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Your #Career : #Unemployed – 5 Ways to Make Money in the Middle of a #ResumeGap …A resume gap might seem a Bit Scary to Navigate, But it Doesn’t Have to Be.

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A resume gap might seem a bit scary to navigate, but it doesn’t have to be. Whether you were already planning time off between jobs or lost your job due to an uncontrollable circumstance, there are ways to take control of the situation — and still earn money and valuable experience while searching for your next career opportunity.

Here are five ways to make a resume gap work for you.

1. Become a Freelancer

There’s a freelance job for virtually every line of work: copywriting, social media management, product design, graphic design — the list goes on. Search for freelance jobs relevant to your career field, and work on your own time.

The good thing about freelance gigs is that, generally, they’re flexible. If you’re busy applying for full-time jobs, freelance work gives you the freedom you need to attend interviews at all times of the day while still earning extra money.

See Open Freelancer Jobs 

2. Work as a Consultant

In today’s digital world, it’s easier than ever to start your own business. You can work as a consultant for another company or create your own consulting gig. This type of work exists in many different fields, and it’s important to pick a niche where you have deep knowledge and experience on a subject.

While that path to becoming a consultant might differ depending on your field, it’s essential that you build your brand and start networking to be successful. Consulting can be a good option if your gap between jobs will be a prolonged period, such as a year or longer. This way, you have the right amount of time to build up a client base and obtain even more skills to list on your resume.

See Open Consultant Jobs 

3. Develop Your Own Business

Do you have a hobby or skill people would pay for? Maybe you bake delicious cakes or are good at detailing cars. Armed with those skills, talk to friends and family, and start advertising your services.

If people will pay for something you typically offer for free or do as a favor, hone in on that and market yourself as a legitimate business. Make some cheap business cards and get your name out there!

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What Skill Sets do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

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4. Join the Gig Economy

The infinitely growing gig economy is a great way to supplement your income, even if a task won’t necessarily benefit your career. Look into pet sitting, ride sharing, delivering groceries or even renting out a spare room on Airbnb. Don’t feel like leaving the house? No worries; you can still make money from the comfort of your own home through methods like investing in real estate on the web, working as an online bookkeeper or selling old items you don’t use anymore.

If you think earning an income through the gig economy is right for you, keep up your professional life by going to networking events, volunteering or interning part-time. These events can still be listed on your resume while you earn an income with other jobs on the side.

See Open Lyft Driver Jobs 

5. Learn a New Skill

This might not make you much money right now, but learning something new you can put on a resume could mean more money in a future job. Maybe you’re only somewhat familiar with CRMs — take a course and master Salesforce, and you’ll quickly become the go-to person in your next office.

Better yet, learn some HTML or CSS coding from a free online resource. Or look into Coursera or Poynter’s News University, where you could earn certifications in fields such as marketing, journalism and online media.

6 Classes That Will Help You Add In-Demand Skills to Your Resume

Three Tips for Addressing a Resume Gap

Ready to enter the workforce again? Here are a few helpful tips for mentioning a gap on your resume or in an interview.

  • Address the gap clearly. Instead of ignoring it or waiting for the interviewer to ask about it, talk about your resume gap and anything relevant to the job you did during that time. If it was parental leave, state you wanted to be home to take care of your child. It’s all about being honest — addressing the gap head-on during the interview will get you further than not being straightforward about your job history.
  • Prepare what you’ll say ahead of time. Frame your job gap as productive time away from the office. Did you stay home with the kids and manage all the bills? Talk about how you became proficient in Excel and learned how to budget. Did you choose to take a sabbatical and travel the world? Discuss how adaptable you are and how much you learned by immersing yourself in a foreign culture.
  • Keep it positive. Regardless of whether or not you were let go or left of your own accord, position the circumstance in a positive way. Instead of saying you had problems with your previous manager, talk about what you learned about yourself as a professional, and what you do and don’t want out of a workplace.

You don’t have to be afraid of your resume gap. Leverage this time and use it to your advantage — learn relevant skills, get a certification in your field or explore new career opportunities. Good luck!

Jacquelyn Pica is a writer at The Penny Hoarder. Find her on Twitter @JacquelynTPH.

 

Glassdoor.com | May 7, 2018 | Jacquelyn Pica

Your #Career : How Power Words Can Help You Land Your Dream Job… There’s No Silver Bullet to Get you the Job you Want, but Power Words Might Be the Closest Thing.

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What are power words, you ask? Power words are buzzwords and special phrases that signal to a company that you’re on their wavelength. Use them to tailor your application to a specific company and show that you know their mission, their approach and their values — and that you’ve done your homework.

These are the words that they’re watching for to find out which applicants are best suited to join the team.

Why Power Words Are Your Friends

Power words are like hypnosis. Use the words your potential employers want to hear and they’ll come knocking at your door.

Okay, it’s a bit more complicated than that. But the right power words can help your resume stand out, and that can give you the edge you need to get the job.

Here’s why. Some companies use an Applicant Tracking System (ATS), which searches resumes for certain keywords and forwards only the resumes of candidates who jam-packed their applications with the power words companies are looking for.

And for companies that do have a human reading applications, that human is often trying to get through a lot of resumes in a short time. They may not be a computer, but they will have superbly trained eyes that speedily scan for buzzwords and phrases.

So, the better you train yourself to use those words and phrases, the more your resume will stand out.

How to Use Keywords to Make a Resume Recruiters Notice

How do you find the right power words to make your resume pop? Try these tips to find and use power words in any job application.

