Three Ways to Boost Your Job Searching Strategy This Autumn

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Get a new fall job with the help of professional resume writing services.

Autumn can be a refreshing time of year, both from a weather perspective and for job seekers. You’ve gotten through the tough summer months and may feel a little worn down after applying for jobs consistently. The good news is autumn brings out new opportunities since school is back in session and newly graduated students aren’t flooding the market. Now is the time to get involved with your LinkedIn profile development and touch up your resume to revamp your job search!

Learn New Skills

If you’ve struggled with getting the job you desire, consider taking online classes or certification programs. The best professional resume writing services will suggest adding any type of educational experience to your resume, especially if you don’t have a significant amount of relevant work experience. Not only will learning new skills boost your confidence, but employers might even be more attracted to your resume because of your commitment to continuing your education.

Open Your Thoughts

It’s easy to get caught up in the repetitiveness of applying for certain jobs. You could be leaving some great jobs on the table due to tunnel vision. Open up your thoughts a bit and look at other opportunities. These may or may not be relevant to the jobs or experience you’ve had in the past, but the goal is to broaden your horizons.
When you look at other job opportunities, you may realize you’re more qualified for those than the ones you’ve been looking for. Alternatively, you could find a field that interests you enough to look into taking continuing education classes to learn more. Professional resume writing services will encourage you to broaden your view of your job search so you don’t get bogged down and find yourself in a rut.

Consider Temporary Jobs or Contract Work

The best executive resume format will highlight your attributes and indicate you’re open to a variety of opportunities. However, you don’t want to seem desperate. Sometimes companies simply aren’t hiring full-time employees, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t apply. You may be able to find a temporary job or a contract position to help get valuable experience.
The autumn months are unique because companies don’t necessarily hire a lot during the holidays. If you are able to work as a contractor or hold a temporary position through the holidays, you may even be brought on full-time after the first of the year; and if not, at least you have something else to put on your resume!
Seasonal changes can be refreshing to job seekers, and professional resume writing services know this. Autumn is a great time to rejuvenate your job search.

Five Ways to Make the Most of Your Next Executive Job Fair

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Stand out at a job fair with the help of executive resume services.

Job fairs used to be designed for entry-level positions and students looking for their first job. However, executive job fairs have become more popular in recent years because they help executives get their name out to companies and recruiters. Whether you’re actively looking for a job or just want to learn more about different options, attending an executive job fair can be beneficial. Follow these five tips to make your experience a success.

Target Recruiters or Companies

Look at the schedule beforehand and find the specific companies and recruiters you want to talk to. Prepare your executive resume cover letter by tailoring it toward those companies. This will help make an immediate impact. When a recruiter knows you have a special interest in them, they will likely return the favor and give you more attention.

Do Your Research

Research the companies you’re interested in fully, but also do a little research on other companies as well. Know the names of people you want to talk to in each company and learn about the companies’ histories. If you’re able to demonstrate to a recruiter you know about their company, you can skip that step in the discussion and move into why you would be a great fit. This will stand out much more than general discussion!

Bring Resumes and Yes, Even Business Cards

You need to be a good writer to get the attention of recruiters. They will likely receive hundreds of resumes and business cards during executive job fairs so it’s important yours stands out. Yes, people still give out business cards. If you have some, bring them. If you need to hire executive resume services prior to the job fair, do it.

Prepare Like You Would For a Job Interview

The biggest mistake people make is treating executive job fairs like a social event rather than a job interview. If you go into a job interview with the perfect executive resume cover letter, why wouldn’t you do the same at a job fair?
This is where researching companies is critical so you can customize several cover letters for specific companies. Most people won’t take the time to make each cover letter distinct so it gives you a great chance to stand out among the group.

Be Social

Don’t just limit your conversations to recruiters. Talk to other job seekers as well to get a sense of the competition out there. You may be surprised how many ideas and tips you can receive from fellow job seekers. Socializing with people with similar interests as you will only help your development for your next executive job fair.

Four Little-Known Ways to Help Your Resume Pop!

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Make it pop by writing an effective resume.

