Job Hunting: Writing Resumes For Your Job Search

Job Hunting: Writing Resume's For Your Job SearchWhen your resume's are ready, you're most likely looking for a job. You probably have thought about going to a trade show and showing your resume to potential employers there. This is the first step in getting your resume read and, if it is well-written, will make you stand out from all the other resumes on display.There are several factors that can be used to improve your job hunt. First of all, though, you have to decide which category your resume falls into. If you are over thirty and are looking for a job as a computer technician, your resume probably falls into the young person's category. In this case, the resume will need to be more specific than if you are over thirty but still looking for a job.Once you've chosen a category for your resume, your next step is to use it to its fullest potential when you're job hunt. At every opportunity, your resume should be written in plain English. Do not try to be fancy or extra special. If you do it, it will take away from the selling power of your resume. Be straightforward, but don't be boring.The writing on your resume is not only about the job search but also about what you can bring to the employer. Show them you are good at what you do. But if you're looking for something more, tell them about yourself. Tell them you're a fun person to be around and that you're one of those people who just loves what they do.Don't try to sell yourself to an employer. There are plenty of companies out there that will hire someone without any work experience. Your resume is written to get them to see you as a great fit for a job, not as a savior who needs saving. A little hard selling here and there will help you along.In your job hunt, you will be doing everything possible to get your resume read. Send it in. Keep all the old copies in a safe place so that you can write new copies if needed.Always be honest with your resume. If you don't have the money to hire a professional to w rite it for you, write it yourself. This is a very important part of your job search. If you're doing everything right, but it says you're over thirty, be honest that you want to make sure you get your resume read before you submit it.Remember, the main objective of your job search is to get your resume read. Put that at the top of your mind and make it a habit.

When People Think of You What Do They See - CareerMetis.com

When People Think of You What Do They See Source â€" Pexels.comYour personal brand is an expression of the values you possess and want to be known for in your organization.Your personal brand answers the question “Who are you?”.It paints a picture of what you hold close to your heart and cherish and it invites people to see you intimately.evalAn effective brand makes it easy for others to describe you in a single word or phrase. It allows others to see you from their own perspective.For example, words that were used to describe me over my 30+ year career are: marketing guy, customer service fanatic, implementer, utility leader â€" my skills could be put to use in many different functions â€" and “fixer” â€" I was often brought in to an organization to solve their problems and improve their performance.I learned that building a brand is not done through serendipity or a casual approach; it is a carefully thought out disciplined process.Here are the steps to follow to create your own brand that is compelling and releva nt to the organization and will stand the test of time.1. Be an expert on your strategyYour brand must be an expression of what the organization needs to be successful.So develop an intimate understanding of your organization’s strategy and decide which skills and competencies you possess that would contribute to it in a major way.If an effective sales operations is needed to be competitive and drive superlative performance, decide on how you can contribute to this goal; which of your related strengths could be leveraged to contribute to enhanced sales results.2. Decide who you want to serveevalDecide on the individuals in the organization â€" the “foxes” you want to target . Typically these are individuals who are in the power positions who make selection decisions and who could have a major impact on your career.Building an effective brand isn’t necessarily all about what you think are important attributes but rather what others in the organization who are looking for peop le with specific skills and competencies.Pick the top 3 leaders who own the people decisions in the areas you are interested in and build a profile of the individuals they are looking for.3. Dissect your competitionIt is critical to understand the “brand field” you are competing with;other people who covet the same opportunities that you do.evalBuild a profile of your closest 3 competitors and define the elements of their brand they excel in. Look particularly at their brand position and how you can counter it.4. Create your ONLY statementA highly effective brand is not a comparative or superlative statement; words like “better” and “best” are never used because everyone has a different opinion on who might be better and who might be the best at something â€" it’s a matter of judgement.The objective is to make your brand claim indisputable relative to others by removing the judgement factor.“You don’t want merely to be the best of the best, you want to be the ONLY one that does what you do” â€" Jerry Garcia, The Grateful Dead provided the mantra that I believe should guide brand development efforts.The ONLY statement declares your uniqueness relative to others and spells out in detail how you are different from the crowd. It’s an excellent tool to declare your unmatched qualities that can be proven but fact rather than opinion.“I am the only one that has the proven and demonstrated marketing skills to take our company from a monopoly to an intensely competitive environment.” is at place to start.5. Define your brand’s key elementsWhat about your ONLY statement makes it true and not simply wishful thinking?For example, what specific marketing skills do you have that others don’t?For me, it was about creating integrated data and internet packages for high value consumer customers rather than flogging individual products and services at mass markets which was the traditional approach that the organization was used to seeing.evalThis detail provides the proof points behind your brand claim and answers the question “What do you mean by… ?”6. Communicate far and wideDon’t keep your brand to yourself; communicate it to as many internal and external audiences as possible.Some ideas that were effective for me:Offer to do presentations on your chosen brand topic.Get quoted as a subject matter expert in any internal communications media your organization uses.Start a blog and offer content on your brand topics. Use social media to promote it internally and externally. Position yourself as the thought leader on your content. Offer to write (free) articles for media channels that focus on your content.Offer to talk to customers on your brand topic. Help them in any issues they have, and get known on the outside. In my case many of our customers were interested in what we were doing in marketing as we were transforming from a monopoly to a competitive business. I had many speaking engagements to air my brand.Offer yourself to the media on your brand topics. Make it interesting for them. Get them calling you. Your organization’s reputation will over time be influenced by you.You have to commit; you can’t “flirt”.Amazing brands are created by individuals who understand what organizations require in order to be successful and who dedicate themselves to delivering the personal capabilities to help.

