Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010
By David Jensen, CPRW, CARW, CEIP, ResumeEdge.com Editor
Employment with the Federal Government can put you on a rewarding career track and now is a good time to pursue government employment. Many long-time government employees are preparing to retire and government agencies are often the least affected by a recession. Despite the growing career opportunities with the Federal Government, it is a competitive endeavor. To obtain a job offer with a government agency, you need to know how to compete in that arena.
Competing for government jobs can be more challenging than competing in the private sector because government agencies commonly hire and promote from within. However, you can become a top contender if you devote time to ensure that you have the necessary qualifications and are steadfast and proactive in your pursuit. In order to improve your chances of gaining employment, you might be tempted to pursue several agencies. However, with government employment, you better your chances by focusing on only one or two agencies and devoting more time and effort to obtaining the necessary qualifications and mastering the application process.
Obtaining the Necessary Qualifications
To obtain the skills sought after by an agency, start by assessing the transferrable skills you already have with your current work. If you are skilled at a specific trade, look at the other tasks you perform to do your job. Determine what percentage of time you spend doing actual tasks as opposed to the time you spend talking to people, coordinating and scheduling projects, and solving problems. Communication, project management, and problem resolution are all transferable skills.
Study Vacancy Announcements
To be competitive in the Federal Government job market, you need to ensure that your knowledge, skills, and abilities are the best match for an agency’s job description. One way to boost your candidacy is to study government vacancy announcements (job postings). Often it is tempting to quickly review job postings to obtain the right keywords to place in your résumé. This is counter productive. The more you know about the position and the agency, the better your chances are of winning your desired job. Vacancy announcements are long, but it’s worth your while to gain a thorough understanding of the job and agency. Make sure you complete the application process exactly as it is stated, and without copying and pasting, use the same keywords and terminology in your résumé.
Be Proactive
Networking is extremely important in pursuing government employment because the competition is stiff. To get exposure in your desired organization prepare yourself by seeking out volunteer opportunities and meeting people in the agency by attending seminars related to the agency’s objective. More face-to-face contact with the people in your target agency greatly improves your employment prospects.
Getting hired with the Federal Government is often a complex process. However, you can boost your competitive edge by thoroughly preparing yourself to work in a specific agency, which includes a stellar federal resume. If you are diligent and persistent in your efforts, you can land your desired position and enjoy a fruitful career in government service.
To request David for your resume, simply key in his last name (Jensen) in the ’select your editor’ field of the online form.
No Comments yet; your thoughts are welcome.
Category: Executive, Federal / KSA / Government, Job Search, Professional, Resume, Tips | Tags: Tags: Federal, Federal Government Resumes, Job Search, Resume, resume preparation,
Tuesday, February 16th, 2010
by Marina Ricci, JD, ResumeEdge.com Editor
Instead of waiting for a job posting to encompass all of your passions and talents, be proactive and convince the employer to create a position that will be beneficial to everyone involved. When you have a passion for something, your heart and soul goes into the work, and that’s why you need to show the employer he not only needs the service you’re offering, but he needs you to provide the service for optimal results.
If you already have a job but want a different position with the same employer:
On your own time (not on company time), draft a proposal for your supervisor for your idea. Examples of these can include an accountant having a great marketing idea for a product at a company that does not have a marketing department. Be sure to provide clear objectives, cost-saving goals and graphs that pinpoint how the business will benefit from the position and why this would be beneficial for everyone involved. Next, make sure to include your experience in the field and the positive results you’ve had had working in the same capacity for others.
Employers are always looking to get ahead of their competitors so this could be a perfect way for your employer to distinguish himself from everyone else. Volunteer to work on your own time to further the objective within a specific timeframe (i.e. 30 days). If you get results, the employer will give serious thought to hiring you on a more permanent basis in the new capacity.
If you do not have a job or want to change employers:
Write a letter (or formal e-mail) to the employer you’re targeting and let him know what your skills are and how you think you can help his company succeed even more so than at present. Then, in the letter, make sure to put that you are willing to work on an internship basis (even for free) in order to show the company how they can benefit from this new service that you’re willing to provide them.
