Many people feel that consulting job hunting resources and looking for a new job are things that only people who are unemployed should be doing. It is often assumed that the only time you need to be aware of what jobs are on the market and the opportunities that are available for you when you don’t already have a job.
Quite the contrary. Experts agree that it is a good practice to always keep an eye out for job opportunities, as well as the average rate of pay for jobs you may be interested in. Of course this isn’t something that you’ll want to do every day, but staying in the loop with jobs and salary changes in your industry could eventually help you move up the corporate ladder. By keeping apprised of trends in job openings and salaries in your industry, you can ensure that you’re getting the best salary for your value, and that you are aware of changes in skills and experience needed for certain jobs. In addition, this knowledge could also give you great bargaining power when the time comes to negotiate your next salary increase! While you may be happily employed today, we all know that with our country’s current economic situation, people are still continuing to lose their jobs everyday and are finding themselves actively searching for a new job. Job hunting doesn’t have to consume a lot of time, you just need to keep your resume current with your most recent employment history and achievements, know the best job search resources for your industry, and be willing to network with colleagues and friends in other companies who may know of opportunities for someone with your skills and expertise.
Being prepared for your job search will result in a a more effective, targeted search, and ultimately success!
While most of us recognize the need for our resume to showcase our talents when it comes to applying for jobs, not many of us know the right way to go about really selling ourselves. You have to remember that job vacancies are sparse, which means that when one does pop up more people are likely to apply! This means you really have to try and make sure that yours stands out from a crowd and encourages them to contact you for an interview.
It is very easy to find hits and tips from websites that claim to be able to help you put together the perfect resume, but what you will find is that everyone has used these same websites so your resume doesn’t stand out. Instead, you need to use a little imagination to create something that really sells yourself. This means that you need to think about what you can really offer a company. Look at your experience and how this can help to improve a workplace. You should always strive to use your resume to sell yourself as much as possible – so tell them what your experiences are and the ways that you feel this helps you to be a welcome addition to any workforce. Don’t be afraid to change your resume slightly when you are applying for a job. I usually suggest to my clients to have a few different versions of their resume, or at least be able to tweak it a little for each job so it looks more targeted. Remember, employers want a ‘specialist’ or an ‘expert’, not a ‘generalist’ or an “I will do anything, I just want a job!’
Not Hearing Back From Job Applications? It Could Be Your Resume!
Many people think that simply submitting their resume to as many job vacancies as possible is the perfect way to go about job hunting. While it is great if you can apply for as many jobs as possible, this isn’t always the best way to go about being successful on a job hunt. If you are submitting your resume to job vacancies and aren’t hearing back from people, then you really need to re-evaluate what you are doing and what you are going wrong. Quite simply, if you are not even getting as far as the job interview stage, then you need to change something to increase your chances of success. One of the best ways to do this is to re-do your resume and make sure that it is as well-written as possible. It may even be worth contacting a professional resume company for their advice; after all, they are the experts. It is important to remember that first impressions count! The resume and job application that you submit is your prospective employer’s first impression of you, so you need to make sure that the impression they have of you is a good one! They will read over your resume and cover letter and use this to decide whether or not to progress you to the next stage. There are likely to be a number of people applying for job roles so you need to stand out from the crowd and give them a reason to pick you above anyone else. This means making sure your resume is well written, pleasing to the eye, sells you, and is professionally laid out. If you aren’t confident in doing all of this yourself, then get a professional on board to help you and give yourself the best chance of success when it comes to hunting for a job.
When applying for a job it can be easy to assume that your resume is the most important part of your job application. While your resume is vital and helps to list your skills and experience in order to match you to a job, it isn’t the only thing that you need to include in your application.
When submitting your application for a job, you must include a cover letter in order for your application to be taken seriously. This means that you really need to pay as much attention to your cover letter as you would your resume. Your cover letter needs to be tailored to the job that you are applying for. When you are typing your letter, link it to your resume and expand on what is mentioned and how that could be linked to the job in question. Mention your past experience and how that could help you do the job advertised perfectly and use it as an example of why they should hire you for the position above anyone else. Keep in mind that on most occasions the cover letter is the first impression of your application that a prospective employer will get so you need to make sure that the impression is a good one. This means laying out the letter so it looks fantastic and professional, with no spelling or grammar mistakes in any of the text. Use the letter to promote yourself and tell people why they should hire you but don’t go over the top. Simply tell them what they need to know and why they should employ you and leave it at that. Wrap the letter up with thanking them for their time and inviting them to contact you should they have any further questions.
For the perfect cover letter, check out our services and get back to us.
Many companies require prospective employees to complete a job application form when you get to the interview. These documents are fairly easy to fill out, but there are some things you need to be aware of. The application has two common areas, your personal information, which is basically a repetition of your resume and questions that assist the interviewer in determining if you are a good fit for the position. It may seem redundant to document your name, address, and employment history when it is already available on your resume, but it gives the employer additional insight. It allows the person you are interviewing with to compare the information you have stated on your resume with everything you state on your application. Any inconsistencies are subject to further investigation, either in an interview setting or with phone calls to past employers and/or educational institutions. Be honest and concise when answering the questions. Answer specifically what was asked and do not offer additional information. One reason to steer clear from providing additional information is that employers are looking to see if you can follow directions. Another reason is that you don’t want to provide everything the employer is wanting to know about you at one time. Do not put “see resume” on the application because it shows you do not follow directions. The purpose of a job application form is to identify the job for which you are applying and the salary you expect. One of the best ways to handle this question is to do your research on the company before you ever get to the interview. If you don’t have an ad to work from, find out what jobs are available before you walk in the door or send your resume in. Make phone calls. The second question requires the same legwork as the first question. Know what the position typically pays. You should have a general idea what employers in your area and in your field are currently paying for employees who do the work you expect to do. In addition to this, think about what you are willing to accept as a minimum salary. Sometimes it’s good to list a range on the application rather than a specific figure. Finally, consider what the opportunities are for advancement and what the benefits package involves. These are also major aspects of a career that cannot be overlooked. Although a benefits package doesn’t offer a dollar benefit that you can easily identify with, there is a significant amount of money the employer is paying for your insurance. A solid career advancement plan is simply delayed earnings potential.
