All of the entries for the inaugural Jobacle Resume Challenge have been unveiled. I want to thank the participants, our judges, and most of all YOU, the reader.

As with most experiments, we learned a lot about how we can improve the exercise for next time: and there will be a next time. In fact, the next go around will feature a lucky reader's resume getting the royal treatment.

Subscribe now so you don't miss out.

Many job seekers have e-mailed me asking what my verdict is; is hiring a professional resume writer worth the money? While I'm hesitant to give a simple 'yes' or 'no' answer, I can say that the challenge has given me new appreciation for what resume writers do and the process involved.

The decision to hire the help really comes down to what your goals are, where you are in your career, and most importantly - who the resume writer is.

Continue reading about the Jobacle Resume Challenge ...

Article by Andrew G.R. and courtesy of jobacle.com - your cure for carbon copy career advice!

Posted by Candice Arnold on November 26, 2008 at 10:25 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

Are you someone who includes subjective descriptions of your skills, personal attributes or competencies on your resume? If so this post is for you.

How many people do you think would describe themselves as any one of the following?

• Great team player
• Strong communicator
• Great leader
• High integrity

The answer is pretty much everyone. The funny thing is that I have met very few actual team players in my professional life so when someone lists "great team player" on a resume I automatically skip over that statement and look for something that is backed up by verifiable metrics.

When you look at as many resumes as recruiters (both in-house and headhunters) do every day you tend to discount the subjective statements that you see on most resumes. So, even though you may have high integrity and you might be a strong team player there is just no point in listing that information on your resume unless you can back it up with some kind of meaningful description or, better yet, metrics.

For example, if you want to demonstrate that you are a team player or a strong team leader you could write something like this:

Led a team of 10 engineers to develop a software product (better to name the product) from concept to launch in 7 months; project completed 2 months ahead of schedule. The product has generated $5 million in revenue to date.

When I read that statement I think to myself, "OK, this person might be a legitimate team player because he/she was able to lead a successful collaborative and complex development project. How do I know it was successful? Because the project was completed ahead of schedule and has generated revenue for the company. You could make this even stronger if you included ROI or indicate that revenue exceeded projections.

More examples, these related to communication skills:

Increased employee morale by 10% within 6 months by leading fully integrated internal communications efforts utilizing a newly launched employee web portal, newsletters, and town hall meetings.

Managed a media relations campaign to launch a new community development program and which garnered media coverage in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and the Economist.

A lot of resumes also contain lists of "core competencies". An example of a list of core competencies that I have seen on a resume:

Marketing, Public Relations, Brand Management, Business Development, Sales.

What does this list mean? Are you good at marketing or did you take a class one time? Are you an expert at public relations? If so, give me an example of a campaign you led. Are you a good brand manager who can generate revenue through the sale of B2C products in major retail stores? If so, I want to talk to you. But just dropping a few words on a resume without putting them in context is useless because it doesn't tell the reader anything about your level of skill or depth of experience. And that is what recruiters and hiring managers want to know about you.

Most recruiters have the same reaction to list of competencies as they do all other subjective information....they skip it. If you want a hiring manager to know that you are a skilled marketer you need to demonstrate that with clearly articulated accomplishments, not by just listing marketing at the top of your resume.

Other things to leave off your resume:

• Personal statements/life philosophy
• Religious beliefs
• Information about your family
• Hobbies

If you want your resume to be taken seriously you should only include work related information that you can back up with specific examples, preferably with metrics. Also, keep personal information to a minimum - you may think that if you mention that you are an avid quilter, a collector of model trains, or that you enjoy reading that you will personalize yourself for interviewers. However, that information just takes up space that would be better used to describe your accomplishments.

Having said that, if you have accomplished something that is truly world class it might be worth mentioning because everyone wants to hire a superstar. Some examples include: climbed Mount Everest, completed 10 Ironman Triathlons, or spent 6 months in Namibia volunteering with Doctors without Borders. However, I would recommend only including hobbies or activities you worked hard to accomplish and that demonstrate tenacity, intelligence, or perseverance.

Article by Liz Handlin and courtesy of Ultimate Resumes

Posted by Candice Arnold on November 25, 2008 at 6:32 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

There are a number of ways that you can acquire the job you want. You can go the traditional route of finding an ad and applying for the job, or going through the temp agency where you can get your feet wet in certain fields.

