JobMob recently published their Top 40+ Job Search Blog Posts of 2013. This is a great list from distinguished career experts of what other job searchers have been reading and have found helpful, all over the globe. One of our latest posts is on that list: Unemployed? You Have Secret Powers!
Of course, it is an affirmation that we provide a service our readers are interested in, and that’s always a good feeling. But it also shows that you are not alone in your search for employment, and that has all kinds of feelings attached to it.
It’s intimidating to realize there are so many job seekers out there
It’s encouraging to know you are not alone and have support
It’s hopeful to anticipate the results of steps you are making in your career plans
Professional Resume Services has a mission: to craft powerful, exciting, and effective resumes for every job seeker on the planet. That’s a big goal, isn’t it? Maybe it won’t really happen all over the planet, but it sure will happen a lot this coming year because we will be doing it one job seeker at a time. Maybe it will be in the form of a resume critique, or coaching, or a resume package. Maybe it will be in the form of this blog, encouraging and guiding along the search. Maybe it will be on Facebook or some other social media.
See how many facets there are? Like the cuts on a diamond, each different facet of a job search is another angle that reflects the light a different way. It takes a lot of angles to make a diamond shine and sparkle, and it takes a lot of angles to make a career do the same thing. All the different things you do make up who you are and what you have to offer, and a good resume is like those lights at the jeweler’s shop causing the gems to sparkle with reflections: it illuminates what you have and makes it shine.
There are many reasons why those seeking better jobs choose a professional resume service, but the biggest reason is simple: you aren’t trying to write your resume all by yourself.
When you do things all by yourself, you are limited to your own experience and perspective. I’m not saying your experience and perspective are bad or wrong, but that they are limited to what you know. Investing in a professional resume service, on the other hand, puts you at the head of a team of advisers committed to your success.
you benefit from the experience of someone who writes resumes for a living
you benefit from the effectiveness of the networking professional resume services offer
you benefit from the resume service’s real need to make you a satisfied customer
When you work with others on a mutual project — your resume — they can catch things you miss and ask questions that bring out strengths you take for granted. You can give all your information during the consultation brainstorming and know that there will be an opportunity to go over the draft and change anything you might want to edit. You are working with certified resume writers who are experts in strategy, branding, and format so you don’t have to teach yourself all you need to know in those areas. A professional resume service is an investment, but that investment pays off in huge dividends. The biggest advantage is having collaborative input when working on the all-important package of your cover letter, resume, followup, and distribution. It’s a big job to do alone but not intimidating when you have help.
How often are you told you need a LinkedIn Profile that is keyword rich, then you read an article on LinkedIn that tells you, “Stop Using These 16 Terms To Describe Yourself“? The main thrust of the article is that the keywords generally are cliches and should be left out of your branding vocabulary. However, keywords are very necessary in terms of being found on LinkedIn. Whenever I read an article like that, I try to take the time to read all the comments because there will generally be a debate! This particular article, though, has over 3,000 comments so that is probably not going to happen this time. One common reality that many readers mention in this debate is the fact they won’t even make it to the interview without the keywords/cliches in the resume so the search engine brings it up to the person who decides on the viability of the candidate.
Words are tools. Tools can be poorly made and fall apart the first time used, or finely crafted and used by generations to build things. The goal isn’t the tool, although tools can be very beautiful. The goal of a tool is its usefulness in helping the user achieve their goal, what ever it is. But even the best tool cannot do anything without the user’s skill.
When you look at our LinkedIn Profile Development service you see how an expert views this debate: you need both the keywords/cliches and the humanizing factor. The keywords often are cliches, but an experienced wordsmith knows how to use them to get past the computers to the people. If all you have is cliched keywords, the resume stops here. It’s that human factor, the individuality brought out by a skillful resume/profile writer, that connects with the person reading about you.
There are too many profiles out there for a person to read all of them. That’s what search engines are for! And search engines are computers looking for keywords. The words are tools we use to get you to the person’s notice and to bring your “brand” to the front, where all that makes you unique can shine. That’s the “humanizing” factor and the other leg your online branding stands on. Use the words that make up your online brand/presence wisely. Remember that you need both the keyword/cliche AND the individual spark that makes you recognizable.
You’ve just graduated and now the future looms. You worked at a minimum wage job through school, so you are already past an ‘entry level’ resume, right? Wrong. An Entry-Level resume goes past the job history in the school cafeteria and coffee shop to include everything that makes YOU a good candidate for a career with the company you are hoping to join. It combines your coursework, skill sets, internships, and all your experience to showcase the benefits you bring to the hiring table. One example would be your probable expertise with technology, and the ability to multi-task. You might not realize that being able to use Photoshop and being unintimidated by computer programs can be assets, but they are useful skills. A generation that has grown up with smartphones has the ability to go on to other technologies with ease. A good resume can turn that into a point in your favor during the interview (assuming you have turned off that smartphone to give your full attention to what is happening!) Did you show up on time without fail at that school job? Did you have any good reviews? Your research paper on Medieval French Literature might not apply to the job you are seeking, but the skills you developed and used will. Most employers will appreciate a worker who can research what needs to be done, break it down intelligently, and explain the steps coherently in lucid writing. You could figure out this resume writing all by yourself because you do have the research skills. But it might be a good investment to see what a professional service can do for you. A lot of the time, a graduate doesn’t have the time or the understanding of what employers are looking for. It’s difficult to figure out which skills are assets if you don’t know how to look at the whole picture. In today’s job market, you need expert advice to make your entry level resume showcase your skills and education and get you started on your career path with confidence.
Some people never really leave high school. Even as adults you will still find them hanging out and spreading the latest gossip. The problem is that no matter how they go about it, a workplace gossip is killing their own career. It’s one thing to spend a few minutes chatting about the latest ball scores or last night’s, “Castle” episode, or to discuss the co-worker who has just returned from maternity leave, in a positive manner. It’s quite another to be dishing the dirt on anyone or anything at work. No one really trusts a gossip. If you pay attention, you will see that their careers are going nowhere fast. What does this have to do with you as you are hunting for a new job? The best resume and cover letter in the world isn’t going to change what your boss has to say about you when he or she is called. If you think that your boss either doesn’t know you are a gossip or isn’t going to say anything about it, you’re wrong. Your boss will mention it and it will hurt your chances at a new company. Gossips are rarely liked and it’s even more rare that they are trusted with sensitive material. More importantly, being a workplace gossip means you have two character traits that employers loathe; you have the potential to cause discord and you waste time. Gossip often harms people and relationships. This is bad for the work environment. An employer needs people who work well together and a gossip can often bring out the worst in people, not the best. The wasting time issue is self-explanatory. You are being hired to do a job, not talk about people. So what do you do if you have been the go-to person for the latest dirt? Knock it off now. A few weeks and people will forget all about your past as the ultimate gossip.
