New Year, New Beginnings

If you have been job searching for a while, perhaps it is time to re-evaluate your job search techniques, to review your resume to see if it is up to what the employers are looking for.

Does your resume include a "Highlights" section which relates to the job for which you are applying?

Do you list your job history in reverse chronological order?

Are you using keywords from the job ad to demonstrate your skills?

Get more tips here:  https://www.facebook.com/banabu.ca/

Fran Watson

Dress For Success

Tailored

JOB                Image

Promotes

Success

 

You have probably heard the phrase, “Dress for Success.”  This is very important in your job search.  First impressions can make or break an interview, so presenting a Tailored Image is a good first step to Promoting Success in your job search.

Employers can tell horror stories about people who show up on their doorstep looking for work with:  torn jeans, t-shirts with offensive sayings, dirty fingernails, uncombed hair, curlers in their hair, and poor attitudes.  While you have the right to dress the way you want on your own time, it is important that you dress the way an employer wants if you expect to be considered for a job.  (This may also mean removing studs or getting a hair cut.)

When you are dropping off resumes, dress as if you were going to be interviewed, because you might happen to be in the right place at the right time and have the opportunity to speak to the employer or manager right away. 

Many businesses have now adopted a more casual dress code, but it’s a good idea to take some time before your interview to check out how the other employees are dressed.  A good rule of thumb is to dress a little better for the interview than you would expect to dress on a daily basis.  Dress above the position you want when to make a good first impression. 

It is not necessary to have a big budget to present a tailored image.  All it takes is time, careful shopping and a little ingenuity.

 

To your job search success

 

Fran Watson

Resumes - Where is your focus?

Are You Too Focused on Job Duties ?

Your resume should not be a boring listing of job duties and responsibilities. You need to show what was required and demonstrate how you made a difference at each company, providing specific examples. When developing your achievements, ask yourself:

• How did you perform the job better than others?
• What were the problems or challenges faced? How did you overcome them? What were the results? How did the company benefit from your performance?
• Did you receive any awards, special recognition or promotions as a result?

 

The modified chronological format is often the most effective. Here’s the basic layout:

• Header (name, address, email address, phone number)
• Lead with a strong profile section detailing the scope of your experience and areas of proficiency
• Reverse chronological employment history emphasizing achievements in the past 10 to 15 years
• Education (New grads may put this at the top.)

 

One typo can land your resume in the garbage. Proofread and show your resume to several friends to have them proofread it as well. This document is a reflection of you and should be perfect.

 

 

Are you too Busy?

Imagine this: you've been filling out applications for weeks and weeks looking for a new job - and finally you get a callback. They're excited about your application and they want to meet you tomorrow at noon!

You can barely sleep the night before, and when the time comes, you're burning with energy. You hop the bus to get there and rush in the building, only to find the elevator is broken.

But you don't let that stop you. You rush up the stairs, and by the time you make it to the top, you're completely out of breath. It's only then, when you look at the sign hanging above the receptionist, that you realize you were in the wrong building the entire time!

Now you've both late AND worn out. You might have been busy, but you didn't DO anything.
We live in a culture that empathizes hard work over everything else. Rarely do we stop to ask whether we're working hard on the right things for the right reasons.

If you feel like you're climbing  a whole building's worth of stairs in the wrong building, chances are that you're not working very effectively.

First: Take a couple of days off.

This can be a very tough decision to make, especially if you're hanging on by your fingernails. But the fact is that you need to have a clear head when you analyze your business. That's very difficult to do when you're burned out. Give yourself a little time to emotionally and physically reboot, even if it's only for a weekend. You'll be amazed at how much better you feel.

Second: Are you being a perfectionist?

Too many people try to do everything perfectly because they're afraid of being "caught" or looking bad, or they have a "personal standard" they feel they need to live up to.

Drop the idea that all your work needs to be flawless, because it will explode the amount of work you need to do. Chances are that you need volume, more traffic, more customers, and more buyers.
So start going after it!

Third: Give Yourself An Audit

Take a look at the time you used for the day - rate their activities on a scale of 1-10, with a 10 being very helpful to your business, and a 1 being something very counterproductive. What were the reasons for doing the low-rated tasks? Can you attack them and get rid of them?

Remember, your goal isn't to be busy, it's to accomplish more. Work less and spend more time thinking about how to improve your efficiency, and you'll love the results you get.

