With the advent of the internet, emails, texting and online applications, some consider the thank you note after an interview to be over. Those of you who know me, or are used to my ranting about this, know how I feel.
Not by a long shot it’s not. It is never and will never be proper etiquette to ignore a simple thank you. By not showing proper etiquette and respect for the employer who is interviewing you, it is telling that person that you really just aren’t concerned with trivialities. This sends the wrong message to a prospective employer, who may very well put your resume to the side simply because you didn’t seem to be that interested if you couldn’t even send a thank you. In today’s world, it is proper to send a thank you email. You don’t have to mail it and you certainly don’t want to text it. Texting can cause way too many spelling errors. It is also proper to send that email very soon after the interview, while it is still fresh in your mind.
Some things to include in the email is the thank you, followed by what you found interesting about the company and how your particular skills would be an asset to that company. You do not want to speak in a laid back fashion as if you are talking to someone on Facebook. That is totally unprofessional.
We may be living in a new technological world but old world manners are still more important even in the employment field. Manners and simple respect toward another will return to you in the same fashion. Think about if you were the hiring manager and you didn’t say thank you for the interview, you just might be a little put off by that.
As your mother probably used to say to you, “mind your manners,” and send those thank you emails so that you will be one step ahead toward landing that job.
I’m sure most people remember the song “Working 9 to 5” by Dolly Parton (that song is in your head now, isn’t it?). Not too long ago, that was the perfect job position, to work nine to five with weekends off. Everyone wanted to work those hours. But today, can you even find many positions like that? Are work environments changing? How, and is it for the better? With the advancing use of the internet, more jobs are offering telecommuting and work from home positions. Some of the older generation does not understand this concept because they can’t walk by and see an employee at work. They feel that it will hurt business by working from home. In fact, studies show that the opposite is true. More work is actually getting accomplished and at all hours of the night and day. The eight hour shift is not the norm any longer. The companies who are embracing new technology are seeing more loyalty out of their employees. There is less absenteeism as people can schedule their day to have time with family and still work. There is not a log of turnover in employees who can telecommute or have the freedom at a workplace to stay in contact with family while at work. In a word, yes. Work environments are changing, for the better for everyone involved. If you are looking for work, now would be a good time to overhaul your resume to reflect the flexibility and work ethic that you can bring to the table. Even if it doesn’t mean telecommuting, but flexibility in a managerial position that you would do what it takes to keep employees happy and willing to work. Expert resume writers will help you fine tune your executive resume so that you will be reflected in a more powerful light for the new workplaces.
Beginning a career, or changing careers might not come as easily to you as it did to your friend/colleague. Having the education for a career, or even the skills needed is one thing—but getting out there and using them is another. Many people know they want a change, but just aren’t sure doing what.
This is the point where knowing how to find a career coach will help you to find the best job for you, period. Finding a career coach is not as hard as it is made out to be.
There are career coaches for all different stages in your life: high school, college, career transition, executive level, and more. On the other hand, there are people who are out of high school and college, or who have never attended school at all and need help analyzing the skills they already have. These folks need to know how to find a career coach in order to have an equal chance at succeeding. People whose education hasn’t progressed to finishing high school, or they have just finished, will need to go to the local employment office in their respective state. Each state employment office will give out the basics that are needed in terms of how to begin the search for a career coach. However, once the state employment office has gotten you started, they will help you find a career coach. This career coach may be someone who simply gets you on the path to a good job, and stays around to help for a while.
Once that career coach is gone, and moving on is something that you want to do, look around through various means to find one. Ask around—people that you know that might currently be using one should be able to guide you. Look on the Internet. Take some time to do a search—and use the term career advisor as well. There are plenty of career coaches—even executive career coaches—available.
Determining the cost that you may pay will be dependent on the materials that you find. Most career coaches now have websites. Look at their website.
Learning how to find a career coach is really not difficult. It simply takes a little bit of thought, and planning. So take the time to do your research, and ask for the help that you need. The effort will be worth it—you will have a better job, and a career that you really want.
College Education – Is it Worth it in Today's Economic Climate?
With many college graduates unable to find full time employment and a new crop ready to come up, many of them are starting to wonder where they will find a job. It wasn’t long ago that a college degree all but guaranteed you a stable career and higher earning potential. Now, many are not seeing the same returns they once did. So is a college degree worth it in today’s economic terms? How do you quantify who earns more?
One area to look at is recent graduates from the past 5 years when the Great Recession began. The data shows that of those people who graduated college – nearly 90% were employed – when compared to people who did not graduate college who were employed at 64%. These figures do not show whether these graduates were employed in a field related to their degree or not. But, another telling fact is that college graduates are earning almost double that of people without college degrees. This advantage will likely stick with them throughout their working careers. Another Option
Another way that we assess the value of receiving a college degree is to compare the rate of return from investing in a college degree versus using the same amount of money for investment opportunities. College degrees are obviously expensive. Tuition, books and housing all add up to well over $100,000 for a four year degree. This is only average as some colleges cost considerable more.
