Ten Resume Writing Tips You Can't Live Without

For some job opening, employers receive
hundreds and even thousands of resumes.
When you are looking for a job, how
can you best promote yourself? How
can you convince a prospective employer
to pick-up the phone and call you for
an interview?

Sought-after career coach and author
of the critically-acclaimed book,
The Dark Before the Dawn: 70 Secrets
to Self-discovery, Theresa Castro
states that you should take into
consideration that your resume is the
first exposure a potential employer will
have of you. Given this, you shouldn't
take your resume lightly. Castro
offers a list of ten tips that will
assist you in creating a winning
resume and increasing your chances
of getting called for an interview.

1. Do address employment gaps briefly
in the cover letter only if the gaps
are a significant amount of time
such as maternity leave. Use a
functional resume to address gaps
in employment or changes in field
of interest.

2. Think from the perspective of your
future employer. What's in it for
them? Why should this company call
you? Keep in mind that your resume
is not the only resume that will be
considered.

3. Recognize that your resume is your
"sales person". This "sales person"
must convince the prospective
employer to pick up the phone and
schedule an interview with you. If
your "sales person" isn't convincing
enough then guess what ... there won't
be any phone calls. Thus, take the
time to make your resume sell, sell,
sell...yourself.

4. Ask a friend or co-worker about your
accomplishments. Some times, we don't
readily recognize or recall the many
things that we have done.

5. Make certain that your contact
information is correct. It would
dreadful to think that an employer
wanted to reach you but you mistakenly
listed the wrong information.

6. Take advantage of internet technology
and place your resume on various
websites. There are numerous websites
such as Monster, Career Builder and
HotJobs that allow you to find a job
based on your particular interests.
In addition, there are websites that
will list jobs that are specific to
a particular industry. For example,
Medzilla is a website that has job
listings exclusively for the medical
industry.

7. Demonstrate the key traits in your
resume: leadership, communication,
teamwork, decision making and problem
solving. For leadership, how are you
an innovator? For communication, are
you approachable? Are you open-minded?
Can you communicate effectively orally?
In a written format? In regard to
teamwork, can you work with others?
What examples of teamwork could you
illustrate from the past? As far as
decision making is concerned, what
have you done to play into the success
of the companies for whom you have
worked? In regard to problem solving,
when have you seen the big picture and
created a change that had a positive
and quantifiable outcome?

8. Each job listing has a particular list
of required experiences. If you
possess these experiences, then make
sure that you express this in your
resume. You can't make any assumptions
about what the potential employer knows
about you or your work history.

9. Read your resume out loud. By doing
this, you will find missing words,
grammatical errors or content that
just doesn't make sense.

10. Have at least three friends review your
resume. You are utilizing their
assistance to ensure that you haven't
missed something or made an easy to fix
mistake.

(c) 2005, Theresa Castro

careers, Jobs Indonesia, Indonesia Vacancy

 

Resume Writing - Tips When You Change Careers

Drafting and writing a resume in which you wish to change careers raises some special challenges. First, you need break down what you have accomplished in your current career into smaller more generic bites. These smaller parts of the current career will become the building blocks of the new resume.

You need to do some detective work on the new job or career. Find one or more people currently in the proposed new career position and contact them and see if you can come in for a short fact finding interview. If an interview is not possible find the best time to talk to them on the phone for a few minutes. Have your questions prepared. You need to know the three or so critical skills of the new career that would make you a good candidate. What skills or what lack of experience would absolutely not qualify you for the new career?

For example, if the new career required you to work in a team orientated environment and you've never worked in that type of environment, would you be disqualified? Not necessarily. Upon reflection in your present position, for example, although working alone there was a great deal of coordination required with others and with other departments to get your work done. In truth you were working in a quasi-team and doing very well.

Your resume will now be written to reflect your skills at working with others. Point out results achieved by your abilities to work with and through others.

In another example, a long time flight attendant was growing weary of the travel and other headaches and decided to move to another career. She had previously had her kitchen remodeled and was appalled at the real lack of customer service in the whole process. After some thought and interviewing the principals of several small and larger companies that performed this type of remodeling service she began drafting her resume. It focused on her considerable customer service skills, her analytical abilities, her first hand experience in remodeling her home, and her sales skills. In a relatively short period of time she landed a job in the trades' office of a larger construction firm that specialized in remodeling projects. Within a short time she was doing estimates and some designing. She now views her new career as having a future that is almost unlimited.

In yet another example, the applicant used his success at fund raising for his son's high school band
to leverage his way into another career. His former position as a parts manger for an automobile dealership had little room for growth. After he reworked his resume he uncovered a growing position as an area technical manager for a large manufacturer. The key to the new career was his showcasing of his fund raising experience, along with his technical background made him a desirable candidate for the new career.