Application forms are commonly used in many industries and companies ranging from very small family operations to large multi-million dollar corporations. Do what needs to be done in order to assure yourself an opportunity to get a face-to-face meeting. Get your foot in the door. Get the interview. It is worth filling out another piece of paper, no matter how closely it resembles your resume if it means you might get the perfect job.
The expression “curriculum vitae” originated from a Latin phrase meaning “course of life.” It can be described as a concise review of an individual’s academic qualifications, professional experience, and skills and is usually attached to a job application when seeking a job. Whereas a curriculum vitae or CV is used particularly to apply for academic, educational, scientific, and research positions, or even for fellowships and grants in the United States, it is used to apply for all kinds of white collar jobs in other parts of the world. CVs can be anywhere from 3 to 20 pages and more (we’ve seen them all!)– that describe you and your career. Especially in academia, a CV can actually be several pages long, since educators will list all of their published papers, any speaking engagements,workshops, professional development, volunteer info and more. Employers use CVs to screen candidates for personal interviews and to aid in the final employee selection. Therefore, it is important for a CV to be catchy, attractive and interesting. Good CV writing thus becomes an important part of finding a good job. In spite of CVs being so popular, there are a few organizations that prefer to have job seekers apply for a job using a format designed by the company itself. The reason is simple: these businesses rate job seekers based on their answers to a series of standardized questions. A custom format ensures that all candidates provide the desired information, as opposed to a CV, which is somewhat flexible and makes it more difficult to compare two individuals. Internationally a CV is actually what people in the United States refer to as the resume.CV writing could be divided into groups based on the purpose for which a CV is written. General or all-purpose CV writing is when a CV is written to suit all general purposes. Graduate CV writing is when a new graduate writes a CV for his/her first job. Various forms of CV writing can be difficult and has to be done skilfully. Good CV writing is not something everyone can do. As a result, a huge number of professional CV writing companies have cropped up in recent years, each promising a better CV than the other. You could approach a company in person in order to get your CV made, or you could simply hire a CV writer online, from the comfort of your home. The choice is yours. Each CV designing company makes different promises and claims. As always, to your homework and research any company you are interested in.
The Cover Letter – More Important Than The Resume?
The resume gets you in for an interview, but what gets that resume in the door? The cover letter. The cover letter serves as an introduction to a prospective employer, much like a handshake. Make sure that you make a good impression with your cover letter. If the cover letter is not a good one the process stops there. A cover letter is often overlooked, but is definitely something that needs as much consideration as the resume. There is never a question of whether or not you need a cover letter. It is always necessary. Remember, first impressions are key. A cover letter is the first thing the hiring manager reads in the actual resume submission process. Good cover letters will convey to the person reading it that you are in fact qualified for the potential position and send everything to the specific hiring manager for the position. That will be the person you need to follow up with later. A basic description of your personal experience that covers any qualifications of the specific job will make a cover letter stand out. Being polite is crucial. Be sure to thank the reader for their time in reviewing your information and mention your experience in terms of their needs, not yours. Mention only your qualifications that best match the position for which you are applying. Show off your manners. Make your mom proud.
End the cover letter with an action plan such as you’ll follow up with them next Tuesday. Bad cover letters will be impersonal and easy to ignore when you address the cover letter “To Whom It May Concern.” Put more time into it. Find out the name of the person handling this hire. Call around and use your resources. This will make a big difference. Keep it simple. A cover letter shouldn’t be more than one page. Stay on subject and think of the letter in terms of the reader, not yourself. Talk more about things you can do for the company rather than only what you’ve done successfully throughout your career. Negative information about the companies you’ve worked for or any layoffs have no place in a cover letter. Very little about your personal life also does not need to be mention. Remember, this is not a social networking site where you mention your wonderful spouse and awesome kids. You may just alienate someone immediately with that if they are having personal problems.
So you now have the information necessary to draft an intelligent cover letter that should not be overlooked. Start researching the companies you are interested in, locate the names of the people you will be sending resumes to and begin to draft your work of art.
Whilst many people are happy to create their own resumes and are able to write a perfectly good resume, there are times when you have to go the extra mile. We know that the type of job that you have will make a big difference to the resume that you submit. It is important to make sure that your resume matches the job you are applying for. There are times when a normal resume isn’t enough and this may be when it is time to consider professional resume creation. If you are going for a high flying job, for example, or one that is at the top of the career ladder, then you’ll want to make sure that your resume is up to the high standards that a job of this level would expect.
If you aren’t sure how to go about this, then you can contact a company to create a professional resume for you. There are different services and add-ons that you get with these services depending on who you go with for your resume creation and the package that you choose. Of course, you can expect a fantastic resume that sells all of your best bits, your skills and your experiences to make sure that they know who you are, why they should hire you and what you would bring to the table if they were to hire you.
On top of this you get a variety of other services including help with creating the perfect resume and even a digital copy of your resume which is going to allow you to email in your job application rather than post it.