So let’s say you have a recent high school graduate who has $100,000 to invest in their future. Is college the right option or would you use that money for something else? Would investments such as stocks and bonds outweigh the lifetime earnings that a college degree would bring?
The correct answer is, technically speaking, investing in a college degree. A college degree has a rate of return of 15% a year for $100,000 invested. Compare this with the average returns on the stock market at 6.5%, along with the rate of corporate bonds at 3% and other stable investments and you’re not even close. Higher Rates of Return
A better rate of return translates into higher lifetime earnings as well. Over their lifetime, the average diploma holder will earn over $550,000 more than the average person with a high school diploma. So the incentive to receive a college education is high.
Some high school students would do well to invest in technical or trade schools that offer specialized skills which will keep them employed throughout any recession. There are opportunities out there for everyone and remember – many people who never graduated college have become successful in different fields. Think of the Bill Gates’, the Paul Allen’s and the Larry Ellison’s of the world. Not having a college degree never stopped them and it should not deter anyone from achieving their dreams.
Chronological or Hybrid Resume: Which is Right for Your Job Search?
We had a recent blog post that asked the question, “What type of resume gets a better response – a chronological resume (that lists out accomplishments from each position) or a hybrid resume (that places accomplishments in one place and list positions under a separate headline–or a mix of that)?” There were a lot of questions about which one we thought was the best, but with so many responses we began to wonder what type of resume is best. What do you think? What’s your opinion on the matter and do you have any tips for maximizing your resume? We can look at statistics to see that the average HR manager looks over a resume in about 10-15 seconds. So, a hybrid resume where your accomplishments are listed in one area and job listings in another may work to draw attention since the reader can skim your highlights and skills right upfront. If they like what they see, then your chances of them reading further increase. But, if they have to browse to find your qualifications, they will move on to the next resume. Your choice of resume could change depending on what you type of position you’re applying for. Does your field deal heavily in accomplishments or with experience? Look and see what type of requirements are involved before sending your resume. Of course there are pros and cons to both. One person responded that they found chronological resumes to be the most requested type by companies hiring, and basing their decision off of that, they believe that it’s the most effective form (this is what I hear often as well). If it’s what the company wants, then that’s what you should give them. Also, they believe that a capabilities resume does not do enough to showcase, specifically, what type of work (or the experience level) you had with your past jobs. Some point to chronological resumes being a little to heavy on text, making it hard to get a clear picture of your past. You want to showcase what you’re qualified to do, so find a way that works with your skills. It’s not a bad thing to combine resume types as well. The important thing is finding a job.That’s the bottom line. Whatever resume type you choose to use, recruiters will see that you are the most complete choice for the position. A great resume can make it easier to find a job. Resume Best Practices (at a glance) Hybrid Resume
• Make sure to mention which company you achieve great results – “Reduced overhead by $X for McDonalds Worldwide, LLC.” It frustrates readers if they don’t know where you did what.
• When you make mention of past companies, include information so that they can get a sense of the company’s size and scale, including how your position affected the company, assuring that your involvement was really meaningful. Chronological Resume
• If you’ve had a lot of jobs, you may want to summarize your earlier info. You don’t need to put work history from the 1980’s and early 90’s on it. Too many jobs looks like you can’t sit still, plus summarizing some of your earlier stuff adds interest and breaks the monotony of job after job after job.
• Add key accomplishments to grab HR manager’s interest.
There’s a fine line between over using keywords in your resume and having just the right touch. It’s trickier than you think to create a effective and dynamic resume, so what do you have to do in order to get the right about of keywords that balance out the resume? A lot goes into finding the right way to encode your resume. You need to be able to entice HR managers into reading your resume without rehashing the same old thing. Over the past few years, more and more software programs have been designed in order to minimize the time it takes hiring managers to read through the mountain of resumes they receive. Employers’ are dependent on keywords to find candidates that they want to interview. The key is having the right amount of keywords on your resume. Most companies, including Fortune 1000 companies and smaller companies, know how to use these technologies to assist in finding new hires, so you have to know how to take advantage of the same processes that they do. According to the National Resume Writers’ Association, more than 80 percent of resumes are searched for job-specific keywords. How do you determine the right keywords? In most cases, job-specific keywords are nouns. Resume writers have long used action verbs in their resume creation, and that same model is still used. But, what are the action nouns that you need? They depend on the type of position you’re applying for, your field and the type of career you seek. Still, there are many words that will work for a standard, first draft resume.
