5 Phrases on Your Resume that are Killing Your Job Hunt

5 Phrases on Your Resume that are Killing Your Job Hunt 24 Flares 24 Flares Natasha Hodgson  is a careers and entrepreneurship enthusiast, currently working as Community Manager for vibrant internships and jobs platform  Enternships  (@enternships). . . There aren’t a lot of situations where you can totally control your own first impression. An impromptu meeting? Nightmare. His name’s Kevin, not Steven, and it turns out you’re wearing a Spongebob tie. A sexy date? So much worse â€" though to be fair, there’s no way you could have known the tablecloth was flammable. The point is, we should rejoice when we actually get to control how we come off to people we want to impress. And that’s why resumes are great. A soft-focus, well lit version of you, ready and gleaming to blow the socks of everyone it winks at. Except a lot of people don’t see it that way. Rather than exclaiming with loud relief “WELL, BLOW ME DOWN, BALL’S IN MY COURT HERE”, a lot of people see a resume as something to suffer through; just grit your teeth, close your eyes and follow diligent procedure. And what a waste. Don’t forget, the people reading your resume are people. People with brains and blood and senses of humor and are probably bored because it’s Thursday and they have to do the HR on Thursdays. They are crying out for originality, for spark, for verve. And dammit, you’re going to give it to them. And that means leaving out the usual garbage. Ready? 1.  â€œI’m a hard worker/I work well in a team/something else  meaningless Imagine you’ve been hit by a car (that’s right, this is how careers advice works), and someone has run up to you shouting “I think I can help here!” Overriding pain aside, would you want their next sentence to be “because I’ve always worked hard on tasks given to me!” or “because I am a qualified physician!” The point is, everyone works hard. Everyone works well in a team. Everyone is diligent, everyone is a good listener, everyone tries their best. So what? This is about what genuine, quantifiable skills you can bring to the table â€" facts, percentages, figures, proof. So don’t waste your time with the self-evident nonsense. 2. “Responsibilities included…” Trying saying the words ‘responsibilities included’ out loud, without accidentally sighing and sitting down in a big chair. You can’t, it’s physically impossible. The words “responsibilities included” implies a load of work that was heaped upon you, that you were passive in taking on, that you got over and done with without any attempt at thinking in new, fresh ways or expanding your horizons. Don’t think of a resume as a list of the activities you’ve been up to for the past few years â€" think of it as a platform to proudly trumpet your achievements. That’s ACHIEVEMENTS, not responsibilities. Again, it’s about quantifying your value, whipping up passion, energy and proving your brilliance. 3. “My objective is to find…” No offense, but they don’t care what you want. Not yet. At an interview, they might care what you want. Right now, they just want to be impressed by you. This is not about your future, it’s about your past â€" don’t waste precious resume space in waxing lyrical about the bright lights ahead. Lay down why they should want to meet you, and you can do all of that impressive ambition stuff when you’ve got their eager faces in a room. 4. “In my spare time, I play the bugle and gently shape bamboo” Full marks for trying to gesture vaguely towards your personality. But every scrap of information on this document should reinforce how brilliant you’d be at the job you’re applying for. Bring out your personality in the writing of the resume itself, imbue the whole thing with the type of person you are â€" don’t tack it on at the end as a vaguely bizarre afterthought. It’s useless. 5. “References available on request” “Thank God she put that on the end there, otherwise I probably would have assumed there was no one on this green earth who would vouch for her.” It’s redundant. It’s lazy. It’s boring. It’s everything you don’t want to come across as. Let the self-evident stuff be self-evident, and use the space you have to pack in how great you are. At the end of the day, you’re a real human being. And so is the person you’re trying to impress. Remember that, and you’re golden. Just try not to set anything on fire this time.