The key in both examples was to break down the current position into smaller parts. And then take those parts and build a resume that directly addressed the needs of the new career. Of course, if the new career requires additional education, it can be secured through self-study, the internet or local educational institutions while you continue in your present position.

Once you find the relevant skills needed in the new career you'll be surprised how many of them you perform on a daily or weekly basis. The secret is to write the resume to highlight the required skills. For if you successfully perform a particular task infrequently what's to say that you can't be successful doing it closer to full time. With this approach, you'll be closer to your ideal planned career.

John Groth

careers, Jobs Indonesia, Indonesia Vacancy

 

Job Fairs For Convicted Felons

More and more I read about job fairs across the country aimed at helping convicted felons get jobs. Ex-offenders and felons looking to give new direction to their lives are flocking to these job fairs in record numbers. Do all of them have the opportunity to bet hired? Unfortunately many ex-offenders and felons leave themselves out of contention for jobs by not being prepared. By not being prepared, I mean they lack the essential elements sought by employers looking to hire. If convicted felons hope to compete for jobs, they must at least show up with some basic tools. Being prepared is the best way to get the most out of a job fair. Here are some tips to give you an edge at the next job fair you attend.

1) Look like you want a job - I see photographs of job seekers at job fairs looking like they are just hanging out rather than looking like serious contenders for available jobs. Professional attire is a must. Always approach job fairs like you approach interviews. The ideal dress for men is a navy blue or dark suit or sport jacket with a long sleeved, light colored shirt and a color-coordinated tie. Be sure to wear a belt that matches your shoes. For some, this may not be possible. At the very least, a white shirt (you can never go wrong with a white shirt) with dark slacks. For women, wear a classic skirted suit with a light colored blouse or a simple dress that does not rise above the knee. Do not wear anything too tight or too revealing. Be sure to wear coordinated pumps that are neat and clean. The pantyhose should be a light, natural color with no pattern.

2) Do some homework - Often job fairs have more than employer taking applications. To save time, find out ahead of time which employers will be there and have a list of employers you are most interested in. You can get a list of participating employers from the job fair advertisement. Select the companies you are interested in and get some basic information on them.

3) Have all of your tools - Have your tools ready (plenty of resumes, pens, personal business cards, etc.)

4) Get some practice in - Speak to as many employers as possible to practice your interview skills. There is nothing like practicing with a live person.

5) Pay attention to everything -Often there are lines to speak with employers. Pay close attention to the person ahead of you as he is being interviewed. Listen to the questions being asked.

6) Always ask for business cards - Get a business card from everyone you speak with. I guarantee that you will forget an interviewer's name two minutes after you leave them. A business card will allow to get names and contact information so you can follow-up later.

You will be competing with other people for most jobs you want. You have to put your best foot forward and be at your best. These six steps will separate you from the crowd and give you an edge.

Eric Mayo

careers, Jobs Indonesia, Indonesia Vacancy

 

Jobs in International Marketing

International marketing has become a very lucrative aspect of any job and today there are many young people everywhere that want to take this up as a career. Marketing in itself is very interesting and along with the basics of sales, it is taught in the school level itself these days.

This is so that young minds can grasp the subject properly and much earlier because the competition is much more in today's day and age. Jobs in international marketing are quite demanding because one needs to look after not a single country's profile but many other countries and parts of the world.

Marketing careers and marketing jobs are what people are going in for. Every government is also pressing on the need for entrepreneurship and thus, this is one motivating factor behind the reason which people want to study it and take it up as a career. It requires a great amount of dynamism as the main aim requires people to keep coming up with new and improves solutions and ideas as to how one can improve the sales and marketing of a particular firm.

There are umpteenth numbers of big names that are attached with these projects and we keep reading about them in the papers each day. It is very exciting as companies become rivals with each other and try and battle it out in the market or the consumer base by trying to come up with newer marketing strategies which would improve their sales.

If you want to work in international marketing, then you will have to get the required degrees. An MBA is also a great degree to have from a reputes university because it would help you in getting a job in this kind of a career profile. The rates and levels of employment in international marketing have also been on a rise lately because there are more and more companies on the rise each day and equally more employees who are waiting to be accepted by them and work for them.

You need to have a fresh mind full of new marketing strategies and ideas to either help the firm maintain its sales and marketing levels or increase them. These are the mark of a good employee. International marketing firms also treat their employees well. They have the provisions for living arrangements, transport, and food with very well made and maintained cafeterias.

Many even have provisions of gyms and gardens for their employees to relax in. Thus, it is quite an interesting career type if you are interested in it, and you should do a little more research about the company and its achievements before going in for it.

Silas Reed

careers, Jobs Indonesia, Indonesia Vacancy