But another great way to get a job is through networking. Whether you have a family member who can make recommendations for you, or you join an organization where you get inside tips on companies, meeting the right people help you get you the job you want. Let's look at some ways you can make networking work for you.

Talk to Your Friends and Family

If you're really looking to find work and the want ads haven't been very good to you then you may want to start networking with people that you trust the most: your friends and family. Not only can they surprise you with the information they know, they have your best interest at heart, which is always a plus.

Since your relationship with them is more likely to be casual, you can simply ask if they know of any job leads or people that you can link with for opportunities, without having to worry about being professional. You may just find that by networking close to home, you can find your next job lead in no time.

Join Clubs, Organizations or Advisory Boards

Making strides in a local or national club is another route that you can take to network your way to a great job. For instance, if you're in the IT field, you might want to join The Association of Information Technology Professionals (AITP) to make connections and learn the ins and outs of your field. And if you career choice is accounting, you might want to join the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA).

If you're already a professional in your field and are looking for new opportunities, you can always join the advisory board of one of your local organizations. For instance, if you're working in the field of communication and want to raise your stakes as a professional, you can vie for a spot on the advisory board of Girl Scouts of America where you will be able to show your community service efforts and meet important people at the same time.

Try Online Networking

A newer form of networking that has proven to be successful in acquiring employment is online social networking. Whether you're participating in fun sites like Myspace and Facebook, or professional sites like LinkedIn, you will find that many recruiters are locating candidates through this online vehicle. It's good to research sites that recruiters visit most, check out blogs, and learn the culture before diving in. That way, if you set up a website profile or participate on message boards, you will be able to make the best first impression possible every time.

Networking is a great way to create new opportunities in your field. So conduct your research, make your connections, and get those opportunities started. In no time at all, you'll see that your efforts will begin to pay off.

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. Looking for resume writers? Check out reviews of the top resume services in the industry at http://www.resumelines.com.

Posted by Heather Eagar on November 20, 2008 at 7:09 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

It's not news that many people around the U.S. have been laid off and many more are concerned about job security. I was talking to my friend Scott Ingram about this situation the other day and Scott mentioned a great piece of advice that he gives to folks who have lost jobs: when you aren't actively job searching use the time you used to spend working to volunteer for a cause that is meaningful to you. Keeping busy while meeting new people is a great way to keep your spirits up while also networking and showcasing some of your skills in a non-aggressive way.

I know someone who was fired from a job about 6 or 7 years ago. I don't really know the circumstances of the job loss but I know it was emotional for this person whom I will refer to as "Z". Z was/is single and had saved a lot of money so he was able to live for about 2 years off savings and by selling stock. He said he was looking for a job and I even redid his resume in such a way that it wasn't obvious that he was unemployed. For some reason he was never able to find a job; I don't know if he was even searching for a job but he says he was. He claimed to have even submitted applications at places like Loews and Home Depot but he still had no luck finding a job.

Over the past few years Z has become increasingly isolated, has given up things he used to enjoy (like going to movies), has gained a lot of weight, is probably an alcoholic, and has become bitter, angry, and is, frankly, no fun to be around. As far as I can tell he is no longer looking for a job and is just living off his father; of course he has no money of his own after being unemployed for so long. Z spends all his time alone with his dog. At age 36 it seems like a ridiculous (and preventable) situation for Z to find himself in.

I am relating this story because I think that what happened to Z could happen to almost anyone who lets him or herself get depressed about a job loss (or any traumatic incident). Z's depression has happened in increments. When he left his job he was sad but he was excited about taking a little time off from what had been a tiring and demanding job. But he spent too much time alone, was not engaged in his community, did not have a group of friends to turn to for support, did not have any particular hobbies or interests, and he stopped taking care of himself.

Eventually, like a snowball rolling down a hill, circumstances and behaviors have culminated in Z becoming an isolated, angry individual who's technical and social skills have atrophied to the point that he is probably unemployable.

Don't let this happen to you. Take Scott's advice and, if you are laid off, get out of the house and volunteer at any nonprofit you can find. Soup kitchens, churches, food banks, meals-on-wheels, animal rescue, or women's shelters - pick the worthy cause of your choice. Extroverts will find this easier and more fun than many introverts will but whether you are a "people person" or not you have to force yourself to get yourself engaged with other people when you are unemployed. If you don't you could easily slide into a depression which will make it impossible for you to find a job.

