Do you know when it’s time to move from a regular resume to an executive resume? There are a few subtle differences but will speak volumes when presented for certain types of positions.

Usually at the top of a regular resume is an objective statement. This is where a person will tell in paragraph form what they are looking for in a job and any expectations they may have. An executive resume will have an opening paragraph that will highlight their strongest points, often in bullet points and what that candidate can do for a company.

Executive resumes will typically be at least 2 pages but no more than 4. This is because they may have detailed educations, publications they have written or any awards they received. It is all relevant on an executive resume.

An executive resume will also have bolded words, highlighted or underlined sections so as to showcase their skills, achievement or awards. Additionally, the wording and structure will be much more sophisticated than regular resumes.

Once you have reached a certain level of experience, education, awards or achievements in your career which will now enable you to seek for more executive type jobs is the time to start using an executive resume.

It won’t do any good to present a regular resume when the position calls for a more professional applicant. So, don’t forget to update your regular resume to an executive resume.

Since the job economy is dismal at best, there are a large number of people who are out of work and have been out of work for a long time. For many employed workers, they are working in a field totally unrelated to their college degree. So, is it helping?

Statistics show that those with a degree earn more money than those with only a high school diploma (90% compared to 64%). They may not be making as much as they had hoped, or in a field they trained for. But a college degree is still important.

Hopefully, the times that we live in currently will not last forever and the job economy will get better. When that happens, there will be more job opportunities that may fit your degree better.

Even those who attend a technical college and train in a specialized degree do better, on average. It may seem as if going to college is a waste of time currently, but it simply is not. You have to invest in yourself and hope for a better future.

If you don’t, you will be most likely working for a lot less money than you are really worth. No one wants that. And, everyone wants to be able to take care of themselves and making more money is where it’s at.

The year 2012 is full of promise and now just may be the time that you seriously consider getting a degree. It does not matter how old you are, there is never a better time than now to better your life.

 

With many college graduates unable to find full time employment and a new crop ready to come up, many of them are starting to wonder where they will find a job. It wasn’t long ago that a college degree all but guaranteed you a stable career and higher earning potential. Now, many are not seeing the same returns they once did. So is a college degree worth it in today’s economic terms?

How do you quantify who earns more?

One area to look at is recent graduates from the past 5 years when the Great Recession began. The data shows that of those people who graduated college – nearly 90% were employed – when compared to people who did not graduate college who were employed at 64%. These figures do not show whether these graduates were employed in a field related to their degree or not. But, another telling fact is that college graduates are earning almost double that of people without college degrees. This advantage will likely stick with them throughout their working careers.

Another Option

Another way that we assess the value of receiving a college degree is to compare the rate of return from investing in a college degree versus using the same amount of money for investment opportunities. College degrees are obviously expensive. Tuition, books and housing all add up to well over $100,000 for a four year degree. This is only average as some colleges cost considerable more.

So let’s say you have a recent high school graduate who has $100,000 to invest in their future. Is college the right option or would you use that money for something else? Would investments such as stocks and bonds outweigh the lifetime earnings that a college degree would bring?

The correct answer is, technically speaking, investing in a college degree. A college degree has a rate of return of 15% a year for $100,000 invested. Compare this with the average returns on the stock market  at 6.5%, along with the rate of corporate bonds at 3% and other stable investments and you’re not even close.

Higher Rates of Return

A better rate of return translates into higher lifetime earnings as well. Over their lifetime, the average diploma holder will earn over $550,000 more than the average person with a high school diploma. So the incentive to receive a college education is high.

Some high school students would do well to invest in technical or trade schools that offer specialized skills which will keep them employed throughout any recession. There are opportunities out there for everyone and remember – many people who never graduated college have become successful in different fields. Think of the Bill Gates’, the Paul Allen’s and the Larry Ellison’s of the world. Not having a college degree never stopped them and it should not deter anyone from achieving their dreams.

 

When the U.S, government passed laws in 2006 enacting the new parent-rights portions of the Work and Families Act, they extended pay and leave for new parents, including men on paternity leave. Working dads have been eligible for up to two weeks of paid leave since 2003, but the new measures extend these benefits. Statutory Maternity Pay, Maternity Allowance and Statutory Adoption Pay have been extended from 39 weeks to 52, with working fathers entitled to take an extra 26 weeks off of work to care for their child, if the mom has returned to work and has not used all of her eligible maternity leave.

