Career Articles
Mon, 2012-05-14 20:47
By Sandy Dsouza
Here you will find 13 common mistakes committed by job seekers while writing resume.
We start with the mistakes that should be avoided at any cost in case you do not wish to lose the opportunity of being interviewed.
13 – Unprofessional e-mail id: cutie_catherine@ coolid.com, pingme_peter@ sumbmail.com, chocolicious_cake_jennifer@ stupendousmail.com, etc. are not allowed at any cost.
12 – Skipping details: One of the biggest resume blunders, skipping information like employment dates, college information, etc., are a strict NO.
11 – Photo: Come out of the college zone. Your looks do not really matter in the professional market, unless of course you end up in a unscrupulous employer’s cabin for the interview. Avoid attaching your photo.
10 – Final layout: Do you know your impression is made in less than 5 seconds? It just takes a glance through your resume to make up the recruiter’s mind if they would prefer you or someone else. Pay attention to aesthetics too at the end. Format well.
9 – Objective: This should actually be placed somewhere in the beginning only but given the other resume blunders people tend to make we decided to place on the 9th position. Keep in mind that an objective is a statement that any employer sees first and decides how much he can bank on you.
8 – Length of the resume: Well, now we are talking. Who was it who said ‘more is better?’ Kindly apply the principle of makeup here, less is more as long as you keep it relevant.
7 – Modest: Modesty pays everywhere. It does not mean you should not write your areas of expertise, you have to do that. But, writing statements like, I am the best team player and manager an organization could possibly have, etc., is certainly far from impressive.
6 – First person: What’s with using the first person in the resume? It is not an autobiography. You are supposed to maintain a formal decorum and there is no place for first person usage here.
5 – Wrong information: Be it a typing error or you forgot to update your recent postal address, email address, misspelled a company’s name, whatever it is; it is one of the biggest blunders one can make. It is like calling the rejection upon oneself. You are not allowing the recruiter to get in touch with you!
4 – Paragraphs: Are you participating in an essay competition? Why do you have to bore the recruiter and give him or her the pains to read through the entire thesis? Use bulleted points; it saves time.
3 – Resume format: This is the first step to analyze and think which format suits you and the job best. Select from the three conventional formats available, viz., reverse chronological, functional and combination. Note that you are supposed to select one that suits your experience as well as skills for resume along with the job requirement.
2 – Irrelevant information: Why put something related to sports or your gun handling skills in a resume meant for the business process outsourcing company!? Relevancy rules. Do not prove yourself to be a complete fool by including irrelevant information. It reflects bad on you.
1 – Spelling mistakes: This is as blunt as it gets, you are telling the recruiter you are not keen on taking up a job. Grammatical mistakes can still be understood but there is absolutely no scope for typing errors and similar mistakes. Especially when you make the resume in a soft copy where the software offers you default spelling checker, it is a big put off.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sandy Dsouza is a professional who writes interesting content on resume. She shares information on resume writing and resume example. She is also expert in choosing the best resume format and resume templates.
Source: ArticlesFactory.com
Fri, 2012-04-27 18:42
By Gregg McLachlan, CPRW
WorkCabin Canada
One of the big trends in resumes is to use bullet points. Used sparingly, they can help attract eyes to key points. But unfortunately, too many resumes suffer from bullet point overload.
Using bullet points in every section, including profile, skills, education, certifications, job roles, etc., etc., is a sure-fire way to confuse eyes and create visual fatigue fast.Your page can quickly look like it's promoting polka dots instead of you.
Start counting your bullet points on your resume. If you have upwards of 35 to 50 you are at risk of resume death by bullet point. You absolutely must limit bullet points to key information on your resume, rather than every bit of information in your resume.
So, how do you avoid Death by Bullet Point in your resume? It begins with style variation. Start by using different techniques to make information stand out.
- Perhaps a table can be used to highlight your skills
- In sections where you are highlighting job postions, use a subhead below the position title to emphasize a key component of that job role
- Consider using a different dingbat symbol (a diamond?) for areas such as Certifications, Training, etc.
- In areas featuring Education, try to eliminate bullets altogether. Use a combination of regular and italics fonts (School in regular, Program title in italics, etc)
With a little work, you can reduce your use of bullet points to about 15. Your revised resume will finally have fewer but key eye-catching bullet points that stand out!
Gregg McLachlan is a CPRW (Certified Professional Resume Writer) and a member of the Professional Association of Resume Writers and Career Coaches
Tue, 2012-04-17 15:46
By Shawn Brown
In the business of life, and particularly in the life of business, the role of the mentor cannot be overstated. From childhood, having someone beside us to guide us through our initial learning shaped our experience and subsequently our development as human beings.
