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Writing a resume is more than just articulating your skills and accomplishments. Perhaps the most important part of the resume writing process is to start by defining your brand or positioning statement often called the “elevator pitch”. (An “elevator pitch” is what you would say to Bill Gates if he got on an elevator with you and you had 20 seconds to tell him why he should hire you before the elevator doors open at the lobby). And in the process of defining your positioning statement, you need to give some thought to your overall search strategy.

For example, let’s say you’ve gained most of your experience in small firms where you had to do a lot of everything. Perhaps you had your own company and successfully grew it to a reasonable size. You have demonstrable skills in sales, business development and P&L management. So how do you position yourself? The answer depends on what kinds of companies you are targeting. Read the rest of this entry »

No one ever said finding a job is easy. It can be a lengthy process and include several rounds of interviews before you land an offer that is right for you. The good thing is that if you are receiving positive responses and getting interview opportunities, your resume is doing its job – reeling in opportunities for you to further make the case that you are the most qualified candidate for the job.

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There’s no guarantee that all interviews will go smoothly. It would be fair to say that from time to time there will be an occasion or two where you do not perform your best. It may because of one or several factors, such as an unexpected late arrival to the interview, your inability to communicate with focus because questions were not clear, you stumbled on responses because you did not have enough information or did not come prepared enough, your nerves got to you, or there was a lack of rapport with the interviewer.

Even if there are times when you do not perform your best in an interview, it is important to not give up. Continue with a professional follow-up and stay motivated. You should: Read the rest of this entry »

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While the Internet is a great resource to find templates of resumes and to view other individual examples, it does not necessary help you create an effective resume for yourself. Reviewing these examples help you determine what structure and order is best to use with your own resume, but it will not help you effectively develop the most critical core elements necessary to showcase your professional experiences and passions – the content and brand that differentiates you from other candidates.

There is a reason why professionally written resumes produce greater results than one written on your own. Professional resume writers know the ins and outs to what works well in today’s challenging environment. They have written and seen hundreds of resumes and know the best practices to make you stand out. They also know the various tools and technologies that employers are using to screen candidates. In short, they know how to create a resume that will help differentiate you from others.

Here we discuss some of the top reasons why it is beneficial to work with a professional resume writer. Read the rest of this entry »

An electronic resume is what most of us rely on today to initiate communication with a potential employer. It may be in the form of a Word document, PDF file, on your website, on job board websites or pasted into the email you send.

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Once your information is available in electronic form, it is easy to share that information with others and for others who receive your information to share it with people they desire. So while you need to send your resume in order to be considered for most jobs, you should also ensure your information, especially your contact information, remains safe and secure.

There are many types of scams out there today that can put your information at risk. For instance, many people may refer to websites such as Craigslist to find job opportunities. While there are many legitimate opportunities available on the site, there are also scammers who may post a job opportunity that appears to be legitimate in order to collect information on people for other uses. Read the rest of this entry »

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Writing a resume from scratch is no easy task. Even if you are working off of a resume template, you still need to formulate how to place your experiences and accomplishments into words effectively. You also need to narrow down which type of information from your experiences are relevant and worthy of mentioning on a resume.

It may only take an employer a couple of seconds to review your resume and determine if you are a qualified candidate worthy of follow-up, which makes it even more important to fine tune your resume information so that it gives an immediate punch to get you noticed.

To help ease the process of gathering the appropriate information for your resume and formulating the content to help you stand out, here are some steps and questions to take: Read the rest of this entry »

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Have you ever noticed that the person who gets promoted is not always the most competent for the job?

Or how about the person who did all the work not being recognized as much as the person who talks about it?

Or what about the person who is career-stunted because they once said the wrong thing to the wrong person.

These are all symptoms of not managing your career.

Many hard-working people suffer in their career growth solely because they have not spent the time to identify the factors and people who most influence their career. Here are 3 simple tips to help you get going: Read the rest of this entry »

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Whether you are starting to write a resume on a fresh sheet of paper or building off of one that you already have, make sure the information you present is targeted and concise to attract employers’ interest.

It’s not just about how a resume looks, but the information you present that can make a resume come off as cluttered and simply too difficult to motivate someone to carefully review. You have to ask when writing a resume if the information is relevant and presented in the most concise way.

It is especially easy to clutter a resume if you are a career changer. When you are searching for a new job and decide to add your latest experiences to an existing resume, you can end up with a hodgepodge of information that doesn’t relay an effective message to potential employers. The information on your resume may have worked well for your previous career, but you really need to repurpose the information to appeal to the employers in the new career field you are looking in to. Read the rest of this entry »

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Even when you have the education and professional background to qualify for the job, don’t count on it as a sure win that you will be asked to come in for an interview. In fact, your qualifications may hinder your chances.

It’s very common in today’s market for employers to dismiss a job applicant’s application and resume because they are “overqualified.” Yes, you read correctly. It’s not a matter of being under qualified, but overqualified. The fact is today’s market has an abundant supply of highly qualified candidates but not enough jobs to go around for everyone.

More candidates are resorting to applying for positions where the level of expertise required on the job is below their previous position’s requirements. Many candidates today are also choosing to change careers, starting at an entry level, where there may be more job opportunities. Read the rest of this entry »

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Doing well in a job interview is the result of many things, ranging from the first impressions you make with your physical appearance (body language) to how well you communicate and respond to questions. There are the predictable questions, such as “What are your greatest strengths/weaknesses?” and then there are the offbeat questions that may make your nerves rattle and leave you dazed as to how to respond diplomatically and professionally.

The fact is there isn’t going to be a correct answer to offbeat questions, only correct responses. Such questions are usually asked to help the employer understand how well you handle tough situations and how you think through solutions. Are you one to get rattled and breakdown in communication when stumped with an odd question or do you stay calm, cool and collected, maintaining confidence and a positive attitude? Read the rest of this entry »

So you’ve gotten through the hurdle of securing an employer’s interest with your resume, but now the real challenge begins – the interview.

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While an interview is no guarantee to a job offer, your chances at it are much improved if you properly prepare for it well ahead of time. Here is information you should have on hand before stepping through the doors of any employer to create the best possible impression. Read the rest of this entry »