How to Write a Resume That Gets You the Interview

How to Write a Resume That Gets You the Interview Before you begin writing your resume, take some time for introspection and determine why you are writing this in the first place. Where are you heading, what is the plan, what is the best job for you, who will read the resume, how will you get an interview from it? An effective resume will sell yourself and do your skills and experience justice. It will magnify you best sides and should tell the reader to take action immediately. I will assume that you already have a job in mind and that your objective is to  get that interview request. When you have established your purpose, you can now lay out the content of your resume around it and keep it focused from the employer’s point of view. It’s critical that you have this purpose nailed down so your document is focused and clear. List your Achievements Step two is to break out a big notebook and list everything you have achieved in your life. This list can be very detailed and should cover every little accomplishment. Not only will you feel good from seeing the results, you will have a great selection of achievements to pick and choose from for your resume. You can categorize your list by separate listings for education, work experience, community and charity involvement, notable achievements and skills. Don’t be shy now, put down every little part time job, every foreign language interaction and even that half day seminar you did ten years ago. List your Unique Selling Points Whatever job you are thinking about applying for, we can assume there will be competition. In the current economic climate, the competition will be very good as there have been all too many layoffs in all industries recently. What you can do is to think about what makes you better or different to the other candidates. Keep the notebook out and start thinking about your unique selling points, or USPs. Glancing at your achievements list, there should be a few ones standing out that you are proud of. You should be able to squeeze out about 20 of these. If you struggle, ask your friends, family and co-workers. Research the position and the company That position you are applying for, what do you actually know about it? You have seen a job specification I would hope. Have you checked out the company website, researched their employees on LinkedIn and done your best to understand their corporate culture? A job on paper can be very different to reality and you will want your new resume to reflect the real need that the employer has. Do what you can to find out as much background information as possible, anything to make sure you sell the benefit of hiring you to the reader. Research the process Do you know who will screen your resume? Will it even be a person or could it be rejected by a computer? If there is no name on the job description, it’s safe to assume that HR will be the first port of call. In case you see the hiring manager’s name and email, you can personalize your document and sell to this person’s needs direct. Ways to finding out the process would be to speak to the company, its employees and recruitment partners. Knowing the process will give you a slight head start and you will be in control of the event. Summary So now you know why you are writing the resume, you have an idea of what you want to include and what USPs will seal the deal. You have researched the company and the people behind it to better customize your resume. The next step will be to begin writing and to weave all the components together. Thoughts or ideas on the preparation side of resume writing? Related: 7 Ways To Improve Your Resume While Employed.

Showering Isnt Enough. You Need To Add This To Your Routine

Showering Isnt Enough. You Need To Add This To Your Routine Have you noticed how easy it is to get stuck in a routine?  Maybe you hop in the shower right before bed.  Or you may be the type that just cant get started without a shower first thing in the morning.  Either way, its probably become a mostly habitual routine just as much as brushing your teeth.  But there are some things you can easily add to your bathing rituals that are not only good for your body.  They make you feel great, too! Heres a look at some of the things you can do to end or start your day and support your mental and physical well-being. Steam Showers A steam shower, or steam bath, isnt anything new.  Theyve been used in sports, in physical therapy, and in spas for decades.  So the benefits are well known.  If youre not familiar with the benefits, heres a summary: Tension reliever.  Nerves and muscles are warmed and relaxed. Skin cleanser.  Opens pores, detoxes, and helps remove impurities. Stress reducer.  Heat encourages the body to produce calming endorphins. Assists in weight loss.  Increased temperature helps sweat off weight. While you used to have to go to a spa  or perhaps the gym, the last few years has seen an increase in units that can be adapted to your own home shower.   Unlike that new big screen, its a home improvement that will pay back huge returns. Saunas A steam shower and a sauna are similar in that they both deliver therapeutic heat.  The difference is that a sauna uses dry heat. Its heat is generated using a stove or hot rocks.  While steam showers and saunas have some things in common, there are some benefits exclusive to a sauna. Saunas produce dry heat. If you have any condition that is aggravated by humidity, a sauna is a good choice. Saunas get hotter.  Because of both high temperature and lower humidity, youre going to sweat.  A lot. Jetted Tubs If youre more inclined to bathe, you might want to consider swapping out that old tub for a new jetted tub, or what some people refer to as a Jacuzzi.  To be accurate, Jacuzzi is a name brand.  But its been borrowed a bit similar to the term kleenex. A jetted tub has a number of outlets, called jets, through which water is pumped out at high speed.  Theyre great for massaging sore muscles and sore backs.  And there are models that have features such as adjustable or rotating jets, heat controls, and air injection. Just A Quick Shower?  No Way! With the options we have available for home use today, theres no reason to settle for the simple quick shower.  Whether its a steam shower, sauna, or jetted tub, doing this  upgrade to your bathroom is one remodel you wont regret.  So why not use those long days of summer to get a head start?