LinkedIn is Key to Attracting Recruiters

LinkedIn is Key to Attracting Recruiters Whether you’re currently unemployed or you have a job and are starting to covertly look for a new one, LinkedIn is a valuable resource for you. Recruiters are constantly searching on the platform to find the candidates they think would fit the opportunity they have available. When you optimize your LinkedIn profile in the right way, your name will show up in the searches more often than not. Simply having a profile isn’t good enough nowadays, so working with a professional LinkedIn profile writer can help take yours to the next level. Complete Your Profile During your LinkedIn profile development, you’ll see a status bar on the right hand side of the page telling you how complete your profile is. Follow the basic steps to make your profile 100% complete. The reason is because completed profiles are more visible in searches, and will be more attractive to recruiters. Sometimes you might only get to 85 or 95%. Dont sweat it if that is where you are at. Often times, LinkedIn wants you to include things that just dont make sense to add (in my case early experience that was basically waitressing while in college). Think About What Recruiters Search For Once you’ve completed the basics of your LinkedIn profile development, it’s time to take it to the next level. Using keywords and buzzwords relevant to your job or industry throughout your profile will make your profile show up more often in searches. One secret Ive learned from recruiters is they often don’t search for job titles, since titles can vary among different companies. Instead, recruiters search for specific skills and expertise, so those are more important than trying to match a title to what you think a recruiter wants to see. While you want to make sure all of your skills are displayed, you also want to make sure the text in your profile flows naturally. Always Develop Your LinkedIn Profile While LinkedIn may indicate your profile is complete, you should always look for ways to develop and enhance it. A professional LinkedIn profile writer may suggest being active on your profile at least weekly or more often if you’re in the middle of a job search. This doesn’t mean you have to do a complete overhaul, but it could simply mean joining a new relevant group and making new connections in the group. There are many ways to optimize your LinkedIn profile, and all of them are important for attracting the attention of recruiters. Make sure that even if you become employed, you stay active on LinkedIn meaning commenting or posting. You dont want to neglect your network, you want to nurture it. Professional Resume Services looks at the big picture of job searches, while also focusing on the tiniest details. Your executive resume is a critical part of your job search, but LinkedIn is quickly becoming equally important. With the competition for high-level jobs being at an all-time high, attracting recruiters is more critical now than ever before. No matter where you’re at in your job search, don’t hesitate to reach out to us if you need any advice or tips.

Writing Resume With Business Name Has Changed

Writing Resume With Business Name Has ChangedThe reality of writing resume with business name has changed in recent years. As a result, many people have stopped trying to convey all their skills in the resume and instead are filling up a small section with personal information. What you do need to convey, however, is the most important piece of information, which is your full business contact information.In the old days, a letter and a cover letter were all that was required. A letter would highlight your skills, qualifications, accomplishments, and skills you would want employers to take notice of in your resume. Cover letters were very important, as they included your title, contact information, and what you expect employers to hear in the letter.Today, however, there is a new online document that is used for resume requirements. This document was first developed by one company, and it is now made available for anyone who wants to create their own. It is an online application where a person can state his or her job history, qualifications, and skills.Since this online document allows a person to submit it electronically, employers can download the information, and if they do not see something that matches their needs, they will contact you to ask for more details. The only requirement that these companies make on the e-form is that it includes your contact information.The ability to utilize a job application form that includes personal information as well as business contact information is revolutionary in today's world. It has changed the way many employers think about resumes. More employers now think that hiring a person is much more important than simply checking the information on the application and hiring someone to do the job.With the appearance of this online document, a person can easily prepare a resume that contains everything necessary to bring in an employer's attention. If the information on the resume is not considered relevant, then the perso n is likely to have trouble getting a job.Employers may look through the resume and check the specific business contact information, but they will also keep the other pieces of information, such as the work experience, which is very important in getting a job. They will also check for any experience the applicant had in areas that they are hiring in. With the introduction of the online application, it is easy to ensure that the resume or cover letter is filled out correctly and that everything is considered relevant to the job.

