A professional resume is like a high-quality photograph of your career. Within that photograph, you can see incredible detail. If you have the capability to zoom in on a section, that detail is easier to see clearly. But the photograph doesn’t show you everything about the subject, does it? If you want to find out more than you see in the photograph, you need to either look at more pictures or actually talk to the person in the portrait.
Because your resume is a limited look at who you are and how you would fit into a potential job opening, the reader is looking for details that fit their criteria:
Does this applicant have the credentials we need for the position?
Does this applicant have the professional skills we need for the position?
Does this applicant have assets that could compensate for a lack of credential or skill?
As a result, the details in your professional resume need to be details that matter to the reader. Keeping your “skills” section professional, for instance, means that your love of live action role play probably isn’t what they are looking for. On the other hand, if you are applying for a job that involves the ability to create costumes and characters, it might be exactly what they want.
When you look at samples of professional resumes there are a variety of details in each one. Each resume has been carefully edited for the inclusion of the types of detail the potential employer is looking for. There will be a right time to share an enthusiasm for a hobby, but your resume will be much more professional and much more attractive to that potential employer if the details on your resume are applicable to the job opening.
Guest Post: FirstJob.com "What You Can Do in School to Improve Your Resume"
Firstjob.com matches college grads with junior level and internship opportunities through existing social networks. Read on for more information and check out their site!
Landing a job out of college is challenging in any economy,and in a down market like today’s it is even more so. However, there are a number of ways you can strengthen your resume while you are still enrolled in school that will make you more marketable in the workforce and help you in your job search. School and Your Resume
Since your resume is the first thing about you that employers see, it’s important to make a good first impression. The good news is that applying these resume tips while you’re still in school puts you ahead of the crowd, as many students don’t think about their resume until after graduation
Communication Is Key
Communicating with your professors on a regular basis is one of the most important steps to establishing a good relationship. Try to stand out in your classroom as a leader by frequently participating. If you establish a good relationship with your professor, he or she will value your input and be more inclined to give you a letter of recommendation, introduce you to potential employers, or pass on some of their own resume tips down the road. Be the person that a teacher would be proud to recommend by showing motivation and initiative.
Extracurricular and On-Campus Activities
Employers like to see candidates who have experience. Getting involved in extracurricular activities or groups is a strong way to begin build your resume.
Try joining an on-campus organization. Not only does it give you experience you can put on your resume, it is great for networking. You will get to meet peers who are also looking for experience and employment, and as they get jobs you start building up your contacts in various companies and industries. Stay in touch with the faculty members that coordinate the extracurricular activities, as they can often provide resume help, as well.
Internships
Faculty members can also help guide you to internships. Take the time before or after class to speak to your professor or faculty member about internship opportunities. Often times, employers will communicate with faculty members on a regular basis to try to find perspective interns. Internships are not only a great way to build an impressive resume, they also provide a real-world, hands-on experience for college students in their respective field. Employers like to see students who have internship experience, as they don’t require as much time training if they already have experience on the job.
Part-Time Jobs
Another helpful way to improve your resume is by getting a part-time job. Working part-time while you’re still in college shows employers that you have a strong work ethic and a sense of responsibility. It’s helpful to stay in touch and maintain a good relationship with all your employers, whether full- or part-time job, because managers can be a good resource for letters of recommendation.
Scholarships
Scholarships can establish a high level of credibility, as the selection process for scholarships is usually quite intensive. If you have been selected for a scholarship, make sure you add this to your resume. This is also a great conversation starter with potential employers.
Volunteering
Volunteering shows potential employers that you are committed to helping others, not just yourself. Like internships, volunteering has the additional possible benefit of turning into part-time or long-term employment opportunities.
Finding a job right out of college can be daunting. However, if you employ a few resume tips while you’re still going to college, you will have a leg up against the competition when you apply for your first job.
Once you have strengthened your resume by gaining relevant experience it’s time to put it to paper. Working with a professional resume service can be a surefire way to make sure your resume stands out and you represent yourself in the strongest possible way.