Monday Motivation You Weekly Career Links

Monday Motivation You Weekly Career Links I know its a little bit early but I am already looking back at 2012 and thinking about my 2013 goals.  Maybe its the change of weather or the fact that Christmas decorations were available weeks ago at Target.  Actually, it probably is just that 2012 was a huge year of change for me and I am still adjusting to it  (if you want to read more about my big changes, read this post).  Since I am still adjusting to the changes, I need a lot of time to think about what to take my focus off in 2013 so that I can place more focus on other things instead.  Stay tuned because you can read all about it here in a couple of weeks! Here are your weekly career links to start your week off right: Just Laid Off? Your 3-Step Action Plan by Lindsay Pollak and The Daily Muse 5 Reasons Recruiters Aren’t Giving You the Time of Day by The Brazen Careerist Socks, Cold Feet, and Professional Shoes by Corporette Why Networking is the Most Hated Job Search Tactic by Careerealism 10 Tips For Becoming a Better Morning Person by Real Simple “Dont wait for your feelings to change to take the action. Take the action and your feelings will change. Barbara Baron

Cashing in on the Real Value of a Recruiter

Cashing in on the Real Value of a Recruiter In an ideal world, recruiters wouldn’t exist. Every business would have a steady stream of experienced, driven future employees, all queuing up outside the Managing Director’s door, ready to get to work. All companies would have fabulous career paths that their employees would never want to leave. In fact, they’d probably all be like a family at the end of it. They’d all spend Christmas and summer holidays together. Magic! And you, Mr or Mrs Managing Director, would operate like a smooth MI5 agent. You’d know every step the competition makes, and every direction the markets are heading in. You’d have a market research team, focused with dagger-like precision on getting you the relevant information â€" because after all, knowledge is power, right? Now time to wake up… It would be nice if it was really like that, wouldn’t it? Sadly, it’s not. The reality is that people leave their jobs all the time. Businesses often struggle to recruit the right staff. And Managing Directors, such as yourself, find themselves bashing their heads against the nearest wall, wondering just when they’ll find the time to sort the situation out. This is why a great recruiter is so invaluable. It’s their job to save you time and money. They’re also a dab hand at limiting risk â€" the dreaded risk of a dud hire. As you know, hiring the wrong candidate is distinctly bad for business, but sadly it’s all too easy to do without the right expert help. So why do so many decision-makers, hiring managers and Managing Directors struggle to see the value that a recruiter can bring? After all, you’re not a recruiter and it’s probably not your area of specialist expertise. That’s not your business, and it’s unlikely, in all honesty, that you’re much good at it (and why should you be?) The appeal of a specialist recruiter A specialist recruiter is right in the thick of your industry. They operate in your circles, they associate with your people, they reside in the same business world. Specialist recruiters spend more time talking to your competition than you ever will. They know the salaries, the employees, the products, the services. They know why people stay and why people leave. Most importantly, they have a deep understanding of what your company does and how the market perceives it. They know what the market is saying about your company, your people and what you’ve got to offer. Simply put, recruiters are your eyes and ears. They’re your top spies in the field. They undertake valuable daily market research that money simply cannot buy. And best of all, this market research is hot-off-the-press and bang up to date, and it doesn’t cost you a penny. Your recruiter has all of this tucked up his or her sleeve, and if you work with them, you can have it too. Understanding candidates Even better, recruiters, like sheriffs in a Wild West movie, know the difference between the good, the bad and the downright ugly. They can spot the perfect candidate for your job a mile off, because they know your industry and its requirements inside out. They know exactly why the bad guys get fired, and they have an eagle-eye for a CV that’s shot through with holes. They’ve also got the inside story. They know why a particular candidate is now looking for a job. How do they know? Because they’re the ones asking the questions. They’re in a perfect position to pose the all-important questions. What do you want? Why? No really, why? How much? No really, how much? They’re a bit like a free career guidance counsellor, in fact. Good recruiters get to the heart of everything. Indeed, the have to if they value their reputation because their career depends upon their outstanding performance. That’s not to say they’re flawless â€" sadly, in real life, no-one is. But it does mean that a good specialist recruiter will leave no stone unturned, and will ask the questions that you can’t. The inside scoop from your recruiter By now, you’ve probably got a pretty good idea of just how much a recruiter has their finger on the pulse and this