To your job search success

Fran Watson

Is Cooking Your Passion?

Cooking Is An Art

There’s more to cooking than putting food in a pot and
then eating it.

Cooking can be an art. For those who really love to
cook it becomes a real pastime for them.

They are able to come up with new variations of old
recipes and put their own special touches on them.

Preparing for a gathering can be something of a joy
for them. While some find cooking a time to be
stressed out, other engulf themselves with the task of
creating something truly special for their guests.

When preparing a meal for your loved ones it becomes
an extra special motivation to ensure their family
gets the best of what you have.

It may not be a daily occurrence when you prepare a
special gourmet dinner for your friends and family,
but, you do go to the extra effort of making sure your
family eats better than microwave quick fix dinners.

If you love to cook you will be making efforts often
to make, create, and improve the tastes that feed your
loved ones. Your gift of love is shown in the food you
prepare and that in itself is an art.

If this is you, why not consider a career as a chef?
Training is available at a local college and you can work
your way up the ladder from prep cook, to line cook,
and eventually to chef. 

In time you might even want to operate your own
catering business.

So, if cooking is your passion, why not follow your dream.

To your job search success

Fran Watson

Looking for Work? What Methods Are You Using?

Not many people realize it, but the job-hunt is one of the most studied phenomena of our time. It is amazing what we know about it.
Acquainting yourself with this research can pay rich dividends to any job-hunter, and especially if your job-hunt is running into trouble. Let me illustrate what I mean.
Most job-hunters think there are basically only three ways to go about their job-hunt: resumes, ads, and agencies. Actually, there are fourteen:

1.	Using the Internet to look for job-postings or to post one's own resume.
2.	Mailing out resumes to employers at random.
3.	Answering ads in professional or trade journals appropriate to your field.
4.	Answering local newspaper ads.
5.	Going to private employment agencies or search firms.
6.	Going to places where employers come to pick out workers, such as union hiring halls.
7.	Taking a Civil Service exam.
8.	Asking a former teacher or professor for job-leads.
9.	Going to the state/Federal employment service office.
10.	Asking family members, friends, or professionals you know for job-leads.
11.	Knocking on the door of any employer, factory, or office that interests you, whether they are known to have a vacancy or not.  )
12.	By yourself, using the phone book's Yellow Pages to identify fields that interest you, then calling employers in those fields to see if they're hiring for the kind of work you can do.
13.	In a group with other job-hunters, using the phone book's Yellow Pages as above.
14.	Doing what is called "the creative approach to job-hunting or career-change": doing homework on yourself, to figure out what your favorite and best skills are; then doing face-to-face interviewing for information only, at organizations in your field; followed up by using your personal contacts to get in to see, at each organization that has interested you, the person-who-actually-has-the-power-to-hire-you (not necessarily the human resources department).    How many of these have you tried?   To your job search success   Fran Watson

Vacation for Job Seekers?

Your job search is like a full-time job. In fact, I’m sure many job seekers would argue that their job search takes up more time than a full-time job would.

 

That being said, a vacation is almost certainly one of the farthest things from your mind while you’re searching for a new job. For some, it’s because of financial reasons. For others, sparing even one day to recharge seems out of the question.

 

What do you think: Should job seekers take a vacation?

Read more here 

 

To your successful job search

 

Fran Watson

Multi tasking

Is it possible to be an effective multi-tasker?   Watch this video and see if you agree...

http://youtu.be/yr8W8ejX6To

Fran Watson
Career Counsellor/Coach
www.franwatson.ca/bio.html

Procrastination

Procrastinate:   to be slow or late about doing something that should be done : to delay doing something until a later time because you do not want to do it, because you are lazy, etc.

It seems that I have been procrastinating about keeping up my blogs.  Instead of getting up and enjoying the day and getting started on all my tasks, I have been lying in bed, falling back to sleep and then getting up and rushing around and not accomplishing half of what I planned.

Has this ever happened to you?  Do you find yourself putting off things you should be doing in your job search?  Getting that resume updated?  Spending time searching the job sites (www.indeed.com, www.monster.ca, www.charityvillage.com )?  Sending out your resumes?  Looking for the "hidden" jobs in your area? 

Do you think that coffee with friends or cleaning your house is a better use of your time?  Think again.  If you are job searching, you should be spending the same amount of time searching as you want to be working.  If you want a full-time job, then you should be spending a full day on your job search activities - checking the local paper (or online version), checking the job search sites, looking up information on companies you might like to work for, crafting a resume tailored to the specific job (no, there is no "one size fits all" resume), and practicing your interview skills.