Unexperienced Developer Heres How to Boost Your Career - Margaret Buj - Interview Coach

Unexperienced Developer Heres How to Boost Your Career Sometimes a crisis in a career can force you to change the place of work or even completely change your specialty and start a new career. You would have to master new skills for a new profession though. Usually, people switch to a modern, promising profession like a career in programming. It is interesting, comfortable and profitable. In this article, we will try to answer the question of how to build a career as a programmer from scratch. You should start your path as a developer by answering the main question: “Do you need programming at all?”. This question is actually not that easy to answer. If you prefer math to the humanities, if you like to spend a lot of time at your computer, if you want to learn something new and solve complicated tasks, then programming is probably right for you. Where to Start There are several ways to become a developer. Aside from that, there are also exceptions. For example, some people start learning coding in childhood just because their parents are developers. Sometimes programming is a hobby that gets so serious that a person becomes good enough to land an actual job. Anyway, let’s list the most popular ways people use to get into programming. If you already have programming skills, just skip this part. Self-education. This option can be used both individually and in combination with other methods. Anything can be found on the web. That includes books and other materials that can help you learn different programming languages ??and technologies. But this way is rather hard for beginners. A lot of young people choose programming as a future career when they are about to finish school. Getting a degree in the IT field can be a bonus when applying for a job. It would also help to gain the right knowledge. But it won’t be enough without self-studying. Choosing your university widely and responsibly. Carefully study the syllabus and choose the best technical universities. It’s much easier to learn something when someone with more experience can help you. Try to find someone who’s already in programming, someone who will guide you in the right direction. This person will help you find the right books and resources, check your code, give useful tips. Specialized courses. Try to find courses in your city where you will be taught some programming language or technology. It’s not that hard. There are many online courses on the web, including free ones. What Language, Technology, Direction to Choose When you become a programmer, in a year or two you will be free to choose any language you like. But when choosing the first programming language, a beginner must consider the following criteria: Demand on the job market. The ultimate goal of this journey is to find a job as a programmer. And this will be difficult if no one in the job market is looking for developers skilled in not demanded programming language. Check out job sites, see whos looking for what, write down a dozen languages. And move on to the next criterion. Low learning curve. If you have to spend a long time learning a language, it may discourage your desire to learn programming at all. Read about the demanded languages ??you chose before and choose the ones that don’t have a steep learning curve. PHP, Ruby, Python can be such languages. The thrill of the process. If you do not like writing code in your chosen language, you will not enjoy your future career. So what’s the point? Make the right choice! You will also have to choose the direction of programming. Mobile, desktop, games, web, low-level programming and so on. The most popular and relatively easy industries are web, mobile, and desktop app development. One language may fit in each direction and not fit in another. That is, when choosing a programming language, you should also consider this factor. Also, check out a few CVs of already employed developers to get a better idea of what is in demand these days example of good mobile app developer CVs. How to Get an Initial Experience You will not get a job without experience. You will not gain experience without work. The closed circle of real life. But nothing bad, we will get out of it. First, do not wait until you have read all the books in your chosen programming language. Start writing your first lines of code as soon as possible. Perform all assignments from books, reprint examples. Complicate examples and assignments from books with your own ideas. Create your own tasks for the material you have completed. Solve these problems. Second, you need to find your first projects. This is probably the most difficult task but it works well. You will have to look for orders yourself, fulfill them, and bother with payment. For the beginner, it is extremely difficult but it’s worth it. Completed projects directly reflect your experience and that’s more than good in the eyes of your future employer. Real projects are a big plus in your resume. Another good option for getting real experience is open-source projects. Such projects always need new people, even beginners. Finding such projects is easy on GitHub or other code hosting services. Feel free to ask questions there. The last way is to own projects, various hackathons or work in co-working. It is difficult to start your own projects, so you better find some friends. What You Need to Know Besides the Programming Language The web programmer is required to know HTML, CSS, JavaScript. The desktop programmer learns the operating system API and various frameworks. A mobile application developer learns Android, iOS or Windows Phone frameworks. Everyone needs to learn algorithms. Try a Coursera course or find a suitable algorithm book for yourself. In addition, you need to know one of the databases, programming patterns, data structures. Its also worth getting acquainted with code repositories. At least with one. Required knowledge of version control systems. Choose Git, its the most popular. You need to know the tools you work with, the operating system and the development environment. And the programmers main skill is to be able to Google. You will not live without it. The Last Steps You need to prepare a resume. Not just a resume, but a good resume, preferably a portfolio as well. There is no need to write extra information there, but dont be shy about your skills too. After you have been invited for an interview, you must prepare for it. Go through the material in your resume. You need to be confident in your knowledge. Look at the projects you worked on, remember the technologies you used. And good luck with a new profession of a programmer.