The role of the mentor is always evolving. While we may not initially know that someone we meet is acting in that capacity, we do know that we need someone for advice and guidance along the many steps of the life, and business, journey. As we get older, mentors sometimes happen by chance, as the result of the circumstances we fall into. In other situations, we recognize characteristics and attributes in friends or colleagues that we respect and desire, and we formally ask if they can assist us.
Similar traits
I have been very fortunate, both personally and in my career, to have had some mentors who have knowingly, but perhaps unknowingly, been amazing influences on my life. They have certainly helped me understand and fully assess a given situation; most importantly, they have helped me to formulate a thought process or strategy to deal with each of them.
Looking at my own closest mentors, particularly in my business life, it is quite clear that each of them had a number of similar traits which I respected greatly, and desired the most in my own approach. There were three in particular, during the early years of my professional development, who had considerable and long lasting influence. Each had two traits in particular that stand out:
First, they were true gentlemen. They treated each person of the team they were responsible for, and all other business colleagues, with dignity and respect. And that never wavered, even in times of turmoil and crisis or even if there was disagreement with their position on any given issue.
Second, they had an amazing ability to stay calm. While the world seemed to be exploding around them, they were as strong and solid as a rock. Everyone around them fed off that calmness and came to believe that the storm would pass and we would survive the crisis at hand.
Let’s look at two characters from television who, I believe, exemplify the importance of these two traits
First, Patrick Stewart, a.k.a. Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the U.S.S. Starship Enterprise. An odd choice, perhaps, but Jean-Luc (as I believe he would want to be called), was the leader of all leaders. He defined diplomacy when others uttered the battle cry. He was the consummate pillar of strength in the face of seemingly unbeatable odds. And, above all else, he relied completely on the strength of his executive team to provide him with the key elements of their expertise.
Only then did he make his decisions. He empowered his team, and left them with the complete understanding that he respected and valued their knowledge and input. This was his greatest strength as a leader.
But above all else, in what is most often the most difficult aspect of leading any team, he provided discipline to his valued team members if they had inadvertently strayed from the Mission, Vision, or Values that the organization embodied. It is interesting to research how many amazing management books have been written about this aspect of leadership.
Next, Jerry Seinfeld. Another odd choice you may think, but Seinfeld’s success, as defined by creating arguably the most successful sit-com of the modern era, was based on a very simple premise: An everyday guy, surrounded by close friends, in a sea of unsurpassed neuroticism, and hysterical insanity. And while he was quite clearly the central, lead character, he took a back seat to his surroundings and environment, and simply became the central cog to it all. It is interesting for me to look back at how many times in my career I played the exact same role.
Mentors define success
Over the course of future columns, I will cite numerous examples of other people who have had a positive impact on my life. In particular, three of them, Dale Meyers, Trev Yager and the late Ken Roulston, provided me early in my career with the strength, wisdom, and guidance I have relied on at each step of my professional development.
Mentors are responsible for building the foundation that will help shape and develop you as an individual, especially in your role in the business environment. They will shape your outlook on how to lead, and define the truest definitions of success in the business world.
May you be fortunate as I have been to find such exemplars. In the words of the immortal Jean-Luc Picard, “Engage”.
Shawn Brown is the Founder and President of Forest For the Trees, a boutique business advisory service headquartered in Edmonton, AB. http://www.forestnow.com/
SOURCE: Troy Media
Thu, 2012-04-12 18:17
By Carol Kinsey Gorman
Of course I’m not talking about you. You may be a respected professional whose expertise speaks for itself. Your body language is a minor consideration.
Or is it?
Here’s an email I recently received from an engineer:
“The Project Manager introduced a new consultant. The new guy smiled and shook hands with everybody, but it looked like an insincere, almost condescending smile and the handshake was soft and slippery. That was his first mistake. His next – and last – was sitting in the chair of a technical leader who was away on vacation. After that, the entire team boycotted the consultant, and his contract was quietly terminated after a couple of weeks. Nobody cared about his skills or contribution to the project.”
But that example was about an outside consultant. You may be a recognized leader within your organization. Once you achieve that level of power and status, your nonverbal signals become far less important.
Or do they?
Consider this incident, from my new book The Silent Language of Leaders: How Body Language Can Help – or Hurt – How You Lead.
