it’s saving money, having a serious conversation with a friend or spouse, or facing other problems, it’s always best to handle the issue up front, without delayâ€"and then move on. Beyond that, the fewer times you check your email during the day, the more productive you’re guaranteed to be. “Do not look at your email every two minutes or five minutes. Try to retrain yourself to look at your email every hour or two,” Pozen advises. Another tip? Never hit ‘Reply All.’ “Organizations should train people not to copy a bunch of people on an email,” Pozen says. “Really confine the email to the people who need to know. Reply All just leads to huge amounts of email.” And who has time for that? Finally, Pozen says, a respite from email for at least an hour or two when you get home at the end of the day will help you unwind and be more efficient when you get back to work. “Have some oasis time for two hours, whatever works for you,” he says. “You may have to go back on at 10 pm … but the thing that really irritates the hell out of people is when you come in and you’re supposed to be concentrating on other people and you’re on your email.” So take a break when you get homeâ€"you deserve it. Close Modal DialogThis is a modal window. This modal can be closed by pressing the Escape key or activating the close button. Keep Meetings to a Minimum Are you apt to spend meetings staring wistfully out of the window or doodling on your notepad under the guise of taking notes? Then this next set of tips is for you. Pozen says there’s hardly a bigger office time killer than meetings. Sometimes even the knowledge that one is coming up in the next hour can limit our productivity because we feel as if we can’t start a new task before our workflow will be interrupted. And how often does your boss call a meeting, only to spend half of it clarifying what the meeting is about? “Are those meetings really productive?” Pozen asks. “The answer is a small number are, most are not.” Instead of convening a meeting to exchange information, Pozen suggests doing that in a different format, such as office messaging systems like Slack or, yes, even email. And when everyone is on the same page and ready to make actionable suggestions, then get everyone together in the conference room. When you do, try these tips to maximize efficiency: Send an agenda ahead of time, including any materials attendees need to read, so they can come prepared. Use most of the meeting for discussion and debate, not reiteration of purpose or summation of materials (the two goals of every meeting should be “energy and interactivity,” according to Pozen). Leave with next steps established and responsibility assigned for each task. Limit meetings to 90 minutes, and ideally quite a bit shorter than that. “There’s a lot of evidence to suggest people don’t really pick up much after 90 minutes,” Pozen says. What qualifies as a good reason to have a meeting? Negotiating something, Pozen says, or meeting a client or colleague for the first time.

Friday, April 10, 2020

8 Easy Ways To Put More Power Into Your Resume - Work It Daily

8 Easy Ways To Put More Power Into Your Resume - Work It Daily Is your resume getting you the results you want? I’ve worked with countless clients over the years that have come to me for help after months of fruitless job hunting on their own. Often, one of their greatest barriers is a resume that is underpowered. Not compelling. Boring. Meh. Related: 4 Ways To Edit Your Resume Like A Professional Resume Writer If you suspect that your resume may not be as effective as it could be, it’s possible you’ve overlooked one of these key ways to put more power into your resume: 1. Focus On Your Brand Does your resume jump right in to your job history, or lead off with an “Objective” statement? Do you start off with a summary statement filled with over-used descriptors like “great communicator” or “team player”? If so, you’re wasting the valuable real estate at the top of your resume. Spend some time thinking about what unique skills and attributes you bring to the position you’re looking for… what truly sets you apart from the other applicants for the job. Then capture those abilities in a 1-3 sentence, tightly-written “branding statement” that helps employers see why you’d be a great fit within their organization. Not sure how to write a branding statement? Check out the sample resumes on my website for ideas. 2. Lead With Keyword-Rich Accomplishments Now that you have gotten a prospective employer’s attention with your compelling branding statement, take full advantage of this opportunity by summarizing some of your most impressive accomplishments. For example, a relevant accomplishment for an HR Executive might be: “Slashed staffing costs 25% at X Company by streamlining training program.” Don’t bury that in the bowels of your resume! Hook your reader in to reading further by having your most notable successes front and center in your document. 3. Choose Your Words Carefully Using keywords that appear in the job posting makes the above statements even more effective. One of the best ways to put more power into your resume is by sprinkling terminology important to the position liberally throughout the entire text of your resume, from your branding statement to the responsibilities and accomplishments you list for every single job. Since most companies now use applicant tracking software to screen applicantsâ€"using keywords like you might use search terms when you look up something on the Internetâ€"the more often a relevant keyword shows up in your documents, the higher your resume will rank in their screening process. One caveat, though: these keywords need to make sense in context, so don’t just put keywords in your resume in an attempt to game the system. 4. Use SMART Stories If you only included your job responsibilities for each position you’ve held, you’d be wasting a great opportunity to demonstrate your value. If you really are great at your job, prove it! For every position you list on your resume, but especially the most recent ones, include SMART stories, or Situations with Metrics, Actions, Results, and Tie-in. In other words, how did you make a difference to the company and what was the result? 5. Reference Metrics Okay, I know that Metrics are included in the SMART stories I’ve already encouraged you to write. But I’m going to re-emphasize it here, because including them is critical to capturing an employer’s attention. So critical that whenever I work with a resume client, I spend a significant amount of time questioning them about ways they’ve made a difference to the companies they’ve worked for, and asking them to quantify that difference. Why? Numbers are impressive. Not convinced that it’s worth your time to dig up those figures? Consider these two examples: “Reduced costs annually by initiating data storage policy change.” “Reduced costs $1.2 million annually by initiating data storage policy change.” Which one do you find more impressive? 6. Emphasize Your “Extras.” Have you taken any professional development courses or specialized training that relate to your career goals? Do you volunteer regularly for organizations that a prospective employer might be interested in, either because of your role or how the organization fits in with the hiring company’s goals or values? Do you serve on any community boards or belong to any professional associations? These things can really set you apart, showing you go above and beyond, so be sure and list them after your work experience section. 7. Modernize Your Formatting Let’s face it: we live in a world where appearances matter, and that even goes for resumes and cover letters. Professionally-designed resumes add space between lines of text, use larger font sizes for the candidate’s name and section titles, incorporate colored text for headings or shaded text boxes (where appropriate), and use bold and/or italic fonts to call attention to important text. To put your best foot forward, you’ll want to do the same. 8. Include Links If you have a website, LinkedIn profile, Google+ account, or published articles online… list those links. (Provided they present you in a professional and favorable light, of course!) Professional resume writers rely on these strategies to produce results for their clients, so I’m confident that if you incorporate one or more of them (but preferably all of them!), they’ll boost your resume’s effectiveness, too. This post was originally published on an earlier date. Related Posts Common Grammar Rules For Resumes Why Social Media Is The New Resume 3 Reasons Why Your Resume Isn’t Helping You Get Hired About the author Kristin S. Johnson is a TORI award-winning, 6-times certified resume writer, job search coach, and social media consultant. Her approach is cutting-edge, creative, and kind. As owner of Profession Direction, LLC, she works with professionals and aspiring executives across the country.     Disclosure: This post is sponsored by a CAREEREALISM-approved expert. You can learn more about expert posts here.   Photo Credit: Shutterstock Have you joined our career growth club?Join Us Today!