has other advantages too. They can know what’s going on in your business before you do. They know when your good guys are being poached or headhunted by other companies. They know if your favourite employees are starting to get restless and are looking to hop out of the nest and into another one. Now they can’t tell you this kind of information as it’s just not cricket, but if you listen carefully to what’s happening, you may find there are signals… Crusading for your company In addition to keeping you up-to-date, policing candidates and giving you valuable insider knowledge, recruiters are also amazing brand ambassadors. Get them on side, and they’ll ride out into the market place, armed with techniques to overcome any negative objections the market has about your business. They’ll battle poor press, combat negative news that terrible hire is spreading, and they’ll do it all in a really neutral, unbiased way. They operate as a natural extension of your HR department, spreading the love and sharing your success stories. They’ll be singing your praises, and they’ll make sure that potential future candidates hear it. Selecting the right recruiter A good recruiter offers a lot more than just a simple introduction to some good candidates â€" and the question to ask is: can your company afford not to have a really good recruiter relationship? After all, they probably know as much about your business as you do, and they’re more likely to know just how happy your staff are too. However, it’s important to take the time to sniff out the great recruiters, the ones that’ll add real value to your company. Here’s how. 1) Do your research. You’ll get called by young, enthusiastic recruiters all the time. Our advice? You can’t really benefit much from them. Tell them (kindly) to call back when they’ve had a chance to build up a few years of valuable experience. When you get called by someone who sounds like they know what they’re doing, jump on to LinkedIn and check them out. If they operate in your industry and have done for some time, they’ll have a good network â€" your future network. Also â€" don’t be afraid to ask for recommendations from your peers, particularly if they’re doing well! 2) Get prepared. When your recruiter calls, make sure you’re able to take it and give the call the time it deserves. If they don’t call, remember that you can call them instead! Planning ahead is music to a recruiter’s ears. Of course, you’re busy… aren’t we all! However, I assure you, recruiters have no interest in wasting your time. Schedule some time to speak properly, preferably when you’re relaxed and can speak openly. In the car on the way to work is a good time, or when you’re sitting on the train. Recruiters never sleep, so don’t worry about anti-social hours, chances are they’ll take your call. 3) Ask questions. It doesn’t need to be the Spanish Inquisition, but a few good questions are certainly advisable. Find out why they recruit, why they operate in your space and how long they’ve been doing it. Ask if they attend industry exhibitions, how they go about filling difficult roles, how quickly they get results and which companies they work with. You’ll swiftly build up a picture â€" and you’ll soon get a ‘feeling’ whether or not you can work with them. 4)  Put them to work! Now, I’d like to emphasise here that whipping your recruiter for better results isn’t generally a good idea. However, it’s important to give them a clear well-defined role. Provide them with a deadline, and give them a reason to work for you. Don’t play hardball on fees â€" they’ve got a set fee in mind, and it’s probably justifiable, given the amount of work involved. Give them exclusivity and the chance to deliver. Remember, a good recruiter will want to prove they’re a valuable and trusted business contact. They want to build a long-term relationship. They want to be the only recruiter you ever ring when you need help. You win, they win. It’s as simple as that. 5) Build a long-term relationship. I’m not necessarily saying you need to be best buddies with your recruiter and invite them to all future family events, unless of course, you want to. However, what I am saying is that it’s worth building up a strong business relationship with them. This means that when you call them, they already know you. They know your business. They know exactly what you’re looking for. This saves you a lot of time and hassle in the long-run. Think of your recruiter as a tomato plant. Regular watering and a bit of TLC here and there, and you’ll yield a great crop â€" in this case, of exciting, qualified candidates. Neglect it, and you’ll find it tricky to get more than a few uninspiring CVs without a lot of hard work getting things back on track. Pick a good recruiter and spend time talking to them. Keep them in the loop. Tell them all about your business. Explain about the sort of people you hire, your company ethos and what you look for in a good candidate. This will help them to be constantly on the look-out for future stars, which they’ll immediately let you know about whether you’re recruiting or not. Who knows, they might just call you with a little gem right when you need it. Is it time for you get a specialist recruiter on speed dial? At the very least, it’s worth getting a good one on your Christmas card list!

