Keep these in mind, because employers certainly are.
Carefulness: Do you have a tendency to think and plan carefully before acting?
This helps with reducing the chance for costly errors,
as well as keeping a steady workflow going.
Cooperation: Willingness to engage in interpersonal work situations is very important in the workplace.
Creativity: You've heard of "thinking outside the box"? Employers want innovative people who bring a fresh perspective.
Discipline: This includes the ability to keep on task and complete projects without becoming distracted or bored.
Drive: Businesses want employees who have high aspiration levels and work hard to achieve goals.
Good attitude: This has been shown to predict counterproductive work behaviors, job performance and theft.
Goodwill: This is a tendency to believe others are well-intentioned.
Influence: Groups need strong leaders to guide the way. Influence includes a tendency to positively
impact social situations by speaking your mind and becoming a group leader.
Optimism: A positive attitude goes a long way toward productivity.
Order: "Where did I put that?"
A tendency to be well organized helps employees to work without major distractions or "roadblocks."
Safe work behaviors:
Employers want people who avoid work-related accidents and unnecessary risk-taking in a work environment.
Savvy: This isn't just about job knowledge, but knowledge of coworkers and the working environment.
It includes a tendency to read other people's motives from observed behavior and use this information
to guide one's thinking and action.
Sociability: How much you enjoy interacting with coworkers affects how well you work with them.
Stability: This means a tendency to maintain composure and rationality in stressful work situations.
Vigor: This is a tendency to keep a rapid tempo and keep busy.
Here are ten of the deadliest resume phrases in use ("massive overuse" would be more accurate)
and replacements for each one. You'll rewrite the replacement phrases to reflect
your own accomplishments--and that's the key!
Drop this: Results-oriented professional
Replace with your own version of this: I love to solve thorny supply-chain problems
Drop this: Excellent team player
Replace with your own version of this: At Acme Dynamite, I partnered with Engineering to cut our product cost in half
Drop this: Bottom-line orientation
Replace with your own version of this: My accounting-process overhaul saved the company $10M in its first year
Drop this: Superior communication skills
Replace with your own version of this: I led a two-day offsite that yielded our 2010 product lineup and a $40K cost savings
Drop this: Possess organizational skills
Replace with your own version of this: Reduced customer-complaint resolution time from three weeks
to one by revamping the process
Drop this: Savvy business professional
Replace with your own version of this: I'm a PR manager who's gotten his employers covered by Yahoo! and Time magazine
Drop this: Strong work ethic
Replace with your own version of this: I taught myself HTML over a weekend in order to grab a marketing opportunity
Drop this: Meets or exceeds expectations
Replace with your own version of this: Invited to join our executive staff at a strategy summit during my first year at the company
Drop this: Strong presentation skills
Replace with your own version of this: Was recruited to join Acme Dynamite after my boss heard me speak at a conference
Drop this: Seeking a challenging opportunity
Replace with your own version of this: I'm looking for a midsize manufacturer primed to grow its business in the Pacific Rim
Get the boilerplate lead out of your resume today, and replace it with concrete, visual stories that bring your power to life.
Watch employers respond! You can't afford to send out another lifeless, sounds-like-everyone-else resume.
Employers want the real you on the page. Try it!
Liz Ryan is a 25-year HR veteran, a former Fortune 500 VP, and an internationally recognized expert on careers
and the new-millennium workplace. Connect with her at www.asklizryan.com.
New Rules Apply when Applying for a job...
1. You can no longer depend on a resume to get an interview.
Simply mailing out resumes and then sitting back and waiting for responses was never that effective,
and today it just doesn't cut it. It's a waste of time, paper, postage, and psychic energy.
2. Your experience matters less than it used to. This is unfair, even counter-intuitive,
but people don't want to hear about everything you did way back when.
They want to hear about everything you can do, specifically, to help them today. And tomorrow.
3. You shouldn't expect to hear back. Unfortunately, this little courtesy has gone the way of the vinyl record.
Keep on networking, interviewing, and researching right up until the moment you have a firm job offer
in your hot little hands. Maybe even a little after.
4. A resume is no longer a comprehensive summary of your work and education history.
Don't bother to list jobs more than 15 years old. Emphasize recent accomplishments, certifications, and training.
5. More about resumes: You need a digital-friendly one that is easily uploadable, downloadable,
and scannable (i.e., no bullets, boxes, boldface, unusual fonts, indenting). It should be rich in the
"keywords" that employers in your field are looking for.
6. In fact, overall computer literacy is a must. Get comfortable with applying for jobs online and learn
how to research on the Internet. If all this is new to you, your public library is a good place to start.
Oh, and have a professional-sounding E-mail address.
7. A good idea is to go one step further and establish a lively Internet presence.
Explore LinkedIn (get some stellar endorsements), Twitter, and Facebook.
