Don’t Just Read My Resume, Watch It

Are video resumes really just a “fad” or are they here to stay?
Writing resumes is tough because the days of being able to send out one-size-fits-all resumes and land entry level job interviews are long gone. Now, for a candidate to even be considered, he must tailor each resume to fit each employer. It’s a lot more work, but it’s worth it if it can get a candidate’s foot in the door for an interview.
There are gimmicks and formatting tricks galore that experts disagree on regularly in terms of their effectiveness. The latest, and possibly most controversial, resume trend is the video resume. Some people think they’re great, some think they’re a mistake and some think they’re a fad that will eventually go away … like rap music.
“If a candidate is insistent on using video, I suggest doing so either in lieu of an in-person interview (if everyone else is at the same stage) or as a follow-up. They can be great, but candidates have to remember that a lot of times employers are unable to view them,” said professional resume writer and chief of staff for The Grammar Doctors, Amanda Collins.

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Progressive Insurance

Established in 1937, two good friends named Joseph Lewis and Jack Green started Progressive Mutual Insurance Company to provide security and protection most auto insurance companies lacked. Since then the company has worked hard to earn its reputation as a fair, fast, and reliable insurance company in the US. The initial introduction of the company led thousands in the right direction by managing their auto insurance with integrity. Progressive’s beginning is just as intriguing as its current workforce with over 250,000 employees in over 450 offices across the nation. Entry level jobs and internships are the tip of the iceberg for recent graduates; training, advancement, and learning are required to establish oneself in this organization. Progressive’s unique work environment is only one aspect used to engage current students and recent grads.
Progressive is built on integrity, the Golden Rule, objectives, excellence, and profit. Future prospects, recent graduates, and current college students must function under these same terms. The opportunities emerging from Progressive’s expansion calls for more students and highly talented candidates to fill entry level positions in every office across the nation. This alone drives the need for employees with open minds and customer service oriented personalities to consider Progressive a starting point in their careers. At this time, new grads are entering internships to learn more about this company to grow into functional roles that assist in accomplishing Progressive’s mission of service.
Interested in working with a leading insurance company? Progressive offers multiple internship opportunities for first-year MBA students that demonstrate initiative, responsive to challenges, and open to learn the operations of an insurance firm based on service to the community. Current information technology (IT) students can gain exposure in a Fortune 500 firm by applying for one of the many IT internships available at Colorado Springs, Colorado and outside of Cleveland locations. The openings include:

• Application Development
• Enterprise Operations Services
• Quality Assurance

If computers are not your forte, you can learn more about the Claims Adjuster Trainee program that teaches students how to examine policies to determine coverage, review police and hospital records, call and interview claimants pertaining to a claim, and learn to appraise, investigate, and settle both vehicle and personal injury claims. The extent of learning moves out of the classroom with real world experience. Students with the drive to succeed in a true learning environment call Progressive Insurance home.
Career Opportunities
Recent grads and current students interested in applying to Progressive can find entry level positions in:

• Corporate and Executive
• Claims
• Information Technology (IT)
• Sales and Service

Each position offers amazing benefits including tuition assistance, 401(k) plans, Identity Theft Insurance, Aflac, base salary, and gain sharing. The connection between Progressive and its employees has built a strong foundation for recent grads to consider. The entry level jobs and internships offered through this company peak interest like never before. Ironically, Progressive considers these benefits necessities to keeping highly-talented employees happy and productive. The founders worked off of core values that continue to stream through all 450 offices across the nation. As soon as you decide Progressive insurance is the best place to start your career, you can access the many perks available to their employees.