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What Skill Sets do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

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Get Power Word Gems from the Job Description

A big, juicy job description is like a math textbook with the answers in the back. It lists the requirements, skills and daily tasks of the job you’re applying for, so all you need to do is say that you meet those requirements, have those skills and are up to that set of daily tasks. Piece of cake, right?

Of course, you don’t want to copy the job description word for word. Instead, imagine which words and phrases would be highlighted. Those are your power words. As you write your resume and your cover letter, work the words from the job description into your description of who you are and what you do.

For example, if the job description says you’ll “influence strategic decisions by working with cross-functional partners,” you might include phrases like “guided strategy,” “engaged in cross-functional collaboration,” or “coordinated decision-making with multiple teams.” By using some of the same words and some synonyms, you demonstrate that you can do what they’re asking, and you have the smarts to phrase it in a different way.

Select Company-Specific Power Words

You’re not just applying to do a job; you’re applying to work at a company. While applying, make sure you familiarize yourself with the company and what makes it unique, and incorporate some of that information in your application materials.

How do you find that information? Most job descriptions include some information about the company, and sometimes explain why that job is important to that company’s development. Use that information to explain why you’re not just a good fit for the daily work; you’re a good fit for the company culture, too.

You can expand on that by looking at the “about” information on the company website and its mission statement, if it has one. For example, if the mission involves “introducing our product to a global market,” you can mention how your abilities will suit you to developing the product, and also how reaching an international audience is something you value.

Double benefit: you show that your skills suit the work you’ll be doing, and that your personality is in line with what the company is trying to accomplish overall.

Use Industry Jargon (Appropriately)

A/B testing. Malfeasance. Amortization. Socratic method. SEO, UX, UI.

Doesn’t matter if you’re a marketer, lawyer, teacher or techie: every industry has its jargon. Get a handle on the specific words people in your line of business use to describe the work they do, because guess what? Those are power words! In your resume and cover letter, include jargon that shows that you not only know how the industry works but also how it talks.

But strike a balance: show what you know, but don’t make your writing so chock-full of jargon that there’s no sign of a human in there.

How To Decode Job Opening Jargon

Pick Verbs with Verve

Verbs will help you express yourself, convey your skills and win at life. See how great verbs are?

Most resumes are essentially souped-up lists of stuff you did. And it sounds a lot better to say you orchestrated, designed, spearheaded or led instead of just did. That’s right: most power words are power verbs.

Now you know why power words can help you land a job, where to look for the right power words in the job and company descriptions and how to show what you can do with the right set of vivacious verbs. But which verbs in particular, you might ask?

If you need more tips on seeking superb synonyms to power up your resume, we’ve got a handy list of 65 powerful words to take your resume to the next level. So now that you know how power words work, find your favorites and get them working for you.

 

 

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Your #Career : #CareerAdvice – Help! I’m #Overqualified — What Do I Do? ….In these Situations, your Context will Influence your Course of Action. Let’s Examine What you Can Do When you’re Considered to be Overqualified.

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Demonstrate how a role will help you develop, and show how you can be an asset, then don’t let a recruiter persuade you that you’re overqualified! Remember, you need to maintain your confidence throughout the process and let your resiliency guide you as you continue your search!

When it comes to job searching, we often hear how difficult it can be for recent graduates, who are somehow expected to have years of experience straight out of school, to even be considered for an entry-level position. What happens when the situation is reversed, and your years of experience begin to work against you? How can job seekers set themselves up for success when recruiters keep telling them they are overqualified for positions they’re interested in?

Hiring managers might challenge you by saying you’ll be bored and leave for a better-suited position, or your compensation expectations won’t be met.

In these situations, your context will influence your course of action. Let’s examine what you can do when you’re considered to be overqualified.

Situation #1: You’ve relocated or have been laid off

How to Respond: Highlight the win-win situation

Here, you must explain your motivation for applying to a position that you might seem “overqualified” for on paper. Highlight “how the organization can benefit from your experience, and how taking this position can advance your own skill set,” says Alan Zelnicker, executive recruiter. If the job scope is more narrow and the compensation is less than your old position, you must emphasize what you can contribute in terms of added value and what you can get from the role.

How to Respond: Make an important mind shift

Going into any interview, you should always project confidence and take on the mindset that recruiters are getting a great deal from you, rather than going in feeling like you’re overqualified for the job. You have to drive the power seat and never feel like you’re getting the short end of the stick. Instead, adopt the mindset that any company would be lucky to have you! Without seeming arrogant, remind recruiters that the learning curve involved with your onboarding will be cut in half, leaving you more time to learn the organization, and giving you a competitive edge!

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What Skill Sets do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

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How to Respond: Re-evaluate compensation

Managing expectations around compensation is a separate conversation. You need to be realistic and accept that sometimes you’ll need to take a step back. Whenever possible, make a direct touch point with the hiring manager over the phone to talk about compensation. This way, you can form a personal connection, and you can articulate all that you have to offer. As mentioned before, what is the win-win negotiation for you that makes taking a pay cut worthwhile?

Ask a Resume Writer: Why Are Employers Calling Me Overqualified?

Situation #2: You’re switching careers/industries

How to Respond: Highlight your new career path

It is not uncommon for people to switch industries or careers. In fact, millennials report switching jobs 4 times in their first 10 years out of school. When working with recruiters, highlight any new credentials you’ve earned to demonstrate your commitment towards this new path you’re taking. Emphasize your desire to learn and retrain to create a new path forward for yourself.