Common Interview Mistakes You Didnt Know Youre Making

Common Interview Mistakes You Didn't Know You’re Making If you have a job interview coming up, your preparation probably includes the reasons why a company should hire you. You rehearse answers to popular questions like your biggest weakness or why you left your former jobs. You might even role play the inevitable compensation discussion. These are all good things to prepare. But there are other, more subtle actions that trip up job seekers in the interview process. Here are five common interview mistakes you probably didn’t realize you’re making: Mistake #1: Treating small talk like a small thing Small talk isn’t small. Developing rapport with the interviewer is important. A key criteria in hiring is likeabilityâ€"i.e., will I enjoy working with this person? I once recruited for a marketing group who commented that one candidate was so quiet during the walk from Reception to the interview room, “you could hear crickets.” The otherwise well-qualified candidate didn’t get the job because the group felt she would be overwhelmed by the largely extroverted personalities in the group. I had interviewed this candidate as well, and she could be conversationalâ€"but wasn’t during that set of meetings, and it cost her that job. Don’t gloss over questions about this past weekend or what you did for Super Bowl Sunday. Take advantage of those moments to develop a more personal relationship with your interviewer. Mistake #2: Treating any question like a lesser question You may wonder why an interviewer asks you a particular question, or you may even think that the question is irrelevant, but keep your game face on and answer the question. I once recruited for a sales group that prioritized a high GPA as a criteria for their entry-level roles. Now, whether GPA is the best criteria for this particular type of role is debatable, but it was meaningful for this group. So when the head of the group asked a final-round candidate for her GPA and she not only didn’t know but also didn’t offer to find out, he found it dismissive of his question. I’ve seen this play out with other detail questions, such as how big a department was, exactly how long a candidate was in a role, or who the candidate reported into. Often, candidates who don’t have detailed answers at hand get frustrated by such questions and give half-baked answers like, “I worked in that group five years ago, so I’m not exactly sureâ€"but if I had to guess I’d say 10 or 12 people.” Not only does this candidate seem like they don’t know the details, but now they seem combative about the question. Just give your best answer and offer to follow up with an exact figure as needed: “As I recall the group was 10 to 12 people. I can come back to you with a firmer number if you’d like.” Side note: If it’s a discriminatory question (e.g., Do you have children? or Where are you from?) keep in mind that the interviewer might not realize s/he has asked something off-limits and may be trying to make conversation. (See Mistake #1.) Your best bet is to avoid being dismissive or indignant. Try to gently steer the conversation away from the question without answering it, but also without calling out the interviewer’s mistake: “I love kids. Aren’t they fun? I also find spreadsheets to be fun” Then you continue on with the interview. Mistake #3: Performing a monologue instead of having a conversation The best job interview is a conversation. So small talk is rapport-building. All questions are good ones. And the interview overall is a back and forth. Some candidates are so intent on sharing every last detail of their background that they launch into a monologue, and the interviewer can’t get in a follow-up question or comment. This is dangerous because you can’t assume that what you have prepared to focus on is what the interviewer cares about. In addition, you might come across as a braggart or a poor listener. I once recruited for a senior executive (in communications of all things!) who talked non-stop in his interview with the CEO. He didn’t take advantage of the opportunity to ask any questions about strategy. He also left an impression with the CEO that he wouldn’t be a team player. Don’t steamroll your interviewer. Pause after each answer you give to ensure the interviewer has a chance to get in on the conversation Mistake #4: Letting the quality slip after the interview The hiring process extends beyond any one interview. That one interview extends beyond the time you spending talking. How you follow up after an interview is just as important as the interview, sometimes even more important, because it’s the most recent impression of you. One candidate for a business development role had multiple typos in his thank you note. He was incredibly polished for the live meeting but sloppy in the follow-up, and it caused the hiring group to question his attention to detail. Don’t drop the ball at the very end. Bring interview-quality performance into every additional interaction with your prospective employer â€" the thank you note, the scheduling of the next interview, even the gracious exit if you get closed out. In my 20 years of recruiting, I’ve seen many candidates get closed out for one job only to get called in for something else by the same company or by the same person (who now is at a different company but remembers them fondly). Keep your quality high at every interaction. Mistake #5: Letting the quality slip before the interview Just as an interview ends later than expected, it also starts earlier than expected. When an employer calls you to schedule, are you excited for the role? Are you organized with your calendar readily available? Are you coherent and articulate in coordinating the details? I once recruited for an executive assistant role and reached out to a candidate with a promising-looking resume. The candidate left me a voicemail with her first name only, no subject to her message (except that she was returning my call), and an overly familiar tone. I might have thought it was a personal friend, except I didn’t recognize her voice or name. I was working on 20+ searches at the time and juggling hundreds of candidates. What would you think if you received a business message with no last name or subject? All of your communication, including pre-interview, set the tone for what the interviewer can expect. In some cases where the scheduling interaction clearly indicates poor quality, you might lose t he opportunity to interview altogether. Don’t assume that scheduling an interview is not important. Loading...

