The electronic age has revolutionized the way job seekers and employers meet. Online services take the volume of resume traffic to levels unimagined only a few years ago. With services to job seekers expanding continually, it’s important to understand the different options available to increase exposure of your resume to potential employers and recruiters. Two types are resume posting and resume distribution. Resume Posting. This is a service where job seekers post their resumes to a job board for employers and recruiters to find. This is a passive approach in that the employer or recruiter must find you within the resume database. They usually find you by calling up resumes via key words. The chances of their finding you depend greatly on your including all the appropriate key words in your resume.
This service is normally free to job seekers, and used only by those employers and recruiters who have paid a substantial fee to access the resumes. In other words, when you post your resume to an online resume posting service, not every employer or recruiter will find you. Resume Distribution. This is actually opposite of a posting service. With a resume distribution, the job seeker has access to a select database of well-qualified employers and/or recruiters to email his/her resume to. This service does cost the job seeker a fee. The amount will vary depending on the service you use.
There are several advantages of a distribution service. The advantages include not having to wait to be found, you decide who receives your resume and you are in control of who actually gets your resume.
Make sure the distribution service allows you to target the employers who receive your resume. At a minimum, you should be able to query the employer/recruiter database by industry, job function and geographic region. If the service offers no targeting capabilities, your resume may be sent out indiscriminately to employers and recruiters who do not match your employment criteria.
For optimum resume distribution or posting effectiveness you’ll want to make sure your resume is updated. If you are not currently getting the response rate from your resume that you’d like, using a resume distribution service will only be marginally helpful, because you will still be distributing a resume that is not working for you.
Both services, resume posting and resume distribution, are valuable strategies for your job search. Don’t be turned off by the fact that one is free and the other you must pay for. The money spent on a good quality resume distribution will repay you over and over again with valuable job leads and introductions to influential recruiters. After all, aren’t you worth it?
Both cover letters and resumes are essential when applying to a job. However, each format has its own specific style so it is important not to confuse the two in the preparation process.
The cover letter introduces the candidate as well as explains to the prospective employer the reasons and qualifications for applying to the specific job.
A resume is the listing of experiences, accomplishments, and education that one has accumulated over the years. These are the five ways that cover letters and resumes differ:
While the resume is brief in nature, the cover letter should expand on any details that the resume may have left off, including explanations for inconsistencies.
The cover letter should be an actual letter with complete sentences and divided paragraphs while the resume can have bullet points and phrases.
The cover letter attempts to get further consideration from whomever reads it while the resume is the basis for which they see the candidate’s background and qualifications.
A resume outlines past accomplishments and experiences while a cover letter expresses future goals.
The cover letter can express more enthusiasm in the language while resumes should follow a rigid and professional tone.
As you can see, the two go hand in hand. So, be sure to have your cover letter prepared and detailed for each job posting that you apply for.
It’s funny how job titles have changed over the years. You know, titles like “nurse’s aide” are now called “patient care representative” and “janitor” is now called “sanitation engineer.” The newer job titles of the 1990s had all positions sound much more glamorous than they really were.
Other phrases that were popular on resumes in the ’90s were “team leader,” “coordinator,” “communication manager,” blah, blah, blah. Employers of today do not want to see those types of phrases on executive resumes. While you may very well have developed skills in these areas, it is important to word your resume a little differently so it won’t sound as boring as the other resumes.
Instead of using a catch-all phrase like the ones listed above, employers are now looking for pieces of information within your resume. You need to tailor your resume to be more specific about your skills and accomplishments.
For example, team leader. Detail what you were a leader of or what you coordinated. Not just the phrase “team leader.” It is important to be much more creative with resumes because that more than anything else will make your resume stand apart from the rest.
And with the job markets the way they are and more people competing for the same jobs, you have to have something on your resume that will catch the attention of a recruiter so they will stop and really read your resume.
Resources and resume examples are available for you to help you transform your resume into a completely new one – one that will stand apart from the crowd.
The year 2012 will have a diverse mix of jobs available as the year progresses. Of course, things don’t always go according to plan. However, there should be something for every one on the job market this year. The top three industries are Health Care, Technology and Science. Health care will always be top because we need health care no matter what, and it doesn’t matter if you have insurance. Everyone has to go to the doctor some time or another. Information technology is growing by leaps and bounds, partly due to the internet. Degreed positions in this field are commanding a higher starting wage than some of the other fields. Everything from computers, cell phones to data storage require more and more positions. Science is growing as they are building on the molecular level creating robots, micro-organisms and other areas.
At the same time, blue collar jobs will have a lot of openings as baby boomers begin to retire. Machinists, welders, truck drivers, construction workers are still needed in spite of the technology that abounds.
A good thing about blue collar positions is that many of those do not require a college degree. They may need a certificate or license, but it is still easy to get into a good paying job in these fields. Now is a good time to dust off your resume and update it with all new information. Make sure that all information is current and that you have a good list of job skills listed.
There are many job search resources available on the internet so that you can decide which area of expertise you wish to pursue.