How to Respond: Emphasize the rudimentary

Though you may have 20 years of experience in one field, you must demonstrate to recruiters that you’re ready to check your ego at the door and learn about a whole new world. That being said, relevant and rudimentary skills can always be transferable and should be considered as your added value.

How Do I Showcase Transferable Skills?

How to Respond: Know your worth

When discussing salary, make sure to mention that you’ve done your research, you’re aware of the industry standards, and are comfortable with what these types of roles typically offer.

“Fall seven times, stand up eight.” –Japanese proverb

What not to do: The worst thing you could do is tell a recruiter you’ll take anything just to get a job. Though this often may be the truth, people want to see that you possess the right enthusiasm and fit for the role. You must always sell your skills and highlight how you are the perfect candidate for the job.

Your resume: If you’re having trouble getting through the door and you think your resume might be the culprit, there are some workarounds to try:

  1. If your resume demonstrates work dating back more than 10 years, consider consolidating your experience and only keeping what is still relevant today
  2. If you have multiple designations and education, consider only keeping what is relevant to the job you’re applying for and removing anything that is redundant
  3. Consider reformatting your resume in a way that tells a new story

If you can demonstrate how a role will help you develop, and show how you can be an asset, then don’t let a recruiter persuade you that you’re overqualified! Remember, you need to maintain your confidence throughout the process and let your resiliency guide you as you continue your search!

Stacy Pollack is a Learning Specialist with an MA in educational technology. She loves to share her perspective on job hunting, career building, and networking for success. Connect with her on LinkedIn or Twitter.

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Your #Career : 8 Books every #JobHunter should Read Before Sending out #Résumés ….These Books Go Beyond the Nuts & Bolts of #JobSearching (#Interviewing, #RésuméWriting ) & Help Readers Find their True Passion & Motivation.

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  • The job search process can be confusing and intimidating, not least because you’re trying to choose from a seemingly infinite number of potential career trajectories.
  • Plenty of authors have published guides for overwhelmed job seekers. We selected seven of the best.
  • These books go beyond the nuts and bolts of job searching (interviewing, résumé-writing) and help readers find their true passion and motivation.

It doesn’t matter whether you’re a college student or a mid-level professional — making a career change can be intimidating.

Get some guidance from the pros.

Sure, sending out cover letters and going on job interviews is panic-inducing. But perhaps the scarier part is figuring out what you really want to do and how you can best contribute to the world.

The good news is you’re hardly the first job-seeker to find yourself in this position. There are tons of books geared toward people just like you. Below, we’ve highlighted seven of the best, so you can launch into your job search with confidence.

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‘Designing Your Life’ by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans

'Designing Your Life' by Bill Burnett and Dave EvansAmazon

This book, by two Stanford professors of engineering, is a bestseller for a reason: It’s at once reassuring, empowering, and enlightening for anyone in the throes of the job-search process.

The most important takeaway is that there isn’t just one career path out there for you. You probably have lots of passions, and you can definitely have lots of jobs.

The authors share anecdotes alongside exercises to help you figure out which careers would suit you best — like “mind mapping” and “Odyssey planning.” It’s a fun and very actionable read that helps you see the careers forest for the trees.

Find it here »

‘How to Win Friends and Influence People’ by Dale Carnegie

'How to Win Friends and Influence People' by Dale CarnegieAmazon

Nearly a century after its original publication, this book continues to be a megahit among people looking to be better with … people.

In fact, Warren Buffett says the book helped him overcome his social awkwardness and ultimately changed his life, Business Insider’sRichard Feloni reported.

The late Carnegie advises readers on how to have smoother interactions with others — perhaps most importantly, by letting them talk about themselves. Feloni rounded up some of the other core lessons, like acknowledge your own mistakes and avoid criticizing, condemning, or complaining.

Whether you’re gearing up for job interviews or networking events, Carnegie’s classic advice is a must-read.

Find it here »

 

‘Pivot’ by Jenny Blake

'Pivot' by Jenny BlakeAmazon

Blake is a former Googler who’s “pivoted” — i.e. changed career directions — multiple times, once when she was working at the tech giant, and again when she left to launch her consulting business. And she knows how scary it can be.

“Pivot” guides readers who are confused, intimidated, or just plain curious through the step-by-step process of figuring out what you should do next — and then doing it. She’s nothing if not cautious, telling readers they should run some tests to make sure, for example, their startup idea is viable or this is really their passion.

Blake also has advice on building your network without feeling slimy, by “drafting,” or taking on extra projects from someone who works in your desired field. It’s a practical, highly re-readable guide for anyone at any stage.

Find it here »

‘The New Rules of Work’ by Alex Cavoulacos and Kathryn Minshew

'The New Rules of Work' by Alex Cavoulacos and Kathryn MinshewAmazon

If you’re looking for people who “get” the modern-day job search — and how frustrating it can be — look no further.

Cavoulacos and Minshew are the cofounders, and COO and CEO, respectively, of popular career advice and job listings site The Muse. In “The New Rules of Work,” they break down the process of landing your dream job into accessible steps, from networking to interviewing to moving up the ranks at your company.

Some highlights from the book: a template for cold-emailingsomeone at your dream company, a fresh take on post-interview thank-you notes, and advice on how tokeep from stagnating in your current role.

Find it here »

‘What Color Is Your Parachute?’

'What Color Is Your Parachute?'Amazon

The most popular job-search guide ever has been revised every year to reflect the realities of modern work.

The late Bolles (who was an Episcopalian minister) covers the basics — résumé writing, interviewing, networking — but also helps readers pinpoint their ideal career through the “Flower Exercise.”

