Are you applying for a new job but are not thrilled about the work it might entail? You may be seeking an entry-level position and don't want to be someone's assistant, yet you know it's a necessary step to getting your foot in the door.

If you feel this way, don't be discouraged as you are not the first to experience this sentiment. However, in order to avoid expressing disinterest in the job before you're ever interviewed you might want to redirect these feelings. One way to do this is by creating a passionate cover letter that can help you develop enthusiasm that doesn't yet exist. Let's look at some ways to get started ...

Know Why You're Applying

One way to get started is by exploring the reasons you're applying for the job. In reality you might be applying because you really need the money, or because you want to move up the corporate ladder. However, try not to focus on these ideas and instead dig a little deeper to find your passion.

For example, if you're applying for a clerical job with a company that you really want to work for - yet you hate clerical work - think of some specifics you might enjoy about the position. You might love working on a computer and working with people. Or you might simply enjoy learning something new. Whatever those specifics are, try to focus your energy on them in a positive way so that your feelings can shine through in your words.

Find Out What the Company Wants in an Employee

Another way to bring out the passion in your cover letter is by studying the company's job posting and visiting their corporate mission for more information on their goals. By doing this, you can wrap your mind around what they're looking for in an employee, which is a great way to better align your goals and interests with theirs.

Of course, you don't want to take their message word-for-word, making it obvious that you're using their ideas as your own. Instead, you can simply take their concepts and, in your own words, define how you will fit into their corporate structure. Taking this step can help you speak directly to their heart in language they understand while helping you better determine whether you and the company are truly a match.

Maintain Professionalism

While you're divulging your enthusiasm for the position, it is a good idea to make sure that your passionate cover letter remains as professional as possible. For example, saying "I have waited my entire life for a job like this!" might sound disingenuous or naive to a prospective employer who knows the job will be tough. So instead, try writing, "This position perfectly rounds out my goals in the marketing profession and will offer me an excellent opportunity to serve a wider client base efficiently." In doing so, you sound enthusiastic about the job opportunity while maintaining a professional tone.

By taking on one or more of the above suggestions, you can create a passionate cover letter that expresses your desire to make a difference in the company - even if you're not yet excited about it. So dig for that passion, express it well, and let your cover letter guide you to your next great job opportunity.

Heather Eagar is a former professional resume writer and owner of http://www.ResumeLines.com who is now dedicated to providing job seekers with resources and products that promote job search success from beginning to end.

Posted by Heather Eagar on May 29, 2008 at 7:21 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

Resume writing is no easy task. Although my resume has served me well over the years, I recognize that most of my jobs were long-term assignments through temporary agencies. Not all employers would request a resume or even require an interview before hiring a temp for one of their offices or departments. Still, when employers did require resumes, mine managed to get me scheduled for an interview. I don't know how. I think it has every resume faux pas imaginable and still I got the interview and, more often than not, got the assignment. Amazing.

Things are different now. A resume has to be top knotch to even be considered. The article "44 Resume Writing Tips" gives job seekers all the secrets of writing a great resume all at once. Most of the tips are very familiar, but there are others that caught me by surprise, like avoid negativity, no pictures, and no lies.

The first tip was the most eye opening for me. The purpose of a resume is to get an interview, not a job. It's the interview that ultimately gets you the job; the resume just gets your foot in the door.

As I said, there is plenty of standard advice like use action verbs, tailor each resume to each employer, and to proofread, then proofread again. They also give advice that some may not have considered like making sure to use a good printer, create a resume that's email-friendly, and avoid fancy design details.

The final word of advice is to seek professional help if the do-it-yourself method is too difficult. There are plenty of Web sites like CollegeRecruiter.com that offer resume writing help in addition to their other services. A simple Google search will turn up a plethora of options for someone who's looking for help writing a resume that's "guaranteed to get results."

Posted by Candice Arnold on May 28, 2008 at 8:03 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

Study abroad programs are becoming increasingly attractive as more and more college students seek meaningful ways to spend college breaks or explore true diversity of cultures. Additionally, as students return and share their positive experiences, others sign up to head overseas as well.

Penn State, University of Notre Dame, University of Kentucky, and Pacific Lutheran University participated in a recent study, which showed that employers value study abroad when evaluating job seekers. "In general, study abroad was looked upon favorably," said Robert Domingo, a research associate at Penn State in an interview with The Daily Collegian.

In the same survey, to which 352 employers responded, having the preferred academic major was ranked most desirable by employers and completing a major or minor in a foreign language was ranked second. Study abroad was ranked third.

In a more recent study of 119 employers conducted by the Career Center at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 59% of respondents said that Study Abroad or other international experience, other than an internship, would be very valuable or somewhat valuable in an individual's career later on with their organization.

Two great resources for students considering studying overseas are StudyAbroad.com and Semester at Sea.

Study Abroad.com is a comprehensive online source of information about educational opportunities for high school students, college students or graduate students wanting to study in other countries. It includes information on summer programs, internships, service learning programs, and overseas volunteer opportunities. The information is easy to follow and is sorted by subject, country, or city.

Semester at Sea, run by the Institute for Shipboard Education, gets academic sponsorship from the University of Virginia where students applied for credit in the 2007 summer trip. This trip had students traversing the western coast of Central America and South America.