GEICO

The Government Employee Insurance Company (GEICO) was considered an excellent business venture by founders Leo and Lillian Goodwin in the mid-1930s and established its first policyholders in 1936. Leo Goodwin wanted to build an insurance company that focused on the benefits of coverage for its policyholders. This foreshadowing of a customer-oriented insurance company streamlined through history as more prominent figures joined the company’s development. In 1948, Lorimer Davis, an investment banker joined the company’s ranks and improved its customer service practices.
GEICO’s employees are customer-oriented, friendly, and fun to work with. In their 15-minute – or less – quotes, representatives focus on obtaining the best insurance offers for customers while educating them on their policies. GEICO expects new recruits and prospects to enjoy providing input into the company’s missions. Entry level jobs and internships require hard work, commitment, and consistency in work performance for promotions. After understanding the company’s policies, many entry level positions expand into more responsibilities for employees to reach higher levels of management.
College seniors can apply for an array of internships available through GEICO’s stringent recruiting process offered for seniors looking for experience before graduation. Interestingly enough, GEICO has an array of job opportunities in the following sectors:
* Business Administration, Management, Accounting, Finance, Marketing, Insurance
* Actuarial Science, Mathematics, Economics, Statistics
* Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Management Information Systems
Students are given an opportunity to work under professionals managing these aspects of the business during summer internships. After completing their internship, GEICO evaluates each student’s potential for success in the company. If the student works hard and diligently, there’s a possibility for employment after graduation.
Career Opportunities
GEICO has something for everyone; career opportunities are sectioned or distinguished by location between regional and corporate offices. Students interested in jumping into their careers with GEICO may find more advancement available in the regional offices instead of the corporate location. Regional locations are plentiful in the following positions:
* Auto Damage
* Claims
* Customer Service
* Sales
While regional offices focus on fulfilling roles in the primary customer-oriented positions, corporate offers exclusive opportunities for students interested in
* Actuarial Assistant
* Business
* Java Programmer
* Product Management Analyst
* Systems Analyst
* Web Developer
Employees enjoy special incentives and benefits such as 401 (k) plans and profit sharing options, opportunities to advance within the first year of employment, special scholarship programs for children of associates, flexible spending accounts, tuition reimbursement, life insurance, paid vacations, and more. Associates are given opportunities unprecedented in the corporate industry of insurance. With such flexibility available, no wonder GEICO remains a top employer of entry level jobs for recent graduates.
Interested in joining GEICO’s team of professionals? Students interested in joining this award winning company are sure to be a part of history in re-establishing the practices of Leo and Lillian Goodwin’s dreams. GEICO has a long-standing history in obtaining awards for customer service, financial strength, and honors for creating secure jobs in today’s economy.

Facebook is a Networking Tool All Candidates Should Take Advantage Of

A lot of recent college graduates are on the lookout for internships or entry level jobs in their chosen career fields. Some graduates prefer to hold on until they complete their highest level of education while others begin their careers right away and continue higher studies at the same time. One of the best ways to land an internship or entry level job is to look through some of the best job boards on the Internet.
Most recruiters these days advertise on the Internet for a wider reach in order to pick and choose the right person for a particular job. Job boards maintain databases of all jobs available and the qualifications needed. All people have to do is to go to these sites, search for the jobs that suit them, click on the links provided and submit their data online. No standing in queues for application forms, no sending forms by “snail mail” or courier. Everything is done online.
Things have become really simple these days. If you have joined a social networking site likeFacebook and have developed a large circle of friends there, it can be an excellent place to look for a job. Most jobs these days are found through networking. Recruiters are looking for credentials that can be verified and networking on Facebook can make it easier to verify candidates’ credentials through their profiles and friends, who may also be references. While credentials are important, a person who has a good disposition, is known to be sincere, hard working and easy going, would certainly be preferred by recruiters. Cultural fit is often considered more important than qualifications.
Networking through Facebook is an excellent way for candidates to find the best jobs. With the ongoing recession, a lot of people have been laid off as many companies have been downsizing. More stable companies are taking advantage of this situation and adding to their workforces. The number of jobs is not dwindling, but the number of job seekers has risen tremendously. It has always been survival of the fittest and those with the maximum exposure, through networking, are faring better than those without it. If you are seeking an internship or entry level job, it would certainly make sense to explore all options, and Facebook is one option that offers an excellent opportunity for networking that all candidates should take advantage of.
Article written by a freelance writer

Are There Entry Level Jobs in YOUR Career Field?

It seems as if everyone is asking the same question these days: Where are all the jobs?! It’s true that jobs are out there, but it’s also true that the majority of available jobs are obtained through networking. That doesn’t mean that visiting job boards and company Web sites should be abandoned in favor of networking only. It just means that entry level job candidates have to explore every option to find the jobs they desire.
Some industries, like information technology (IT) and healthcare seem to thrive no matter what the economy is doing, of course, because computers are a permanent fixture in our lives and we need people who can fix them; and we will always need healthcare professionals to help us either get well or stay well. But not everyone is cut out for those career fields, even in a support capacity like medical secretary or billing. So, the question is: What other career fields are doing well?
“Anything online or with the social media is huge right now,” said Kassi Belz, director of client services for Mass Media Corporate Communications. “Learning new technology is really important for new professionals.”
Although I can’t say that public relations is thriving in general, Steven Himmelrich, founder of Himmelrich PR, has continued to prosper. “Knock on wood!!! We have been fortunate to work with clients who understand the value of public relations, especially now,” said Himmelrich. “We are spending more time helping clients understand and implement social media opportunities and interacting directly with their audiences, rather than relying on traditional media for promotion.”
The federal government, including the military, always seem to be hiring, so there are options. There are many posts on this site featuring the names of companies that are hiring. Because the competition is so much more fierce than it was this time last year, it’s going to take a lot more work to find just the right job with just the right employer; but take heart because it can be done.

