Article Provided by JIST Publishing

By now you get it: If you want to land interviews--let alone a job offer--you need a stellar resume. Fortunately, you already have one and are fairly certain it's strong enough to put you a step ahead of the competition.

Not so fast. Sure you've got a knock-out resume, but do you actually know how to use it? Unfortunately, most job seekers don't, according to career coach Katy Piotrowski.

"Nine out of 10 job seekers do very little with their resumes, hoping that their dream employer will come looking for them. Just like a hammer, a resume is a tool that can help you get the job done. But if the hammer sits in a toolbox unused, it's worthless. Your resume, sitting on your desk or in your computer, will do little for you unless it lands in the hands of decision makers," Piotrowski writes in her recently-released book The Career Coward's Guide to Resumes (JIST © 2008). Continue reading about maximizing your resume's results ...

Article by Selena Dehne and courtesy of JIST Publishing

Posted by Candice Arnold on October 31, 2008 at 9:51 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

Every once in awhile someone tells me what they want done with their resume and I just shake my head in wonder. I am referring to folks who think that with a little sleight of hand they can fool recruiters into thinking that their work experience, employers, or education are something other than what their resume says it is. The truth? You are nuts if you think you can really fool recruiters.

Here are some examples:

Example A
One client who had never worked in "Green Energy" in her life wanted her resume to include a list 10 or 15 seminars she attended (she wasn't a speaker, mind you, just an attendee) that were related to green energy. Her rationale? She figured that if she kept the seminars on the resume that recruiters would consider her qualified for positions in green energy. Her real problem? Her job is in sales but she couldn't tell me any of her sales goals/quotas over the past few years -- but she wanted her resume to claim that she exceeded quota every year.

It seemed to me that she was trying to perform a magical illusion and try to focus recruiters away from the fact that there was no substance to her resume. She didn't want readers to focus on the fact that she had no numbers to back up her claims of sales excellence -- she wanted them to focus on her supposed expertise in green energy. What she didn't realize is that recruiters have seen every magic trick in the book and are very alert to a resume that lacks substance.

I pointed out that (a) if you are a sales person and you list "exceeded quota" on your resume you can bet that any recruiter will ask the obvious question, "What was your quota and by how much did you exceed it?" and (b) No recruiter will think that a list of seminars you attended in a field other than your own makes you qualified for a career change.

Example B
Another client started her career in technology and worked her way up to a position of responsibility within a large and reputable tech firm. About 5 years ago this client decided to get out of tech and sell residential real estate because she figured that was the way to get really rich. She was very good at real estate sales and made a lot of money...until our recent mortgage crash. Now she wants to get back into technology. After we created her resume she wanted to leave off the names of the real estate firms she had worked for and replace the firm names with SALES AND MARKETING PROFESSIONAL. But, of course, she couldn't leave off the name of the reputable technology company at which she started her career so, therefore, the formatting/information placement on the resume would have been confusing and weird.

This client wanted her resume to be inconsistent in its formatting to try to hide the fact that she had been selling real estate for the past 5 years. I pointed out that simply by reading her job description and sales accomplishments any recruiter would see that she had worked in real estate...a smoke screen won't work. Ultimately, for the resume, we created the name of a sales/marketing consulting company for which my client is listed as "Owner" (she can create an official corporation if she wants) and listed the real estate jobs as sales consulting gigs. This isn't overtly lying because generally real estate sales is a commission job and she could, in fact, have created a corporation through which she was paid for her work. However, a smart recruiter is going to see that this client has been selling real estate for the past 5 years. Maybe my client will get calls for tech jobs or maybe she won't...but the to understand is that her new resume won't fool anyone even though she is happier with the way her background is presented.

Example C
This is my favorite example and many people do this:

Just because you attended a continuing education class or executive education seminar at Harvard University doesn't mean you are a Harvard Grad. You aren't. And just because you list Harvard University as the first of your educational credentials doesn't mean that anyone will think you were accepted at that school.