Stops last summer included Chile, Peru, Costa Rica, and Nicaragua. Financial aid is available to help students cover the $8000+ cost of the just over two-month journey onboard the floating university. The Fall 2007 trip was scheduled for stops in Japan, Thailand, China, and India while Puerto Rico, Brazil, South Africa, and Mauritius were on tap for the Spring 2008 journey.

No study abroad program is without risk, and students and parents should do all the required due diligence to make sure these experiences do not end with less than positive results. Some general advice to be safe on a study abroad experience is as follows and includes some tips from the University of Chicago's Study Abroad program:

1. Be alert at all times. Remember you are in unfamiliar surroundings.



2. Trust your instincts.



3. Be cautious and protective with your cash.



4. Observe political gatherings from a distance.



5. Learn where the nearest police station, hospital and embassy is located.



6. Stay sober and away from drugs and alcohol. This is not the time to lose focus.



7. Be particularly alert while on public transportation and in public places.



8. Be mindful of new friendships that develop too quickly.



9. Make copies of all your important papers. Keep a set of copies with you as well as leave one at home.



10. Be inconspicuous and try to blend in as much as possible. Avoid being the noisy tourist.



11. Check in often with home. Have somewhat of a routine so that folks at home will know if you are off schedule.

By: Marcia Robinson and courtesy of BullsEyeResumes College Blog. Robinson coaches, trains, and writes on career, workplace, and education issues for students and career professionals.

Article courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap, a content exchange service sponsored by CollegeRecruiter.com, a leading site for college students looking for internships and recent graduates searching entry-level jobs and other career opportunities.

Posted by Lisa Colbert, CollegeRecruiter.com on May 27, 2008 at 2:30 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

Do you have an Egocentric Resume? What's an Egocentric resume, you ask?

Egocentrism - defined by Wikipedia as a) the incomplete differentiation of the self and the world, including other people and b) the tendency to perceive, understand and interpret the world in terms of the self. The term derives from the Greek ego, meaning "I". An egocentric person has no theory of mind, cannot "put himself in other people's shoes," and believes everyone sees what he sees (or that what he sees in some way exceeds what others see.)

So based on Wikipedia's definition, an Egocentric Resume is a resume you've written for yourself as the audience. It makes you feel good. It should - you've written an autobiography and probably summed it up in a page or two.

Egocentric Resumes take different forms. Some give vast amounts of detail about management or projects that the writer was most proud of. Others are understated, stating "just the facts, m'aam." Still others are full of puffery and overly self promoting, but often about accomplishments that are less important to hiring managers.

There's one major problem with Egocentric Resumes ... they usually don't cover what interests the audience.

For example, I recently helped a friend with her resume. This woman is brilliant and engaging, a part time freelance writer published in major magazines, who spent much of her career as a restaurant manager. She egocentrically described how she managed, hired and trained staff. After hours of dragging information out of her with a pair of pliers (ok, I'm exaggerating a little), I discovered many amazing things she had achieved. While the manager of a single location, she developed and implemented a new revenue channel program for her major national restaurant chain that increased their annual corporate revenues by 20%!

Now she wants to apply her skills and recent education in health fields. Regardless of the industry or job she's applying for, don't you think increasing national revenues by 20% would interest employers, giving her an edge to overcome real-world health experience? But because she didn't think it was rocket science, she left it off her resume. This is just one example of individual brilliance, left off client resumes because the accomplishment didn't fit the candidate's self perception, regardless of how incredible the achievement was.

Imagine that! You've spent many hours finely crafting your resume, getting 10 different and conflicting comments from 10 different people, had it proofed 3 times ... and then you wake up and realize it's written to stroke your own ego, and misses the information that's relevant to hiring managers.

Congratulations! If you've actually realized this, you're ahead of the game. Most job seekers don't recognize their own ego, and remain frustrated with today's changed hiring system. Others accept underemployment, largely due to a resume that doesn't adequately communicate their skills.

Ok, ok, I admit it! I've got an Egocentric Resume. Stop twisting the knife and HELP ME!! Now what do I do?

Glad you asked...you'll probably want the opposite of an Egocentric Resume, one that is written for the perspective of your resume's 4 audiences. Let's call it an Altruistic Resume, the anti-Egocentric Resume. Since I've already covered writing for these audiences in depth, I'll summarize, and give references to the detail. As a bonus, I'll give detail on writing for Hiring Managers, and give still greater detail via link.

Audience #1 - Make your resume database friendly through Resume Search Optimization. Write your resume like it's a web page to be found by a Google search. This means writing an infinitely modifiable, one time use resume. For more details, see Search Engine Optimize your Resume.

Audience #2 - Make your resume stand out to HR in just 15 seconds, because that's all you get on average. Learn how to effectively use Resume Real Estate, club the reviewer over the head with your relevant skills, and grab the HR reviewer by the collar so you go in the interview pile, all in 15 seconds.

Audience #3 - Hiring Managers want subject matter experts, not generalists. The best way to demonstrate subject matter expertise is to show you've already solved the company's (or department's or hiring manager's) problems in past jobs. Show you've Created Employer Value. How can you show that? Research and network to gain insight into that area's problems and opportunities. Once you can guess at problems and opportunities, show your achievements, and how you've accomplished them (hint...pick achievements that demonstrate you solving your target company's problems). Make it active and numeric...I saved X% by doing Y. I increased sales by X% by doing Y. Using verbs like Managed, Collaborated, Participated in, shows that others achieved, not you. Make your resume altruistic, and give your reader what they want....results.