If the company accepts your offer, you can use the position as a possible road to permanent employment. However, even if the company hires you as an intern and makes it clear they will not have a paid position for you, use the internship as something that you can put on your resume to aid you in your search for a permanent position in that specific field.
Note: Bigger companies that don’t have specific positions to fit your passion may be more willing to take you on as an unpaid intern, and big company experience looks great when you’re trying to gain permanent employment with other companies in the same field.
To request Marina for your resume or cover letter, simply key in her last name (ricci) in the ‘select your editor’ field on the online form.
No Comments yet; your thoughts are welcome.
Category: Entry Level, Executive, Job Search, Professional, Resume, Tips | Tags: Tags: Job Search, meeting employer expectations, new job search strategies, professional accomplishments, professional achievements, resume preparation, resumes,
Tuesday, February 9th, 2010
by Marina Ricci
The new job climate has many opportunities for individuals to take what they love to do and start making money at it. These industries require talent and skills more than they require a college degree. For example:
While print journalism is contracting, internet news is growing. Writers who know how to utilize search engine optimization (SEO) or keyword trends can be a huge asset to a news organization that is selling advertising based on the hits they bring to their site.
Those who spend all day on social networking sites, such as Facebook, MySpace, and others may also see a rise in demand for their networking skills. The marketing industry is relying heavily on those who are able to disseminate information to a large number of people instantly and persuade them to try a product or service. Coupled with message boards, those who are able to persuade the most number of friends to join the excitement of a new site, product, or service will be looking at new job opportunities where none existed before.
Other industry opportunities for those who have innate knowledge of organization and socialization are also abundant. Individuals who are just too busy to organize and schedule their own activities need personal assistants. Those who are able to pull strings to score tickets or restaurant reservations and who have impeccable organization skills will excel in these newfound positions.
While these new opportunities utilize special skills and knowledge, they are not always apparent and need to be sought out. Individuals must bring their skills and talents to the attention of the companies or individuals who can use them but don’t know it yet. A dynamic resume is a great start. Once the hiring managers know what a candidate can bring to the table, anything is possible.
To request Marina for your order, please request her by name during the order process.
Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010
by Kristen Coria
Find something you love to do and figure out a way to get paid for it! This sentiment has been echoed so many times on television, in movies, and throughout our lives. Most people never believe it. They brush it off thinking the only way to make a living and pay the bills is to go through the daily grind at their current jobs. When people live their lives according to this philosophy, they miss out on the fulfillment that true job satisfaction brings to their lives. We all need a reason to get up in the morning and heading off to a job you love is one of the keys to happiness and success in the workplace.
Another one of the keys to happiness in your life is passion. The Merriam Webster dictionary describes passion as “a strong liking and devotion to some activity, object, or concept”. As you can clearly see, passion comes in all forms—business, pets, hobbies, cars, books, music, television, crafts etc. It is an innate desire that we all have to tap into because it is one of the driving forces in our lives. Passion is also one of the key elements to being successful from a career perspective. If you don’t have passion for your work or career, you won’t be as successful as you could be. It seems logical that one of the secrets to success is merging your career with your passion.
In this economy, people are turning to their hobbies to generate additional income. Maybe you are a novice jewelry designer that will sell your pieces at local craft shows. During the craft shows, you could network with customers that may be scouting new talent for high end jewelry designers like Tiffany or more mainstream places like Lia Sophia. Maybe you are a car enthusiast that will open a car wash/detail shop on the weekends. Before you know it, you could land big accounts with local dealerships to wash/detail their fleets of cars. Maybe you are someone that loves to travel. You could parlay your love of globe trotting by launching a travel agency. Or you might write articles about the locales you visited and sell them to travel magazines.
We all have passion for a hobby. Now is the time to take advantage of this knowledge and make it work for you from a financial perspective. While pursuing your passion for hobbies, you can help generate additional income from clients that are in need of your services or products. Once you find something you love to do and figure out a way to get paid for it, your job satisfaction will rise. It will allow you the opportunity to network with professionals or customers in the field that could propel your career in a whole new direction. And the best part is that you will be successful because you have the passion to succeed at something you love.
To request Kristen for your order, simply choose her last name (Coria) on the drop-down menu in the ‘request your editor’ field of the online order form.