Become active in your field's social media sites. Consider building your own Web site (with a career-oriented blog,
professional photo, and resume).
8. One of the first things a potential employer will do is Google you.
That means you need to find out if there's anything negative about you online.
If there is something bad, try to get it removed. Your best bet may be to "bury" it with more recent,
more favorable, links (see No. 7).
9. More than ever it's about who you know, and who knows you. This is important:
Finding employment nowadays is less a matter of applying for existing open positions and more
about identifying needs potential employers have and demonstrating to them that you can fill these needs.
Fortunately, there are more networking venues (real life and virtual) than ever before.
10. Many interviewers/hiring managers/recruiters may be younger than you. Get used to it.
Treat them with respect and learn how to speak their language.
Do not say "You remind me of my son/daughter," or "When I was your age... !"
Resume Writing Tips
First, to address the frequently asked question "Can I deduct the cost of professional resume
writing services on your personal income taxes",
please check our FAQs at: Can I deduct resume services on my taxes? With that out of the way, lets move onto the free resume writing tips.
To start your resume, begin by determining your objectives (do this prior to writing the resume).
Clearly state what sort of a job you want and know what skill-set and experience is needed to do well in that job.
After your objectives are determined, prioritize the content of your resume to suit those objectives.
You have a small window of time to get the interest of a hiring manager so brevity and focus is essential.
A lengthy resume does not translate to higher qualification.
Now let's begin the resume writing process. While your resume is essentially a marketing tool,
it shouldn't read like marketing. Avoid over-use of industry jargon. Be factual, concise and state compelling results.
You don't need to go into detail about every accomplishment in your resume but companies are looking for more
than just training and education today... they are looking for a proven track record.
Remember: the interview is the place to elaborate on your accomplishments and evaluate work-style cultural cues.
Not the resume..
1.) Use Bulleted Sentences
Use bullets with short sentences to structure the body of your resume.
The main selling points of your resume should be clear and quick to scan.
Again, don't worry about the specifics; you will go into the details during the interview.
Should you begin your resume with a resume objective statement?
Check our FAQ section on resume objective statements for more information.
2.) Use Action Words
Use action words like prepared, managed, developed, championed, monitored,
and presented will cause your resume to stand out. Avoid using the same verb over an over.
We've compiled a list of action words, take a look at them: resume verb and keyword examples.
If your resume is scanned electronically, the computer will pick up on the words.
Some companies now scan in your resume and have computers pull those that meet certain criteria.
The computers are looking for one thing - the keywords that have been picked by the hiring manager.
These are action keywords that relate to the position so not including them or using shortened acronyms
could mean your resume is disregarded as a "non-match".
3.) Use %'s, $'s and #'s
You should always use %'s, $'s and #'s. Dollar totals, numbers, and percentages stand out in the body of a resume
. Below are two examples of a job duty described with them (good) and without (bad).
As you can see by the examples, being specific does not mean being lengthy.
Example 1
Bad: Account manager for advertising agency
Good: Managed 15 strategic accounts billing in excess of $15MM annually
Example 2
Bad: Sold widgets to clients located in the Midwest
Good: Increased sales by 17% in a 5-state territory
4.) Highlight your strengths
Highlight your strengths, and what is most relevant to the potential employer.
In-coming resumes are typically reviewed in 10-30 seconds, so put forth the effort and
determine which bullets most strongly support your job search objective.
Put the strongest and most relevant points first where they are more apt to be read.
This is your hook for the reader and the rest of your resume reels them in.
5.) Match the need they have
Match the need they have - Review job postings online and in the newspapers for positions that interest you.
Each position will usually have a brief blurb about the company and the position available.
Use the keywords listed in these ads, and match them to the bullet points in your resume.
Chances are that you have some of these as key points already, however if you have missed any,
add them to your resume. Using a custom resume instead of a generic one will greatly increase your chances of an interview,
as you will be a better match in the eyes of the reader.
6.) Be positive
Above all in your resume and interview - you must be positive. Leave out negatives and irrelevant points.
If you feel your graduation date will subject you to age discrimination, leave it out of your resume.
If you do some duties in your current job that don't support your job search objective, don't include them.
Focus on the duties that do support your objective, and leave off irrelevant personal information
like your race, weight, and height.
7.) White space is important
Ad Design 101 - White space is important. Open up the newspaper, and take note of which ads first catch your attention.
Are they the ads that are jammed full of text or are they ads that have a large amount of unused space ("white space").
This is done to grab your attention, as readers are always attracted to open areas. So don't worry if you are having a
hard time filling the page with text; consider increasing leading or kerning to align text to fit the page layout..
8.) Formatting Guidelines
How long should my resume be? What size font should I use? - The font size should be no smaller than 10 point,
standard serif or sans serif fonts. Don't use intricate fonts that are hard to read.