Finding The Sweet Spot - When I Grow Up

Finding The Sweet Spot - When I Grow Up Holy crapballs you guys, do I love this post from my former client Brian Perry. Not only is there a gem here on how he, um, found his sweet spot in his career (hence the name of the post were obvious like that), its also a rally cry (and no, thats not too dramatic). Happy As a Kid in a Candy Shop by The Lemon Peel Don’t tell anyone, but I think I’ve found a sweet spot between my creative and professional lives. I’ve always been one of those people who struggled with the seemingly simple question ‘so what do you do?’ Depending on the context you caught me in I was either a comedian who also does web design, or a web designer who also does comedy. Now with the launch of Paperweight Magazine I can say something like ‘I design a humor magazine for the iPad.’ I might do something fancy with my hands while I say it I’m still testing some options. Last month we started a fundraising campaign on Kickstarter and the response has been pretty overwhelming. Real people have been willing to put real money (or at least theoretical money that may someday become real money) behind our idea. When I’m not obsessively checking our funding total I’ve found myself wondering in David Byrne-esque fashion ‘how did I get here?’ My conclusion: People and Time. First, let’s check in with our good friend Father Time. On April 1, 2011 (no joke) I left a full time job to try my hand at a life of self employment. If my goal was to wake up on day one and find a project that allowed my comedy and tech lives to live in harmony, I’d probably get fed up pretty fast. In fact, I think I’d be back in a cubicle somewhere by now. Instead, I focused on finding web development work that could keep me afloat and grow my skills, while also staying active in comedy. And I didn’t just up and randomly quit my job either. I worked with Michelle for a good number of months leading up to my aforementioned April Fools Day leap. For many of those months I didn’t have a date when I would be able to leave my job, just the overall idea that I wanted to work for myself. Sometimes it felt like I was doing work and not getting any closer to my goal. But the day eventually came along where I was pretty clearly ready to make the change I’d been aiming for. And when I did, I had work waiting for me on day one as if my new job had just been waiting for me all this time. Michelle would probably tell you that I’m not much of a goal setter. I wouldn’t even say that I’m particularly focused. My psychologist wife says that I have poor executive functioning skills. So I’m not going to say ‘set clear goals for yourself.’ I’ve always just truly believed that my interests in comedy and the web could be more closely integrated. As much as I could, I focused on work that stayed true to that general thesis statement. Then over time I found myself in a place where I could take a legitimate shot at a project like Paperweight. Time isn’t always the enemy. People! They’re everywhere! I’ll start with the more extreme example. When I left my job on April 1, 2011, my wife was 8 months pregnant. So obviously she has given me a tremendous amount of support and had faith in what I wanted to do. She also gives me the gift of health insurance. Now I’m not saying to go find an endlessly supportive wife or husband that’s difficult and also requires a lot of time. But what I am saying is that we all have people in our lives who believe in what we do and are willing to support us. Paperweight has provided countless small examples of this. My co-founder on the project was a friend I performed with at ImprovBoston. Paperweight has over 150 backers. Crazy amounts of people have contacted us interested in writing, developing, and designing. Friends have helped us get in touch with people who were interested in covering our project. Every like and retweet is