Social Network Your Way to the Right Candidate

A lot has been written about employers using social networking sites as tools to vet entry level job candidates. In his article for ERE, Social Networking and “Fit,” Dr. Charles Handler talks about employers who use social networks in a different way. Instead of trolling around looking for any kind of dirt they can dig up on potential employees, some employers seek out and connect with those candidates whose values and habits would make them good cultural fits with the companies.
“The use of social networking to help provide accurate pictures of the culture (also called work values) within an organization” will serve to help recent college graduates and college students to decide which companies they should apply to for entry level jobs or internships.
Although the practice of matching the preferences of candidates with those of potential employers isn’t a new concept, it is one that can be extremely helpful when it comes to attracting top talent. “Collective data about an organization’s characteristics, values and culture could have major value for those who are thinking about working there,” Handler says.
Sites like Climber.com and jiibe.com allow visitors to “complete a culture/work values questionnaire as part of the matching and searching process. In essence, a selection of employers is offered based on how the job seeker answers the questionnaire, in addition to his work history and education. These two sites are job-boards-as-networks in the sense that they bring together companies and candidates with similar qualities in an effort to facilitate hiring and job searching efforts.
“Internet job searching has traditionally provided the job seeker with little control, information or feedback about [his] job application,” says Handler, but thanks to new Web technologies like those found at Climber and jiibe, that may become “one of the biggest changes we are going to see” in the world of job searching.

Learn Proper Interview Techniques and Get the Job of Your Dreams

A lot of people were recently forced back into the job market, placing career veterans in direct competition with recent college graduates for entry level jobs. Despite the recession, a lot of companies are still hiring, but employers are more selective because mistakes in the current economy are twice as costly as they were before the recession hit. That means a lot of great people are going to have to work really hard to get themselves noticed.
If you already know your resume is impressive and up-to-date, then it’s time to start honing your interviewing skills.
Carole Martin, “The Interview Coach,” is hosting a “ Live Speed Interview Event” on January 14 and 15 at 8:00 p.m. EST, via teleconference, to help people learn how to shine once they land an interview with an employer. Martin’s live teleconferences are actually two 60-minute “tele-classes” that can be attended by anyone interested in acing an interview and getting a “dream job.”
Four brave candidates will be interviewed during each session and receive immediate feedback. I say brave because the other candidates will be listening and – I hope – taking notes and learning from Martin’s expert advice.
Candidates who register for Martin’s Live Speed Interview Event will receive all the relevant details by email.

A New Kind of Respect for 2009

A lot of people are making resolutions for the new year like getting into shape, getting out of debt and becoming better people. One way we can all become better is by respecting each other more, and more often. In her article for Respectful Workplace, “R-E-S-P-E-C-T,” Ruth Ramos introduces a new way to show respect for others called the Platinum Rule. Unlike the Golden Rule that says, “treat others the way you want to be treated,” the Platinum Rule says, “treat others the way they want to be treated.” Be aware of cultural differences among employees in the workplace. Some cultures, Ramos points out, believe it is disrespectful to make eye contact while speaking, and others believe it is respectful to greet someone with a kiss on the cheek(s).
The Platinum Rule becomes increasingly relevant as workplaces become more diverse. Recent college graduates starting new entry level jobs and college students beginning new internships can both benefit and learn from employers practicing the Platinum Rule. Or they could be the ones to introduce a new trend that would make their workplaces more pleasant.
“In order to really implement [the Platinum Rule],” Ramos says, “you must have a conversation with the person(s) you interact with about what respect is to them. Understanding what respect means to [others] requires getting to know them well enough to understand their culture[s], life experience[s], and perspective[s].”