3 Eye-Catching Job Application Techniques That Work - Work It Daily

3 Eye-Catching Job Application Techniques That Work - Work It Daily The Real Problem I have good news and bad news for you. The bad news is that it’s a tough, competitive job market out there. The good news is that it’s not hard to stand out… if you know what to do. So today, I want to give you three techniques that’ll provide the immediate boost you need for your job application to get noticed - so you can get hired for your dream job. Related: 3 Ways To Practically Guarantee You Get The Job I’ll also share a great resource at the end that’ll help you implement these techniques as quickly and easily as possible. Sound good? Great. Let’s jump into the real problem. The Real Problem The real problem isn’t that the job market is tough, your resume stinks, or you don’t have enough experience. It’s what I call “The Shotgun Approach” to job seeking… You load up your shotgun with tons of templates resumes and cover letters and spray them everywhere… To any company you can find… And for any position that seems like it might fit. That’s what most people do - but it’s not what you’re going to do ;). The Real Solution You see, the easiest way to stand out above the vast majority of the crowd right from the bat is to tailor your application specifically for one company. I know, I know… But what if you don’t get the job? Well, odds are, you wouldn’t have wasted any more time on that one application than you have with using the shotgun approach. You may have to tailor your approach specifically for two or three companies… But here’s the great part about that. You’ll actually care about the place that you work! By narrowing your focus, you’ll get more of what you want in your life and career… and that’s what it’s all about. The 3 Eye-Catching Job Application Techniques Once you’ve identified 1-3 companies that you really want to work for (think big here - what’s your ideal job?), then it’s time to use one or more of these eye-catching job application techniques. 1. Shoot A Short Video If you’re applying for a company that you think would be impressed by a short and creative, yet professional video teasing them about the value you bring to the table, then video is without-a-doubt the way to go. In fact, I just read yet another article about a highly desirable company making the decision to hire a new employee before they even spoke to him… Because his simple, 1.5 min video application blew them away so much. So, if you really want a specific job at a desirable company - then it’s worth the effort. Make a simple, creative video, and show them what you’ve got! 2. Build A Simple Website Nowadays, you don’t need to know any coding whatsoever in order to build a simple, beautiful website. And if video isn’t your thing or you don’t think it would impress your employer, then building a simple website might work for you. It’s pretty much unanimous - wherever you’re looking for a job, basic technology skills are a plus. And using any of the tools you can find here, you can build a gorgeous website showcasing yourself in a unique and impressive way 3. Create An Online Resume Yes, that’s correct… our 3rd technique is also online based Why? Because it’s so easy… it’s so cheap… and the first thing any employer is going to do when you apply is Google your name! There are plenty of tools out there, and you can get on online resume completed in a matter of hours. Each of these three techniques will instantly make you stand out above your competition and give you a fighting shot at your dream job If you’d like to know my favorite online tools for getting these projects finished as quickly and easily as possible, you can download my free resource guide here. Happy job hunting! This post was originally published at an earlier date. Related Posts 5 Exciting Career Moves That Will Change Your Life 10 Inspiring Quotes About Career Success Beware: The #1 Myth About Getting Your Dream Job About the author Ryan Niessen is a keynote speaker and co-creator of The Gateway Method: a simple, proven way to gain inside access to the world’s best employers and get your dream job. Connect with him on LinkedIn or Facebook.     Disclosure: This post is sponsored by a CAREEREALISM-approved expert. You can learn more about expert posts here.   Debby Wong / Shutterstock.com Have you joined our career growth club?Join Us Today!

