“Résumé remains a mainstay in changing job-search world (Austin American-Statesman)” plus 3 more |
- Résumé remains a mainstay in changing job-search world (Austin American-Statesman)
- Job search tips offered March 30 in Bernards Township (The Bernardsville News)
- HFCC conducting free job search skills workshop (Dearborn Press & Guide)
- 6 job search mistakes in a recession (CNN)
| Résumé remains a mainstay in changing job-search world (Austin American-Statesman) Posted: 22 Mar 2010 01:07 PM PDT By Valerie Menard Marketing Publications Writer Bryan Johnson, a certified public accountant, was laid off last year from his job in the Atlanta area. Before entering the job market, he had his résumé revised by a professional résumé writer based in Austin. He noticed the new format and even called to confirm that it was correct. He wasn't accustomed to the way it started with a summary of his skills and accomplishments rather than his professional objective. "I found a job within three weeks," he said. Résumés remain an effective way of presenting an overview of a prospective employee's work history and skills. A stale résumé, however, won't work. "The Internet has made a lot about job hunting more convenient but ultimately, the tool that will get you noticed most, and hopefully an interview, is an effective résumé," said Jennifer Cunningham of Professional Résumés in Austin. According to résumé experts, there's one sure way to tell if a résumé meets the grade — does it get a response? If not, that's a good sign that a résumé may need to be revamped. The key change from how résumés had been constructed to how a modern résumé should be written involves stating how an employee can benefit a prospective employer rather than how a particular job will fulfill the employee. "Forget about starting your résumé with an objective," said Kary Aycock of the Austin-based shinynewresume.com. "Instead, tell an employer how you will be an asset to the company." Because work experience is the most vital component of any résumé, the traditional reverse chronological order format remains appropriate, but rather than listing what was done, emphasize what was achieved. Employers scan for specific skills, adding details sets résumés apart, said Karen Wrigley of AMW Résumé Service in Austin. "It's important to demonstrate your skills using a Challenge Action Result statement," Wrigley said. "If you implemented procedures that saved the company money, quantify it." The electronic format of the résumé can also be upgraded from a Microsoft Word or ASCII document to a PDF file. "PDFs act like a photograph and don't carry viruses. They won't be corrupted by coded preferences that may not translate from computer to computer," Cunningham said. Employers have embraced the Internet as a means of searching for prospective employees, so it behooves job seekers to adapt to technology. Start by posting a résumé online, either by uploading yours or building one onto a job site. Depending on the industry, it's important to know what keywords employers will use to search online and to include them in your résumé. When it comes to social media, always be discreet. "The last thing you want is for an employer to find photos of you that may not place you in a positive light," Aycock said. Finally, consider hiring a professional résumé writer. Between Aycock, Cunnigham, and Wrigley, fees start at $65 and go as high as $495. If that's not in your budget, many books offer résumé writing advice. According to "The Guide to Basic Résumé Writing, Second Edition," one or two pages is the ideal length, avoid personal information and always check and double-check spelling. Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. |
| Job search tips offered March 30 in Bernards Township (The Bernardsville News) Posted: 22 Mar 2010 06:55 AM PDT Ruth Lufkin, supervising reference librarian, will feature creative ways to find opportunities through mining the library's resources. She will demonstrate online tools that allow discovery of useful magazine, journal and newspaper information on specific companies, key personnel and particular industries. Resources that are available remotely to every library cardholder in New Jersey will be highlighted, as well as those specifically available at Bernards Township Library. The meeting will be held in the Program Room located on the lower level. All are welcome at this free program. Pre-registration is suggested but not required; those who register in advance using the Program Calendar at www.BernardsLibrary.org will receive an email reminder before the program. For more information call the Library at (908) 204-3031, ext. 4, or email rlufkin@bernards.org. Members of the Career Forum and Career Networking Group are especially invited to attend these meetings. Both of these local support groups offer programs of interest to those looking for work or contemplating transition and opportunities to network with other members of the group. The Career Forum meets at the Somerset Hills YMCA from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. on Tuesday evenings. The Career Networking Group meets on the first and third Thursday evenings of each month at the Bernards Township Library. Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. |