Audience #4 - To appeal to the Hiring Manager's boss & peers, network into the company through informational interviews to gain an understanding of communication style, culture, and what's important to peers and managers. Incorporate this in your writing style.

My recruiter friends claim there's a 5th Audience....of course, Recruiters. And I guess they're right. Recruiters are somewhere between Audience #2 & #3, depending on experience. Great recruiters understand their clients, their culture, and the hard and soft skills they are looking for. Recruiters who can think like the hiring manager are like Audience #3. Less experienced recruiters are more like the HR screeners of Audience #2.

So will you look at your resume from the readers' point of view and make yours an Altruistic Resume?

Article by Phil Rosenberg, President, reCareered & Rainmakers Global and courtesy of reCareered blog.

Posted by Candice Arnold on May 23, 2008 at 11:03 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

The process of writing a resume can be very tedious. There are often so many jobs and responsibilities to include that many people find themselves wanting to create the simplest one possible just to avoid the grunt work.

But while creating a resume that resembles a laundry list of previous jobs and duties can be tempting, it is strongly discouraged. This is because it only offers prospective employers a vague sense of what you've accomplished and how you can benefit their company. So how can you avoid creating this type of resume? Here are a few ideas ...

Refrain from Using Duty-Oriented Phrases

One practice that commonly leads people toward creating the laundry list resume is the use of duty-oriented phrases. Some of these phrases might include "responsible for" or "duties included." In your resume it is important that you give the prospective employer an understanding of what you've accomplished in the past, but by using duty-oriented phrases you only offer what you should/could have accomplished.

To avoid this issue, you can use more descriptive action words like assisted, collaborated, designed, launched, marketed, guided, edited, researched, and composed. Using these words helps to illustrate an accurate picture of your accomplishments; something the prospective employer needs to see in order to determine how qualified you are for the job.

Go Into More Depth - Focus on Your Achievements

Another great way to sidestep the laundry list resume is by taking time to focus more specifically on your achievements at previous jobs. This means not just mentioning that you were "responsible for organizing several marketing campaigns." This type of description doesn't tell the employer anything specific about your accomplishments. So instead, try going into more depth about those campaigns.

For example, you can say that you "developed and executed three marketing campaigns that included branding pharmaceutical products, creating ads, and coordinating a 15-member staff to participate in corporate trade shows over a 12-month period." This description offers specific details about your achievement and helps the prospective employer understand exactly how you can be an asset to their company.

Remember That You're Marketing Yourself

It's always a good idea to remember that your resume has a purpose, which is to market your skills in an effort to acquire a specific job. So if you had to put yourself in the shoes of the prospective employer, what would you want them to know about you? What might appeal to their interests and make them want to learn more?

You want to let this employer know that you are not just eager to acquire the job, but that you would truly be an asset to the company. Set aside some time to think about how you are qualified for the job. Then carefully illustrate them with your words so that your passion for the position is clearly recognized.

By veering away from the laundry list resume and digging deeper to focus on specific accomplishments, you can better market your skills and abilities. So take your time, think about how you can benefit the company you want to work for, and write a resume that will help you land the job of your dreams.

Heather Eagar is a former professional resume writer and owner of http://www.ResumeLines.com who is now dedicated to providing job seekers with resources and products that promote job search success from beginning to end.

Posted by Heather Eagar on May 22, 2008 at 9:54 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

Most people's first response is....Huh? That's right, if you stop writing cover letters, you'll get more interviews.

Most people have been taught paper-based resume strategies, that encourage writing a static resume and customizing with a cover letter. But this strategy doesn't work in today's world of digital resumes.

I know it's counterintuitive, and goes against everything you were taught, but it's true. I'll prove it to you with one sentence.

EMPLOYERS DON'T INCLUDE COVER LETTERS IN THEIR SEARCH.

Empoloyers strip cover letters, before adding resumes to their database. So when a company searches for key words, or does word matches to find the best resume, they have already digitally thrown out your cover letter.

Still a fan of cover letters? Read on....

Employers realized just after 9/11 that they could find many micro-targeted resumes by loading resumes into their own HR database, and key-word searching. By doing this, they could get 20-30 very close matches, and not have to read through the other thousand resumes who may or may not be qualified.

Employers set up systems to reward candidates who customize their resume to fit the exact words in the job description they post. And employers required line managers to scan ALL resumes through HR databases, in order to accumulate EEOC statistics. In public companies, these procedures have become part of SOX and it's audited, with negative repercussions for those who cut corners.

While networking to find a job can help, it still doesn't keep you out of the HR database, nor change the fact that cover letters aren't an effective way to customize your resume. If you're applying to a really small company, or the hiring manager is your next door neighbor, you might skate by.

Sometimes a cover letter is required by the employer. In that case, make your cover letter basic and static. Put all the meat and customization in your resume, because that's what will sell you and get searched.

What if the company asks you to tell why you're perfect for that job in the cover letter? Just say no....don't do it. Instead, tell the employer why you're perfect in the resume, by demonstrating how you've already solved the problems that department faces today.

If companies digitally search for experience details within your resume, and expect your resume to show why you're a perfect fit.....

...Why are you wasting all that time on cover letters, when you could be customizing your resume?

Article by Phil Rosenberg, President, reCareered & Rainmakers Global and courtesy of reCareered blog.