These employer-supplied benefits are of course only available if your employer is a regular tax and benefits-paying entity. Those who are independent contractors or employed on a part-time basis may not be eligible for these benefits. Eligibility is also determined by requirements such as the father must be the biological father of the baby or married to the mother, and expected to share in responsibilities related to rearing the child.

Timing is also important for eligibility, and the father is expected to work for the same employer from the time of conception until the time of birth, with leave scheduled starting only when the baby is due, and arrives. Taking time off early might negate your eligibility, so be sure to carefully look over the rules and guidelines. You need to notify your employer of your intentions to take leave by the 15^th week before the estimated due date. You can take the leave any time after the birth; it does not have to immediately follow the day the baby is born.

Men on paternity leave is becoming a more common phenomenon than ever before, with the paternity leave being extended to include unpaid time off, after the eligible time period for benefits expires. With the previous disparity in wages that was so clearly sex-defined being narrowed, more women than ever are bringing home as much or more money than their partners. This can potentially free up the formerly “conventional” situation where the mom stays home and raises the kids while dad works outside the home, to a more non-traditional family set-up, where dad stays home and mom goes to work.

It has raised a whole new crop of social issues as well, related to conventional gender roles in our society, and how best to raise a child with the new option of dad staying home. Since more and more people are finding it financially and socially viable to have the father be the primary care-giver and mom be the bread winner, whole social networks are now available to dads who need peers with similar experiences, and moms who have to deal with the stress of being away from their children. Conventional family settings have of course always been that mom stays and dad works, and the new dynamic inherent with choosing a different path brings a new set of challenges to both parents and children.

**I am a member of the Career Collective, a group of resume writers and career coaches.  Each month, all members discuss a certain topic.  This month, we are talking about trends for 2011. Please follow our tweets on Twitter #careercollective.  You can also view the other member’s interesting posts at the end of the article.

It may not seem like it but the recession seems to be tailing off. More people are willing to spend money, so lending has returned to a degree. But that doesn’t mean anything if you’re one of the ones without a job. 2011 is shaping up to be a great year for job seekers, especially if you are filling a critical need job. Sure there is high unemployment still but that does not mean that you cannot make something happen in the New Year. Having a positive attitude and staying abreast of the trends will put you in the running to find that job you want.

But, what are some of the trends for job seekers in 2011? There are a few different things to pay attention to, that are just over the horizon.

The Outlook:

Job growth is expected to be faster than average, thanks to growing demand for service sector jobs, the looming retirement of aging baby boomers, and broad efforts to create job growth. The volume of jobs is expected to increase throughout 2011, and rates are expected to continue through 2018, which are some of the fastest occupational growth rates being projected by the Labor Department.

Money:

Lending is expected to follow along current levels with some increase in lending to well-qualified applicants. But, lending can be a good thing in this economy, with more money changing hands there are more opportunities for job growth. Keep an eye out to see how the market affects your potential career field choice.

Upward Mobility:

If you want you can choose to go for additional schooling. Some jobs offer postgraduate programs for specialties in certain fields. It helps to be able to showcase strong educational history on your resume. As more people enter the workforce, employers can have the cream of the crop, so it creates incentives for potential employees to build their resume. Postgraduate work is a great thing to showcase on a resume and it can help set you apart from other potential job seekers.

Hiring Tools:

Employers are worried about salaries and specifically new salaries. In 2011 the trend is to develop talent from within, instead of spending the time to evaluate and train an outside employee. More employers are looking to promote from within. This is obviously not something that job seekers want to hear in 2011, but just focus on showcasing your skills and building your resume, and you will be on to your future job.

Job Types:

Expect a lot of graveyard shifts, weekend work and holiday work. Employers know that they have their employees in a tight spot and they are going to work their employees into the ground. Do not expect much help in the way of increased pay for this type of work. Profits are high for the top, not for the people doing the actual work.