Don’t Lose the Best Candidates Before They’ve Even Started

In a previous post, I wrote about how important it is to engage new hires the moment they walk in to start their new jobs. Lee Salz of SalesArchitecture.com wrote an article for ERE – “The New Employee’s First Day” – that illustrates that point beautifully.
Salz created a composite character, Steve Harmon, and sent him to work for a company -probably also a composite – called Newman Industries. Newman Industries did everything right when they recruited Steve, a much sought after candidate. Sadly, Newman Industries made the mistake that many employers, according to Salz, make when recruiting top candidates – they didn’t follow through.
Like a lot of employers, Newman Industries put all of their time, money and effort into wooing Steve away from the job he already had and completely forgot about making preparations for his first day at work. As a result, Steve introduced himself to a receptionist who had never heard of him, got assigned to a cubicle that still contained the belongings of the previous occupant – which he was asked to throw away – and spent all day trying to meet with his elusive mananager, Jamie. And those are just a few of the indignities Steve suffered.
By the end of the day, Steve was thoroughly disillusioned. Newman Industries wasn’t what he thought it would be when he first accepted their offer. When his wife asked him how his first day of work went, Steve replied, “‘I’m really happy that I didn’t pull my resume off the job boards or tell the recruiters that I was off the market, because I don’t know if this is going to work out. We’ll have to see.’”
“The company thought they had Steve when he accepted the offer. That was their error. They failed to recognize that they had only completed the next step of the process,” Salz explains. What Newman Industries lacks is a program that will preserve the positive impression made during the recruiting and interviewing process once the new employee arrives on his first day, he concludes.
Although Salz’s scenario was specifically about recruiting and hiring salespeople, I believe his advice applies to any employer trying to recruit and hire the best college students looking for internships and recent college graduates looking for entry level jobs.
It should also be noted that Steve was a “passive candidate,” which probably made Newman Industries feel even more proud of their accomplishment. Unfortunately for them, all that time and money was in danger of going down the drain before Steve had even been given a company email address. In this economy, it’s safe to say that companies can ill afford to make such a costly mistake when hiring new employees.

Follow Up and Stand Out From the Rest of the Online Job Applicants

So many companies provide online job applications on their Web sites, that paper applications have almost become obsolete. That’s interesting when one considers that they have the same disadvantage – the applicant has no way of knowing whether his application made it to the chosen employer or not. Following up after mailing an entry level job application was probably recommended back in the day … and it’s recommended now to any and all who submit applications online.
Recent college graduates looking for entry level jobs and college students looking for internships can apply to any company in the world in a matter of minutes because of the Internet; however, online applications get misdirected the same as applications sent through the mail. That’s why experts in the field strongly suggest following up every application submitted online with an email, letter, or – best of all – a telephone call to confirm that the application was, indeed, received.
Karen Grigsby Bates, co-author (with Karen E. Hudson) of The New Basic Black: Home Training for Modern Times, said, “Applications can get lost – think how many e-mails you have disappear into cyber space – so for important documents that are sent online, it’s a good idea to follow up with a call, even if you need to leave it on voicemail.”
For example: “Hi, this is Joanna Smith at Kenyon College. I just wanted you to know that I did fill out the online application
DataWorld requested, and sent it in on January 3rd. If you could confirm that you received it, that would be great. And if you need anything else, please contact me at (your phone number or e-mail here), and I’ll make sure you get what you need.”
Thanks for your consideration. I hope to speak with you soon.”
“It’s a good practice to follow up with employers after submitting your resume,” advised DeLynn Senna, executive director of North American permanent placement services for Robert Half International. “You can take this opportunity to ensure the hiring manager received your application materials and reiterate your enthusiasm and fit for the position.”
Teena Rose, author and resume writer added this insight: “Applying to positions online is inherently unreliable, mainly due to the inability to verify any one person [who] views your application. Besides, following the same path those before you and those after you took hardly sets you apart. By conducting a follow-up call or making contact with via email or additional letter, you’re taking an added step to further distinguish your candidacy from all the others.”
Finally, author and recruitment/job placement veteran, Tony Beshara, suggested foregoing emails or letters entirely in favor of telephone calls, even if the job posting has a “do not call” notice on it, because he believes “most of the online applications do not wind up in front of a real, true hiring authority. They usually wind up in an administrator’s folder on their desktop and the probability of having your application or resume reviewed by someone who can actually hire you is very, very slim.” Beshara’s advice may sound risky, but it can’t hurt to try.
Finding the right job is especially difficult in today’s economy because there are so many people competing for them that employers can afford to be choosy. Anything you can do to make yourself stand out in a positive way to potential employers is worth the effort. Plus following up indicates to employers that you really want that job and not just any job.