Posted by Candice Arnold on May 20, 2008 at 6:39 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

Recently, a number of job seekers have asked me if it's okay to drop undesirable jobs from their resumes. The reasons varied, but most had to do with holding short-term positions, leaving jobs on bad terms, getting fired, and changing careers.

In the past, I would have considered that approach. After all, a resume is a marketing piece and should present only the qualifications that would help "sell" the candidate. Now I'm revisiting this issue, and my advice is that you shouldn't omit positions from your resume just to make your work history look more desirable.

Okay, I shouldn't use absolutes. Someone asked if a job she held for several days can be dropped. Yes, it can! An extremely short-term job is not significant enough to be listed in your employment history. Also, if you're only including employment history from the last 10-15 years or so, of course you can omit older jobs. As is the case for most resume strategy decisions, use your judgment.

Here are the top reasons why it's usually not a good idea to omit jobs from the resume:

1. You will look like a liar when the employer finds out during a background check, and then you'll have some explaining to do (if a job offer is still a possibility).

2. Although resumes aren't officially signed, legal documents like applications are, employers are expecting you to provide a thorough, honest work history. The omitted job may go unnoticed for now, but could come back to haunt you after you're hired. Your job-and reputation-could be in jeopardy.

3. In some cases, listing the job will look better than showing a "gap." Yes, you were employed (even if for a short time), and that will remove the employer's concern about what you were doing during that time period.

4. It doesn't look as bad as you think it looks. I understand that it's a competitive job market and everyone wants to have a "perfect" work history, but very few people offer such a history. You're human. You took a job that was a bad fit. You got fired. So what? We tend to magnify our own flaws, even when others wouldn't notice there's a problem.

I'm not saying that providing a complete, truthful work history is the easy approach. You could be hit with tough interview questions, but you should do fine if you anticipate the questions and prepare responses before heading into the interview.

The bottom line: You will get a new job, and can proceed with a clear conscience.

Best wishes.

By Kim Isaacs and courtesy of ResumePower blog.

Posted by Candice Arnold on May 20, 2008 at 11:44 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

The unemployment rate in April was little changed, at 5.0%, according to the latest U.S. Department of Labor report. Employment continued to decline in construction, manufacturing, and retail, while jobs were added in professional and technical services, and health care.

"Health care is one of the areas where there's a tremendous amount of hiring demand, in addition to the technology and energy sectors, which are still pretty buoyant," according to Paul Forster, CEO of Indeed.com.

Tip: The jobs are out there, but hiring demand is shifting from industry to industry. Changing labor conditions are among the only things that don't change in this, or any, job market.

Another thing that never changes is networking. It always produces employment leads. But only if you do it right.

"People who network and get hired through referral programs are usually successful, partly because they're a known quantity to employers and partly because they come with a built-in mentor -- the person who referred them," says Susan Joyce, Editor/Publisher of Job-Hunt.org.

Tip: If you're looking for a job, start networking by getting back in touch with people you used to work with, especially those who have moved on to other companies. Because referrals can count for a lot.

People you meet through associations are another rich source of employment leads. And one way to connect with them is to serve on a committee.

"If you volunteer to help at the registration desk at a professional conference, for example, you'll meet and get a chance to talk to a lot of attendees as they come through the door. I know people who received job offers after demonstrating their competence in volunteer roles, because other committees members were impressed enough to contact them," advises Joyce.

Tip: If you're employed and want to create long-term job security, join and get involved in a professional association. If you're unemployed, join two or three groups, but curb your enthusiasm so you don't appear desperate to people you meet.

Google "YOUR INDUSTRY professional association" and narrow your choices by geography. You can also locate people to network with at Meetup.com. Or simply call your local reference librarian.

Finally, it always pays to keep your options open. That means you should take a long look at the temporary job market.

"A number of companies are hiring employees full-time after first testing them out in contract or temporary roles," according to Lisa Stinespring, Area VP for Doherty Employment Group, in Edina, Minn. She says that your first 30 days on the job are critical, if you want to turn a temp assignment into a full-time position with benefits. The more you can exceed an employer's expectations, the better.

You can locate contract and temp-to-hire openings through agencies like Doherty, Kelly or ProStaff.

You can also land a temp position directly with employers who need someone to cover a maternity leave or extended absence, for example. This option can give you several months of steady income, along with a chance to network with potential co-workers. You can find such openings through your network, on corporate Web sites, and on sites like Indeed.com and SimplyHired.com.

Tip: Whether it's applying through a staffing agency or directly to employers, expand your options to include contract and temporary roles. It might be the path to full-time employment you've been looking for.

By: Kevin Donlin, President of Guaranteed Resumes and the creator of GetHiredNow.TV. Since 1996, he has provided job search assistance to nearly 10,000 people. Author of "51 Ways to Find a Job Fast -- Guaranteed," Kevin has been interviewed by USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, CBS Radio and others. His latest product is the Instant Job Search System.

Article courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap, a content exchange service sponsored by CollegeRecruiter.com, a leading site for college students looking for internships and recent graduates searching entry-level jobs and other career opportunities.

Posted by Lisa Colbert, CollegeRecruiter.com on May 19, 2008 at 9:40 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

Just the thought of an interview can set your heart a-thumping. Even the word itself--interview--can bring on cold hands and stomach jitters. When you enter the office and face the employer you may have yet another outbreak of stress--fuzzy thinking and nervous chatter--all of which can result in losing the opportunity to make a good first impression toward landing the job.