For more tips click here

Happy job searching...

Good luck!

Fran Watson

P.S.  For some interview questions, click here

Communication Skills Vital to Your Job Search

A recent study conducted by Stanford Research Institute, Harvard University and the Carnegie Foundation discovered that “85% of the reason people get a job, keep that job, and move ahead in that job has to do with their people skills and people knowledge. Only 15% is the result of a technical skill.”

How are your communication skills?  Do you know how to confidently handle yourself in an interview situation or do you become tongue-tied?  Are you able to make small talk at the company office party, or do you stand in a corner with a drink in your hand hoping no one comes over?  Can you confidently approach someone you don't know and begin a conversation? 

If not, then you might want to check out a local Toastmasters Club where you can begin to develop your communication skills.  In addition to developing confidence in communication, you will have the opportunity to develop leadership skills, another skill needed for employment.

Want to find out more about Toastmasters?  Click here 

I have been a member of Toastmasters since 2002 and I continue to learn and grow as a speaker and a leader.  Why not give it a try?  You have nothing to lose and a lot to gain!

To your successful job search

Fran Watson

P.S.  For more help with your job search, click here

Power Posing and More

Today I attended a workshop presented by Julie Blais-Comeau where I learned about Power Posing and the difference it can make in presenting yourself for an interview.  She also covered handshakes. 

How is your handshake?
Do you know how many times you should shake? 
Do you hang on until the other person lets go? 
Do you squeeze a little too hard or too soft? 
Ask me, I can give you the answer now.

Times are tough for those of you who are job searching, so you need to make yourself stand out in some way - in a good way, not a bad way.  Appearance can make your first impression a good one.  Do you know what you should be wearing to an interview?

Leave your questions below and I will answer.

Looking forward to talking with you soon.

Fran

For more information click here

Looking For Work?

If you have been having difficulty deciding what to do, it may be time for you to take some time to

Research and reflect 

Ask yourself:  Do your characteristics (skills, interests, motivations, temperament etc) fit with the requirements / characteristics of certain jobs? 

Are there some jobs you should avoid? 

The more you learn about jobs from reading, talking to people or hands-on work experience, the more discerning you become in identifying positive connections and negative mis-matches.

Here is an idea that will help you to focus on job areas which are most likely to interest you. Don't expect to find a perfect match. For most there isn't just one type of work which is suitable  - there may well be several, but it takes time and work to figure it out.

Themes 
·         Rather than trying to pinpoint the perfect job, look for themes. What interests you?  What do you do in your spare time that could lead to a job? 
·         For a few weeks, browse through job advertisements, note those which appeal to you and those which don't. 
·         Review this regularly to see if any broad patterns emerge. For example, do you automatically favour jobs which involve problem-solving or dealing with people and instantly discard those which require persuasive skills or working in the money markets? 

Discuss                                                             
·         Talk over your ideas with people who are both objective and supportive….family, friends, your career adviser. This "sounding board" approach may help clarify your career ideas. Talk to some people who work in the industry you are interested in (Informational Interview) to find out more.

Once you have clarified your ideas and looked at your options, it’s time to starting putting some plans in place. Whatever you’ve chosen to do, making it happen takes time.

Having a clear plan keeps you on track, allows you to see how much progress you’ve made and avoids wasting unnecessary time.  You will need to create a personal action plan that will help you achieve your goals. 

Once you have identified your career goals, you need to consider how to achieve them. Often there are a number of routes to your desired goal e.g. via further study, training programmes or "working your way up". If direct entry is not possible you may need to adopt a "stepping stones" approach. 

For example, sales experience could lead to marketing, voluntary work may increase chances of getting onto a post graduate course in social work, secretarial jobs might get you into the publishing field.

For more information click here

To your job search success

Fran Watson

Unique Way To Job Search

"I think a lot of employers are getting fed up with seeing the same sheet of paper coming through their door, and in some cases there's a need to grab attention," Pacitti says. Of course, you need to develop a story to tell and find a novel way to do it. But pull it off with flair and you too might land a job in the ultra competitive world of media -- or at a local butcher shop.  

Check out how Adam Pacitti landed a job and over 60 offers of employment.  Click here

Good luck on your job search.