The fact is this: All of the top tier universities offer executive seminars and continuing education classes as a way to generate extra revenue and to give their professors additional exposure. These classes generally aren't highly selective, if your company wants to pay to send you to the class, Harvard will be happy to welcome you to campus. If your employer pays for you to attend one of these classes that is fantastic and you can certainly include it as "Continuing Education" or "Training" on your resume. But don't place the executive ed course above the actual university you attended and from which you earned your actual Bachelors, Masters, or other graduate degree. There is a difference between the degree you earned and any continuing education classes you may have taken - you won't fool anyone by combining them. And, in truth, after you have been in the workforce a few years no one really cares which school you earned your degree from - its your performance that counts.

So here are a few tips:

1. Think before you take the next step in your career. If you want to switch careers and sell widgets that is just fine but think about how you will explain that decision if and when you decide to return to your original career/industry. Recruiters are always open to rational and well-thought-out explanations for gaps on your resume or for non traditional career choices. But, don't try to pull one over on a recruiter because you run the risk that they will see through your "tricky" ways of presenting things on your resume and assume that you are a liar. If a recruiter sees something on your resume that raises a red flag the chances are excellent that the only communication you will receive is a rejection letter.

2. If you want to switch careers, create a resume that emphasizes any skills, responsibilities, and accomplishments in your previous jobs that are relevant to the new industry or job you are seeking. Don't do hokey things like list a bunch of books you read or seminars you attended that seem relevant to the new industry. That isn't to say that you can't discuss those things in an interview because you can and your attempts to learn about the new industry will be viewed positively. But the key is to make sure you look like a star in your current industry and to show the recruiter that you know which of your skills are transferable.

3. Be careful of presenting education or other academic credentials in such a way that it seems that you are pretending to be something other than you are.

Article by Liz Handlin and courtesy of Ultimate Resumes

Posted by Candice Arnold on October 31, 2008 at 8:49 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

Though we are well into the new millennium, we are still being surprised by innovative technologies that surface almost everyday. And many of them transfer very effectively into the work world, affording us opportunities to restructure the way we conduct job searches.

This means it is a good idea to learn some of the new ways to seek jobs. That way, you can keep up with, and even surpass your competition.

Web Portfolios and Video Resumes

Web portfolios are becoming popular vehicles for obtaining employment because they offer easy-to-read, attractive, electronic versions of your resume. They are especially useful for candidates working in web design, writing or artwork; however, anyone can take advantage of them. Typically, they showcase screenshots of designs, links to a working page, and a description of the work being displayed. There are websites dedicated to helping individuals create them in order to post the work and send links to employers.

Video resumes, while not as popular or highly-accepted by recruiters, are another way for job candidates to spice up what was once simply a dull piece of paper. Posted on sites like YouTube, candidates use these resumes to verbally list their skills, talents and capabilities. After creating the video, they send the link to potential employers. However, before you decide to take this route however, conduct research to make sure this type of resume is acceptable in your field.

Job Blogging and Social Networking

Along with creating video resumes and web portfolios come two more vehicles of online job seeking: job blogging and social networking. You are probably familiar with the concept of social networking by now if you have a Myspace of Facebook page. On both websites you can either communicate with your friends or set up a page that lends itself to your professional side. But social networks now do even more. They also allow you to get on message boards where recruiters often frequent, and network with other individuals in your field.

Since some recruiters take the extra steps to locate candidates via the Internet, it's not a bad idea to also set up your own blog that tracks your job search and markets your skills. Just ensure that if you're trying to have a professional online presence, you either don't create or make "private" any profiles listed under your full name that may be inappropriate for business. For more information on how to blog responsibly, you can visit EFF.com

The Behavioral Interview

While not technology-based, the behavioral interview is becoming a popular format employers are using to gather more information about job candidates. The interview is handled in person like the traditional interview; however differences lie in the types of questions being asked. For instance, instead of being asked "What are your strengths and weaknesses as an employee?" you might be asked "What is a specific example of an occasion where you were called upon to solve a problem? And how did you solve it?" The latter questions explore exact behaviors in specific situations, and give more insight into your day-to-day abilities.