Barbara Safani, president of the career-management firm Career Solvers, told The New York Timesin 2014 that the book has stayed relevant because Bolles “focuses not only on the job search process but the emotional and psychological side” of job hunting.

Find it here »

‘Insight’ by Tasha Eurich

'Insight' by Tasha EurichAmazon

Before you head into a job interview and start pitching yourself to a hiring manager, you’ll need to get a better handle on who exactly you are, in terms of your strengths and weaknesses.

Eurich is an organizational psychologist who helps people overcome obstacles to professional success — and the biggest one, she argues, is being oblivious to your flaws and mistakes. The problem? Self-awareness is key to success at work.

“Insight” guides readers through the process of knowing themselves just a little bit better. Each chapter juxtaposes an anecdote about a struggling client Eurich has coached with relevant scientific research, and ends with some practical exercises readers can use in their everyday lives.

These exercises — like inviting someone to a meal and asking them to tell you everything that’s wrong with you— take courage. But Eurich’s experience suggests that, if you do take her advice, you’ll be better positioned to advance in your career.

Find it here »

‘Why We Work’ by Barry Schwartz

'Why We Work' by Barry SchwartzAmazon

In this relatively short read, Schwartz, a psychologist at Swarthmore College, explains how human motivation works — and doesn’t work.

Schwartz argues that people are motivated by purpose and meaning, i.e. the chance to achieve great things. There’s no evidence to suggest people are motivated primarily by money. But most companies — from education to law — incentivize workers with financial rewards anyway.

As you’re moving into the next phase of your career, you’ll want to learn more about what makes employees excel and what makes an organization great. Schwartz’s insights are invaluable in that domain.

Find it here »

 

Bonus Read: Resume DNA by John Singer

For every position that interests you there are dozens, possibly hundreds of applicants. You need to make yourself stand out — but how? Resume DNA: Succeeding in Spite of Yourself is a practical blueprint for navigating your way through a complicated, competitive job market.

You’ll learn to identify the qualities that distinguish you from your competition, write cover letters and resumes that demonstrate why you’re a good fit, deliver an opening statement that enables you to control the interview, work your network and pilot a proactive search in the “unpublished” job market, and much more. With humor and warm encouragement, Resume DNA: Succeeding in Spite of Yourself reminds you of what you’ve already accomplished . . . and teaches you how to leverage those accomplishments as you make your way up the career ladder.

Find it here: https://www.amazon.com/Resume-DNA-Succeeding-Spite-Yourself/dp/1627873848

 

Businessinsider.com | March 13, 2018 | Shana Lebowitz

 

Your #Career : 7 Ways to Make Your #Resume Easier for #Recruiters to Process…So, like Anyone Faced with a Whole Lot to Do, Recruiters take Shortcuts. Instead of Looking through Every Single Application Carefully

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Getting recruiters to thoroughly read your resume is a luxury you have to earn. By making your resume more skimmable for recruiters, you’ll position yourself as a strong candidate worthy of being taken seriously.

It’s easy to think that after all the work you’ve put into perfecting your resume, recruiters will at least spend the time to thoroughly reading it through from start to finish. Unfortunately, this is usually not the case. Recruiters are generally very busy. Resume writing blogger and long-time recruiter Steve Wang says,

“During my more busy weeks, sometimes I have to fill as many as 15 positions at once, and when each position gets over a hundred applicants, I can only afford to spend a minute or two on each resume.”

So, like anyone faced with a whole lot to do, recruiters take shortcuts. Instead of looking through every single application carefully, they’ll simply skim through each resume to see which ones might be worth taking a closer look at. Because of this, it’s crucial that even a quick glance at your resume will leave readers awestruck. With this in mind, here are some techniques you can dish out to make your resume super easy for recruiters to skim through and understand.

Use Standard Headings

I get it, you want to get fancy with your headings to stand out from the pack, but doing so can have the unintended consequence of making your resume way harder to skim. Recruiters are used to reading the same old headers over and over again. If you change “Work Experience” to “Work Background”, that can throw off a recruiter’s rhythm – even if it’s just a little. So when it comes to resume headings, stick with what is tried and true.

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Question: Want the ‘the best/current articles/blogs on the web’ on Job Search, Resume, Advancing/Changing your Career, or simply Managing People?

Answer: Simply go to our FSC Career Blog below & type(#career, #leadership, #life) in Blog Search:  https://www.firstsun.com/fsc-career-blog/

What Skill Sets do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

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Digitize Your Numbers

When it’s time to decide whether to spell out numbers on your resume, you might find yourself in a dilemma where you’re unsure whether to use APA or MLA style rules to approach this common concern. While it’s great that you’re paying attention to this type of detail, it’s a lot simpler than you think. Just write your numbers as digits to make information like numerical achievements nice and easy to spot. Whether you follow APA or MLA protocol is the least of anyone’s concerns here.

How to Find a Job in 72 Hours

List All Your Skills Separately

Some job applicants like to intertwine their skills with their job experience. If they used skills A, B, and C while working for Job X, they’ll mention those skills in the same section of the resume that describes the job. While this is certainly a fine way to format your resume, it’s still important to have a separate section that lists out all your skills in their entirety. 

Use Short Bullet Points

One to two lines is an okay length for bullet points. If they get any longer though, not only will your resume become more difficult to understand, but it can also hint that you’re trying to get at too many different things at once. Instead, keep your bullet points short, sweet, and to the point.

