Resume Help Blog

Posts Tagged ‘jobs’

You just graduated and think the world is just waiting for you to leap on life’s stage. Don’t be so smug, every graduate feels the same way. But now comes the next challenge; finding the right position that you have been planning for so long. Where do you start?

I don’t want to burst your bubble or prick your ego but competition is fierce especially now during this current recession so let’s just start with a couple of ideas to help you get started.

First—always the best place to begin is with your friends and neighbors; friends that you have known for some time especially if they have a pretty good position in a major company. Possibly someone in your graduating class that you have become friendly with who may have a relative or good friend that can give you a hand up. That may take a while to run down the list of people you know and have known over the years, especially if you have lived in the same place for a while. If you have moved around a lot it will take more time.

Second—consider having a professional resume company help you work your resume to your best advantage. If you are a person that believes that a resume, is a resume, is a resume etc. then you are in for a rude awakening. That isn’t so, a professional resume writer is just what the name says – “a Professional”! Who is most qualified to help you find the perfect position that you have worked so hard for – the professional resume writer!

We offer help from only the best professional resume companies. Are they cheap? No but they are very affordable. When times are tough as they are now, cheap is not a bargain. You want the best! What you want is to not pay more for the service than it is worth. Career Wizards is our #1 choice because of all they offer. Besides the professional resume writer aspect of their service they also offer career counseling and work with recruiters and networking professionals. It’s all part of the service—and service is what you want especially when you are just starting out.

If you contact them now you will qualify for a 10% off on their services. Contact them now and get the ball rolling. You want the best position; they can help you get hired. Do it now!

Resumes today are changing in how they determine qualified candidates. It used to be that a simple accounting of one’s work and educational experiences was enough to be titled “resume.”

Today, the competition due to layoffs, downsizing and women joining the work force in greater numbers has resulted in a decrease in the number of available positions as more people vie for them. Old positions are becoming obsolete as technology creates new ones, technology is ever changing and creating new demands and deficits, and the idea of remaining in any one position or career for an entire work-life is no longer a realistic expectation.

The result is a need for something more. This “more” comes in the form of “benefits” of service, allowing the reader to appreciate the benefit of hiring someone over a competing candidate with similar skill sets. The assumption is that if an individual brought benefit to a past employer (achievements), a new employer may enjoy the same type of beneficial service.

So what can make a resume “weak” is the same thing, in its opposite, that can give it strength.

Candidates often forget that the decision maker within the hiring process is feeling his or her own brand of pressure. This person is being held accountable for their selection of the best candidate for the position. He or she will have to justify his or her decision, as well as backing up the reasoning for hiring one candidate over another. A resume that clearly defines the additional benefits (achievements) offered provides a good foundation for this reasoning.
One Page Restriction (?)
The old standard that a resume should be no more than a page in length has changed. Two pages is fine, even when hiring managers say they prefer a one-page document – IF (and this is an important “IF”) the information contained is valuable to your reader and relevant to the position you’re targeting. The absolute limit however is two pages.

All the information contained in your resume should be relevant to the position and company being targeted, and key information should always be presented as early as possible in the document. If your information isn’t relevant to the job or company being targeted – take it out!

A resume may only receive an initial viewing of as little as 15 seconds, or less. Therefore keep it short and relevant.
What To Do When What You’re Doing Isn’t Working
The Don’ts:

• Don’t assume this job search will be just like the last job search. It may be harder or easier, but chances are it will be different. Use all the avenues available to you in this job search.
• Don’t set your sights on the one perfect potential offer and stop all other activities and search efforts. No job opportunity is a guarantee until the job has been offered and accepted. Keep looking, keep submitting resumes, keep applying, and keep interviewing for other positions, even when you believe, in your heart of hearts, that an offer is in the air.
• Don’t focus all your energy and extra time on your job search. Establish a set number of hours per day or week that you will devote to securing a new position and use any extra time available to: improve yourself (take a course, read, learn a new skill), catch up with friends and family, catch up on activities or projects you haven’t had time to enjoy or complete, volunteer to a cause that means something to you, meditate and relax, help someone else, and have some fun. Creating balance in your job search will make you more productive and enthusiastic, and will increase your chances for success.
• Don’t let fear of the unknown overwhelm you. Rather, think of all the possibilities, envision yourself doing what you want to do and being where you want to be. Focus your energies on the positive, see it in your mind, believe it will happen, and make it happen.
• Don’t be afraid to ask for help.
• Don’t be afraid to offer help. Your interviewer and potential employer is looking for solutions. Go in as a positive problem solver and you will increase the perception of your hiring value tenfold.

Don’t let negative experiences or feelings from past events or positions cloud, hinder or damage your ability or opportunity to secure a new position. Rethink these situations and find the positives. Focus on these positives and what you have gained or learned from the experience and use this new level of understanding to your advantage.

The Do’s:

• Do have your resume reviewed for strengths and weaknesses. Talk to the people who are currently responsible for hiring in the field, industry or position you want to secure, regardless of whether a position opening currently exists. Have these individuals review your resume. Have them offer you suggestions on areas in need of definition, improvement, or greater experience. Allow them to guide you in ways you can improve your opportunities, and follow through on their suggestions.
• Do network with professionals in your industry of choice. Talk to the people currently doing the type of work you want to secure and learn from them. Join professional associations. Participate in professional events.
• Do establish goals, but don’t set your ultimate goal as your immediate goal. Envision your ultimate goal and determine what steps are necessary and what shorter term goals must be met, first, in order to reach the ultimate goal. Establish flexible time frames in which to meet these smaller goals and celebrate your success upon reaching each, before moving to the next goal.
• Do use every avenue available to get your resume and information out to your targeted market. This includes applying to jobs posted in every venue imaginable. Contact recruiters (but only those who are employer-paid). Contact college placement professionals and representatives from your alumni college. Search the Internet, phone book, library reference guides, and professional publications for information on companies of interest, and contact them (after you’ve done your homework and regardless of whether or not a job position is being advertised or made known). Attend career fairs and industry-related events and always have your resume ready for distribution anywhere you go. Tell everyone you know that you are in the market and what you can do. Volunteer your services to organizations in need.
• Do prepare yourself for interview situations by practicing your public speaking and interviewing skills, preparing appropriate answers to difficult questions, focusing on what value and benefit your skills and experiences can contribute to the companies you’re currently targeting, and how you are presenting yourself to others in both mannerisms and dress.
• Do thank everyone who has helped you in this job search, and follow up on all job interviews with notes of appreciation, it can be the deciding factor between two equally qualified candidates. Don’t assume that everyone follows up an interview with a note, because very few candidates actually do. By showing your appreciation to those who have helped you in your job search, you’ll build your network and keep allegiances strong.

Do continue managing your career and building up your network, even after you secure the perfect job. Update your resume periodically, while the information is current and fresh in your mind. Career management is an ongoing process.

Ref: Sue Campbell, 1st-Writer.com