Staying on top of what's going on in the world of job seeking is very important. So try to find out more. You'll be surprised by the exposure and access to opportunities you'll acquire.

Heather Eagar is a former professional resume writer and is passionate about providing working professionals with current, reliable and effective job search tools and information. If you need a resume writer, compare the top ones in the industry at http://www.resumelines.com.

Posted by Heather Eagar on October 30, 2008 at 10:07 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

As the Internet becomes more popular, there are increasing opportunities to not only become employed by this medium, but also work from home while doing so. However, not every online opportunity is trustworthy. There are tons of scam artists ready to take advantage of the naïve.

This is not to say that there aren't any legitimate work-from-home jobs. You just have to learn how to catch the signs of a scam artist. So before you begin your search for an at-home job, let's explore the ways you can protect yourself from being scammed.

Don't Give Out Too Much Personal Information

Handing out personal information over the Internet has always been a no-no. And the same goes for applying for jobs. There will be many scammers out there asking for social security information, date of birth, and more. But don't give out anything until you're sure you're communicating with a legitimate company.

Also, you'll want to be careful not to hand out your credit card information. This is especially true if an "employer" is asking you to pay for supplies or other information before they will accept you for a position. Legitimate companies or opportunities will treat you no differently than those that can be found in an office. In other words, you should not be asked to pay money in order to obtain a position. So be careful before you disclose anything too personal about yourself until the nameless, faceless entity on the other side of your computer is represented by a legitimate person or business.

Conduct a Thorough Background Check

Background checks are particularly important when searching for employment online. Again, you cannot see the representative on the other end of the computer and therefore should take extra measures to ensure the opportunity is real. One way you can get this done is by asking for a list of other employees or contractors that have worked for them to get more insight into who this company is.

Also, you can take advantage of websites that are dedicated to catching scam artists, such as ScamBusters.org. And you can also check with the Better Business Bureau to see if a company is legitimate. However, it will be more difficult to catch online scammers in this way because they don't have to register as a business in order to act as one.

Use Your Common Sense

One thing you have on your side when searching for a job is common sense. It may take a while to develop online common sense, but it will come. This way, if an individual or company claims that you can make $5,000 a week stuffing envelopes from home, you'll know it's probably too good to be true. The same goes for unsolicited emails saying that someone has found a job for you. In time, you'll automatically delete them and know you've probably been placed on a 3rd party mailing list with thousands of others who have been offered the same "job."

Finding a legitimate work-from-home job opportunity can be very rewarding. However, to avoid getting caught up in the scams, try to conduct plenty of research and use your common sense. This way, you can avoid the nonsense and get straight to finding your perfect at-home job.

Heather Eagar is a former professional resume writer and is passionate about providing working professionals with current, reliable and effective job search tools and information. In need of a resume writer? Compare the top ones in the industry at http://www.resumelines.com.

Posted by Heather Eagar on October 23, 2008 at 4:38 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

I was just talking to a client who received resume feedback from a recruiter. The recruiter had suggested that her resume would be stronger if she added dates to her earliest employment and education, and if she described the type of companies she worked for.

I know why the headhunter wanted this information - these are both useful pieces of data for his decision-making process. But I left them off for a specific reason: Because the recruiter's interests and your interests don't always align.

Your goal is to get your resume past the screeners and score an interview (because in many cases the information that might screen you out won't actually matter once the company meets you and realizes how fabulous you are). The recruiter's job is to gather the facts so he can see if you fit the exact job criteria. See how those two things don't always match up?