someone who believes in you and wants to help. Unless you’ve lived a impressively distasteful life, you have people in your circles who want to support you. Give them the opportunity to do so. And when you can, return the favor. So who knows what Paperweight Magazine means for my overall career trajectory. But I’m willing to take the time to find out, and I know that I’ve got supportive people behind me regardless of what happens. Speaking of that, anyway that you’d be willing to spread the word about Paperweight’s fundraising campaign would be greatly appreciated. Turns out my theories about time don’t really apply to active Kickstarter campaigns Brian Perry is the co-founder of Paperweight Magazine. As a freelance web designer, Brian has built web and mobile presences for everything from comedy festivals to colleges. As a writer and performer hes spent the majority of his career exploring the intersection between comedy and technology. He has performed throughout the U.S., Canada, U.K. and the Internet and is currently touring his one man musical experience Briami Sound Machine at comedy festivals.

Tips for Writing a Human Resources Assistant Resume

Tips for Writing a Human Resources Assistant ResumeAs a professional in the field of human resources, you should learn more about the HR Assistant resume format. Here are a few tips that will help you craft a job-ready resume.First, get yourself to your local community college or vocational institute for a course in English, preferably an Associate of Arts degree in English from a university in your home state. You will be required to study grammar and sentence structure, but the most important thing is that you learn how to write a resume! Think of it as your own education. After you've passed your course, you can begin to try to sell yourself in the career-searching process.Even if you don't take classes, some employer will likely find out that you have a degree in the field of HR Assistant by looking at your resume. They will want to know that you have knowledge about the job and what you can bring to the table, so you'll need to show them your resume and even explain why you're q ualified for the job. If you have already obtained the Associate of Arts degree, this could prove very beneficial to you.When you're writing your HR Assistant resume, stick to a specific template. Use a simple format that will easily tell your potential employer where you fit into the company and why you should be hired. Avoid using words like 'team leader'knowledgeable' because these words will come across as redundant and that's not going to help you stand out in a field of resumes.If you don't have a lot of experience in the field of HR Assistant, you may want to add a brief anecdote about yourself on your HR Assistant resume. You can talk about how you helped a manager at work with time management problems or you can say something like 'helped two different human resource managers with time management issues.' There are so many things that you can write about that will show that you're a very qualified person tobe interviewing for the job. Besides, these testimonials help to sho w the employer that you're actually serious about the position and that you're interested in the job.Don't make the mistake of using just the title of your best friend on your HR Assistant resume. You're in a job search and you want to stand out from the rest. The manager that you had helped was your friend, but make sure that you mention that too, because it gives you credibility.It's possible to have your own resume filled out in your HR Assistant resume. When you're filling it out, keep the theme of your resume the same and use the same colors and font. Remember that the employer will see these same qualities on a resume filled out by someone else and they will hire the person who has the best qualities when it comes to your work history.