+++++ FirstJob™ is the only job site of its kind, matching recent college graduates with quality junior-level and internship opportunities through their existing social networks. For employers FirstJob offers a full-cycle recruiting platform that provides sourcing, SaaS, and full service recruitment options to companies looking to hire college educated talent.
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First Job Home site URL : https://www.firstjob.com/
We all have someone we look to for guidance in making choices. In our career choices, it’s a good idea to have a mentor; someone we can trust to give good advice. But how do you determine who is going to be the best mentor for you?
Have they followed their own advice? If not, can they explain why? Sometimes, you can learn from their mistakes.
Are they doing what you hope to be doing? You may not want to be a writer, but if that writer owns a company and you want to start your own company, then you hope to be doing the same thing, right?
How long have they been doing what you hope to be doing?
There’s a lot of advice floating around the internet and the dinner table and everywhere in between. Our challenge is to filter that advice in a way that lets us keep the best advice for our own lives and careers. I think it is good to have enough advice to need to filter it, because it gives me a bigger perspective on the issue. I want to know what different generations and different career paths can teach me.
But we need to choose who we listen to when it comes to making choices about our careers. How to look for the best job, how to write a resume and cover letter, how to do an interview, and how to stay productive and reach the goals we set for ourselves are important choices that merit careful filtering.
I hope you read this blog because you consider me a mentor, but I shouldn’t be your only source of information. That’s why there’s a Job Search Resources page on this site; nobody knows it all. You should be filtering every bit of career advice you hear through the evaluation of who said it, why they say it, and how it has worked for them.
A list of “20 Things Every Twentysomething Should Know How To Do” has, among things like “parallel park” and “respond to criticism,” the ability to “write a cover letter” at number 16. This is very interesting, don’t you think?
Here’s their reasoning: “Filling out an application is a pretty simple process but, in all likelihood, the job you really want is going to take more than a list of references and previous employers. Cover letters require some effort, but it can be the difference between “don’t call us, we’ll call you” and “when can you start?””
It’s really simple to see why. A good cover letter is your introduction to the potential employer and is their first impression of you.
So knowing how to write a good cover letter is important:
Do some research on what a good cover letter entails. A good place to start is here on this blog.
Write some sample cover letters and ask friends to critique them. Ask friends who regularly make comments about misspelled words and grammar mistakes — they see those things. Ask friends who have businesses. Ask your older relatives. Then take those marked up samples and see where you can improve.
If you are struggling with this skill, consider investing in a professionally written cover letter for a potentially lucrative job. It is a small investment for a big return. You can use it as a learning experience to improve your writing. Some jobs do not require writing skills once you are hired, but it is a good skill to have anyway.
Even if you are not the one who wrote your own cover letter, the fact that you recognize the importance of a good cover letter shows you value professionalism enough to invest in it.
Every so often, uncertain times come to a large part of the economy. It might be a government shut down, severe weather, or a variety of other calamities can happen that affect your job. Even when uncertainty affects a small part of the economy, if it affects your job, then you need to be prepared to navigate unknown waters.
Here are a few basic points to keep in mind:
There will occasionally be uncertain times — look back in history and you can see that financial and political crises happen all the time, all over the world. Even if most of the economy is good, if your job is uncertain, then you have every reason to be concerned enough to do something about it. Job-related stress has symptoms, but it also has resolutions.
It is always a good idea to prepare for uncertain times — work on paying off your debt load even if all you can do is pay a little more than the minimum every month. Put some money in savings every payday, and don’t use it unless it is a last resort. Work out your budget so you have a handle on what you are doing with your money. Talk with your family about how you will get through a crisis; it’s like a fire drill that prepares you for emergencies.
Don’t waste today’s energy on worrying — do something about what stresses you. Take a walk every day instead of eating a donut for breakfast (not that I object to donuts–believe me, I don’t–but a walk is de-stressing where sugary snacks backfire). Look at your worries and work on what you are in control of. If you can’t control the thing that worries you, how will worry help? Answer: it won’t.
Forget about drama and smile at the people in your life — we are in the boat together. It makes the journey so much easier when we treat one another with kindness. The people you work with, the people you live with, and the people you interact with as you go through your day are all on the same ocean, and we all do better when we are smiling.