When a product marketer writes a promotional brochure, she doesn't include all the downsides of the product - she just highlights the good things and it's up to you to ferret out the rest if you are so inclined. I think the same thing applies with your resume.

In the case of my client, I left off the early dates to stop possible age discrimination. I omitted the types of companies because she specifically stated that she wanted to change industries and I didn't want her being eliminated from consideration just because all her prior jobs were in telecommunications.

Even though the recruiter suggested these 'improvements' to the resume, he still scheduled an interview with my client. I know many recruiters would disagree with me, but I think that means the resume did exactly what it was supposed to do.

Article by, Louise Fletcher 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 October 20, 2008 at 10:21 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

The path to finding the career of your dreams can sometimes feel so daunting. To make matters worse, it can seem that while you struggle to figure out just what it is you want to do, others have the good fortune of recognizing and living out their dreams everyday.

But rest assured that these people are by far in the minority. So if you're a part of the majority and are trying to figure out how to do what you absolutely love - or even figure out what you love - there are ways you can get this done. Let's look at ways you can move toward settling into your dream career ...

Look at What Sparks Your Interests

Okay, this is going to take a lot of nerve on your part, but if you want to find your dream career, you're going to have to go after what you like. Scary, right? You've spent so much of your life doing what others have wanted you to do that it's hard to believe that you are actually allowed to do what is interesting to you. But you are.

Think about it, there are people making a living playing their favorite instrument, dressing up in makeup and "clowning around" or going the traditional route of joining the ranks of Corporate America - and you can do it too. The main way for you to accomplish this goal is to take note of the projects you absolutely love then explore ways to turn that love into a tangible career.

Take Personality Tests

This may sound like an unorthodox route to take, but if you really want to tap into a career that suites you specifically, there are tests you can take to help you determine, based on your interests, what careers would be best suited for you. Two tests you can take online are the Keirsey Temperament Sorter and Ansir Self-Perception tests.

The Keirsey Temperament Sorter is the most widely-used personality test in the world. By looking at your temperament, communication and action characteristics, it helps you determine your organization, career, and personal development attributes. The Ansir Self-Perception test is another personality test that is widely used. It was created to help you identify your dominant strengths and innate potential so that you can quickly move toward what best suits your personality. Both of these tests work well to give you insight into aspects of your personality that you may not have been aware of. But most importantly, they help you correlate those personality traits with various career options, helping to make finding your dream career a little easier.

Try Temporary Work

A third way that you can make strides toward your dream career is by taking on temporary work. Whether you're linking up with the traditional temporary agency for clerical work, or one that focuses on specific professions, this is a great way to test the waters of different careers without having to commit permanently to any.

The more you're willing to get out there and search, the more likely you are to find what it is you really love. So don't be afraid to go after your dream job. You may find it to be the best decision you've ever made.

About the Author:
Heather Eagar is a former professional resume writer and is passionate about providing working professionals with current, reliable and effective job search tools and information. Need a resume service? Check out reviews of the top resume services in the industry at http://www.resumelines.com.

Posted by Heather Eagar on October 16, 2008 at 8:03 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

The main purpose of your resume as a job seeker should be to market your skills, experience and education to potential employers. Showcase your brand, so to speak. One way to quickly engage a hiring manager and maximize the success of your resume in the first 20-30 seconds, is through a powerful Summary of Qualifications.

Here are four key elements that should be included in a good Summary of Qualifications:

- Include years of experience and areas of expertise in your field. Remember that it is possible to accumulate experience you have gained from more than one job. eg. Let's say you work in customer service now and have been with your current job for three years, but have customer service experience from another job you did several years ago. Total those years for your Summary of Qualifications statement.

- Acknowledge any special or recent awards and professional recognition relevant to the position you are seeking. If you haven't been acknowledged by an organization, include an area of outstanding achievement from your last annual performance evaluation.

- Share industry specific certifications or professional training. eg If you are going after a supervisor's job and have taken a certificate in project management.