Fran Watson

P.S.  Need help with your job search?  Contact me

Hidden Jobs

You have probably heard the term "Hidden Job Market".  Perhaps you have wondered where it is and how to access it.  The hidden job market is a term used to describe jobs that aren't posted online or advertised. Job seekers can tap the hidden job market by using networking connections to help find unadvertised job openings.

Do you have a company that you'd love to work for that hasn't advertised job openings? Whether you have heard through the grapevine that a company is hiring or if you don't know for certain, one way or the other, you can reach out to the organization to express your interest.

If you are aware that the company is hiring, but hasn't advertised the job you're interested in, or, if you have a company in mind that you would like to work for and don't know if they have job openings, the cover letters you write will need to have a different pitch than the letters you write to apply for an advertised job opening.

To your job search success!

Fran Watson
Career Counsellor

Summer Job Search

As many teenagers have recently found out, if you want a job for the summer, you have to begin searching at Christmas, or at least by the Spring Break.  Looking for a job takes time.  I'm not talking about the jobs at a fast food outlet, or a retail store - jobs that you only take on for a short time, I'm talking about a job that will last, one that you can build into a career.

To begin, you need to do some Self-Assessment.  You need to take a look at the skills and strengths you have developed through your school classes, your outside activities such as sports teams or hobbies, your personality, etc.

Once you have determined your strengths and skills, you need to look at your interests.  What subjects do you (did you) enjoy in school?  What activities made you happy?  Cutting and pasting?  That could lead to a career in Scrapbooking or at a magazine doing layout or maybe putting together special anniversary albums?  Do you like to talk with people and have an interest in history?  Maybe you can record videos for families to have of their grandparents lives.  Once you have determined your interests and personality (and there are various online tests to do this), you can start looking for careers in those fields.

Now that you know yourself - your strengths, skills, and interests, and you know the fields you want to work in, what next?

Next comes employer research.  What companies are there in the field you want to work in?  Will you have to move?  What kind of salaries do people make in the field you are interested in?  Is it enough money for you to live on?  Who can you talk to to find out more about the company?  Where can you find more information?  Company websites contain a great deal of information about the company's mission and vision and what they do.

Ok, so now you know yourself and the field you want to work in, what's next? 

Next is informational interviews - talking to people who are currently in the field to find out the pros and cons of the job and the company.  Find out how did that person get their job.  What type of training and/or education is required, what are the chances for future employment, is it a growing field or not.

Now, armed with all that information you are ready to begin your actual job search.  You will look for a job/career that matches who you are and what you want to do and you will select employers who fit your needs. 

Yes, it seems like a lot, but it is worth it in the end.  How many people do you know who have taken a job "for the summer" who ended up staying in the job because of the pay, but hated it their entire lives and worked there for 10, 20 or 30 years. 

Take the time to know yourself, your wants, your needs, your strengths and find that perfect career.  It may not happen overnight.  You might need to approach it step by step, gaining the required skills and education, but you will have your goal in sight and you will eventually achieve it.

Fran Watson
Career Counsellor

P.S.  I will post some of the sites you can go to for the various assessments in a little while..

What are you worth?

Recognizing your position of power with your employer – and leveraging it.

It is not entirely unsurprising that so many people feel that their employer “has all the power” and they, the employee, have no choice but to accept it.

Interestingly, more often than not, when you take a step back and truly take a look at your situation, you may find out that you have a lot more to bargain with – and a lot less to lose – than your boss does.

While we see regular news about the economy hurting and high unemployment, the fact of the matter is that many industries truly are an employees market – not the other way around. In other words, there are more than a small number of firms that are really hurting for more qualified staff.

So: How do you know if you're carrying a bigger stick than you may think ?

Firstly, you have to take an HONEST appraisal of your own performance at work; You don't have to share this with anyone, but you do have to tell yourself the truth:

1. Do you accomplish everything your job requires you to, every day ?
2. Do you often go above and beyond the call of duty in your job ?
3. Are you one of the more productive or skilled employees in your group ?
4. Do you notice that any time you are away, the departments workload to catch up is more than when someone else is away ?
5. Are you the 'go to' person for your colleagues ?

Second, what's the hiring situation like, both at your employer in specific and in your industry, in general ?