We are at the beginning of the flu season and you know the drill:wash your hands frequently, cough into your elbow, clean surfaces, get a flu shot…stay healthy. In the workplace, illness affects more than the one feeling sick because you are faced with staying home or spreading germs. It’s a tough call, because we are surrounded by invisible invaders bringing illness all the time. Stress is known to weaken our ability to fight those invaders. I am a huge believer in this. The minute I feel overworked or overwhelmed, my throat starts hurting. Since we spend most of our time at work, stress in the workplace can be a huge factor in whether or not we get sick. Keeping the stress down will help us stay healthy. Question is, how do we do that?
You can only control what you are able to choose. You might not have a choice about where your desk is, but you do have a choice about keeping it clean. Air quality is usually beyond your control, but you might be able to have a plant that helps purify it, and you certainly can take walks outside. Grouchy co-workers might dump on you, but you could use that to look for ways to make things better.
Decide now what the holidays will look like, and be realistic about what you do and why you do it. Don’t plan for “perfection.” Plan for flexible family time and let the mishaps become stories you will laugh about next year. What holiday work commitments will be expected? Do you know how to handle gift giving in the corporate world? It might seem early to talk about it, but you will have less stress if you know what to do.
Remember that stress is not bad in small doses. It’s like exercise for your soul in a lot of ways. The problems come when stress is accumulated upon stress and doesn’t stop. Figuring out how to keep that stress an occasional workout will keep YOU healthy and at work.
One Reason Why A Thank You Letter Is Still A Good Idea
Did you have to write thank you letters at Christmas and birthdays when you were a kid?Did you groan and moan piteously while your mom stood over you, threatening dire things if Grandma didn’t get that note in the next few months? Do I do this to my own children, too? Of course! Most of us have had to write a note thanking someone for a gift or a service they appreciate, and if you have been the recipient of a thank you letter on paper, you know the feeling you have about that writer. It is impressive in today’s email world, and most people don’t do it. It’s the right thing to do. In the hiring world, there are many faces seen and forgotten as applicants crowd into the arena vying for a job. One of the most impressive ways to do an interview follow up for maximum success is the old-fashioned thank you letter. On paper. To hold in your hand and look at again. In one simple act, that of observing a professional courtesy, you have given the interviewer a reason to remember you positively. I am assuming the thank you letter is one that meets professional standards, is well-written, concise, and mentions specific favorable points in the interview. It will be a tangible reminder of your assets for the position if it reflects your good points and comes in the week following the interview. There is a place for an email thank you letter, and your research on the company will help you determine its appropriateness. Most of the time, though, the “real thing” is going to be the best thing. If you do decide the email thank you letter is preferred, all the rules about professionalism apply! This is no place for typos or formatting errors, so make sure your final impression is an excellent impression when following up that job interview.
This is part of the package when writing your resume, the final piece of the cover letter-resume-thank you letter trifecta. Don’t ignore it!
Beat The Competition With The Job Search Success System
Competition is unfortunately part of the picture in searching for a job. It’s also part of the picture in keeping your job and being promoted.The Job Search Success System has more to offer than getting your foot in the door; the skills you learn will help you be successful throughout your career as you struggle to keep up with the market.
In addition to finding that job, there is coaching on:
how to figure out what you really want out of your career
how to become the acknowledged expert in your field, boosting your income and potential
how to negotiate for salary increases of 10% and more — up to 50%
communication tips
efficiency tips
project work, consultation work, and adding income streams
The more skills you have, the more options you have. When you are actively seeking to improve your skills, it benefits you now and in the future. It also benefits those around you because you are setting a standard of professionalism that will enhance your workplace. Even if you would decide that you are not ready to invest in a tool like The Job Search Success System, pay attention to the things offered in the package. Those are skills you need to develop somehow in order to keep up in the marathon that is a career.
I did say “marathon” instead of “race”. That is because the goal isn’t really to be the first one past the finish line: the goal is to get across that line, getting and keeping a job until promotion to a better job. You might not be as fast as some of the other runners, but if you keep at it, you will get there!