Why Getting Laid Off Turned Out to Be the Best Thing for My Career

Why Getting Laid Off Turned Out to Be the Best Thing for My Career We had a meeting about your department and have some schwimmbad news. For you anyway. Todays going to be your last day. And with that sentence, my worst fears were realized as I welches laid off after nearly five years of building a department from the ground up (and to rub salt on the wound, Id left one of the best companies Id ever worked for for this job). I wish I had known then that getting laid off from my high level, high paying job was the best thing that ever could have happened to my career, my family, and my peace of mind.When I was laid off, I had just turned 42 and had been back from maternity leave to my job as Director of Organizational Development for a mere two months. Up until that day, I had had to let go of many people, and had sat in on more terminations throughout my career than I could count, but had never been let go myself. As a very high-achieving, career-focused woman, being jobless was the stuff of nightmares. It was a very short walk, in my mind, from top of my game to living out of a shopping cart (in my nightmares, it was always a shopping cart).In my particular situation, things were made worse by the fact that I had just had twins, contracted a live-in nanny in preparation for my return to work, and my husband had started up a gym that year that was making no money, because I was making more than enough for both of us. With that single call, we went from excited and comfortable to qualifying for food stamps. I didnt have a lot of coping skills at that time for handling stress and pressure, either. Im still grateful every day for being laid off, though, for several reasons.The gift of desperationThe truth is, my dream and passion for years was to work for myself as a coach, consultant, and writer. In fact, the reason we were starting a gym was because we had strategized that that was the best way to replace my income so I could step out of my corporate role, spend more time with my kids while they were little, and enter a new profession. Would I ever have done it? Id like to think so, but who knows? As I mentioned, we were comfortable enough to make change distasteful. Getting laid off with no notice was the shove out of the nest I probably needed to take a risk on myself.Facing my fearsBecause Id always been terrified of being jobless, I had accepted some unacceptable situations out of fear. Losing my job when we needed it so much was the worst thing I could imagine, professionally, and I survived. elend only that, my husband and I got to walk through that together and emerge stronger on the other side. Now, I know I can do it and I will never tolerate being mistreated by an employer again.Gaining empathyI dont want to say I was unsympathetic to people before, but getting laid off certainly gave me a new perspective to all the emotions involved in being let go. I never took it lightly, but now, having been there, I can tell people with cert ainty that a door closing can be scary, but there is now a new beginning on the horizon. It absolutely makes me a better coach.Discovering who I amUntil I was laid off, I truly believed that I didnt define myself by my role or my paycheck, but once they were gone, it was tough to reconcile my self-image as successful. Add to that the craziness of newborn twins and a two-year-old, and it was an emotional rollercoaster. I also had to decide whether to pursue legal action against my former employer, which was tempting because I was hurt, angry, and afraid. But ultimately, I decided to use whatever energy I had to move forward not backward.Doing what I loveToday, I have a thriving coaching and leadership consultancy that allows me to platzset my own pace, hours, and rate. I can work with people I enjoy, and I can spend the time with my kids that I always wanted to. Getting laid off was the impetus to setting off on my own, and it was the best thing that could have happened. Today I have more wisdom, knowledge, professional connections, and opportunities than Ive ever had in my life and I wouldnt trade where I am now for the world. I wish I would have had more resources to turn to, but in spite of that, everything worked out just the way it was supposed to

Unh Parents Association Resume Writing: No Longer a Mystery

Unh Parents Association Resume Writing No Longer a Mystery Finding the Best Unh Parents Association Resume Writing Your donations will surely keep me motivated. Local PTA units set their own objectives and missions, but in addition they join with each other to advocate and lebensgefhrte as a bigger group. The students reap the advantages by the involvement and support of all of the adults involved with the PTO. At Kent, every student gets the support they will need to be successful. The Unh Parents Association Resume Writing Trap The aim of a resume is to acquire the interview. If you dont have a particular position, then dont use an objective. This motivational course will boost your confidence, help you feel great about yourself, and supply you with the foundation you have to find the job that you desire. If youve resolved to begin an entirely new career, congratulations Frequently the contract allows either party to finish the relationship at any moment. Quite often, your professional title is the very first thing on your resume following your name. If you get a particular job title or career path, then yes, utilize an objective thats well thought-out, well-written, and specific to the sort of position in which youre applying. Work the name of your intended role into the very first bullet point of your qualifications profile or expert summary. Employers and employees must be aware of the differences. The service contract may be given on a short-term or occasional basis. General liability insurance is a typical insurance policy policy many small business owners choose as a method to protect themselves and their businesses. While there are lots of technical terms for the various sorts of resumes out there, you ought to use a format that presents your qualifications best. Moreover, faculty are usually eager to send individual letters to distinct programs or employers. This certificate program is made for students who previously obtained a bachelors degree and are seeking a Verification Statement, thats the documentation needed to go into a dietetic internship. IUPs mora than 13,000 students represent virtually every state and over eighty foreign nations. The Debate Over Unh Parents Association Resume Writing Its been the most prosperous consumer company out of all them. The limitation amounts vary based on the state and the essence of the company. When you buy general liability insurance in connection with your company operations, the price of your insurance premium depends in large part on the degree of business you conduct each year along with the sort of work your company performs. In the business world there are several distinct kinds of work relationships between businesses and individuals. Passengers should arrive a minumum of one hour before departure. Parents can be invited to provide guest lectures in their field of specialisation. If theres more than 1 aufstellung for a specific class, the Clas s Representative (CR) has to be selected by picking lots. Each class is represented by means of a parent whos known as the Class Representative (CR).