1. Is your company short-staffed, with near constant “for hire” ads running ?
2. Do you often receive contacts from recruiters, specifically looking to talk to you (or “someone in a position identical to yours”, nudge, nudge, wink, wink)
3. Do you notice employment ads for many of your competitors in employment sites like monster.com and linkedin.com ?
4. Have you noticed that when other people leave your firm, are they employed almost immediately after they leave where you work ?
5. Do you have an unusual churn rate where you work, despite pay and benefits being attractive ?

Finally, you need to make an honest self-appraisal of yourself-as-someone-to-work with:

1. Do you have a generally pleasant disposition ?
2. Do you avoid complaining about the little – or big – things frequently ?
3. Do you avoid gossiping about co-workers, or speaking negatively about them behind their backs ?
4. Do you generally have a “can do” attitude when asked to perform extra work, even if it isn't necessarily strictly in your job definition ?
5. Do you accept criticism well, taking it as an opportunity for professional growth, rather than a personal attack ?
6. Do you contribute to your work place, be that either/or in suggestions to improve projects in specific, or the company as a whole ?
7. Do you contribute to your co-workers, helping them get their jobs done better, faster or more efficiently, without necessarily “looking for the credit” all the time ?

If you answered yes to most or even all of the above, you have a LOT more “employee currency” than you might think; ...Read More

Thanks Mark Bissonette of Canadian ISP for this article

To your success

Fran Watson

 

Creative and Artistic Careers

Is your current job sapping your creative energy? Do you doodle all day on your notepad, or monopolize your whiteboard with dry-erase murals? Have you petitioned to get the office chairs upholstered? No matter how you express it, creativity is essential to your life. With a degree, you can turn your passion into a career that inspires.

1.      Animation

It's not just for flipbooks, anymore. Animators in the field today can expect to work mostly with computers to create characters, visual effects, and other three-dimensional work that can't be done on the movie set. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that animators have among the best job prospects in the motion picture industry.

2.      Video game design

You grew up on the classic consoles, but you might not realize everything involved in creating the games you love. Software publishers look for trained, imaginative designers to bring the game's story to life. The BLS notes that education influences earnings a great deal among workers in the software publishing industry, including video game designers.

3.      Fashion

If you've got every Project Runway on TiVo and you keep clothing catalogs on your coffee table, the fashion industry may already be a big part of your life. Artists for an eye for clothing design can make an average of $55,900 a year, according to the BLS. One in four designers were also self-employed, allowing you to vogue wherever you want.

4.      Web design

Web designers merge artistic invention with current technology to create a professional web presence for their clients. That expertise comes with a price: Salary.com estimates that web designers in New York bring home an average of $72,700 a year. Taking classes in CSS and HTML can give you the edge.

5.      Interior design

The BLS estimated that interior designers made an average of $40,700 in 2004. They make that paycheck by taking a client's style and translating it to the space - most airports, hotels, and offices require a professional designer's touch. If you're tuned to the frequencies of feng shui, a degree in interior design can revitalize your personal space.

These exciting, challenging, creative careers have one thing in common: they're all competitive. Getting an education in any of these fields can help give you the edge among applicants who are also looking to trade in their boring day-jobs for something a little more outside the lines.

Sources

§  The Bureau of Labor Statistics

§  Salary.com

To your job search success!!

Fran Watson

Bad Interview?

I am a recent college graduate, and I totally bombed my first real job interview. I was not prepared for there to be a group of interviewers. There were 5 interviewers, from different departments of the lab. The lab manager was the one who had called me in for the interview, but when she asked if I had true work experience besides my internship, I answered "no" and she seemed surprised, even though this was clearly stated on my resume. Also, I did not bring the correct paper to show my certification, I brought another (maybe less official) paper showing that I had passed the exam and was certified.

How Did the Interview Turn Out?

I was EXTREMELY nervous, and after their questioning my certification I was flustered. They told me then that they would not be offering me the position. If I was in their position, I would not have hired me either.  (Info from About.Com)

Have you had a bad interview lately?  Did you think you were prepared, but fell apart when they started asking questions?

Click here to get more information on how you can be successful at your next interview.  Pick up a copy of my Interview Planning Form.

To your job search success

Fran Watson
 

Your Prescription For A Healthy Career

The Bureau of Labor Statistics says that eight of the 20 fastest growing occupations are in healthcare. In fact, more new healthcare jobs will be created by 2014 than in any other industry.

Why are healthcare careers so hot? Here are some of the major reasons:

§  Baby Boomers turn 60 this year. The population of elderly persons, who have greater healthcare needs, are increasing faster than the overall population.