So what can you do to rid yourself of these unwanted behaviors? How can you appear calm, cool, and collected, and at your best?

Try these three simple stress-reducing techniques and notice how your self-esteem will rise.

1. Arrive ten to fifteen minutes ahead of your appointment. Spend five of those minutes listening to soft music, and deep breathing with your eyes closed, before leaving your car.
2. Visit the rest room on your way to the interview site. Check your appearance, smile into the mirror and say the following affirmation silently or aloud if you're alone: The employer and I connect immediately. He/she sees me as the ideal candidate for this job.
3. Enter the company's lobby or waiting room and take a moment to observe your surroundings, to introduce yourself to the receptionist, and to sit quietly and review your notes.

Most important: PLAN AHEAD. Never allow yourself to 'wing' it. Take the active approach. Stress, like wild fire, will spread quickly and consume you if you don't block it before it reaches you. Then move into the interview as a confident and balanced individual--a professional well suited to fill the job opening.

Courtesy of Jimmy Sweeney, the president of CareerJimmy and author of the brand new "Secret Career Document" job landing system. Jimmy is also the author of several career related books and writes a monthly article titled, "Job Search Secrets."

Visit our friends at Job Interview "Secret" and discover Jimmy Sweeney's breakthrough strategy that will have you standing out from the competition like a Harvard graduate at a local job fair... DURING your next job interview.

Posted by Sarah Ennenga on May 15, 2008 at 10:45 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

When applying for a new job, it can sometimes be difficult to explain a huge gap in employment, or lack of relevant employment, when all you have is your resume to do the talking. This is why it is recommended that you include a cover letter with your resume.

But what can a cover letter do for you? It can give the prospective employer insight into who you are as a person, as well as why you want to work for their company. And it can also give you the opportunity to turn what may look like weaknesses on your resume into strengths. Let's look at a few ways this can be accomplished.

Focus on Your Special Skills

If you don't have a lot of jobs to list on your resume, but you do have relevant skills that you've acquired over the years, you can use your cover letter to explain what looks to be a lack of experience. A great way to get started is by creating a list of skills you've developed that match the company's job posting, mission and culture. Next you can use the cover letter to explain how those skills can enhance the company.

For example, you may be an expert typist capable of accurately typing 80 WPM, which is perfect for the data entry position you're interested in. The only drawback is that you didn't gain your expertise from your last 20 years as a housewife and part-time babysitter. Instead, you picked it up while volunteering as your church's secretary over the past decade. In this case, you can use your cover letter to highlight this skill and turn around what might be perceived as a lack of job experience.

Hobbies Are Not Off-Limits

Many people have hobbies that they spend a lot of time focusing on and eventually want to turn into careers. For example, you may love to work on computers and have expertise with both hardware and software applications, which has nothing to do with your string of jobs working in factories.

You decide that you are interested in applying for a position with a small start-up company that needs an entry-level IT technician. You know you're perfect for it but don't know how to prove it. That is, until you remember that you keep up with all of the technology, have taken some classes at a local college, and have years of experience fixing computers in your community. By explaining all of this in your cover letter, you have a chance to showcase the experience you've gained.

Keep Your Explanations Simple

While you want to use your cover letter to fill in gaps in your job history, you don't want the employer to spend too much time thinking about the possibility of you being a weak candidate. So instead of spending a lot of time explaining why your skills and hobbies are stellar, it is a good idea to instead keep this part as brief as you would in any other cover letter.

Having gaps in your work history doesn't have to define your capabilities as an employee. So try using your cover letter to highlight your special skills. You might be surprised by the success that follows.

Heather Eagar is a former professional resume writer and owner of http://www.ResumeLines.com who is now dedicated to providing job seekers with resources and products that promote job search success from beginning to end.

Posted by Heather Eagar on May 15, 2008 at 8:08 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

Dear Job Hunter:

Have you ever asked questions like these?

"May I have a chocolate ice cream sundae, please?"
"Are you free for lunch tomorrow?"
"Can you give me a hand moving my desk?"
"Will you loan me a few dollars till payday?"

Life is filled with such mundane questions. In order to get what we need and want we must ask for it--whether it's a snack, a date, an extra hand. Yet, when it comes to including in a cover letter, the all-important request for a job interview, some job-seekers shy away from asking, "May I meet you to discuss the opening for restaurant manager (or whatever the position may be)?" or "May I come to your office for an interview?"

ASKING is essential. Without the question, the hiring manager has no reason to respond. Your cover letter might read well, but unless you ask for an interview, the manager will likely set your letter aside. You risk the chance of never hearing from that person about your interest in the job opening.

1. GIVE the hiring manager reason to keep reading your cover letter by creating a HEADLINE written and centered in Bold Text right above the greeting in your cover letter.
   I Would Welcome The Opportunity To Interview
   
   
   For The Position Of [Fill In Job Title Here].
   
   


2. STATE your qualifications at the beginning of your letter:
   
   Thank you for describing the candidate you're seeking to fill the position of restaurant manager. Co-workers and supervisions have acknowledged me for all the character traits you mentioned. I am organized, friendly, a solid leader, knowledgeable about the restaurant business, and excellent with customers and staff.