I was at a meeting when the senior executive came in wearing a designer suit, white shirt and a power tie. He checked the time on his Rolex wristwatch and placed his elegant briefcase on the table. He exuded authority, power and status, and would have been perfectly dressed for a Board of Directors’ function. But that wasn’t the kind of meeting he was chairing.
He had assembled a multi-level, multi-functional group – a diagonal slice of people from across the organization and had taken them off-site for two days to co-create the necessary steps for achieving the company’s new strategic plan. The hope was that collaboration and knowledge sharing would begin at this meeting and expand from here into every department. It wouldn’t be easy. The theme was “we’re all in this together” – already a touchy subject as the employees knew there would be cut-backs in spending and employee numbers (and few expected that “together” meant that executives would also be asked to cut costs and reduce their ranks).
But despite this initial reluctance on the part of the attendees, the first morning had gotten off to a smooth start. Told to come dressed comfortably, most people were in jeans or slacks with polo or tee shirts. Consultants hired to facilitate the event had done a good job warming up the group and helping them begin to bond.
Then the executive arrived. And from the moment he walked into the room, all hope for collaboration flew out the window. Not only was he making a late entrance (instead of arriving earlier that morning with the rest of the group), he didn’t look like one of the team. He looked like a “suit,” a hierarchical leader who would ask for input only as a rubber stamp for decisions he’d already made. And as he stood at the head of the table – symbolically reinforcing his authority – I watched resistance and skepticism build and ripple through the assembled group.
The executive probably never gave a thought to his body language or attire. Or, if he did, maybe he dismissed them as insignificant. If so, he was wrong. His nonverbal signals not only mattered, they sent a powerful message that completely undermined his stated objective.
Coaching leaders for the past 20 years, I’ve learned a lot about the impact of what isn’t said. I’ve learned how body language can validate, enhance, or totally undermine a leader’s intent. And one thing I know for sure: If there is any misalignment between a leader’s verbal and nonverbal messages, people (employees, stockholders, customers) will believe what they see and not what they hear.
How about you? Do you know what your body is saying? Do your nonverbal signals reinforce your messages and objectives? Or, as in the cases above, is your body language hindering your effectiveness – maybe even killing your career?
Carol Kinsey Goman, Ph.D. is a leadership communications coach and international keynote speaker at corporate, government, and association events. She’s an HR columnist for Troy Media, an expert contributor for The Washington Post’s “On Leadership” column, a leadership blogger on Forbes.com, a business body language columnist for “the Market” magazine, and the author of “THE SILENT LANGUAGE OF LEADERS: How Body Language Can help – or Hurt – How You Lead.”
SOURCE: Troy Media
Tue, 2012-03-13 18:24
By Candace Davies
If you’ve been enduring a lengthy job search, don’t get too down. It may just be time to gain some new job search techniques and alter some of those you are already using. Too many people, upon getting frustrated, will abandon their search in favour of returning to school or settling for unemployment or a job that is easy employment. Remember that a job search takes time, and that if you remain dedicated and energetic in your search, it is bound to pay off in the long run.
Below are some tips on how to stick out your job search, and give your job search that needed boost.
Network: Your network is an incredibly important job search tool. Remember to use every contact, and not just for job leads but for introductions to important people inside companies as well. Use your network to get the word out that you are looking for work. Utilize resources such as employment offices, professional associations, fellow job seekers, and don’t forget about social networking sites like LinkedIn and Facebook.
Broaden Your Search Techniques: Try not to get to safe or comfortable in your job search by utilizing the same search techniques. A job search will require you to get out of your comfort zone and try some things that may make you nervous. For instance, it may be time to try some other ways to get in touch with employers. You can ask employers for informational interviews, where you can discuss industry trends, or you can conduct cold calls. A cold call is when you call hiring authorities that you don’t know and ask them if you can meet with them, even if they haven’t advertised an open position.
Be Flexible: In order to be successful in your job search, you may be required to be more flexible than you make like. This may mean putting aside your dreams of working for your ideal company in a role with loads of perks. You may have to wrap your head around taking an entry level job with fewer perks, lower salary, and fewer benefits. Another option is looking for work outside of your city or state. Considering moving to a hotter job market could make the difference in landing a good job.
Consider Part-Time or Casual Work: If you’ve been at your job search for quite a while, it may be a good idea to consider part-time or contract work. This will help you to make ends meet, can give you networking opportunities, and can also give you more work to put on your resume, showing employers that you’ve made the most of your time while on the job hunt. And who knows, that maternity leave placement or internship could lead to full-time employment down the road.