Don't be embarrassed that you lost a job - it happens to everyone at some point. Spend some time each day engaged in a job search and networking but also try to step away from your worries for a little while and offer help to others. You will distract yourself from your situation and you will also find that whatever your troubles there is someone else in the world worse off than you are. You will be able to practice acts of kindness while meeting other people who may wind up becoming friends or who might know of job leads for you.

Resist the temptation to isolate yourself and wallow in self pity. When times are tough you need a support group of some sort to help you keep your sanity. Volunteering is a great way to build a network and support system while helping others.

Article by Liz Handlin and courtesy of Ultimate Resumes

Posted by Candice Arnold on November 18, 2008 at 9:16 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

Earlier today, I received a phone message from a caller who offered this:

A recruiter just said these words to me: If you're so good, how come your resume is so bad? Apparently, the recruiter had gone on to say to the caller that he was having a hard time figuring out the candidate's resume story.

Is your resume working for you, or against you? Is your resume helping you generate interviews or is it hurting your chances of getting hooked up with a potential employer? Are you making it easy for someone to get you and your story, or are you making it hard for yourself to get noticed in a sea of talent?

Small things. Big things. Details. Things you don't even know that you're doing can get you ruled out and the bad news, sad news for you is this: you don't even know it! You don't even know that time and again your resume gets passed over by what you don't say, by what you don't include, by what you don't express. Therefore, it is no surprise that you can't and won't get noticed by virtue of what you are and aren't doing. Here's a quick exercise you can do as a self-check of your resume:

Take a look at your existing resume document, then ask yourself these five simple questions in a matter of five seconds - GO!

1. Will the reader know within one second my name and how to get in touch with me?

2. Will the reader know within one second my target goal?

3. Will the reader know within one second why I can do the job I say I am interested in doing?

4. Will the reader know within one second where I'm currently working (or most recently worked) and my bottom-line contributions and career successes?

5. Will the reader know within one second the nature and extent of my education?

Stop! Time's up -- your five seconds are over. Did you pass go? Are you in or out, from the reader's perspective? Even if you allot five seconds per question, the point is, your resume reader doesn't have a lot of time to devote to figuring you out. Maybe they're overwhelmed with other resumes, e-mails, information, text, paperwork, documentation, meetings, and who knows what else. What can you do to make the reader's life less complicated, not more complicated as it pertains to you and your resume story?

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 November 17, 2008 at 2:17 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

The world of job recruiting has changed drastically in recent years. Whereas in the past, the route to securing employment was simply getting your resume together and responding to help-wanted ads - or even getting approached by a headhunter - now much of the recruitment process is taken care of on the Internet.

Both recruiters and job seekers are finding that by mingling with one another through mediums like online social networks, they can accomplish their combined goal of getting a person employed. It is for this reason that taking the time to understand social networks is beneficial, especially if you're actively seeking employment. So let's take a closer look at this new and exciting aspect of job recruiting.

What are Online Social Networks?

Very similar to the idea of the traditional social network, an online social network offers a space on the Internet where individuals with similar interests or agendas can congregate to share ideas, insights, and help one another achieve goals. Before, you may have found yourself joining a national collegiate fraternity or sorority, or even a club or organization in your community, to achieve this type of networking experience. But now, organizations and groups with a similar purpose have moved onto the Internet, affording more people from around the country the opportunity to network.

Utilizing Online Social Networks to Your Benefit

So what can an online social network do for you? Along with fraternizing with your peers, they are great for helping you find employment. Job seekers are becoming increasingly aware that many recruiters spend time searching popular social networking websites like LinkedIn, Myspace, Plaxo and Facebook to interact with and often times recruit new job candidates. So to make themselves findable for recruitment, they congregate in those places.

If you are serious about finding employment, it is in your best interest to join one or more of these online social networking sites. There you can post your resume and give other useful information about yourself that will offer insight into your qualifications. Once you've posted your resume, you can visit field-specific blogs on these sites or in other places. Just like with social networking sites, recruiters often choose this avenue to seek out candidates and make employment invitations.