- Identify soft skills which are difficult to quantify, but give you a clear advantage eg. good public speaking, team building and multi-tasking skills.

Article courtesy of WorkBloom, an employment blog incorporating a comprehensive career resources section, including the largest database of professionally written resume and cover letter samples on the Web.

Posted by Candice Arnold on October 15, 2008 at 9:56 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

After writing this post, I noted an excellent earlier post by Barbara Safani on this topic, written as a fellow-attendee at the recent National Resume Writers Association conference in San Diego. To her great comments, I hope my post will provide some additional valuable input. Remembering the old blind men and the elephant story, we each zero in on different aspects of things, with equally valid observations...

One of the speakers at the NRWA conference was Paul Forster, Co-founder and CEO of Indeed.com. For those unfamiliar with Indeed, it is one of the new breed of mega-job search engines that according to their About page "gives job seekers free access to millions of employment opportunities from thousands of websites." It is ranked by Time magazine as one of the top 10 websites and described by the Wall Street Journal as "Simply a one-stop shop for job seekers." I can personally highly recommend it, both as a search engine and for its many other valuable features such as job trend analyses and salary information.

Mr. Forster's presentation entitled "Resume Optimization in the New World of Search" provided some insights into factors you will want to consider in developing your resume for online posting purposes. A key consideration is now "ROSE," "Resume Optimization for Search Engines," and it comes into play both in the massive online resume databases of job sites as well as in the internal resume databases of individual companies that use software such as Taleo (an Applicant Tracking System) to manage and search the resumes they keep on file.

Here are a few valuable suggestions I gleaned from Mr. Forster's presentation:

• Leverage Indeed's capability to search for equivalent job titles to zero in on variations on your job title. Work these into the text of your resume to make it more likely to pop up in a search.
• Search sites like LinkedIn for relevant keywords related to your relevant job titles and make sure to work those into your resume text as well.
• Mine the job boards, LinkedIn, and other resources to identify synonyms for your key skills and include them.
• Look for variants in how names of companies and terms are spelled or abbreviated (e.g., EBay, E-bay; ETrade, E-Trade; IT, Information Technology; SEO, Search Engine Optimization) and include them (possibly in parentheses) to help ensure someone searching for that company or term will find your resume.
• Consider "stemming" as you craft your resume's content - using varying endings of words. For example, someone searching for a marketer may actually search for the word 'marketing' or for accounting may key in 'accountant'.
• Make your resume Web friendly, avoiding tables and indentions, etc. that will translate poorly online no matter how carefully you manually insert your spaces.

Looking forward, Mr. Forster sees the future of the resume as being in the virtual world, with increasingly rich media. He also sees it as boundary-less--with many links going into and out of the document. Examples might be a link to a book you wrote that is for sale on Amazon, your websites, your LinkedIn profile, articles that mention you, etc. Also on the horizon are "Open Standards" which are currently under discussion but have a good way to go before finalization and widespread adoption. Open standards will one day result in a single resume that will be acceptable everywhere in applying for jobs, eliminating the necessity to fill out widely varying forms on each job board or company's website.

I have saved for last a "to do" that I strongly concur with and feel is probably the most important piece of advice in his presentation: Once you have posted your resume, REFRESH it periodically, as a recent post/edit date is a critical factor in ranking your resume, superseding all other criteria.

Article by, Laurie Smith 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 October 13, 2008 at 10:33 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

This week I received a phone call and it went something like this..........

Hello, how much do you charge to write a resume?

I wanted to cite some ridiculous number like $8,000.00 for starters, but I didn't. Instead, I remained the true professional I always try to be and offered: Speak to me first about your brand...

My what? What did you say?

"Your brand." I said "your brand."

What the @#$% is a brand? the caller asked.

You know, it's about your product -- you, the product...your features, value, your....blah, blah....CEO Of You...more blather....(from me).