| HFCC conducting free job search skills workshop (Dearborn Press & Guide) Posted: 22 Mar 2010 06:55 AM PDT News
DEARBORN -- As a community service, Henry Ford Community College will present a free workshop on job search skills from 10 a.m. to noon March 24 at its Michigan Technical Education Center, located at 3601 Schaefer in Dearborn. You must be logged in to post a comment. Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. |
| 6 job search mistakes in a recession (CNN) Posted: 22 Mar 2010 05:43 AM PDT (CareerBuilder.com) -- In any economic climate, job hunting is nobody's idea of fun. And with the growing number of folks hitting the bricks these days, it seems the task is getting even harder. But that's not precisely true, because the actual job-hunting strategies and techniques remain the same in any climate. What is bothersome, however, is that the process is likely to take longer. This leads to increased stress: financial stress, physical stress, emotional stress and family stress. Most people do not perform at their best in stressful situations. They get tired more quickly, they get frustrated and run out of patience, and they make mistakes. Here are six job-hunting mistakes frequently made during a recession. Mistake No. 1: Feeling entitled In the new economy, your stellar background, great track record, prestigious degree and glowing references guarantee you nothing. The new employment paradigm is, "What have you done for me lately?" You must be constantly developing your skills and talents, broadening your interests and driving your career development. If you don't, you may well be left behind. Mistake No. 2: Focusing on yourself, not the employer Spend your time finding out which of a potential employer's needs are unmet instead of touting your brilliance. Saying, "I need a job" is irrelevant and depressing; that's your problem and has nothing to do with why this organization is hiring. Uncovering an employer's problem areas demonstrates your bona-fide interest, and offering your solutions demonstrates your critical thinking, creativity and approach to problem solving. This is how to get hired. Mistake No. 3: Taking rejection personally Face it; there are a lot of jobs you are not going to land. Use rejection as an opportunity to assess and build your job-hunting skills. Evaluate what you could have done better in your research or interview or with your follow-up. If you aren't getting rejected regularly, then you either aren't working hard enough to get your foot in the door or you're applying for jobs beneath your capabilities. No employer makes a decision not to hire you; they make a decision to hire someone else who did a better job of selling himself or herself into the position. Mistake No. 4: Focusing on your age It is human nature to focus more on one's perceived weaknesses as opposed to one's strengths. This is especially true for people in the job hunt. Younger folks worry about not having enough experience; older folks worry about looking overqualified. If you don't want a potential employer to focus on your age, make sure you focus on what strengths you bring to the party: energy, track record, endurance, patience, technology skills, people skills, creativity and work ethic. Sell yourself based on what you have. Mistake No. 5: Looking for a silver bullet Some job hunters swear by recruiters; others by online job postings. The latest buzz is that social networking sites are making all other job-hunting techniques obsolete. There is no one best way to job hunt. If you want to increase the effectiveness of your job search, you must spend more time on it and use every technique in the book. This means answering print ads, responding to online job postings, contacting recruiters, cold-contacting potential employers, networking your brains out and using social networking sites to pursue all of these strategies. Sorry, there are no silver bullets or genies in a bottle. Mistake No. 6: Absorbing too much news Yes, there's a recession. Yes, a lot of folks are out of work. And, yes, finding a job is a hard job in and of itself. But, no, the sky is not falling. And yes, if you work hard and long enough at it, you will land a good job. A regular diet of bad news will convince you that no one is hiring (untrue), that you should avoid employers that have had layoffs (bad strategy) or that maybe you should just move to China (bad idea unless you speak Mandarin). Get out, have some fun, work at keeping your energy and spirits up, and network with optimistic people. Eventually this recession -- like all recessions -- will really be over and you'll be better prepared for (gulp) the next one. Paul Powers, psychologist, executive coach, career expert, and noted conference speaker is the author of "Winning Job Interviews" and "Love Your Job!" © CareerBuilder.com 2009. All rights reserved. The information contained in this article may not be published, broadcast or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority. Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. |
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