Keeping your fonts standard will help combat conversion issues from PC to MAC and from one program version to another.
The length of your resume should be 1-2 pages. Yes, you read correctly; you can use more than one page. But remember,
keep it concise. It's ok to use two pages for your resume, however it is not necessary.
9.) Get 3rd Party Advice
Ask a friend, and get an outside opinion on your resume before sending it off. -
Have a friend or free resume review service review your resume. Since you are so close to your situation,
it can be difficult for you to note all your high points and clearly convey all your accomplishments.
Having someone subjectively review your resume can give you insight into how others will view your
personal marketing materials - would your resume impress them? If not, why? Don't settle for - "it's good",
and encourage them to ask questions. The questions of the reader can help you to discover items you
inadvertently left off your resume. Take their comments into consideration, and revise your resume accordingly.
In addition to adding in missed items, their questions can also point to items on your resume that are confusing to the reader.
10.) Start Applying
OK, you're ready! Apply for jobs that appear to be above your qualifications, apply to positions that are a match,
and apply to positions which may be below your level. Why? Perhaps the position below will turn out to be more
than it appeared once you interview for them. Or perhaps once you have your foot in the door you can learn
of other opportunities. If nothing else, interviewing more and more will increase your interviewing skills.
Like anything else, repetition will decrease your nervousness, and increase your skills at attacking tough questions.
Creating a Resume
http://www.free-resume-tips.com/10tips.html
Include your name, address, telephone, email address
If you just recently completed school, place your education at the top.
If you have work experience - place the most recent job first, use action words in describing your work experience, bullets,
use power words for example: aided, assisted, directed, trained, troubleshoot, etc.
Use numbers to describe: for example: trained 10 co-workers.
If you have been out of work for awhile: use a functional resume, emphasizing your skills and volunteer experience.
Do not put your hobbies on your resume, or references upon request.
Very important: Spellcheck and review your resume. Use a dictionary.
Keep your resume updated.
Be careful not to look overqualified for the job you are applying for.
To stay competitive if you are out of work,
go to the internet, get involved in organizations, volunteer work, or consider becoming an intern for a company
for a while. Talk with family and friends, network yourself daily.
The internet offer free educational classes, reume, job help and job searches.
Try to study the Company and the position you are applying for, know what the company does, what the job
involves, what type of skills, etc.
Go to the Library, research, check out the Career Centers.
The jobs available today involve more skill, and there are less jobs, more competition. Be flexible, possibly willing
to relocate, consider less benefits, temporary work, etc.
The type of jobs available are mainly from government agencies, transportation, health care,
telecommunications, and various computer skills.
50 Worst Mistakes on a Job Interview
[See how to answer 10 tricky interview questions.]
1. Arriving late.
2. Arriving too early.
3. Lighting up a cigarette, or smelling like a cigarette.
4. Bad-mouthing your last boss.
5. Lying about your skills/experience/knowledge.
6. Wearing the wrong (for this workplace!) clothes.
7. Forgetting the name of the person you're interviewing with.
8. Wearing a ton of perfume or aftershave.
9. Wearing sunglasses.
10. Wearing a Bluetooth earpiece.
11. Failing to research the employer in advance.
12. Failing to demonstrate enthusiasm.
13. Inquiring about benefits too soon.
14. Talking about salary requirements too soon.
15. Being unable to explain how your strengths and abilities apply to the job in question.
16. Failing to make a strong case for why you are the best person for this job.
17. Forgetting to bring a copy of your resume and/or portfolio.
18. Failing to remember what you wrote on your own resume.
19. Asking too many questions.
20. Asking no questions at all.
21. Being unprepared to answer the standard questions.
22. Failing to listen carefully to what the interviewer is saying.
23. Talking more than half the time.
24. Interrupting your interviewer.
25. Neglecting to match the communication style of your interviewer.
26. Yawning.
27. Slouching.
28. Bringing along a friend, or your mother.
29. Chewing gum, tobacco, your pen, your hair.
30. Laughing, giggling, whistling, humming, lip-smacking.
31. Saying "you know," "like," "I guess," and "um."
32. Name-dropping or bragging or sounding like a know-it-all.
33. Asking to use the bathroom.
34. Being falsely or exaggeratedly modest.
35. Shaking hands too weakly, or too firmly.
36. Failing to make eye contact (or making continuous eye contact).
37. Taking a seat before your interviewer does.
38. Becoming angry or defensive.
39. Complaining that you were kept waiting.
40. Complaining about anything!
41. Speaking rudely to the receptionist.
42. Letting your nervousness show.
43. Overexplaining why you lost your last job.
44. Being too familiar and jokey.
45. Sounding desperate.
46. Checking the time.
47. Oversharing.
48. Sounding rehearsed.
49. Leaving your cell phone on.
50. Failing to ask for the job.