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Read below for more tidbits and wisdom from some of our industry’s top career professionals:

Social Media Recruiting to Grow Further in 2011, @debrawheatman

Another Year, Another Job Search Begins, @GayleHoward

In 2011, Increase Your Prospects With Better Differentiation, @WalterAkana

4 Lessons Learned From Job Search in 2010, @Careersherpa

Your Career Action Plan for the New Year, @KatCareerGal

Trends Job Seekers Should Look For in 2011, @erinkennedycprw

Things Every Job Seeker Should be Thinking About in 2011, @expatcoachmegan

Let your presence be known or send out a red flag, @MartinBuckland @EliteResumes

How to find a job in 2011: Pay attention to emotional intelligence, @Keppie_Careers

2011 Employment Trends Supercharged with Twitter, @KCCareerCoach

3 Traits for Facing Weather, Employment and Chronic Illness, @WorkWithIllness

Everything old is new again @DawnBugni

Career Trend 2011: Accountability + Possibility = Sustainability, @ValueIntoWords

Career Tools to Check Out in 2011, @barbarasafani

What Was in 2010, What To Expect in 2011, @chandlee

The Future of Job Search: 3 Predictions and 2 Wishes, @JobHuntOrg

Many executives who are looking for an opportunity to receive their Masters degree without impinging on their current responsibilities are turning to Executive MBA’s. These unique programs offer professionals a curriculum that fits neatly into their professional world.  The programs are designed for a group setting and in most cases, a group of students will begin and complete the program together.  The short length of the program, typically two years, is also advantageous.  Still, many professionals wonder about executive MBA’s:  are they needed and what’s the value?

Executive MBA programs are similar to more traditional MBA programs. Courses include advanced finances, accounting, management, statistics, information systems and marketing.  In the competitive world of upper management and executive positions, obtaining an advanced degree is often a necessity.  The nature of the executive MBA makes this possible for those who otherwise would not be able to.

People who are attracted to the Executive MBA program are varied. Most share a desire to grow professionally and who do not have the time to complete a more traditional program.  In most cases, EMBA candidates have ten or more years experience in their given field.  Individual schools may have a variety of other requirements as well.  These may include professional recommendations, GMAT scores and a complete professional resume.

Obtaining an executive MBA can have a large impact on your career. The degree represents another level of experience and sophistication.  Advanced knowledge and new skills allow you to expand your roles.  In a world that is competitive on a global nature, this experience and these skills can be invaluable. For self-employed individuals, the degree is equally useful.  It will provide you with yet another platform from which to launch future business endeavors and successes.

Price may be a concern when deciding whether to obtain your executive MBA. It is true that the cost can seem quite steep; however, the price of the degree is an investment in your future. In some cases, it may be possible to defray the cost by working with your employer.  Even if this is not the case, understanding the inherent benefits of an MBA and an executive MBA in particular, often makes the price of the degree well worthwhile.

Determining if an executive MBA degree is ideal for you is a personal decision. The price and time commitment often seem steep.  Still, the benefits and the potential for future job growth and potential increased earnings often make working towards this degree a simple decision for many professionals.

If you are considering working towards an EMBA, discuss the matter with your employer. Doing so may help you defray some of the costs.  It will also give you an idea of what benefits you can hope to reap upon completing your degree.

Whether you are a recent high school graduate looking for a career path or simply considering a career change, determining which of the many fields to enter is overwhelming. The sheer number of factors makes it incredibly difficult to determine which fields are the best to choose. From earning potential to longevity, picking the correct field is critical for future success. Many advisors are pointing to the technical field as the best field for future growth. Why technical jobs are the wave of the future is simple:  the jobs offer the greatest opportunity for job growth and income potential.

Technical jobs encompass a wide variety of skill sets. Leading professionals utilize these skills and their expertise to deal with a large range of specialized business areas. These include not only computer programmers, but also engineers, financial analysts, scientists and more. Technical jobs utilize advanced knowledge of computer systems, languages and project management experience to perform tasks and skills aimed at keeping a company ahead of the technological curve.

The truth is: technology is rapidly expanding.

Each day new techniques, programs and processes are developed. Implementing these changes, taking advantage of new technology and understanding how various advances can impact a business is critical for ongoing success.

