Archive for the ‘Professional’ Category

Update Your Skills for the Current Job Market

Tuesday, November 10th, 2009

By Marina Ricci, JD, ResumeEdge.com Editor

If unemployment or underemployment has given you more free time than you would normally have, take advantage of that time to make yourself more marketable in the current job scene. 

One of the best ways to increase skills that could be readily used by future employers is to freelance.  Freelancing can include anything from writing to editing to graphic design.  Anything that can be done outside of the office on your home computer is considered freelancing.  This is the perfect opportunity to bring already-refined skills into the open.  Even if the work is unpaid, having work that is published or prominently displayed for future employers in a magazine or Web site is a great way to make your work stand out from the rest of the applicant pool. In addition, the more practice you have in a certain skill area will make your expertise even better.

Another great way to sharpen skills is to obtain a certificate for a certain skill-set at a nearby community college or skill center.  Certificates range from Speed-reading to Leadership.  Not only are these classes discounted because they are in a neighborhood community college, they will also teach or sharpen your skills.  Then, you can use these certificates to obtain an advantage when applying to jobs where most people have the same type of skills at the forefront. 

The best way to sharpen skills and obtain experience that is crucial to future employment, especially in a field outside of your expertise, is to intern.  Internships are up as companies need more staff and have fewer funds.  Thus, unpaid or underpaid internships are everywhere and can be created by companies.  Therefore, if you want to go into an industry where you have little experience, this is an opportunity to obtain it.  In these types of situations, if your work is really phenomenal, there may be a position that opens up in the company during the internship.

When sharpening up skills in this economy, it is important to make your skills and talents stand out from the rest of the applicant pool.  Thus, obtaining publication, certificates or experience that others lack is the fast-track way to getting the job of your dreams.

 To request Marina for your resume or cover letter order, please select her name in the ‘select editor’ field of the online order: http://www.resumeedge.com/ or http://resumeedge.ca/

10 Resume Blunders You Cannot Afford to Make

Tuesday, October 20th, 2009

 In this stagnant economy, every line of your resume – from your name down to the last line – needs to promote and sell your candidacy. Each job has hundreds, perhaps thousands, of equally-qualified candidates. Many of these applicants have no idea of the blunders they’ve made on their resumes. The smart job seeker knows what to avoid which invites an interview.

Let’s go through our “don’t-let-this-happen-to-you” list:

1. Using a suffix after a family name. If you’re a Jr. or a Sr. leave it off. It makes you sound too young or too old. Have a family nickname? Keep it in the family. A resume should have your given name only.
2. Funky email addresses: HateMondays@email.com may sound cool to your friends. To an employer it’s unprofessional.
3. The What-I-Want Objective: A resume is not the time to give an employer your wish list. Use a summary of your skills, instead, to tell them what you can offer.
4. Generic Phrasing: Adept professional, seasoned manager, dynamic candidate. These phrases take up valuable space unless you support them with a quantified accomplishment.
5. Accomplishments That Aren’t: Without the results, they’re daily duties and lose their impact. Always include dollar figures, percentages, and time periods. For example: Grew sales 38% within six months, representing an increase of $100,000 in revenue, through targeted cold calling.
6. Buried Skills: The end of a resume is not the place for important certifications, licensure, or multilingual capabilities. Put them in the opening summary where they won’t be overlooked.
7. Listing Hobbies or Interests: If it’s not pertinent to your career goal, leave it off. White water rafting may make you a liability to the employer’s health care plan.
8. Haphazard Organization: List your most important skills first, followed by the next most important, and so on. Education doesn’t always go at the top or at the bottom of the resume. It and the other sections go where they will most impress.
9. Failure to Target: Consider an employer’s needs when writing your resume. A one-size-fits-all model will likely fail.
10. Use of first person and slang: Resumes are business documents written in the third person. Keep yours conservative and businesslike.

Ten easy reminders to get you started.

Dealing with Age Discrimination and Employment Gaps

Tuesday, August 25th, 2009

You’ve heard the saying, “You’re not getting older, you’re getting better.” Well maybe so, but employers don’t necessarily think that way when scanning resumes. Unfortunately, many of them shy away from hiring seasoned people because these pros are perceived as inflexible, over-trained, and worst of all, too expensive.