Carefully Monitor Your Social Networking Behavior

While online social networks are great places to find career opportunities, you should definitely be aware of your actions while there. Fun-filled sites like Myspace and Facebook can easily lure you into their excitement; however, if your purpose is to be seen by recruiters, you might find yourself projecting a non-professional image. To avoid this from happening, remember not to post unflattering pictures of activities you partake in with your buddies on your profile. And ask your friends to refrain from leaving risqué comments on your page. Since your main goal is to make your profile as professional as possible, you don't want to give recruiters any reason to second-guess your qualifications.

The opportunities to secure employment with the click of a mouse are better than ever. So before you print off you next resume or think about going to a job fair, consider joining a professional online social network. You may just find that your next employment connection will be right on the other side of your computer screen.

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. Check out reviews of the top resume services in the industry at http://www.resumelines.com.

Posted by Heather Eagar on November 13, 2008 at 2:15 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

Written By Jimmy Sweeney
President of CareerJimmy and author of the new
Amazing Cover Letter Creator

Think of your cover letter as a knock on the door. When someone opens the door you're standing there ready to introduce yourself and to share your qualifications for the job opening. This is a proactive, direct way to win attention, but also the smart way. Hiring managers are busy. If you want to get noticed you must be clear and direct, positive and professional.

Here's a unique cover letter tip for this tough job market: Tie your cover letter to your resume by mentioning a particular skill or accomplishment the hiring manager can relate to for his company. For example, suppose you are applying for a job as a regional manager of a retail shoe company. You've had excellent experience training sales people and retaining them. Turnover is low and morale is high under your leadership, thus affecting the bottom line in a positive, profitable way.

You could bring this information to the attention of the
hiring manager in this clever and effective way:

I would welcome meeting with you to discuss your need for a regional manager in the area where my family and I will be moving on September 1. I've been a shoe store manager for three years and during my time with The Right Fit shoe store I have trained five new salespeople who have remained with me the entire time. One salesman, Mike Johnson, was so enthusiastic about his job he gave me permission to quote him. "I can't imagine a more pleasant place to work. I like the people here, especially Mark Smith, the manager, and I can earn a good living." Now Mike Johnson is ready to assume my position when I leave!

As you can see from this paragraph, the job hunter, Mark Smith, is making clear to the hiring manager, his own qualifications, as well as the benefit to the company he hopes to work for by using a testimonial from an employee he has worked with at his previous job. If you were the hiring manager wouldn't you want to interview this individual? I certainly would. He not only sounds like a nice guy--but one who knows how to train and retain sales people which increases staff morale and revenue for the company.

A well-written cover letter tied to the accompanying resume in this fashion is certain to win an interview for the writer. Try it for yourself and then get ready to answer the phone.

Jimmy Sweeney is the president of CareerJimmy and author of the 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 Jimmy on the web at Amazing Cover Letters.com for your 'instant' cover letter today. In just 1/2 minutes you will have an amazing cover letter guaranteed to cut through YOUR competition like a hot knife through butter!

Posted by Candice Arnold on November 12, 2008 at 8:32 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

It can be a nerve-wrecking prospect to think about your impending job interview. What will you say? How will you dress? What if the interviewer asks questions for which you don't know the answers? These are all questions you may run through your mind before ever meeting the prospective employer.

But while interviews can be intimidating, they don't have to be feared - especially if you come equipped with the right knowledge. So let's look at three tips that can help you place the job you want in the palm of your hands.

Tip #1: Conduct Practice Q&A Sessions

Before you ever set foot on the property of your prospective employer, it is important that you mentally prepare for the challenge you're up against. Being that you've never interviewed before, it may seem impossible to prepare for the unknown. But luckily for you, there are bound to be some individuals in your life who have been on job interviews. So give them a job of helping you prepare.

A good way to start your preparation is by first conducting some research on the company you are interested in working for. After you've learned the company's overall mission, what they look for in employees, and most importantly, what they want in the hiring position, you can give this information to your helper. Then he or she can compose interview questions, have you show up for the mock interview in full attire, and ask the questions so that you can begin to feel comfortable with the process.

Tip #2: Dress for Success

This is probably one of the more important aspects of interviewing for any position, no matter how casual you think it might be. The prospective employer wants to confirm how serious you are about the job, something that is partially accomplished by dressing up in business attire for the interview.