Say for instance that you’re applying for a customer service job. Some keywords for that job could be “customer database” or “upgrading software”. Review the job description in order to find keywords that match potential employers searches. The typical keywords are often related to the skills and experience each employer will be seeking in new candidates. Other times keywords are precise keywords that HR managers are looking for in order to eliminate a wide swath of candidates. If you do not have “IT Administrative Privileges” as part of your keywords, you will be overlooked for that specific position. Narrowing down your keyword choices.
You do not want to load up your resume too much with keywords. Instead, sprinkle the right keywords throughout your resume.
One idea to add more keywords is by creating a “Areas of Expertise” or “Core Competencies” section. This way you can add in keywords that represent the bulk of your qualifications in a space that is acceptable to the majority of HR managers. This does not penalize you, but instead enhances what you’ve accomplished.
Because you do not know all of the keywords HR managers will use, it’s a good idea to make use of synonyms or jargon words that will appeal to more specific searches. There are a lot of options available so get some help from a professional resume writer.
Social Media has dramatically changed the job landscape. Today’s job seekers must remake themselves as a brand. Think of McDonald’s golden arches or Ford’s iconic script logo. People remember these brands because they set themselves apart from the rest. People don’t settle for any old hamburger when they know what they will get at McDonald’s. Brands build trust with people and that trust translates to increased business and a reliable customer base, which is exactly what you want your online brand to do for you.
Your personal brand builds trust in prospective employers and opens the doors for you to find new positions. Unfortunately, most people don’t think that they need a personal brand, and they are so wrong in assuming this.
Below are 5 reasons why you should establish a personal brand on your resume and online: 1. A personal brand differentiates yourself…
When an HR Manager scans the pile of resumes on their desk, they look for someone who stands out. But, they don’t just focus on the resume, they also look for your online presence because the internet contains much more information about you as a worker. Do you have an industry specific blog or website that you regularly update? Is your personal brand listed on your LinkedIn profile, along with your best career achievements? Listing a successful work history and any extracurricular activities that you’re involved in helps to build your online brand. 2. Make your name a well-known brand…
Who do you think HR Managers are going to go for? The new guy fresh out of college or the big name attached to great companies and amazing projects? Of course they are going to go with the big name. So to capitalize on your opportunities, you must make yourself into a brand name. Instead of seeing “John Smith – New Graduate”, they see “John Smith – Marketing Guru”. 3. Set you apart from your peers…
Your goal is to set yourself apart from your peers. You’re in direct competition for open positions. It’s just the way it is and having an online brand sets you apart from the rest of the pack. Start an industry blog, start a side business or develop a new marketing strategy that you can pitch to prospective employers. There are so many things you can do to highlight how you are a notch above your peers and get your brand out there. 4. Make you more attractive to employers… Establishing your brand makes you more attractive to prospective employers because they know what they are getting. You’re not a faceless employee; you’re the one who wrote a new programming language, the one who developed supply chains that drastically reduced company overhead, etc. Match your brand to your achievements and employers will stand up and take note. 5. Open yourself up to new opportunities…
You want to find open positions and sometimes they may not be in your chosen profession. But, does that really matter? What if the perfect position is in another industry that you have minimal experience? Well, having an online brand opens the doors to those new arenas. HR Managers are looking for people with experience, and thankfully, your online brand is built around your experience. By viewing your online brand, HR Managers and potential employers can see what you offer the company. They are excited to find somebody with your expertise and skills, and you should be too. You have clout that you never knew you had and your personal brand should reflect the best you have to offer.
With 9% unemployment nationwide being the new norm, people are looking at other industries to find work. They may not have experience in their new industry, but you go where the opportunities are.
So what new industries are open to American job seekers? Some may surprise you. 1. Green Technologies
Managing, scientific and technical jobs abound. The key to getting these jobs is having a background in them, but any new industry will need accountants, marketing personnel and office workers. The industry may have changed but the need for office workers has not. 2. Services for the elderly and health care
With so many people approaching retirement, or way past, the health care sector has never looked more promising. Those babyboomers are going to need someone to assist them with their services. These include health care cost, nursing homes and finding work for the elderly, who are still working late into their 70s and 80s. 3. Speech therapist and physical rehabilitation workers
The third fastest growing industry also deals with health. But this time it’s helping people recover from injury or developing needed parts of speech. More children are diagnosed with speech impairments now than ever. This requires people knowledgeable in dealing with these ailments. 4. Data processing, web hosting and online services
As the world changes, so does the way that we receive and send information. With almost everyone using the internet as the chosen medium of communication, more people are needed to man the ever increasing data stream. These people range from data processors to people with capabilities maintaining existing infrastructure. Improvements are needed as well, so expect this segment to grow. 5. Computer design and related services
Designing user interfaces that work with existing data streams will become even more important as new programs are needed to help workers diagnose problems and troubleshoot.
If you are looking for work, don’t just limit yourself to only the industry you are comfortable in. Revisit your resume, look at your skillset and see what other opportunities are out there for someone with your qualifications and experience.