Likewise, what if you have gaps between jobs? It’s not that you decided to drop out for a while to find your inner self or lost a job and couldn’t get hired. Perhaps you had a baby and took some time off. Maybe you suffered an injury or had to take care of an aging parent. Whatever the situation, many people have employment gaps for very legitimate reasons. A resume doesn’t show why the gaps are there and employers often don’t take the time to find out. How do you get past age discrimination or explain why you didn’t work for a few years?

Your resume can overcome either obstacle in subtle ways that establish your capabilities. For instance, to overcome age discrimination, consider limiting your experience to 15 years for a managerial job, ten years for a technical job, and five years for a high-tech job. Leave other experiences off your resume or list it without dates. If you have gaps in your employment history, consider highlighting what you did during your time off. Perhaps some volunteering, part-time consulting, or freelance work encompassed the skills or experience the company is looking for.

You could also use a functional resume rather than a chronological resume. When you write a functional resume, you list your skills as they apply to a specific job. With this format, your resume explains what you can do, what you have learned, and what precise abilities you bring to a new job. Although not many job applicants use this format, it is often far more effective than the chronological resume in answering the prospective employer’s most important question: “What skills do you have and how can they help me in my company?” This format is especially effective for job hoppers, career changers, people just entering the job market who have little work experience, and applicants who have been out of the job market for an extended length of time.

Your goal is to only use information that is directly relevant to the job you are seeking. This is honest as well as fair to your prospective employer. After all, if you’re a 50-year-old applying for a job in accounting, why would your prospective employer care that you worked as a counselor for five-year-olds at Camp Gichi-Goomi when you were 16 years old? That’s exaggerating the concept, but you get the point.

A word of advice: No matter how you deal with employment gaps and age discrimination, always tell the truth. Always.

Move Up the Ladder at Your Current Company

Tuesday, August 4th, 2009

by Marcie Niedbalski, MBA, BS, CPRW, ResumeEdge.com Editor

Moving up the corporate ladder does not necessarily require you to gain employment at a new company. Many times employees can earn a promotion within their current company through initiative and hard work. In order to increase your value to your current employer, you need to continually enhance your qualifications and skills. The suggestions below may seem obvious, but often times are ones employees tend to overlook.

1. Volunteer for projects when they become available.Offering to lead projects shows your willingness to go above and beyond your assigned job duties, and gives you visibility with your superiors, whether in your own or other departments. It shows initiative and organizational skills while allowing you to increase your skill set and experience.

2. Be visible to other departments/areas.
You can increase your visibility to other hiring managers by volunteering for cross-functional projects. You’ll gain exposure to employees in different areas of the company. Make sure you demonstrate a positive attitude and a willingness to help wherever you are needed.

3. Do an excellent job for your current employer.
Managers regularly check with their peers for a reference on internal candidates, and if your current manager sings your praises (and explains how you demonstrated the needed skills while working for him/her, even if they weren’t part of your regular job), that will certainly be compelling to a potential manager.

4. Be willing to increase your skills through education.
There are many ways you can keep yourself up to speed on changes within your industry. While going back to school can certainly increase your skill set, it is not always the easiest or the least expensive way to learn. Instead, consider conferences, individual courses or local programs that can increase your knowledge without emptying your wallet. Also check to see if your department has money to use specifically for education. Increasing your skills will increase your chances of moving up the ladder.

As you look to move forward within your career, keep in mind that perhaps the fastest and easiest way to a better position is within your own organization. Be a team player, be a leader, take initiative, be visible to multiple departments, and give your current manager a reason to brag about your abilities to other hiring managers within the company. If you keep these simple suggestions in mind, you may just find yourself moving up the ladder at your current company.

Marcie has been a Recruiter for seven years, recruiting for all aspects of business. She has an MBA from the University of Memphis and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the Indiana University, as well as her CPRW (Certified Professional Resume Writer) credential. She has written or edited over 250 resumes/CVs/cover letters. Her areas of expertise include Information Technology, Marketing, Human Resources, Finance, Accounting, Operations, Sales, eCommerce, Engineering, Telecommunications and Legal. Prior to writing resumes she taught a college course on achieving employment goals after graduation, with resume writing a large part of the curriculum. She also volunteers at the City Rescue Mission, sharing her expertise on gaining employment. She works full-time as a Corporate/Technical Recruiter.

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