Using DATA to win a job offer - A Case Study CareerMetis.com

Using DATA to win a job offer - A Case Study â€" CareerMetis.com I use Excel Spreadsheets a lot. I am obsessed with them. I track almost everything. And I have no shame. In fact, I am proud. I am a proponent of Peter Drucker’s advice ” What gets measured gets improved”.Have you ever visited a personal trainer or nutritionist? The first thing they say is to start creating a food log- they urge you to write down everything you eat for one week. Why is that? In that way, you can learn about your eating habits and use that as a gauge to make positive changes in the future.evalIf you have watched the show “Till Debt Do Us Apart” â€" the first thing the host suggests to a couple is to start writing down their expenses. Because when they do this, they are able to find out where they are spending excessively. And based on the data, they are able to make changes to their personal finance.You do not have to be a multi-million dollar enterprise to start using Analytics and Big Data to measure your effectiveness. As an individual, you too can use DA TA in your life to enhanceI am going to share with you a time when I applied Analytics/Data to get a job offer.In 2013, I had just come out of a difficult financial phase. I started a business and it did not work out the way I wanted. I was broke and I needed a job. So I set a plan to get a job.My primary motivation was pretty strong ” I need a job to pay my bills”. My secondary motivation was to find an organization where I can learn new skills, make a valuable contribution and enhance my career.But motivation alone is not enough. There are plenty of motivated job-hunters out there, but many are unsuccessful. Unemployment is roughly around 5% today. I did not want to join that rank.So I set a goal to find a job in 1 month. That was my target.I had the right motivation.evalNext, I needed to prepare a well-crafted resume and cover letter. It took me some days, and it was complete.I strictly followed the traditional mode of applying on Job Sites. I did reach out to my contacts and network however, at that time I was not successful. So I decided to use the Internet as a resource.I had the motivation and the tools I created an Excel Spreadsheet for Job-Hunting, and I tracked everything in that document.Company Applied ForPosition Applied ForDate AppliedApplication Rejected â€" Yes/NoPhone InterviewsInterviewsJob OffersThe process of job-hunting at that time was emotionally draining, mentally difficult Positions Applied for â€"107Companies Interviewed with â€"11Interviews And I would give most of the credit to that excel spreadsheet.So what does this mean to you? My goal was to motivate you, I wanted to let you know that it is not impossible to find gainful employment.In another article, I wrote about the Mindset you need before applying for a job. Once you get your mindset right, and you have a well crafted-resume â€" then just trust the process and stick with it.As I mentioned before, it won’t be easy but you will reach your goal. Join the ranks of the 95% who are employed.Creating a spreadsheet is not that difficult; I am sure there are even mobile apps out there that can allow you to do this.evalIf you track your actions, your progress â€" results will come.