Avoid 99% of Resume Mistakes with This Simple Checklist

Choose the Right Template

Some resume templates do a far better job than others at making your content aesthetically pleasing and easy to understand. Make sure that the template you use is taking full advantage of techniques like bolding, USING ALL CAPS, italics, underlining, and even colors to make information like job titles, company names, and dates more distinguishable from one another. Here’s what I mean:

Job title, Company Name, New York, NY May 2016 – Present

This would be considered hard to read. While everything is bolded and italicized to differentiate the entire line from the rest of the resume, individually the job title, company name, location, and date are hard to distinguish.

Job title, Company Name, NEW YORK, NY May 2016 – Present

Here the formatting is far superior. The job title, company name, location, and date all have their own unique style, which makes everything much easier to discern.

If you’re ever unsure about whether a particular resume template might be easier to skim than another, simply test them out by skimming them yourself.

Align Dates to the Right

Keeping all your dates to the right allows you to create a clear timeline of your resume. If a recruiter wants to check to see if you have any work gaps, all the recruiter needs to do is look over to the right and all the dates will be lined up as clear as day.

Here’s What the Perfect Resume Looks Like

Begin Each Job Description with a Summary

In some cases, even though each individual bullet point on a resume may be easy to comprehend, sometimes they don’t paint a clear picture of the job applicant collectively when put together. This difficulty is exacerbated when bullet points describe assorted one-off achievements at a particular job. To alleviate this issue, it’s often a good idea to use your first bullet point to give a short summary describing what the core of your job is all about. This way, recruiters can better contextualize how your later bullet points fit into the bigger picture of what you do.

Getting recruiters to thoroughly read your resume is a luxury you have to earn. By making your resume more skimmable for recruiters, you’ll position yourself as a strong candidate worthy of being taken seriously.

Glassdoor.com |  | Posted by 

Your #Career : Changing Careers? Here’s Exactly What To Put On Your #Resume And What to Leave Off…

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It’s not that hard to update your resume when you’re applying for the next role up the ladder in your field. You’re an associate operations manager trying to become a senior operations manager? Just show how what you’ve already done qualifies you to do similar things at a higher level.

Things get trickier when you’re trying to change industries. You’ve got to rebrand experiences here as transferable qualifications there. You need to explain why you’re a better hire than the candidate who’s spent their whole career in the field you’re trying to get into. And you’ve got to decide which parts of your experience just aren’t relevant anymore.

Figuring this out is a highly situational challenge–what works for one career changer’s resume might not work for another’s. But Erica Breuer, founder of Cake Resumes, says there are some straightforward dos and don’ts that can point you in the right direction.

DO: INCLUDE GROUP WORK

“I often work with career changers who don’t feel they have the right to include projects on their resume that were a team effort, especially when these projects fell outside of their normal job duties,” Breuer tells Fast Company. But it’s precisely those experiences you’ll want to rely on the most. “Including them, while nodding to the team-based or ‘special projects’ nature of the work is the way to go,” she says. “If it happened, it’s a fact, and it can go on your resume.”

Think of it this way: The tasks that are small, routine, or specialized enough for you to complete on your own may not be that relevant outside your industry. But bigger, collaborative projects tend to involve processes and challenges of a higher order, which draw on skills that just about every employer needs–no matter their field.

 

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What Skill Sets do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

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DON’T: FUDGE JOB TITLES

“Many career changers get the advice to tweak job titles on their resume to look like the perfect fit. This almost always backfires,” Breuer explains. “It risks looking dishonest or, worse, the self-assigned titles they create add confusion more than they align them with a new path.”

While you can’t control your past job titles, you can control how you describe what you accomplish while you held them. Breuer’s suggestion? “Add a tagline of sorts to the true job title, one that states experience related to the new career direction, for example; ‘Director of Operations—Global Recruitment & Talent Acquisition.’” This way a hiring manager in the HR field, which you’re trying to get into, can spot right away that your operations role had to do with recruiting and talent.

(SOMETIMES) DO: DITCH STRICT CHRONOLOGY IF YOU NEED TO

For job seekers with a lot of experience, it’s common to truncate anything that came before the past 15–20-year period. But Breuer says this rule doesn’t always suit, especially “when you have an early-career experience that applies to an upcoming career change. Drawing this line is important, but so is sharing the details relevant at this very moment. If you’re not doing that, the resume is pointless,” she points out.

So feel free to shake up the chronological approach if you need to. “There are a number of ways to loop early experiences back into a resume without the kitchen sink-style timeline,” says Breuer. For example, you might try breaking your work history into subcategories like “Technical Experience” and “Managerial Experience.”

DON’T: GO TOO BROAD

A final common mistake Breuer sees pretty often among job seekers hoping to change careers is “expecting their resume to do too many things at once,” she says. “They want to capture their career wins, life story, hobbies, and persona as a whole, when a resume actually functions best when it’s a compelling and conciserecord of your experiences as they pertain to the role at hand.”

When you’re worried about being under-qualified, you might be tempted to overstuff your resume to compensate. Don’t do that. The key is to give recruiters and hiring managers a clear narrative about why you’re the best fit from the role because you’d be coming at it from a nontraditional angle. No, that won’t be the full story of your career, but it will probably be the most effective one for this opportunity.

To take some of the pressure off, Breuer suggests remembering that your resume–while important–is only one piece of the self-portrait you’re presenting to employers. She adds, “It should stack with other branding platforms, such as a personal website, LinkedIn profile, or even a cover letter, in order to tell the whole story of who you are and the value you bring.”

Your #Career : Here’s What the Perfect #Resume Looks Like…. We Combed through Some of our Best #ResumeAdvice & Compiled it into One Infographic to Give you an Easy-to-Follow Outline for a Resume that will Wow #Recruiters & Hopefully, Land you the #Job of your Dreams.