Think Outside the Box: If you have an entrepreneurial side, why not consider going into business for yourself? If you can’t find your perfect job, make it for yourself! Or, if you don’t want to take the entrepreneurial leap, why not consider self-employed contract, or consulting work. Although you may not want to continue down this path forever, it again can be a great way to network and get yourself exposed to other companies and even other industries.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Candace Davies is the owner of A+ Resumes for Teachers and is a Certified Resume Writer and Interview Coach Strategist who is dedicated to assisting teachers, administrators and other professionals within the education sector. She has helped countless teaching professionals land their dream teaching jobs. Let her help you land your dream teaching job by visiting: http://resumes-for-teachers.com. Also, you won’t want to miss out on getting a free preview of her best-selling e-book, Teachers’ Interview Edge, when you sign-up for Candace’s FREE A+ Career Curriculum e-newsletter: http://resumes-for-teachers.com/signup-details.php
Source: Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.com
Tue, 2012-03-13 18:22
By Shefali Garg
Furthering Your Education Can Benefit You. In this picture: a young girl embraces her mother who registers for an online course.
You cannot spend much time on the education market these days without hearing about online degree programs. In a world that places great importance on professional qualifications and skills, a learning option that allows students to study at a distance is becoming a popular alternative to traditional "bricks and mortar 'definition of traditional post-secondary courses.
There are many reasons why some high school graduates do not go straight to college. Some cannot afford it, some may prefer to go directly to the world of work, and for others it may simply not be right for them to commit to more years of academic study.
But later, these barriers are often easier to overcome, and having a degree may have more appeal. There are online courses that allow students to gain a degree, diploma or certificate in a wide range of issues.
Here are five reasons why the Distance learning MBA degree proving so popular:
Family responsibilities
If you are a parent stay-at-home, you may not be well able to take a break and study as a traditional college student. However, many mothers and fathers foresee a time when child-care responsibilities, will decrease as their children grow up. Going back to work may be an attractive option for parents like these, and distance learning offers a way to gain new qualifications and preparation for returning to a career - or a new position.
Professional Development
Many online courses focus on knowledge and skills required for career development and for students seeking professional development. And many people who work also see the value of certificates (rather than full degrees) as a way to develop their expertise in key areas related to their jobs. Students save time by focusing on specific sectors, and can redevelop their skills as a result.
Following your passion
It is not surprising that an online degrees in will help advance one's career prospects. But let's not forget the importance of personal growth and enrichment for people of all ages and backgrounds. Many enjoy the process of learning for its own sake, and gain self-esteem and a sense of purpose by addressing the challenges of advanced study. It can provide important mental stimulation later in life and open up new possibilities and activities.
Issues of cost cutting
Tuition is an important consideration for almost every student, and most have to manage on a tight budget (reducing expenses is a basic skill in making ends meet). Studying from home can help save money by reducing travel expenses, including bus and train fares, fuel costs, parking fees, and even living expenses associated with urban areas around campuses.
Time is money too
For anyone leading a busy life, time is a form of currency, one that should be closely managed and wisely invest. Full-time students in a traditional degree program normally have the ability and freedom to benefit from the full range of activities that a college campus can (within and outside the classroom).
Source: Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.com
Tue, 2012-02-28 14:09
According to a survey of 1100 recruiters across North America by Talent Technology, the No. 1 recruitment challenge is finding good candidates.The more specific and higher skills needed for the position, the greater the challenge becomes.
Here are the top 6 recruiting challenges in order (out of scale of 3 = most difficult):
1. Finding good candidates 2.49
2. Filling positions 2.32
3. Dedicated hiring managers 1.82
4. Managing applicants 1.68
5. Sub-par job descriptions 1.56
6. Negotiating job offers 1.51
Some other interesting findings
Average number of days needed to fill position: 45 days
Average number of hours per week sourcing candidates: 15 hours
Average number of minutes reading each resume: 4.5 minutes
Job boards remain the No. 1 source for talent, substantially surpassing corporate websites and social networking
Tue, 2012-01-31 12:51
Oddball interview questions are becoming a lot more common today. Why? They require you to think fast. Your answer can be very telling about how you reason.
Here are the top 10 oddball interview questions of 2011, as compiled by Glassdoor.com:
1. “How many people are using Facebook in San Francisco at 2:30pm on a Friday?” – Asked at Google
2. “Just entertain me for five minutes, I’m not going to talk.” – Asked at Acosta
3. “If Germans were the tallest people in the world, how would you prove it?” – Asked at Hewlett-Packard
4. “What do you think of garden gnomes?” – Asked at Trader Joe’s
5. “Is your college GPA reflective of your potential?” – Asked at the Advisory Board
6. “Would Mahatma Gandhi have made a good software engineer?” – Asked at Deloitte
7. “If you could be #1 employee but have all your coworkers dislike you or you could be #15 employee and have all your coworkers like you, which would you choose?” – Asked at ADP.