Tips To Streamline Your Business

Tips To Streamline Your Business With a growing business, it can be hard to keep up with everything that goes on within the company on a daily basis. There are many ways to be able to streamline your business so that you can still keep some focus on it, regardless of how big it grows. Here are some tips to streamline your business. Streamline The Finances The finances in any business are important, and so if you’ve got a lot happening from raising invoices, generating expenses and drafting up payment procedures, it can be overwhelming. Even with a big accounts team, a lot is likely to get lost along the way and it’s important that this doesn’t happen. Streamlining is mostly know within organizations to be mainly focused on your finances. You can find the one platform where you can funnel all your requirements into one place, and it then doesn’t require much effort on your part. Look at your current system in place and work towards effectively taking control over the money in the company. The more efficient the system is, the less likely there is for things to go wrong. Outsource Your Requirements When the workload is often overwhelming, outsourcing can actually be an ideal solution for covering more ground. With this option, you won’t be wasting nearly as much money or having to accept someone on a permanent basis, into the company. There are a lot of things within your company that are worth outsourcing, including your IT support and even your web design. There’s so much more that you can achieve through outsourcing in a quicker timescale than what you’d get with the current situation.   Improve Technology Technology will always be around to help us humans and to make living life, that little bit easier. So from an investor portal for private equity to the current security software you use for your systems, everything technology-wise is important. Improving your technology means you can perhaps cull some things that aren’t worth anything to the company from a technical point of view. With an additional focus on technology, it will soon mean work productivity levels will range, and the success of your business will grow. Be Selective In Staffing Being picky with your staff is definitely not a bad thing. A lot of companies will often rush into recruiting someone, and that may not even be the right fit for your company. Focus on who you have that’s existing in the company and who may be vital to boosting up your work efforts. Just hiring any random person, is not going to play well for your company and anyway, you want to keep your team to a minimum. Being able to streamline your business is certainly a handy step into funneling all these ideas and plans into one place. With more attention on one spot, rather than others, it’s going to only help your company in getting to where it needs to be to succeed. Try these tips in your own business today.

Resume Writing in Michigan City - Tips for Writing a Job-Ready Resume

Resume Writing in Michigan City - Tips for Writing a Job-Ready ResumeThere are many reasons why resume writing in Michigan city can be such a challenging process. However, if you know what to do and how to do it, you will find that creating your Michigan City resumes is a much easier job than many people make it out to be. Let's take a look at some tips for writing the perfect Michigan City resume.When trying to write a Michigan City resume, the first thing you need to do is to write about yourself. How are you going to build a strong resume that showcases you in a positive light? By developing your personality and skills, you will be able to use the talents and experiences that you have to come up with a resume that you can share with your future employer. It is important to use your strengths to develop your resume as you do not want it to come across as a lifeless resume filled with boring information.Next, try to write a few sentences about your interests and talents so that you can make sure you include these things in your local position. With that in mind, you need to consider the future employer of your resume. While it is perfectly fine to just list any of your skills and experience, it is important to consider the job that you are applying for. If you are applying for a job in the sales department, it is likely that you will be doing much more sales work than teaching. Therefore, you might be better off if you included a few extra skills and experience in your local position like teaching younger children how to play the piano.In order to format your Michigan City resume, you need to use a word processor to write your information and title your resume accordingly. Also, you should consider using a heading on your resume for organization purposes. Most employers in Michigan City prefer to see their candidates first before moving on to read their entire resume. Therefore, be sure to include your contact information in your header and you should be all s et to get your Michigan City job interview!One of the most important things that you will have to remember when you write your Michigan City resume is to include your contact information. Most employers in Michigan City will want to know who you are and where you have been working. If you do not include your contact information, then it is likely that they will miss the opportunity to interview you. With this said, you should always be sure to be courteous and do not forget to include a contact number in your resume. Also, try to include a few sentences that describe the skills you have in order to give the reader a little bit of insight into who you are.When you are trying to get Michigan City job interviews, it is important to use the right keywords in your resume. In the search engines, most employers in Michigan City search by keywords so be sure to have them in your resume. However, you should also make sure that you are using the right keywords in your career and educational b ackground. For example, when looking for a business lawyer in Michigan City, you do not want to include too many keywords that could cause confusion to your potential employer.By having a local position, you are making yourself more marketable. You should also consider using a photograph in your resume so that you can easily be recognized by the company. Since people today are using the internet to help them find any information they need, having a picture to show them that you are qualified to fill their position can be beneficial for both parties.If you take the time to learn some resume writing in Michigan City tips, you will be able to create a resume that is a reflection of who you are. Take the time to learn about the job market and how to make yourself stand out from the crowd.