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Resumes are essential to the job search, but let’s be honest: creating one is not exactly anyone’s idea of a good time. With so many conflicting pieces of advice, you might feel like you don’t know where to start or what to do. But don’t worry — this time, we’ve done the heavy lifting.

We combed through some of our best resume advice and compiled it into one infographic to give you an easy-to-follow outline for a resume that will wow recruiters and hopefully, land you the job of your dreams.

Ready for a resume revamp? Read on below!

anatomy of resume

1. Design Matters: Don’t go overboard with intricately decorated templates. Look for sufficient white space, margins of at least .7 inches, and a font size no smaller than 11 pt.

2. Be Reachable: Make it easy for recruiters to reach out to you by providing your contact info near the header.

3. Show Off Your Skills: Don’t make recruiters hunt for the most critical information on your resume — include a table of your key soft and hard skill sets up top. Make sure your highlighted skills show why you’re a good fit for the job — all the better if these are keywords from the job description.

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What Skill Sets do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

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4. List Your Experience: This section should include each company you’ve worked for, your title, the dates you worked there, and several bullet points that describe your key accomplishments and responsibilities.

5. Quantify Your Experience:  Whenever you can, use concrete data points — it helps provide recruiters with the scope and context of your work, and demonstrates how you contributed to the bottom line.

6. Include Other Positions: Don’t be afraid to include positions that aren’t directly related to the one you’re applying for, especially if you have limited work experience. You can still use it to demonstrate the skills and qualities you want highlighted.

7. Get the Grade: Many jobs require degrees or certifications, so make sure to list yours. GPA is optional, but may be worth including if you’ve graduated recently with high marks.

8. The Extra Stuff: Add some color to your resume with a short catch-all ‘Additional Experience’ section at the end. Include clubs/organizations, volunteer experience, awards you’ve won, and even interesting hobbies or activities.

9. Keep It Concise: Limit your resume to 1-2 pages at the most.

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Your #Career : Add This To Your Resume After Deleting Your “Objective” Statement…A “Performance Summary” Puts a Fresh (and Tech-Savvy) Spin on an Outmoded #Resume Feature.

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Since most resumes are written to cast a wide net, they basically just recite everything the writer has done, but this approach dilutes the all-important data density that makes your resume discoverable. In order for recruiters to find your resume in the vast databases they search through, you need to focus on a specific target job, then get the role’s relevant keywords front-and-center where ATS, or “applicant tracking systems,” will detect them.

And as it turns out, one of the best ways to do that is by resurrecting–but with a twist–the dusty old “objective” statement you’ve been told dozens of times to cut.

Related: How To Trick The Robots And Get Your Resume In Front Of Recruiters

WHY YOUR “OBJECTIVE” DOESN’T MATTER

No one reads resumes for fun–only when there’s a specific job to fill. That means recruiters and hiring managers are fixated on the skill requirements of the job openings they’re looking to fill. Consequently, a resume that starts with “Objective” and focuses on what you want out of your career as the opening paragraph does nothing to help you. After all, nobody really cares what you want at this point (save that for negotiating an offer), so putting that right up top wastes prime ad space.

Headlines of all kinds, including the one at the top of this article, act as signposts, telling the reader what’s ahead–and that holds true on your resume, too. So replace “Objective” with a more relevant and compelling heading: “Performance Summary” or “Career Summary” tends to work well. Right away it flags for the reader that you’re going to tell them what you can do or what you’ve already done, rather than what you want.

Under this heading, highlight your capabilities as they relate to the demands of the target job, using the words, phrases, and acronyms listed in job postings for the type of role you’re angling for. Make sure you include objective criteria for your customers’ needs, too. That helps your resume’s discoverability by ATS, and it grabs the reader’s attention.

Related: Try These Resume Templates For Every Stage Of Your Career

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WHAT GOES INTO YOUR SUMMARY

To write a good performance summary, you need to get inside the heads of your prospective employers’ customers to discover what they collectively want. Yes–think past the hiring managers and recruiters for a second, and consider the organization’s end goals instead: the people it’s trying to serve.

I’ve laid out some tips for doing this in one of my books, but for present purposes, the gist is just to think about your own capabilities as they relate to customer needs. How can what you do directly help them? The answer to that is the basis of your performance summary.

Here’s an example:

Performance Summary: 9-plus years of marcomm experience in new technologies executing high-impact, cost-efficient, media outreach for brand awareness, b2b marketing, and business and public-policy audiences. Expert in crisis communication and corporate reputation maintenance. Bilingual.

  • Five years managing disbursed internal and external communications teams.
  • Adept at developing marcomm strategy with teams spread across all EMEA cultures.

Note those keywords that are likely to get swept up by an ATS: “marcomm” for “marketing communications,” “b2b” for “business-to-business,” “EMEA” for “Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.” And the bullets help you quickly break out a couple of key highlights.

Using employers’ language to describe your capabilities, wherever you can, creates a tightly focused document that establishes a clear match between your skills and employer needs. That, after all, is your resume’s real objective.

Martin Yate is the author of  Knock ’em Dead: The Ultimate Job Search Guide.

Your #Career : Avoid 99% of #ResumeMistakes with This Simple Checklist…They Say only Three Things are Certain in Life: Death, Taxes, and Making a Mistake on your #Resume .