Hmmmm. Well, let me be clear...all I want is a $%^&* resume. And I don't want to know about my brand or my product, okay?

And then the caller said they better keep checkin' around as I was the first person they'd talked to. (And obviously, I didn't tell them anything close to what they wanted to hear.)

Do you know how to play the career game in today's highly competitive, ever-changing, up, down, sideways, backwards, who-knows-what's next market? Can you easily and confidently say "yes" to these thought-provoking career questions listed below:

• Can you describe the personal brand of YOU?
• Can you speak with confidence, clarity, and credibility about your product, its features, value, and benefits?
• Do you know your product's strengths, flaws, and differentiators?
• Can you competently describe your brand's competitive advantage?
• Do you have a clearly defined target goal?
• Have you identified organizations aligned with your KSA's, preferences, values, and interests?
• Does your resume score you a homerun in the eyes of the reader?
• Are your interviewing skills top-notch and competitive?
• Can you name five things that you can do better than your competition?
• Can you name five of your best traits to produce a positive ROI for an employer?
• Can you cite five compelling reasons why an employer should hire you?
• Do you have a strong network that works to your advantage?
• Do you know 21st century job search strategies and how to best leverage for your career success in today's volatile market?
• Are you strongly motivated to stay on track until you achieve your desired career goals, no matter what?

If you answered "no" to one, or more, of these questions, you owe it yourself to come up with some "yes" responses to these basic questions. Indeed, the market is tough. And I am hoping -- for your sake -- that you have it within you to be tougher. Are you ready to get on your horse and ride?

Article by, Billie Sucher 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 October 13, 2008 at 10:08 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

Sometimes finding the job you want requires that you take unorthodox methods to get there. More and more people are finding this out as the economy dries up and competition for employment gets stiffer.

This is why, for many, temporary work is a great route to take to get their foot in the door. It might work for you too. But before you sign on with a temp agency, take a look at some ways you can use it to your benefit.

Test Out or Cement Career Options

Whether you're looking to acquire your first job in the field you hope to work in, or you're simply looking for your first field, taking on a temp job can help you achieve your goal. It gives you the opportunity to test the waters at different companies, look at their organizational cultures, and decide which jobs suite your professional preferences.

Even better, if you secure a temp job and find you are interested in moving forward in the company, you can make connections to get your foot in the door if a position opens. Since they already know your work ethic and capabilities, they will be more likely to hire you than a complete stranger. This gives you the opportunity to bypass the hoops other employees had to jump through to get their jobs.

Get Experience Along the Way

In the world of temping, you may find yourself working a job here and one there, with some lasting six days, and others lasting six months. But no matter how long you work at an employer, you still have an opportunity to test out different organizational cultures. Even more, you have the opportunity to gain experience that you can take with you to the next job.

But what experience can you gain? Well, for example, if you work temporarily as a secretary, you will gain experience organizing documents, managing files, answering phones and much more that you can take with you if you decide to apply for a permanent job. It's actually similar to receiving paid training - and nothing is better than that. Essentially, the more temp jobs you work, the more experience you gain, until eventually, you will have a full list of skills to note on your resume.

Take Advantage of All Fields and Professional Levels

Depending on what temp agency you approach, you will find that temporary work is not just available for entry-level jobs. There are some that specialize in placing senior managers and executives into companies. Then there are temp agencies like Enterprise Medical Services that place medical doctors and other healthcare professionals into hospitals, clinics, and other facilities on a temporary or sometimes permanent basis. You'll see by exploring the temping world that the opportunities can be plentiful no matter your field or professional level. You simply need to be open to all opportunities that arise.

Being a temp worker can seem to take you down a road to nowhere. But on the contrary, it can be a very beneficial experience. So if you're looking for a job, don't be shy about joining one. You might find that your next temp job could lead you to the career you've been dreaming of.

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 October 9, 2008 at 11:38 PM | Leave a Comment (0)