8. “How would you cure world hunger?” – Asked at Amazon.com
9. “Room, desk and car – which do you clean first?” – Asked at Pinkberry
10. “Does life fascinate you?” – Asked at Ernst & Young
Thu, 2012-01-12 16:00
By Gregg McLachlan
Founder, WorkCabin.ca
Ask most hiring managers today about how much weight they give to your volunteer experience, and they will likely say the same thing: A LOT.
One hiring manager in the environmental sector recently summed it up this way: "Your volunteer experience really shows me how serious you are about the field."
He also went on to say that your volunteer experience shows you understand what's involved in the career. Example, if you've done volunteer research work for an organization that studies birds in a mosquito-ridden wetland, you know all about how the insects are a fact of life for worl in this field. That's a big bonus for a hiring manager who's worried about inexperienced first-timers quitting (yes, it does happen!).
As Donna Fuscaldo writes on Glassdoor.com, After you’ve landed your volunteer job it’s important to list it on your resume. These days hiring managers consider volunteering as legitimate work experience. What’s more, it shows you’re not just sitting around, but are out there trying to keep your skills fresh. Don’t pretend it was a paying job but do make sure to highlight the expertise you gleaned and honed from the volunteering experience."
Many smaller organizations will welcome your volunteer time. Start making a list. And then make a plan, taking into consideration your strategy to gain employment in your chosen field.
Making a great impression in volunteer work can also build your list of references.
Overall, savvy job seekers know volunteering is a win-win endeavour.
Thu, 2011-12-22 22:46
By Gregg McLachlan
WorkCabin.ca
Before you even think of picking up the phone, consider these issues:
1. HR is busy! Don't assume that an employer has simply put this line at the bottom of a job ad as a test to see who has initiative. Yes, sometimes, employers may try this tactic, but more often than not, it's there because employers are very busy and don't want to be interrupted by unnecessary telephone calls. It's why they sometimes prefix this line with "Absolutely" no phone calls.
2. Got a solid reason for calling? If you decide to ignore the line and call, you'd better have a solid reason for doing so (in other words, really think it through BEFORE you call). A call that's nothing more than a "Did you get my application?" is generally a time waster. Busy HR people don't have time to stop what they're doing to search 150 resumes to see if your resume is in the pile. What's your genuine, value-added reason for calling? You'd better have a darn good one.
3. What do you know about the person doing the hiring, or the organization? Sometimes social media can give some insights into personality, if it's a small organization and one person wears many hats that may include HR. But you'll only have this insight if you have been following the person for some time. This is another example of how using social media to target and engage with specific employers can help in the job-hunting department.
Now that we've gotten these three considerations out of the way, here are three strategies for dealing with a job ad that says "No phone calls."
1. Research the organization. Who are the key contacts? And here's a tip: the receptionist who answers the phone is usually not your target contact. There are all kinds of sources to find specific people within an organizations. Company websites and LinkedIn are terrific tools. Find someone within the organization who WILL take your call. You need to get your name raised in conversations in that workplace.
2. Are you good on the phone? I mean, really good. You'd better be if you want to take the risk of not complying with a request like "No phone calls." Do you come across as well spoken? Good mannered? Engaging? If you have these qualities and make a good first impression on the phone, making a call to the right person could be a good strategy. Employers don't like interruptions, but if you are instantly engaging, that dislike for interruptions can evaporate. Employers usually remember people who are instantly engaging on the phone. When they get off the phone, they think, "That person sounded great on the phone!" That's an edge that may get you a face-to-face interview. But you need to be really confident in your phone skills. If you usually get nervous on the phone, avoid a call.
3. Have an incredible resume. Huh? Resume? I thought this was about how to handle the "No phone calls" question? Well, it's actually about how to get your name on the radar of the person doing the hiring. Your first, most effective tool to do that is by having a killer resume that gets noticed. Learn how to charm employers with your resume, rather than disobeying the "No phone calls" line and hoping your voice will get you an interview. Is your resume looking like a thousand other resumes in terms of style, layout, etc? If you're willing to break a request that says "No phone calls" then maybe it's time to break some cliche "styles" for resumes so you stand out. Just think it through: Some employers may like this style, some may not. Do your homework.