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They say only three things are certain in life: death, taxes, and making a mistake on your resume. Well, maybe I’m exaggerating a bit with that last point, but you get what I mean. The point is, resume mistakes are hard to avoid — like super-duper hard. And when it comes to your resume, even the tiniest of mistakes can make you seem careless or even outright incompetent in the eyes of unforgiving recruiters.

So how do you make sure this doesn’t happen to you? How do you prevent yourself from making blunders on your resume that can potentially cost you a job interview? Well fear not, for this checklist can help you do just that. Follow it closely and you’ll be able to avoid 99% of the resume mistakes people most often make.

1. Does this belong?

Doublecheck that everything on your resume should be on a resume to begin with. Age, nationality, criminal record, marital status, gender, professional headshot, and unrelated hobbies – none of these things need to be included.

Of course, it’s not always going to be clear whether or not you should be mentioning something on your resume. When such a situation arises, put yourself in the employer’s shoes and ask yourself if it is something you would actually care to know. If the answer is a resounding no, then rest assured you can leave it off your resume without much consequence.

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What Skill Sets do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

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2. Did someone else look over my resume?

It’s darn near impossible sometimes to catch our own mistakes. Even published writers and book authors are not above having their work proofread by their editors, so whether it’s friends or family, get someone to read over your resume and share their thoughts. Even if they don’t catch any actual mistakes, it’s great to have someone offer a different opinion on how to structure a particular bullet point or reword a given sentence in order to take your resume to the next level.

If you’re having trouble finding someone, there are online communities that are willing to offer free resume help like /r/resume on Reddit. Simply post your completed resume and wait for resume enthusiasts to critique it and give feedback.

10 Expert Resume Tips You Need to Land the Interview

3. Am I using the proper verb tense?

Resumes should be written using the past tense. The one exception is when you’re describing your current job. In that case, using either the past or present tense is fine and ultimately comes down to personal preference. However, the most common mistake I see is that the wrong tense is used for the action verbs at the start of each bullet point. Not only is this blunder very straightforward to fix, it’s also extremely easy for recruiters to spot, so be sure to doublecheck this particular part of your resume.

4. Did I eradicate the use of pronouns?

Using personal pronouns like “I” and “me” is generally considered taboo in resume writing. While there are some experts who are fine with meddling with the dark arts of using pronouns on resumes, my general rule of thumb is to always play things safe. After all, even though it’s true that using pronouns is acceptable by some recruiters, not using them is certainly acceptable by everyone.

11 Cool Jobs Paying Over $100k & Hiring Now

5. Is my formatting perfect?

There’s nothing more discouraging to recruiters than glancing over a resume and immediately noticing a formatting mistake. Whether it’s an oversized heading or a bullet point just a tad bit larger than the rest, formatting mistakes lead recruiters to believe that you’re not as detail-oriented and meticulous as they’d prefer.

While you might think that there’s no way you would ever be silly enough to make this sort of mistake, it’s actually far more common than you would think. Part of the reason why is because the formatting of your resume can potentially be distorted when saved as certain file types or opened from another computer program. This is why it’s usually advised to keep the formatting of your resume as simple as possible. Another way to avoid this is to save your resume as a PDF, which ensures that all recruiters will see your resume formatted the same way.

6. Am I making unnecessary assumptions?

Mistakes are often the results of false assumptions. This is true in life, in writing, and perhaps most of all, in resume writing. When you edit your resume, ask yourself if you’ve made any assumptions during the initial writing process where you might have haphazardly committed to certain decisions you weren’t entirely confident in. Are you unsure about the usage of a particular word but decided to use it anyways? Did you add a bullet point you weren’t too sure about including? Now is the time to scrutinize all the questionable assumptions you’ve made earlier on to prevent yourself from making foreseeable mistakes.

Remember, making mistakes is inevitable, but we always have the ability to spot and then fix them. Don’t just haphazardly glance over your resume in search for errors. Instead, narrow your focus. Use this checklist to hone in on specific types of mistakes that might have been made and then methodically fix each one. Do that and you’ll be able to craft a killer resume that will impress all the recruiters out there who are tired of seeing mistake after mistake on other people’s job applications.

The Dos & Don’ts of Resume Editing

 

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Your #Career : These Are The Answers To Your Most Burning #JobSearch Questions…From How to Follow Up with #Recruiters to Getting through Applicant Tracking Systems, Here are some Common Questions that Arise During #JobHunts .

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Looking for a job is complex. At each step you take–writing a resume, drafting a cover letter, networking, interviewing, negotiating your salary, and more–there are a million different questions you could ask.

While we can’t answer all of the questions in a single blog post (believe me, that wouldn’t be fun for you or me) we can attempt to address some of the more frequent questions that come up. After poring over Reddit, Quora, Google, and other sites, we drafted a list of some of the most commonly asked job search questions and reached out to career experts to find the answers. Here are the results.

1. I’VE SUBMITTED TONS OF APPLICATIONS, BUT I HAVEN’T HEARD BACK FROM ANYONE. WHAT AM I DOING WRONG?

When it comes to submitting job applications, it’s about quality, not quantity. If you’re not hearing back at all, you may want to think about whether you’re applying to the right jobs. There’s nothing wrong with aiming high, but if you don’t have the direct experience needed for the job you want, you may want to start thinking about applying to stepping-stone positions.

Another common culprit for getting the silent treatment? “The applicant probably hasn’t tailored their resume to the position and the key requirements posted for the position,” says John Singer, CEO of Professional Development Strategies.

“For each application, you should carefully read the job description and include and/or highlight specific skills and experiences you have that match what the company is looking for. Use the same language [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][as] the job description,” adds Aurora Meneghello, career coach and founder of Repurpose Your Purpose.