If you’re going to spend a lot of time writing an effective resume, you might as well know the secrets to making it pop. You only have a few seconds to impress a recruiter before they move on to the next resume. Resume writing is an art not many people have mastered, but the ones who understand it will have a higher likelihood of landing the job they desire. Here are four ways you may not have known could help your resume stand out!
Targeting Is Key
The best resume writing service will advise you to target every aspect of your resume. Mention the specific job you’re applying for and your exact accomplishments. Avoid putting in accomplishments not relevant to the job you want, no matter how good it looks. The hiring manager is only interested in what you can do for them so they won’t care about a certain accomplishment if it doesn’t translate to their job.
Repeat Keywords
Keywords are tricky because you don’t always know which ones recruiters are looking for. Instead of being general about skills and accomplishments, be specific. A professional resume writing service can help you identify keywords based on the job you’re applying for. The more you use keywords throughout your resume, the more likely your resume will be noticed. Just be careful not to saturate your resume to the point where it reads unnaturally. Try checking out the job description you are looking at for more keywords.
Tailor Your Resume to the Job You’re Searching For
Any professional resume writing service will tell you there’s nothing worse than using the same resume for different jobs. Recruiters can easily identify when someone just blindly sends their resume to them. Put in a few statements about how you will help their company based on your research about them. Showing you’ve researched the company and understand their needs will go a long way in making your resume stand out.
Use a Performance Profile
Your performance profile should show how your skills match the objectives of the company and the ability to do the job you’re applying for. A good tip is to look at the job and skill requirements on the job posting and incorporate those points in your performance profile. Many companies will use the keywords they’re looking for in their job description so that’s a great way to target your resume to the job and match your performance capabilities with their job opening.
In today’s busy world, getting your resume to stand out among the rest can seem like an impossible task. By using these four tips, you should see more success.

Interested in Hiring an Executive Resume Writer? Here’s What You Should Look For!

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Improve your resume with the help of an executive resume writer.

Most people don’t think they need an executive resume writer when they’re searching for a job. It’s easy to blindly throw your resume out to employers and see which one bites. However, you aren’t doing yourself a lot of good, and you definitely aren’t saving time that way. An executive resume writer does more than just put words on a piece of paper for you. They will help you think deeply about your current career path and your goals. In order to find someone like this, you have to look for some particular characteristics.

Have Your Best Interest in Mind

When you’re looking for executive resume writing services, it’s easy to tell who has your best interest in mind versus someone who is only interested in their paycheck. It’s a good sign if they’ve been in the profession for many years. They probably won’t be able to talk about specific clients, but ask them about some of their best success stories. Their answer will go a long way in determining how much they will care about helping you. Make sure they have advanced credentials, awards and even some samples on the website so you can see their work. Talk to them. Make sure they talk strategy and focus as well.

They Explain the Process to You

If you’re going to pay good money for executive resume services, you deserve to learn more than just how to write a resume better. A good service will provide you with information and resources about how their process works, what they’ll need from you and what to expect once it’s done. Not knowing what an employer in your industry looks for on a resume won’t help you in the long run.

They Connect on a Personal Level

Some of the best executive resume writers have been in your shoes before. You will have a complete sense of trust when you realize your professional writer went through the same struggles as you. Any professional can learn how to write a resume, but actually living through the difficult times of looking for a job and trying to craft the perfect resume goes a long way in credibility. Once you develop a personal understanding with your executive resume writer, you’ll most likely be able to open up and work together to create a great resume.
If you’re planning on seeking the help of executive resume writing services, these tips should help you find the perfect writer. The important thing to remember is the first person you interact with may not always be the best choice. Just like finding a job, finding the perfect executive resume writer is a process. These tips should help you narrow down your choices a little easier.

How Executive Resume Targeting Works

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You can rely on an executive resume writing service - such as Professional Resume Services - to help you craft the most effective resume.

Every company has different positions within each organization. The job duties of those positions can vary from company to company, so you have to be specific as to what job you’re looking for on your resume. A marketing director at a small firm may have multiple job duties, while a marketing director at a large corporation might only be in charge of one aspect. That’s why targeting your executive resume is critical to get the job you want, and the guidance from an executive resume writing service may be essential. Here are some tips on how you can target your executive resume.