3. SUGGEST a meeting time in your final paragraph.

   Are you available to schedule an interview within the next ten days? I'm free any afternoon between 1:00 and 4:00. Expect me to arrive prepared and eager to listen to your expectations, as well as to answer any questions you may have.




4. COMMUNICATE your enthusiasm at the end of your letter

   I look forward to meeting you and to hearing in person what you want in the person you hire to manage your fine restaurant. I feel confident we will relate well to one another. You can reach me any time on my cell phone: 555-555-5555. Thank you for the opportunity.

Jimmy Sweeney is the president of CareerJimmy and author of the brand new, "Amazing Cover Letter Creator." Jimmy is also the author of several career related books and writes a monthly article titled, "Job Search Secrets."

Visit our friends at Amazing Cover Letters for your "instant" cover letter today. "In just 3½ minutes you will have an amazing cover letter guaranteed to cut through YOUR competition like a hot knife through butter!"

Posted by Sarah Ennenga on May 9, 2008 at 6:37 PM | Leave a Comment (1)

Yuck! Why would you want to bait your resume?

Do you want your resume reader to have a desire to learn more about you? Do you want your resume's reader to see that you're something special, unique, extraordinary, a "must have on my team" player?

Or do you want your resume to look like the hundreds, maybe thousands of other resumes that your employer sees?

Most resume writers and recruiters will encourage you to leave no questions unanswered on your resume, so you look prepared. And most job seekers follow this advice. Sadly, it doesn't work well.

I disagree with that old school advice. I guess it works if you want to look like all the applicants. But who can afford to be average, when you are competing with large numbers for just one job?

Today, you've gotta stand out. Be different.

Bait makes you different.

So what's bait, and how can I get some? I'm not referring to nightcrawlers, minnows, Pillsbury dough, or anything else fish eat.

Bait is a statement that causes your reader to want to know more - and has to talk to you to find out more. A statement where you tell part of the story - the sizzle. But you've 'forgotten' to tell how you got the sizzle.

If you tell an employer that you solved their problem, BUT DON'T TELL THEM HOW YOU DID IT....don't you think they'd want to talk to you, to hear how you slayed their personal dragon?

Want to sample some bait?

Bait: " - Delivered client application packages 25% under budget and two weeks ahead of schedule, by adopting new management techniques".

Bait: " - Improved profits by 20% by applying innovative tax planning techniques, approved by IRS standards"

Bait: " - Increased division sales by 70% through a variety of new management techniques"

Bait: " - Cut transportation costs 40%, by implementing innovative solutions that also cut delivery time by a day on average".

Bait: " - Increased new accounts by 50% by applying exciting new prospecting methods"

To your reader, this bait doesn't taste like worms, it tastes like gold. You've demonstrated how you've solved specific problems - and if you've laid the bait correctly, you're showing how you've solved your target company's specific problems. Yet you haven't given away the golden goose.

To get answers, the target company has to talk to you.

Target companies needing to talk to you? What job seeker wants that?

Article by Phil Rosenberg, President, reCareered & Rainmakers Global and courtesy of reCareered blog.

Posted by Candice Arnold on May 9, 2008 at 11:05 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

So you've recently started searching for jobs in your field and have discovered an opening that matches your qualifications and career goals to a tee. The only problem is that you're not sure how to create a specific resume for this job.

Don't be discouraged if you feel this way. In all honesty, you are probably already one step ahead of those who believe that updating a resume is accomplished by adding the most recent employment/school/skill information where appropriate, saving the changes, and sending it on its way. Of course, you'll need to dig deeper to create a great job-specific resume. So let's look at a few ways you can get this done.

Study the Job Posting for Keywords

One great way to make the prospective employer feel that you are truly qualified for the position is by studying their job posting. By doing this you can find company-specific skills, job titles, jargon, certifications, and other keywords to be included in your resume.

For example, if you are applying for a position in healthcare, you might notice words like "imaging" and "pharma" show up in the job posting. It is a good idea to add these and other relevant words to your resume because they apply widely to the field. Likewise, if you're in marketing, you might find words like "branding," "campaigns," and "trade shows" within the posting. These are also relevant and can be included to populate your resume with great keywords.

Visit the Company's Website

Once you've studied the job posting for relevant keywords to use in your resume, it is a good idea to visit the company's website. There you can learn even more about how the company's goals can fit in with your specific career goals.

Some important information to look for on the website includes the company's values, mission statement, and even their organizational culture. This information can help you better describe who you are, what you're looking for, and how you think you can enhance their business with your skills and personality.

Strategically Combine Action Words and Keywords

Using action words in your job-specific resume is just as important as incorporating the keywords you've found through the job posting and website. In fact, the action words and keywords work together in your resume to create a picture of the type of employee you are likely to be.

For example, if you were responsible for the success of a major ad campaign at your previous employer then try to describe it by saying that you "developed and executed an intense 9-month ad campaign with the marketing team that resulted in a $1.2 million year-end profit increase." The action words in this example were "developed" and "executed" and the keywords were "ad campaign" and "marketing team." Using these action words along with others like created, planned, organized, recommended, advised, and trained - and of course your relevant keywords - will help you write a great job-specific resume.

Creating the right resume for the right job can result in you securing the position of your dreams. So take your time, do your research, and most importantly, have a good time writing a great job-specific resume.

Heather Eagar is a former professional resume writer and owner of http://www.ResumeLines.com who is now dedicated to providing job seekers with resources and products that promote job search success from beginning to end.