While this may seem to be common sense to some, there are many newcomers to the world of interviewing who show up wearing khaki pants or low-cut tops. So if you already knew that wearing a business suit (clean with no wrinkles) is the way to go, good job. But if you were just about to walk out of the door in your T-shirt and khakis, you may want to go change your clothes.

Tip #3: Speak from the Heart

Starting off in your practice Q&A session, and eventually transitioning into your actual interview, it is important that you place personal value on your decision to apply for the job. If you go into the interview thinking that you won't like the job, the interviewer might sense the apprehension and pass you up for the position. However, if you come in genuinely enthusiastic about the position, it will be much easier for you to find the right words to express that enthusiasm.

If you follow these three tips, you'll be that much closer to securing the job of your dreams. So practice, practice, practice with your Q&A session, go buy a suit that makes you feel comfortable, and go to the interview with great passion. You'll see that your budding confidence in your interviewing skills will skyrocket in time for your very first interview.

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. If you need a resume writer, compare the top companies in the industry at http://www.resumelines.com.

Posted by Heather Eagar on November 6, 2008 at 11:18 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

I graduated college nearly 20 years ago and since then I have witnessed many ups and downs in our economy. It has been my observation that when times are good some people are more willing to extend themselves to others than they are when the economy is not so strong. I have noticed this particularly when it comes to networking because I make it a practice to try to connect my clients and friends with any of my contacts who might be able to help them in their job searches. And by "contacts" I mean recruiters, professional colleagues, former co-workers, personal friends, acquaintances, and individuals for whom I have done favors in the past.

When the economy is strong it seems that my contacts are more willing to engage in phone conversations or even meet with job seekers whom I refer to them. [I should mention that I don't make random referrals - referrals are always well thought out and are appropriately introduced once permission is obtained.] On the other hand when people start to fear for their jobs or when the economy heads downhill it seems that they become reluctant to take any time to talk to people who are in the job market. My theory is that when people don't know of any job openings they can feel uncomfortable about talking to someone who is looking for a job. I am not sure why this is but it's a trend I have noticed and I don't like it.

From personal experience I have found that when you extend yourself, even in a small way, to someone who needs a job you have made a friend for life. When I was a recruiter at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago back in 1990, many years before I started my resume writing business, I used to rewrite resumes for good candidates who walked in the door with badly written resumes. To this day, many of those people are still my friends and colleagues. I also returned all candidate phone calls including the dreaded rejection phone calls that I hated making. You know what? I found that while no one likes to hear that they won't be getting a job offer they would rather have a definitive answer than to be ignored.

I also used to refer good candidates who didn't receive offers from my company to contacts in other companies - you can't imagine how appreciative candidates were for a 2 minute phone call that I made on their behalf. A couple of those candidates have become very rich, successful, and powerful in their respective industries and guess what? They still remember a small kindness in stark contrast to other folks who ignored them or treated them disrespectfully when they were in need of a little help. Now that I have my own business, those people who had nothing to offer me back in 1990 but whom I treated with respect and kindness, send me many referrals.

These days a lot of people are nervous about the economy in general and their jobs in particular so they are starting to get their resumes together. Some people are also just starting to network which, of course, they should have been doing when times were good. But since they didn't I guess they have to start somewhere.

I have recently tried to connect a couple of my clients with some of my connections and my emails have either been ignored or I have gotten a reply that says something like this, "No, I don't want to talk to your client because I don't really know of any jobs in accounting right now. I think I was just lucky when I got my job recently. Sorry." This really annoys me because the contacts to whom I am referring are people whom I have connected with members of my network when they needed it. Quid pro quo my friends.

That is really what is driving this post. When times are tough you have to make the time to help others if you can. If you don't who do think will help you when you are in need? What comes around really does go around.

Yes, its tough to talk to someone who wants to work for your company when there are no job openings. But so what? You aren't responsible for creating jobs...all you have to do is listen and spend few minutes sharing whatever you know about your company or the job market or whatever it is the job seeker is asking about. You are just one link in the chain of contacts and information that a job seeker is gathering on his/her way to finding a new job.

Take the time (even if you think you don't have information to share) to be as helpful as you can to job seekers referred to you. Most of the time you will find that your 15 minute investment was time well spent. People in need are very grateful for the help they get and they often have very long memories.

Article by Liz Handlin and courtesy of Ultimate Resumes

Posted by Candice Arnold on November 4, 2008 at 9:01 AM | Leave a Comment (0)