Job Seeking Today
Resumes & Cover Letters
What is a Resume? I’ll Tell You What It’s NOT…
I read resumes every day. Sometimes I scan them to see if they contain sufficient information to refer a qualified jobseeker to a job. Sometimes I make initial assessments on their skills and work history. Sometimes I just give resume reviews. You can imagine I have read just about everything a person could possibly put … Continue reading
How to Make a Good Impression with Your Resume
It’s a well-known principle that first impressions are lasting. Your resume and cover letter are usually going to be the first impression that an employer has of you. If the resume doesn’t do its job, you won’t be able to move on in the process, and you’ll likely be getting a lot of silence in … Continue reading
Using A Professional Resume Writing Service?
As a state-employed career counselor I tend to look down on professional resume writing services, at least for most of my customers. That said, there are always exceptions to every rule. I realize professional services have their benefit. My jobseekers are professional at what they do, and if widget making is their specialty, writing winning resumes … Continue reading
How Resumes Are Trending These Days—According to Employers
As a career counselor, it is my job to keep updated with current trends in job search. A major portion of that is in resume writing. We all know that resumes are the key to a successful job search—while they don’t get you the job (the interview does), they are the necessary first step toward … Continue reading
How a Qualifier Can Disqualify You
QUALIFIERS ARE ADJECTIVES WE SOMETIMES USE TO DESCRIBE A PERSON OR A SITUATION THAT CASE US TO FOCUS ON DIFFERENCES, WHICH ARE NOT RELEVANT TO THE POINT. — Cool Training Series: How To Be a Better Leader and Manager Imagine an office conversation that goes like this: “did you see the pretty woman they hired … Continue reading
Some Objectives Are Better Than Others
Today I received a resume from a new client and had to chuckle at the objective statement: “A career that benefits both the company and me.” Well I did tell him to be short and to the point! But what does it say? I responded by instructing him to set the tone of the document by … Continue reading
Powering Up a Resume: Action Verbs vs. Accomplishment Verbs
Anyone who has refined a resume is probably familiar with the term action verbs. Resumes should be full of them. They make a plain document more powerful, right? Consider the following example: “Sue got out of bed, went to the breakfast table and sat down.” While there is nothing wrong with the construction of this … Continue reading
A Simple Reason Why Many Are Still Unemployed
Bet I got you hooked with that title? I made what I feel to be an important conclusion regarding many of my jobseekers and why they haven’t yet returned to work: they don’t follow instructions. At least three times in the past week I have given explicit instructions on how to improve a resume, … Continue reading
Unique Resumes: Effective or Freaky?
A few days ago a colleague who was looking at resumes for a job search review showed me a resume from a jobseeker. At first my reaction was that it was too unorthodox for my ultra-conservative job searching mentality. As I looked at it a little more, I warmed up to it. The resume was … Continue reading
Happy New Year to Your Career!
This is a commentary on a wonderful article that I read today on 8 New Year’s Resolutions for Your Career by Alison Green. She writes about setting New Year’s resolutions for your career and suggests a few. Set clear goals Stick to your word Stop playing online Rewrite your resume Make a career plan Stop … Continue reading
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