Posted by Heather Eagar on May 8, 2008 at 2:02 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

Standing out from the crowd can be a good thing or a bad thing - it depends. Take the ongoing saga of Britney Spears - she certainly stands out in the highly populated celebrity arena but not necessarily with positive spin. Contrast that with Oprah and her mission of giving back - her personal brand consistently conveys caring for others and integrity.

In the crowded job search and careers arena, your resume can also stand out - for better or for worse. In fact, Seth Godin's post "Why bother having a resume?" captured the potential employer's frustration with the overwhelming lack of resume quality. While I do not agree with Seth about totally eliminating resumes (HR folks do still expect to see such a document and application systems are currently set up around collecting and screening resumes), I DO agree that your most critical self-marketing piece (your resume) had better be remarkable.

To learn more about creating a STAND-OUT Resume that will create positive traction for your job search, sign up for this complimentary webinar 3 Steps to a STAND-OUT Resume that I am presenting on Thursday, May 8th at 1:00PM ET for the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) and The Center for Association Leadership. You'd best hurry as I hear the 200-seat webinar is filling up fast!

By Susan Guarneri and courtesy of CareerHub.com. The Career Hub blog connects job seekers with experts in career counseling, resume writing, personal branding and recruiting.

Posted by Candice Arnold on May 8, 2008 at 8:23 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

Do You Create Employer Value? Or do you just take up space?

Employers today have problems that need solutions. That's why they hire staff, because their problems require too much manpower or specialized knowledge for the hiring manager to solve on their own.

What kinds of problems you ask? Problems reaching sales goals, or expanded sales forecasts, problems lowering costs, problems increasing production, labor problems, tax problems, technology problems, getting goods & services to market problems, making that great idea into a better mousetrap problems - those kinds of problems.

Candidates that clearly demonstrate how they can help solve employer problems create value, and are aggressively recruited. Candidates that don't demonstrate a track record of solving specific problems end up with a long job search and either unemployed or underemployed.

One problem is that most candidates write for themselves, not for their audience. Most resumes I see are autobiographies describing what someone has led or managed. The number of people you managed, or the projects you participated in might be a source of your own personal pride. But these seldom create value for your potential employer.

This isn't just a resume issue, because it extends into the interview stage also. It's a self-image issue. Do you babysit people and projects, or do you create results?

I seldom see resumes that clearly state the candidate:

- beat their sales goals by 40% for the past 5 years (or team sales goals)
- cut costs by 25% by instituting new procedures
- increased revenues by 30% by implementing a new sales channel, inventing a new widget, or creating a new marketing campaign
- improved profits by 20% by instituting cost containment controls, exploiting tax loopholes, or eliminating production waste

For Technology types, I'll see all the time that they invented a new product, so profound that it changed the molecular structure of the world as we know it....but rarely do I see an estimate of how much value that product added to their employer.

When I revise resumes and advise clients I pull these value creation experiences out of their memory banks. Nearly everyone has these examples, unless you just weren't trying. Since I'm an optimist, I believe that everyone tries to do a good job, at least in the beginning, even in Government. I just find that job seekers often have a skewed view of what's important to a hiring manager.

And it's interesting....the more people a job seeker has hired during their career, the more they seem to write a personal biography, rather than a relevant track record of solving problems and creating value.

When I ask these same managers about what sorts of things impress them about a resume from a candidate they just HAD to hire - I'll almost always hear that the candidate has experience solving relevant problems and that they've got a great track record (of creating value). These same highly talented people, who have hired many people during their career, are usually incredible problem solvers, with many examples to offer. But the lure of writing a personal autobiography is just too great.

Do you create value? How does your resume demonstrate this?

Or do you take up space?

Article by Phil Rosenberg, President, reCareered & Rainmakers Global and courtesy of reCareered blog.

Posted by Candice Arnold on May 5, 2008 at 12:07 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

It seems like every new client I get sends me a resume with a long section at the top of the resume that precedes actual work experience. Sometimes the top section is labeled, "Profile" or "Executive Profile" or "Summary" or even "Objective". Apparently there are some resume reviewers/writers who insist on including some sort of header section. I don't really get it.

As someone who has worked a variety of recruiting and hiring capacities including in-house recruiter, headhunter, and hiring manager I would be the first to say that when I was making recruiting or hiring decisions I never really read those sections. Except as a way to possibly eliminate candidates that is. If you list an "Objective" section it is, by definition, a limiting statement. You probably won't be considered for any job that falls outside of the definition you list. That is fine if you really only want to be considered for a specific job or for a job in a specific industry. But if you expect for someone reading the resume to consider you for a similar, but not exact job, you are being awfully optimistic.

Sections labeled "Profile" or "Summary" are often just a list of subjective statements that represent the opinion that the resume owner has of him or herself. In which case they are useless. Why would a recruiter care that you think you have great people skills or that you think you are a gifted communicator unless the statement is backed up by specific accomplishments in the resume? News flash: EVERYONE describes themselves as having "great people skills". Guess what? Few people actually have great interpersonal skills. And generally if you do have great communication or people skills that becomes pretty obvious when someone reads your accomplishments if those skills have helped you to achieve results for your employer.

When I was a recruiter I used to think to myself when I read one of those sentences, "So, you think you are a great communicator, huh? I will be the judge of that." And if I read further into the resume and found grammatical, spelling, or syntax errors I rejected the candidate outright, in part because of the errors, but also because he/she didn't understand that "great communication skills" extend to written skills.