Know What You Want

If you try to be general in your resume and make it seem like you’re the jack-of-all-trades, you probably won’t get much recognition. Executive resume targeting means you need to show you have one particular skill mastered and are seeking a job requiring those skills. When you’re as specific as possible, you are more likely to receive responses from companies regarding the exact position you’re looking for. The best professional executive resume writers are crafty when it comes to being specific to the job description and using the appropriate keywords to help get you recognized.

Differentiate Large and Small Companies

Some people want to work for a large corporation, but some want to start at the ground floor. Whichever you prefer, it needs to be clear and evident in your executive resume. Make it known you want to use your skills to help a start-up company grow into a larger business, and are willing to wear multiple hats to get it done. Alternatively, you could say your skills are a better fit for a large corporation where you sit behind your desk all day and make the current operations run more smoothly behind the scenes. Some of the top rated resume writing services will help you target the ideal fit for you, as long as you are clear with them regarding what you want.

Lay Out Your Criteria

Sometimes the best thing applicants can do is to be specific about what they want in a job. However, when you include a section like this, you have to be very careful. If you are overly specific, you might significantly narrow the amount of potential responses you get. You could talk about the work environment you prefer, the size of the company, how you like to interact with co-workers and clients, the type of management style you like and so on. There’s a fine line between being specific about your criteria and being demanding. If you’re having a hard time differentiating the two, then you may benefit from the assistance of an executive resume writing service.
Targeting your executive resume could be the difference between getting the exact job you want or just settling for whatever is offered to you. Feel free to contact us if you need any assistance or guidance when you’re working on targeting your executive resume.

Executives: Don’t Put These 5 Things in Your Resume!

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Using the best executive resume writers will prevent these mistakes.

Executive resumes deserve just as much attention as a resume for any other job. You may be surprised to know most resumes for executive positions are generally poorly done. However, that just gives you the opportunity to shine brightly when it comes to your resume! Your executive bio needs to stand out from the rest. Most importantly, it needs to be error-free and you need to avoid putting some things in it altogether. We’ve compiled a list of five common, but unnecessary, things people put in their executive resumes.

Too Wordy

As an executive, you likely have many accomplishments and all of them are important to you. However, if you put too much on your resume, recruiters may stop reading it and move on to the next one. The best executive resume writers will include two or three key points to highlight skills and then move on. Think concise. Ask yourself, “Does this need to be on here?” You don’t want to overwhelm recruiters on paper.

Omitting Keywords

In today’s digital world, most resumes are scanned online for specific keywords pertaining to the job. Sometimes the keywords are more important than the substance in the resume. Look at the job description and use a lot of the words they use to describe the job. If you need help identifying specific keywords, you can always reach out to an executive resume service for assistance.

Focusing Too Much on Job Descriptions

Talk briefly about your job duties at your past jobs, but focus more on what you accomplished in those roles. Everyone can describe what they did at a particular job, but highlighting how well you did your job looks much better on paper.

Not Highlighting Achievements

This is where you need to use numbers and percentages to show how you made an impact in your previous jobs. Your executive bio will be much stronger if you say you “increased sales by 40 percent over 12 months” rather than just saying you “helped boost sales.” Be specific about your achievements so your next employer knows what you have to offer before you even step foot in their office.

Not Targeting Your Prospective Employer

Having a generic resume may be fine if you’re applying for a lower level position, but you need to do a little more work upfront for an executive level position. Do some research about the job and company you’re applying to. Identify how you can help them and include those points in your resume. The best executive resume writers will focus more on how they can help potential hirers, rather than what they’ve done in the past.

Five Lesser Known Facts to Potentially Include on Your Resume

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Make the right choices with the best resume writing service.
Resumes are hard work. As one of the leading teams of executive resume writers, we’ve witnessed this fact up close several times over and we understand. It’s tricky to know just how to market yourself and appeal to potential employers, regardless of what industry you’re in. To help make it easier, we’ve put together this list of potentially great additions to your resume that could be of interest to a recruiter!

1. Qualifications

This could be a great piece of information to list about yourself as an alternative to the “objective” section of your resume. This is a surefire way to appeal to employers because it gives them an idea of what you’re capable of right away and reveals the most important aspects of what makes you hire-able.
Depending on what the job posting says, you may want to go into more detail with this section. Consider including how long you’ve utilized this particular skill in the workforce, as well as anything else that will help you look especially qualified, such as any related professional skills.