Be a Mentor Get Ahead by Giving Back

Be a Mentor Get Ahead by Giving Back At this point in your work life, you can probably name quite a few people who’ve given your career a boost. So you know the perks of having a mentor. Being one also has its upsides â€" and these go beyond self-satisfaction and good karma. “Mentoring is an exchange, and you can leverage the relationship to benefit your own career,” says Ellen Ensher, a management professor at Loyola Marymount University and co-author of Power Mentoring. In fact, research has found a link between becoming a sponsor and getting ahead: Among grads of 26 top business schools, those with protégés earned $25,075 more on average from 2008 to 2010 than colleagues who did no mentoring, workplace researcher Catalyst found. Further, a study of Sun Microsystems employees by Capital Analytics found that mentors were 20% more likely to get raises and six times more likely to receive promotions. Use these strategies to get the most out of extending yourself: Fill your résumé gaps “Just because you’re in a more senior role doesn’t mean you can’t learn valuable skills too,” says Rene Petrin of Management Mentors, which creates mentoring programs for companies. Identify areas where you need to beef up your CV, then seek a match with that expertise. Most formal programs are happy to accommodate a mentor’s preferences, says Ensher. Set expectations upfront about what you’d like out of the relationship. Training can be formal (your trainee teaches you to tweet) or casual (have the person review a proposal you wrote to see if there’s a social media component). Create a broader network A strong mentor-protégé relationship offers access to people beyond your usual peer group. Start by choosing someone with enough influence â€" ideally a person one level beneath you in title, and definitely no more than two, says Petrin. Connect with your protégé on LinkedIn right away so you’ll know who he or she knows. As you become familiar, ask for relevant introductions. Don’t assume someone below you on the totem pole has no contacts to offer: A middle manager in another department can help you identify influencers in his division. A new sales associate could put you in touch with potential clients. A protégé who came from a competitor could introduce you to a hiring manager there. Develop leaders “Mentoring is a great way to identify up-and-comers, which can raise your visibility,” says Catalyst’s Anna Beninger. You’ll be seen as a problem solver if you can recommend talent for hard-to-fill jobs within the company or your network. Forwarding someone’s résumé keeps you connected to your own contacts too. (Before putting your name behind the person, however, vet her abilities by giving her a small project from your to-do list.) Get your protégé the right gig, says Petrin, and who knows? “The person could be your boss someday.”