The great thing about technical jobs is the wide variety of positions available. Examples include the following:

1. Sales Engineer: Identifies customer needs, improves business processes through engineering and adaptation of equipment, products and services
2. PC Technician: Maintains computer environments by analyzing systems and needs, plans, implements and “rolls out” projects and installs the latest in hardware and software.
3. Technical Support Specialist: Maximizes system abilities by implementing applications and recommending technologies to improve performance.
4. Technical Writer: Employs both writing skills and an underlying understanding of technology by producing and editing product descriptions and instructions.
5. Project Manager: Utilizes technology to smoothly integrate all aspect of project management. This may include scheduling software, tracing capabilities and other technological skills.

Today, almost every aspect of a business has a technological component. Accounting systems that integrate with procurement and online outlets, productions lines that rely on automation, human resources, sales, administration… in short, businesses need trained technology professionals in order to function.

At their most basic level, technical jobs are the wave of the future because technology is the future. Until such time, if ever, that technology evens out, businesses will need more trained professionals to implement the latest in advances. Anyone considering a career change should carefully consider technical options. Training and retraining is readily available and in the current job market, many of the jobs that are available are in the field of technology. Technical jobs may be the best way to ensure continued earning potential and job growth.

Consider retraining in a technical field today to improve your marketability and earning potential.

The word “resume” gives some people the shivers when they think about having to write one. This reaction is truly not necessary—all it takes to write a resume is a little bit of effort, and some thought. The following are some basic tips on how to write your resume. While the actual writing process takes a lot of thought, planning and strategy, having a “to do” list like this will keep you on track.

Knowing what will go into a resume is the most important thing. In other words, your very first step is to plan out what will go into the resume—sort of like the term papers you wrote for school, or a shopping list.

Think about what jobs you have done, the time spans each of them have covered, and the job duties included. Don’t put them in a specific order yet, unless it’s easier for you to work that way.

Begin at the top of the resume, and decide the format that you want to create it in. List your name and contact information first. After that will be the career summary, your job experiences, and follow them up with education/credentials/professional development.

Start out writing each job description, in a loose, easy manner. Whether you choose for that to be just a few words for the description, or a list of words done as bullet points, it doesn’t really matter. Whatever works for you is what counts.

Look at the jobs that you have in front of you. Some people prefer to take the paper that they’ve used to jot these descriptions out on, and cut it up to rearrange the jobs into the correct chronological order. Others just use circles and arrows. Once you have decided the order in which you want to put the jobs, look at the descriptions again. Put the words into a coherent, thoughtful description of that particular job.

See? You are already writing a quality resume—it’s that easy.

Refining the job descriptions so that they make sense, don’t run on, and will put you into a positive light are the next step. There are some other things to consider now, in addition to the job descriptions. Education is an important thing to list on your resume. With that in mind, list whatever college or technical/trade school experience you may have. Remember to keep it reverse chronological (the preferred choice), listing the most recent position first.

List things like the GPA that you had, any school-related leadership positions you may have had, and extra-curricular activities as well, but ONLY if you are a new grad.

Now, create a career objective or career summary (I always do mine last, after I get a strong familiarity with the client’s history). What do you want to do in your career? What do you want the reader to know about you, your strengths and what you can contribute? You should remain very clear and focused in this area. Think of your brand. Do you have one?

Learning how to write a resume isn’t difficult as long as you devote the time, thought and planning into it.

Let’s face it – legal or not, discrimination is still alive and well in the job market. While most forms of discrimination are illegal, when there are many qualified applicants for a job, certain things may knock you out as a candidate even before you have a chance to prove yourself. Here are some of the types of discrimination job seekers face, and how you can combat them.

Family - To put it bluntly, married applicants with children are something of a liability. They take more time off work, expect to earn more, need more insurance, and often place their priority on family, rather than career. While there’s nothing wrong with that, if an employer is forced to choose between a married, and unmarried applicant, it’s an easy choice as far as money is concerned. Make sure that you keep all family information as private as possible in an interview. Employers can’t legally ask your marital status, so don’t volunteer anything you don’t have to. Force them to choose based on merit, rather than on convenience.

