People are diverse. People are multi-talented. Every person has a unique set of skills that makes them unique and interesting.Now, while all those skills are interesting or useful in the right time and place, you need to determine when it is appropriate to list certain skills on your resume and when it is not.
For the most part, you do not want to put down skills that you have gained from hobbies. If your employer asks about your hobbies during an interview, feel free to briefly discuss your interests, but do not put “riding a unicycle” on your resume. Most employers do not want to hear about your personal interests, they want to hear about the skills you have that will add value to their company. Unless your hobbies directly relate to the position you’re applying for, leave them off of your resume.
Before you start writing your resume, write down your skills and decide which ones will be useful in almost any job. Computer technology and team building skills are always good to put down on a resume. Aside from those, you will want to put down skills that are tailored to meet the needs of the company and position you are applying for. If you are applying to be a Research Assistant, and you have had experience with a library system, that would be a good skill to put on your resume because it is directly applicable to the situation.
There are many skills that can be used in a variety of situations. You need to figure out which of your skills are best suited to the jobs you’re applying for. This will keep your resume from looking unprofessional or cluttered and will help your potential employers see the value and expertise you will offer when hired.
Career advancement is one of the most desirable career goals for most people.Getting a promotion can get you higher pay, better benefits, and more respect in your company. Now every person has a different goal for career advancement. Some people may just want to become a manager or supervisor, others may want to become heads of teams or departments, but there are also people who want to advance to the very top of the corporate food chain and have an executive career in mind. If that is what you want, then you need to prepare. And even if you do not want to go all the way to the top, then these tips can still help you get recognized and get you where you want to be.
Be Professional: While it seems obvious to be professional at work, other places may not seem so obvious. The most important place to remain professional is on social networking sites. Managers, supervisors, and higher ups can access your social networking profile at any time if they want. Make sure that what they see on there won’t embarrass you or harm your chances at promotion.
Put In The Effort: You will never get anywhere if you don’t put the work in. Your employers are not going to want to promote someone who does not work to help their company succeed. Perform work that helps the company and will impress your employers.
Ask About Additional Opportunities: Employers like to see people who go the extra mile. Ask your supervisor if there are any additional projects that need to be organized or extra work that you can head up. This will show them that you are serious about the company and will put you at the front of their minds when considering promotions.
Be Positive: People will gravitate towards others who seem positive and are enjoyable to be around. That includes your employers. They would much rather work with someone positive than someone who sucks the life out of everything. Keep a smile on your face and a spring in your step and you will be on your way to the top.
Now, while all these tips will help there is nothing more important than keeping that executive career in mind. Let that executive career fuel everything you do at work and sooner or later it will get you there.
Sometimes it seems that nothing is going your way in your work.You get passed up for a promotion, you don’t get a raise, or a new hire is brought in for a job that you are definitely qualified for. This can be discouraging and can make it hard to know what is needed to advance in your career. Take that plus the stigma that exists that you need to sell out in order to advance and it seems to be nearly impossible to advance without selling out or “playing dirty.” But that is not the case. The competition will be tough, but you can advance without selling out, but you need to be willing to put in the work and think through your advancement plan. The truth is you need to sell yourself in order to advance. How are your employers going to know that you deserve or even want the position if you don’t let them know? However, you do not want to be annoying, obnoxious, or sound entitled. When you do that you are slipping into selling out instead of selling yourself. Have good work to back up your claims that you are qualified. That will impress your employers more than spouting fluff or degrading your competition. Take that work you have done and show it to your employers. Show them that you have helped them be successful and you could do it again and again. If you can show them that and are willing to sell yourself to them you will have a much better chance of advancing than in any other way.
After being in the work force doing things that nobody really wants to do, you decide that you want something more. You want a career not just a job. Now, how do you go about it? Here are some tips to help you with the transition.
1. You need to take your education into consideration. If you want a better job you need a college education. You are not going to become a doctor without going to medical school. So you need to get a degree with a future career in mind. You also want a job doing something you have studied enough that you are very skilled in that area. If you are skilled and you work hard, then you will be able to advance and have a career.
2. Take your interests into consideration. Trying to find a job that you love is hard, but when you are trying to start a career it is a necessity. You will be in that field until you retire and you need to enjoy it in order to make it worthwhile.
3. Take your family into consideration. If you want to have a family you will want to start a career that allows you to take care of them financially. Now you also want to weigh in how much time you want to spend with your family. If you want to spend a lot of time with your family you do not want to start a career in a field that makes it nearly impossible to ever see your family.
4. Now one thing you need to consider about the company itself is if there is room for advancement in the company. In order to have a fulfilling career you want to be rewarded for your hard work and dedication. That includes getting promotions and pay raises. This is something you want to consider when choosing your career company.
Moving from a job to a career is scary and exciting, but more than anything it will make your experience in the work force fulfilling and more enjoyable.
If you were to ask career counselors if a career objective is worth merit, half of them would say yes. Those arguing against objectives will say they are too limiting and usually poorly constructed. Those in favor will say that employers want to be able to determine quickly what you can do for the company and what you’re good at. An objective can help meet that need. To some employers, the lack of an objective translates into a job seeker who doesn’t know what he or she wants. On the other hand, numerous employers say they rarely see a well-written objective.