2. Titles

When you’re listing out your prior work experience on your executive resume bio, don’t skirt around your position there! Titles are an extremely important indicator of your status within the company and could generate further interest from a recruiter. They also give potential employers a better idea of what your responsibilities were at your previous jobs and what they can expect from you should they hire you to work for them.

3. Details and Numbers

Specificity can catch an employer’s eye, not just in the realm of job titles, but also in terms of your responsibilities and accomplishments while there. Don’t be afraid to brag a little, but be sure to stay truthful! Include precise numbers when talking about how you’ve made a difference in your previous positions. This includes percentages and other quantifiers. Recruiters will latch on to this and keep it in mind.

4. Languages

While bilingualism wasn’t necessarily as desired in the past, it is becoming increasingly important to today’s recruiters, especially as industries across the board become increasingly international. If you speak any additional languages, it may be a good idea to include them on your resume, depending on what your field is. Though it’s a small detail, it could create an important tipping point as far as whether you’re called in for an interview or not.

5. Education

Again, adding in your education depends largely on the type of job you’re applying for and, potentially, how long you’ve been out of school. Your educational history will be more important if you’re a recent graduate as opposed to a seasoned professional who earned their last degree 15 years ago. However, if the job you’re applying for wants a degree of a certain type, it may be a good idea to include your degree information if it matches, regardless of how long it’s been since you received it.
While these suggestions aren’t guaranteed to get you hired, they could serve as an eye-catching factor for an employer. Of course, to make your resume a true standout, you’ll want to turn to the best resume writing service available. Never hesitate to get in touch and learn the newest tips and tricks for fine-tuning your resume!

Functional or Chronological: Which Is the More Effective Format for Your Resume?

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Use chronological as the best executive resume format.
The differences in resume formatting seem to be a little-known fact among job hunters. Most people have learned to write out a resume in one way or another and learn about any alternative methods later on in life, either when they no longer are submitting resumes to recruiters or are in the throes of a job search. Currently, there are two types of resume formats: functional and chronological. Both of them have their advantages. It will serve any executive resume writer well to know about both formats in order to decide which will better suit their needs.

Functional Resumes

You can think of a functional resume as something of a professional showcase. It is meant to underline what you can do. In other words, it’s about the experiences you’ve had and the skills you’ve gathered and developed. These two elements of your career history should receive the most focus on this type of resume. While chronological information can still be included, it should be kept brief and be written last.
Generally, you will write a functional resume so each skill you’d like to discuss serves as a header. You can then devote a few lines underneath to discuss what this skill entailed and how you’ve utilized it throughout your career positions. You will also have to talk a little bit about yourself at the top of the page, mainly about your academic and career history. Again, this should also be brief.
This format may prove useful for some executives in the middle of switching careers. However, it isn’t the best executive resume format in the eyes of hiring managers and recruiters. Using a functional resume may give off the impression you have large gaps in your work or academic history or you otherwise have some other detractor from your hireability you don’t want to divulge.

Chronological Resumes

Unlike functional resumes, chronological resumes basically serve as a timeline of your career history. Resumes of this type list out your full work history from your newest position to your oldest, as well as a bit about your skill set and similar information. Under each position you list, you’ll also include a bit about the tasks you fulfilled, along with any accolades you’ve earned while there.
Those with a lot of experience in their chosen field will find this resume format the most helpful, as will newly graduated college students. Recruiters will also find this format much easier to sort through and read. However, this type of resume can be misleading when it comes to shorter career positions you’ve held, and your skills will be downplayed considerably.
We consider this to be the most useful resume format because it displays all important information up front with no risk of miscommunication. It is especially useful for downplaying any existing gaps in your work history. Every recruiter and hiring manager will recognize and accept this format so you’re far less likely to hurt your chances of gaining their interest. We recommend making chronological resumes your first choice!
Writing a resume is understandably tough. However, picking the right format can help move things along. If you’re still unsure of the best way to organize your resume, you can always consult the best resume writing services for suggestions on which resume format to use! Be sure to get in touch to get the help you need and land the job of your dreams!