5 Key Characteristics Of The Best Team Players - Work It Daily

5 Key Characteristics Of The Best Team Players - Work It Daily Calling all team players! From a young age, we’re told there’s no ‘I’ in team, and that teamwork is an essential part of success. Part of being on a team requires us to contribute something valuable to our teammates. There are certain qualities that all great team players bring to the table, and there’s no denying that the best teams want them. For many businesses, success is born from the collaboration of innovative team players. In fact, teamwork and collaboration are described as “very important” by nearly 75% of employers. Take The Grommet, for instance, a product launching company that relies on its employees to breathe life into their clients’ stories. Like cogs on a wheel, every department impacts the outcome of their business. Within each department, a small tribe of team players keeps the wheels turning smoothly. As Bobby McLaughlin, The Grommet’s Sr. Manager of the Maker Programming Team, says, it’s their “cross-team involvement that not only brings in different perspectives, but is great for team bonding, too.” With a range of different viewpoints and a team that is as tight-knit as it is driven, employees need to bring their A-game. How do you know if you’re an asset to the team? Here are the five key characteristics of the best team players: 1. Self-Motivated Someone who wants to see their efforts make a positive change is destined to do just that. The great thing about being self-motivated is that your fellow employees recognize that you’re reliable and accountable for not only doing your part but doing it well. With little prompting, you aspire for growth, which helps the people around you grow, too. To find the team where you’ll fit right in, look for jobs in places that Bobby describes as somewhere “you’re able to see your influence and decisions directly correlate with something happening.” Your teammates will love you for it. Pam Crombie “Instead of being competitive with one another, the feeling here is that we need to make this company what it’s going to be tomorrow and we need you to do it.” - Pam Crombie, The Grommet, Sr. Accountant Do you want to work with Pam in Accounting? Apply here!   2. Sharp While wanting to succeed is half the battle, the other crucial element is having the skills to do so. If you are an astute observer and easily adapt to a company’s changing needs, you will be especially well-prepared to apply your skills to any given situation. Sharp people don’t need someone to keep them on their toes; they’re already moving because they’ve taken the next steps before they’re needed. These people are great team players because they set the bar high and know how to keep pushing it higher. 3. Flexible Without the ability to adapt for any curve ball, a team will find themselves swinging and missing. It’s necessary to have team players who are flexible. Not to be confused with being a pushover, being flexible implies that you are willing and able to accommodate your team members’ needs, varying projects or timeframes, and wearing multiple hats. Flexibility allows you to grow as a professional and as a team. Pam Crombie, The Grommet’s Sr. Accountant, says she loved the application process with the company because the team was flexible, right away, for someone they hadn’t even met yet. Flexibility in your interactions ensures that you can focus on fostering the right relationships on your team. Bobby McLaughlin “There is never a dull day here. Good or bad, I am going to do something new today and every day.” - Bobby McLaughlin, The Grommet, Sr. Manager Maker Programming Team Do you want to work with Bobby in Maker Programming? Apply here!   4. Accessible Your team can’t rely on you if they have to spend all day chasing you. While great teams recognize that you’re busy, team players always make it a point to communicate clearly (and often!) with their cohorts. Part of working together efficiently means mastering the art of concise emails and meetings over coffees/beers/beverages-of-choice. Accessibility is kind of like respect; if you want it, you should show it, too. From the newest members to the leaders running the team, being accessible gets things done. When talking about The Grommet’s CEO, Jules Pieri, Pam shares that Jules is the kind of approachable person whose door is always open. This goes to show that great team players can be found at any level of employment. Mike Lovett “Yes, she’s our CEO. But, she’s part of the team. She’s just like the captain. You can still go up to her and talk.” - Mike Lovett, The Grommet, Marketing Associate       5. Passionate The greatest achievements are accomplished because someone truly cared about the work. If you can bring passion for the team’s purpose, then you’re a team player who everyone wants to play alongside. In any job, it’s important - not just for our team, but for our own happiness - that we believe in the mission of our work. Not every day will be perfect, but in a job where we’re passionate, everyday is worthwhile. This impacts the kind of effort and commitment we show our team, and as a result, affects the company’s progress. If you seek out a position that supports your interests, you’ll be a happier, better team player. Mimi Wong “We’re a small business supporting small businesses. Everyone here is very passionate about their job. It’s a job where I never wake up in the morning and dread dragging myself to work.” - Mimi Wong, The Grommet, Director of Community Experience Do you want to work with Mimi in Community Experience? Apply here!   Above all else, the best team players are proud of their teams! Are you a team player? Calling all team players! Do you want to want to work for a team that’s as fun as it is driven? The Grommet is looking for people to join their team who want to grow professionally and influence the growth of the company. They’re hiring for many types of jobs! You can learn about their open positions and apply here. Take a look today, and be sure to tell them CAREEREALISM sent you. No matter what position you’re interested in, there’s a fit for you. The best part? The team says it’s all about the people, and they can’t wait for you to meet them! This post was written by Samantha Mick Photo credit: The Grommet and CAREEREALISM Have you joined our career growth club?Join Us Today!