There’s no doubt that many resume career objectives are poorly put together as they are usually vague and not job specific. This defeats the whole purpose of the objective in the first place.
Job seekers also tend to ignore the employer’s need to know what a potential employee can contribute and list everything that the job seeker wants. For example, a typical self-serving objective will say “To obtain a meaningful and challenging position which enables me to learn the accounting field and which allows for advancement.” If your career objective doesn’t match what the hiring manager has to offer, he or she is not likely to give serious consideration to other positions within the company that you might fit into.
In other words, don’t leave the career objective off of your resume. You can have several versions of your resume saved on your computer that each have a different objective. You could even come up with a specific, tailor-made objective on your resume for each job you apply for. With technology, resumes and objectives need not be “one size fits all.” However, if you go to a job fair where it’s impossible to tailor your objective as you move from booth to booth, or if you’re handing out resumes in a networking situation, it may make more sense to leave your objective off.
If you are still uncomfortable with committing yourself to an objective on your resume, you can use a cover letter to tailor a resume to specific jobs. The cover letter can help bring the resume into sharper focus by elaborating on what the job seeker wants to do and what he or she can specifically contribute to a particular job.
Employers are seeing more objectives being replaced with wording such as summary, skills summary, qualifications or profile. Keywords in these sections are very important if they are tailored to specific job skills.
Objectives should reflect the employer’s perspective, not the job seeker’s, and should tell what the job seeker can contribute. An objective should demonstrate the value the candidate will add to the organization. Objectives should be as concise as possible. Whether or not you choose to include an objective, you may wish to present a skills or qualifications section on your resume
A lot of people have probably already done this, but it is important to make sure your executive resume is customized, tailored, and geared toward you in a good light. The best way to know if your resume is working is this: Have you been called in for a job interview? If the answer is no, then it’s time to customize your resume and try something different.
Of course, you want your resume to be a professional piece and it will be, but think about something. How quickly does someone scan over your resume? Interviewers are looking at your skills and experience, which will alert them to the needs that they are hoping you will fulfill. That takes maybe 20 seconds, tops.
So, what do you need to do? Make it pop! Bold certain words throughout your resume so they pop off the page at someone. You’ve got their attention now, right? An example would be: “have 10 years experience as a Project Manager”. OK, that sentence is just sitting there. But if you use “have 10 years experience as a Project Manager“. Much better, right?
Also, be sure to use the same phrases and job descriptions that the potential employer is using. This makes them feel as if you have really read the job requirements and understand the position. It’s only a matter of critiquing your resume so that when viewed it takes on a whole new life.
There are a number of ways of customizing your executive resume. Find the ones that work best for you. You can always find suggestions and help online; it’s just a matter of where to look.
Everyone needs a resume. However, not everyone is very good at building a very good resume and get overwhelmed. It can be boring trying to get it just right and it never seems to be right. That’s where a professional can help. Professional resume writers can sit down with you and discuss your resume needs. They can then build an excellent professional resume that will reflect your jobs skills the most.
Yes, there is a cost involved, but you have spent many years cultivating your job skills and expertise. But, with so many looking for jobs in today’s world, it would be in your best interest to invest in yourself so you won’t get lost in the shuffle.
Because resume writing is what they do, they will be able to create your professional resume into something that will stand out from the crowd and get you noticed. It’s not the same as it was several years ago and a generic resume was all you needed. Today, however, potential employers are looking for that “thing” that will set that particular resume apart from the others. If they don’t see it, the resume gets tossed aside.
Doing research on the internet will give you multiple resources in which to find a resume writer and possible job openings in various venues. It can be overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. Consider investing in yourself. It is the most important thing you can do to make a change for 2012.
Add Informational Interviews To Your Networking To Do List
Networking does not always mean social networking. While social networking is good, it’s better to add a personal touch to it by utilizing informational interviews.
An informational interview is where you, as the job seeker, asks for a meeting with someone in charge of a particular company. You are, in essence, interviewing them, not for a job but for information. It’s used to ask questions about the company, advice, and to build on any leads that are presented during the interview process. Many executives use this approach to build a network of business associates so that they can be kept informed of any new developments and/or job openings that they otherwise might not hear about. Of course, job interview protocol is still expected during these interviews and includes:
Research the company well so that you will have informed questions going into the interview.
Set a date and time that is convenient to the person you are interviewing. Remember they are only helping you and are very busy
Arrive on time and dress appropriately. This is not the time to be fashionably late.
Have business cards and be sure to hand one out after introductions.
Be prepared to end the interview at the scheduled time. If they aren’t ready, then keep going.
Pay the tab if you are meeting somewhere for coffee or lunch.
Have a thank you card ready so that you can give it to them as you part.
You never know who or where that awesome job will come from. Who knows, it just may come as a result of an informational interview. They may be so impressed by you and your skills, a new position may very well be created for you. It’s been known to happen. At the end of the day, you will be proud of yourself because you have realized you really are good at what you do. And, you have built an ever-widening circle of contacts and job search resources that will be there to help you in the future.