I am amazed at the length of some of these header sections too. A potential new client sent me his 7 page resume today. He graduated from college less than 10 years ago so his resume is excessively long by any standard. Anyway, the entire first page is a "summary". He has a keywords section that lists things like "project management" followed by a paragraph-long narrative that I didn't even bother to read. Then he has 1/2 page dedicated to bullet points that say things like "experienced at delivering software implementations on-time and under-budget".

First of all, simply listing key words or phrases without any context is meaningless. Yes, I know you want to ensure that your resume gets picked up in a keyword search but if you want it to mean anything you need to integrate the key words into accomplishments. Anyone can say they have managed a project but true professional project managers are in high demand.

I used to work for an engineering firm at which the CEO's executive secretary was put in charge of all kinds of projects - therefore she could legitimately list project management as a skill set on her resume. But in the engineering department of that same company you could find at least 10 certified project managers who managed multi-million dollar machinery installations for Fortune 500 clients. Big difference between managing the CEO's pet projects like the annual sales luncheon and a $10 million dairy installation right? So, if you are one of the engineers and you just put "project management" at the top of your resume without context you are on the same level as someone who isn't a "real" project manager. (Don't get me wrong, the CEO's secretary was fantastic at managing the projects she was in charge of but they were completely different from the engineering projects.)

Just putting the words "project management" on your resume without describing the project or your results doesn't tell the reader much. And recruiters are pretty smart at about that. No context and no accomplishments means no phone call from a recruiter.

Make sure that your achievements are clearly associated with the job in which you accomplished them. It's very frustrating to read something like,"experienced at delivering software implementations on-time and under-budget" but to not know at what company this happened, what kind of software was implemented, and how much under budget the project was delivered. Yes, its catchy to put that near the top of your resume but you force the reader to hunt around the resume to find out more information. And guess what? A lot of people won't bother. They will set your resume aside and go on to the next one. And, if the next resume is one that I wrote and the candidate possesses the requisite skills - the recruiter will pick up the phone and call my client because the information in the resume will be organized in a way that is accessible to recruiters and there won't be a bunch of fluff to wade through.

If you are absolutely convinced that your resume needs a header of some kind here are a few tips to make it as effective as possible:

Keep it short (1-2 sentences maximum)

Make sure that if you are writing a profile or summary that the information you include is substantiated in a tangible way by the rest of the information in your resume

If you write an objective make sure that you think about the limits it could place on your candidacy before submitting it to a recruiter

Don't write anything that could cause recruiters or hiring managers to roll their eyes or laugh at your resume. Example: listing membership in Mensa or talking about your "great people skills".

Article by Liz Handlin and courtesy of Ultimate Resumes

Posted by Candice Arnold on May 2, 2008 at 12:01 PM | Leave a Comment (1)

If you're all set to attend a career fair - or are looking to post your resume on an online job bank - and are concerned about how to create a resume for companies you have yet to meet, you are not alone.

Fortunately, there are ways to create great resumes capable of catching the eyes of potential recruiters no matter what venue you're working with. Here are a few ideas to get you started.

Conduct Research to Gauge Recruiters

Whether you're looking to leave your resumes with recruiters at a career fair, or post them on online job banks, it helps to research the companies you're interested in working with so that you can better tailor your accomplishments.

Many career fairs spend a good amount of time advertising their arrival weeks in advance. This means that you have time to research all of the companies attending so that you can create one or more resumes for each one you're interested in working for.

As for online job banks, while you won't know who is out there recruiting, you can still gain a slight edge on your competition by researching job specifications at the companies in which you're interested. This way, you can proactively tailor your resume to focus on skills and achievements that will appeal to those recruiters.

Make Your Career Fair Resume Brief and Scannable

At a career fair, it is likely that you will be the fifth, sixth, or even sixtieth person that recruiters have seen that day. Since they might be overwhelmed by the number of resumes they've received, it is a good idea to keep yours brief - one or two pages is fine.

Also, it is becoming a common practice for many companies to scan resumes into a computer after they leave the fair. So to be safe, try making yours scannable by using fonts like Times New Roman, Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, Tahoma and Courier in font sizes anywhere from 9 to 12 points.

Use Plenty of Keywords When Posting Online

As you have probably guessed, recruiters are busy people with tons of resumes to look through everyday - especially when searching through job banks where there may be thousands of resumes posted. So as a benefit to these recruiters, most job banks offer an on-site, customizable search engine. While this feature makes searching easier for the recruiter, if you don't include specific keywords in your resume before posting it, it is likely that yours will never be found.

A good way to combat this issue is by saturating your resume with keywords related to your desired job. If you don't know which words to use, try conducting your own keyword search on the Internet until you begin finding field-related information. It may seem like an unconventional way to create a resume, but it is actually a good strategy for ranking near the top of most keyword searches.

Anticipating the unknown when writing resumes can seem like a difficult task. But if you take the right steps, and have a good attitude along the way, you will encounter your career success sooner than you think.

Heather Eagar is a former professional resume writer and owner of http://www.ResumeLines.com who is now dedicated to providing job seekers with resources and products that promote job search success from beginning to end.

Posted by Heather Eagar on May 2, 2008 at 8:02 AM | Leave a Comment (0)