Other strategies to get your resume past the screening phase include finding somebody at the company to refer you, and making sure your resume is Applicant Tracking System, or ATS, compliant.

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What Skill Sets do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

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2. WILL APPLYING TO A JOB IN A DIFFERENT STATE HURT MY CHANCES OF GETTING HIRED?

It’s probably not what you want to hear, but the answer is, “It depends.” If a company doesn’t have the budget to accommodate relocation costs, or there are already plenty of qualified locals, they probably won’t be as open to interviewing out-of-state candidates. However, if you have a unique or hard-to-find set of skills and the company has a track record of hiring out-of-state applicants, your location may be no deterrent at all. Just make it clear that you’re willing to move.

“The best places to do this are in the cover letter and the summary/overview statement at the top of your resume,” says Adam Goulston, certified professional resume writer. And in all of your application materials, make it clear that you’re the best person for the job, regardless of location.

Related: Job Searching? Skip The Job Board And Take These Five Steps Instead 

3. I NEED EXPERIENCE TO GET A JOB, BUT I NEED A JOB TO GET EXPERIENCE. WHAT CAN I DO?

It may be a bit of extra work, but you can definitely gain experience without being employed full-time in a particular field.

“Consider volunteering with nonprofits . . . sometimes volunteer gigs turn into paid jobs, and they are a good way to start your resume,” says Robyn L. Coburn, author and resume coach. You can also bulk up your resume through freelance work.

“People are often willing to take a chance on a less experienced freelancer for a one-time project, especially if it costs them less than hiring a bigger firm to complete the work,” says Jessie West of West Coaching and Consulting. Then, “you can use work completed for freelance clients to show your experience on your resume.”

Finally, there’s nothing wrong with a little good old-fashioned networking.

“Ask your family and friends, or community connections . . . if they can help you find an entry-level job in their companies,” Goulston adds. “Always express willingness to start at the bottom, work hard, and learn.”

4. HOW DO I GO FROM HAVING A GOOD RESUME TO HAVING A GREAT RESUME?

One difference between the two: A good resume shows what you did at your previous jobs, while a great resume shows the impact you had.

“Make sure the resume is filled with specific accomplishments and results you’ve delivered, quantified with numbers whenever possible,” says Kelly Donovan, principal of Kelly Donovan & Associates. One tried-and-true tactic is the STAR method, in which each bullet point lists the Situation you found yourself in, Task you were assigned, Action you took and Results of your initiatives. “However, be sure that the accomplishments and results are relevant to the job you’re going for–otherwise, your reader might be unimpressed by your examples,” Donovan cautions.

This speaks to a larger theme present in great resumes: customization.

“For each application, you should carefully read the job description and include and/or highlight specific skills and experiences you have that match what the company is looking for,” Meneghello says. This is especially important if the company uses an ATS. Speaking of which, you might be wondering . . .

Related: These Are The Mistakes That Even Experienced Job Seekers Keep Making 

5. HOW CAN I MAKE SURE MY RESUME GETS PAST AN ATS?

“Every resume should be customized to the job by carefully examining the keywords in the listing, and adjusting your resume to reflect those,” Coburn says. “Always use the exact phrase they use,” because many ATSs filter out resumes that don’t contain enough relevant keywords.

It also helps to follow a few formatting guidelines so that the ATS can easily scan your resume. Try “keeping the font at 11 points or more; using one of the standard, highly readable fonts; and making sure the employment dates are justified to the right-hand margin on the page,” Coburn adds. “Bells and whistles like columns, shading, boxes, underlining, and multiple fonts only confuse the ATS.”

6. WHAT SKILLS ARE IMPRESSIVE TO HAVE ON A RESUME?

The skills recruiters are impressed by will largely vary based on the job you’re applying to. To identify the most in-demand skills in your field, look at a wide cross-section of job postings that you’re interested in and take notes on which ones appear most frequently. Recruiters may also like to see certain role-specific certifications.

There are a handful of skills, though, that are applicable to many different careers, and are worth including no matter what. A few examples: fluency in a foreign language, data analysis (especially in common platforms like Excel or Google Sheets), and project management and leadership (with concrete examples to back it up).

Related: Four Reasons Resumes No Longer Work 

7. WHEN READING A RESUME, WHAT RED FLAGS DO RECRUITERS LOOK OUT FOR?

One of the easiest ways to get your application out of the running? Typos.

“There are so many people applying for the same job, a recruiter needs to be diligent,” says business writer Mary Walton. Often, “That means they’ll throw away any resume that’s not correctly proofread without even looking at the content.” So check, double check, and even triple check your resume to make sure it’s free of errors.

You’ll also want to be careful about including long gaps on your resume with no explanation.

“Some companies have stringent hiring practices that would clearly frown on gaps,” says Susan Ruhl, a managing partner at OI Partners-Innovative Career Consulting in Denver. “If there is a gap, recruiters/hiring managers tend to become a little suspicious and so they must be explained.”

Finally, many inconsistencies, exaggerations, or straight-up lies on your resume can easily be found by cross-checking with former employers, so don’t even think about it. If a recruiter can’t trust your resume, how are they supposed to trust you as an employee?

Another big no-no is coming across as too vague. If someone asks you an anecdotal question, such as, “How have you dealt with difficult colleagues?” you should give a specific example. Again, practicing your responses (yes, that means out loud) should help prepare you for this.

 

FastCompany.com | February 5, 2018 | BY EMILY MOORE—GLASSDOOR 6 MINUTE READ

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