§  In addition, Boomers' aging parents, whose life expectancies have increased in recent years, have caused the demand for home healthcare and residential care workers to increase significantly.

§  With the recent advances in medical technology, lifespans have increased, and new technologies make it possible to treat illnesses and injuries that in recent years may not have been treatable.

§  With federal law requiring that the healthcare industry technologically update its record-keeping practices and with health insurance becoming more complex, the need for administrative support in healthcare will also grow.

On top of these facts, many of those employed in healthcare will soon be retiring themselves, leaving vacancies in the industry. Now you can see why people interested in pursuing a healthcare career can be virtually ensured a lifetime of secure employment.

The Path to Healthcare

While it's not always necessary to complete a four-year degree program to work in the healthcare industry, the majority of occupations require completion of some kind of training program. Nurses, for example, may begin their careers with an associate's degree and Registered Nurse (RN) certification program.

According to a CareerBuilder.com job forecast, nearly one in five hiring managers in the fastest growing industries, including healthcare, will be hiring administrative and clerical staff. That's especially true in healthcare. Medical assistants, pharmacy assistants, dental assistants, and other administrative positions, which only require training programs of two years or less, will be among the fastest growing occupations.

With such a healthy future in the industry, the prognosis is good for those considering a career in healthcare.

To your job search success

Fran Watson
Career Coach

Resumes

Common Resume Blunders
by Kim Isaacs, MA, CPRW, NCRW

Make sure your resume is top-notch by avoiding the top resume blunders:

1. Too Focused on Job Duties

Your resume should not be a boring listing of job duties and responsibilities. Go beyond showing what was required and demonstrate how you made a difference at each company, providing specific examples. When developing your achievements, ask yourself:

• How did you perform the job better than others?
• What were the problems or challenges faced? How did you overcome them? What were the results? How did the company benefit from your performance?
• Did you receive any awards, special recognition or promotions as a result?

2. Flowery or General Objective Statement

Many candidates lose their readers in the beginning. Statements like "A challenging position enabling me to contribute to organizational goals while offering an opportunity for growth and advancement" are overused, too general and waste valuable space. If you’re on a career track, replace the objective with a tagline stating what you do or your expertise.

3. Too Short or Too Long

Many people try to squeeze their experiences onto one page, because they've heard resumes shouldn’t be longer. By doing this, job seekers may delete impressive achievements. There are also candidates who ramble on about irrelevant or redundant experiences. There is no rule about appropriate resume length. When writing your resume, ask yourself, "Will this statement help me land an interview?" Every word should sell you, so only include information that elicits a "yes."

4. Using Personal Pronouns and Articles

A resume is a form of business communication, so it should be concise and written in a telegraphic style. There should be no mentions of "I" or "me," and only minimal use of articles. For example:

I developed a new product that added $2 million in sales and increased the market segment’s gross margin by 12 percent.

should be changed to:

Developed new product that added $2 million in sales and increased market segment’s gross margin by 12 percent.

5. Listing Irrelevant Information

Many people include their interests, but they should only include those relating to the job. For example, if a candidate is applying for a position as a ski instructor, he should list cross-country skiing as a hobby.

Personal information, such as date of birth, marital status, height and weight, normally should not be on the resume unless you’re an entertainment professional or a job seeker outside the US.

6. Using a Functional Resume When You Have a Good Career History

It is irksome for hiring managers not to see the career progression and the impact made at each position. Unless you have an emergency situation, such as virtually no work history or excessive job-hopping, avoid the functional format.

The modified chronological format is often the most effective. Here’s the basic layout:

• Header (name, address, email address, phone number)
• Lead with a strong profile section detailing the scope of your experience and areas of proficiency
• Reverse chronological employment history emphasizing achievements in the past 10 to 15 years
• Education (New grads may put this at the top.)

7. Not Including a Summary Section that Makes an Initial Hard Sell

This is one of the job seeker’s greatest tools. Candidates who have done their homework will know the skills and competencies important to the position. The summary should demonstrate the skill level and experiences directly related to the position being sought.

To create a high-impact summary statement, peruse job openings to determine what’s important to employers. Next, write a list of your matching skills, experience and education. Incorporate these points into your summary.

8. Typos

One typo can land your resume in the garbage. Proofread and show your resume to several friends to have them proofread it as well. This document is a reflection of you and should be perfect. 

To your job search success!!

Fran