Due to the job markets lately, there are a lot of older generation employees wondering how to get hired. The key is recognizing and remembering that your work experience can play a supportive role as well as a leadership role with organizations. The two need not be mutually exclusive. If you’re over 50, you’ve probably had the experience of being labeled as overqualified. And in response to this unwanted job-search slur, you’ve probably done what any intelligent, ambitious individual would do: Dumb yourself down on your resume. A good move, but what does this do to your career confidence? If today’s market is telling you repeatedly in rejection emails that they are not concerned with your achievements, it’s no wonder your self esteem is shaky. As an over 50 job candidate, you have a unique challenge to struggle with during the interview. Even though the interviewers are telling you that you are overqualified, you are suddenly feeling very inexperienced. This is because you’re overqualified because of the simple length of your resume, the style of your suit, color of your hair, and lingo in your business repertoire.
You’re under qualified because you may lack some understanding of today’s rapidly evolving technologies, flattened infrastructure, and business culture. Coming to terms with this before the interview is an essential component to building back your career confidence. Be confident that you could do many of the job duties of the interviewer just as easily in the pre-computer generation. That doesn’t make you stupid. Many people couldn’t do a lot of jobs if it weren’t for computer programs helping them along. Figure out your strengths and what you can bring to the table as far as being able take on a leadership role. It will still be a learning experience but we all have to learn something sometime. It’s important to know multiple aspects of your professional self prior to your job search, and it’s important to know how to present them to your next employer on paper and in person.
Professional resume objectives receive a lot of criticism. Some say the goals are usually poorly written, and have no real point. Others say that if it’s well written, then it will make the potential employer continue to read the resume. He or she will know what you wish to attain in your profession and your feelings for their organization. Here are some guidelines about writing expert resume objectives. Goals need to be short and powerful sentences, letting the employer know what value you can offer to the company. It’s not necessary to express your dreams in an objective, but instead you need to relate to a particular responsibility.
Even though resume objectives can grab the attention of the hiring officer, in some situations these might not be very good methods to sell yourself. For example, if you need to apply for more than one job or you need to submit your application on line or a job fair, an objective statement can be too restrictive.
As a rule, objectives for entry-level job hunters and professionals should consist of short sentences about their objective in the profile section, not as an isolated heading towards the top of a resume. People with a lot of professional experience will notice that expert resume objectives do not always give them their greatest benefit.
Writing a profile part at the top of your resume is probably the best way to handle this problem. This has to be a 2 or 3-sentence outline of your major areas of expertise, unique talents and skills, as well as your profession goals. If you can write an expert resume, you will probably catch someone’s attention for a job interview.
If you don’t think you can, search online for resume writers who can get your resume tailored to put you in a very favorable light.
What are transferable skills? They are the skills and abilities that transfer from job to job no matter which position you have held in the past. One of the things that make these skills so valuable is that they can be used in such a wide array of work settings. For instance, everyone needs problem solving skills, whether you are a general contractor or a financial analyst. That skill transfers from position to position regardless of what the job title is. How can this be used to benefit your resume and your job search in general? When you create or revise your resume, there are a number of things to consider. The first and most important consideration is how you are going to ensure that your resume specifically speaks to the prospective employer’s needs. This could be if you are qualified to do the job, can you get along well with people, mutually agreed on salary and will you stay with the company.
As is true with all aspects of writing a resume, each and every word on your resume should be tailored to the position you are applying for. If you are seeking a job as a computer programmer, you probably will not want to list your public speaking ability. You would, however, want to emphasize your ability to organize, plan and/or work well under pressure. Each job has certain qualifications that are best suited to it. Job duties may differ from job to job, but there are a myriad of skills needed that transfer well from one to another. Being able to identify and clearly relate those transferable skills to a prospective employer is a huge benefit to you. When you can incorporate these transferable skills into your resume and cover letter, you will be making the job of a hiring manager much easier. He or she will see that you have a lot to offer that will be over and above your specific job qualifications.
Your employer just let you go. You need to find another job, but how should you handle your termination on your resume? The days when you signed on with a company and stayed with it until retirement are gone. In today’s climate, employers are much more understanding when they see a less-than-perfect work chronology, but you still have to be careful how and when you present a termination. Do not put the termination or the circumstances surrounding it on your resume. You will have a much better chance of impressing hiring managers if you deal with this question in face-to-face interviews.
If you were recently let go, resist the urge to keep your position listed as “to present” on your resume, giving the appearance that you’re still employed. You will have to explain yourself later on, and potential employers might think you tried to mislead them. It’s a different matter if you were laid off instead of fired. In this case, you can mention the lay off in your cover letter. Employers are more forgiving of layoffs, so mentioning this might work in your favor. Focus on your accomplishments in your resume. Your goal is to wow your potential employers by highlighting those accomplishments and skills. Even if hiring managers are wondering why you left a certain employer, your resume should be strong enough for you to receive invitations to interviews in which you can explain your situation in person. Be sure to list all of your contributions about a previous employer, even any that laid you off. This too can be a red flag to hiring managers. Talk about your responsibilities, overall contributions to the company and if you received any awards or special recognition. All of this will go a long way in your favor and that’s what you want.