Gender - There is a lot of gender discrimination going on in the workplace, but not in the way many would assume. Sometimes an employer will bring their own preconceptions into an interview. For example, some employers prefer female employees because they’re viewed as more personable, dependable,  and statistically, women are less likely to ask for raises. Some employers prefer male employees, because they think they will be more aggressive, and more willing to take charge of projects. If possible, show up to the interview early, and try to meet a few people in the office if anyone is accessible. Get a feel for the gender mix and the personality type of the employees that already work there, and do your best to project that personality in the interview.

Age - Young or old, there are a lot of hang-ups employers have in regard to age. Every employer wants someone who’s there to work long-term, because training a new employee is an expensive investment. If you’re very young, you may not have much experience, but what the interviewer will really be looking for is you potential anyway. They may not be keen on hearing that you intend to return to college, or that you are planning on getting married soon – these are all things that could make you leave. Never volunteer more information about your personal life than absolutely necessary. Also, if you are reaching social security age, make it clear that this *is* your retirement, and that you have no plans to stop working any time soon.

Education - Often, a college degree means absolutely nothing in terms of how prepared you are for a job, but it does show that you are educated, not to mention able to make it through four years of disciplined study. Those without a degree will have to work twice as hard to seem more educated than their degreed peers, and that means going the extra mile. If you don’t have a degree, make sure your resume includes plenty of relevant educational experience, like managerial training, classes you’ve taken, and specific work training courses. It may also help to work with a public speaking coach for a few sessions, in order to help you articulate yourself well, and maybe even quash a strong dialect, if you have one. Dress is also important. Having an off-the-rack suit tailored for you is a cheap and good way to look well put together. If you look affluent and successful, it will help remove the stigma that those without a college degree are doomed to be stuck in blue collar jobs.

Regardless of the job you’re looking for, do your research. Get a feel for the company, and try to look at as many current employees as you can. Try to find any common threads between them, and use that to your advantage. If nothing else, the more you look like you already belong in the office, the easier it will be for the employer to imagine you as part of the team.

In a tight job market, there are ways for job seekers to show potential employers that not only can they fill a job need, but they can potentially save an employer money by having little start-up training time, and they can be an on-site expert in their field.

Through demonstrating specialization or large amounts of knowledge in a specific area, job seekers can show a high level of value to potential employers while achieving job satisfaction. Specialization can make the process of looking for a job much easier for the specialized job seeker.

Through job specialization, a job applicant can realize some benefits in the job market.

• Specialization in a niche sets a job seeker up as an expert in their field. For positions that require a great amount of knowledge, like nursing or computer/IT, specialization separates you from job applicants with generic pools of knowledge.

• Specialists can command a greater amount of money than non-specialists. When an applicant for a job shows an expert level of knowledge in their field, a company may be able to justify better pay for that specialized knowledge.

• Job specialization is in itself a form of marketing, a tool that makes an applicant stand out from others. It helps brand a person in a field, and in local markets, a person with specialized knowledge may find their name come up often, a great demand placed on their knowledge.

• People with job specialization have credibility in their position that creates trust for and reliance on their expertise from others.

• An expert in a field has knowledge that is not easily replaced. Many jobs emphasize the importance of having broad knowledge, but in many technological and medical fields, a wide range of knowledge is not as valuable. A nurse with a specialization in heart medicine will find her niche within a cardiology practice much easier than an RN with a broad area of practice.

• Specialization often means doing repetitive work, which may sound annoying in practice, but in a field someone loves, doing the same thing over and over is not as problematic. Specializing in the right thing is key, but it is important to remember that people who know how to do the minutia involved in jobs and do it well will always be in demand.

• Similarly, because specialization involves what some consider drudgery, fewer people are willing to do it. Be it becoming the person in the office who knows everything there is to know about a computer program to being a neuro-surgeon, specialization requires work some consider boring. If a person is willing to specialize, simply the act of specialization may be enough to set them above other job applicants.

• Employers often post narrow job requirements, such as knowing a couple of specific computer languages. Sometimes these narrow requirements are not the whole of the job but are posted as a way to weed out under qualified applicants. These narrow requirements will automatically eliminate many job seekers. By knowing the narrow requirements that employers post, an applicant has a far better chance of making it to the first interview.