Telling a Story With Your Resume

Telling a Story With Your Resume For all the resume advice that exists, the one thing you rarely ever hear from hiring managers or employers is just how much they enjoyed reading your resume. Perhaps, this is because resume advice is so easy to find that after awhile all resumes may start to look the same. A good way to not have a boring resume is to have it tell a compelling story.This does not mean “turn your resume into an adaptation of Moby Dick”. Instead, it means your resume should make the case for “why you should be hired”. Make the case with bullet points, keywords, and using the type of resume that appeals to companies in your industry in the following ways:Summarize Your SkillsStart off your story with something that is highly relevant to the job. After all, a story being told out of place always leaves people wondering, “Why are you showing me this?”, a question that shows you are confusing the reader of your resume. It will help your story to mention some career highlights that resulted from implementing your skills, too.Above all, keep your readers in mind. Mentioning irrelevant highlights and skills leads the reader to believe your story belongs in another pile of resumes for some other job.Use Unique SectionsWe love stories about people who bent the rules a little bit and managed to succeed. If you have a fascinating career past with several jobs and industries, you may want to give your resume some structure to help it make a little more sense.Instead of using the typical styles of resume, add some unique sections based on your skills. For example, use sections like this:Director of Marketing Experience Investment Banking Experience Director of Sales ExperienceIf you had such experience listed out in a chronological resume, your resume would make you look like you lack focus or direction. It will look like you jumped from job to job, never really sure of what you wanted to do in your career.Never be afraid to break free of traditional methods, especially if you are a person who enjoys defying traditions.3. Rethink Your Lesser Relevant ExperienceAll stories start to make less and less sense the more you have gaps in the storyline. If you have gaps in your resume, try to use experience from irrelevant jobs to fill in the gaps. For example, if you were once a Customer Service Manager, but it’s no longer relevant because you are seeking a position in Operations, there are skills that can be used to fill in your resume. You can point out your teamwork, analytics, satisfaction-focus and management skills acquired in your CSM position.Focus your bullet points on your ability to collaborate with other teams and departments. Focus your bullet points on your career experience in managing client satisfaction. You can use these bullet points as a lead-in to explain your career transition. Ideally, aim to make no part of your story resume just a filler.At the end of this process, you should have a resume that spells out your skills and experiences. Mean while, your resume will be intriguing enough that the reader needs to reach out to you. They want to know more about the character in this story!

Connecting With Your Next Employer Via Cover Letter

Connecting With Your Next Employer Via Cover Letter Early in my workforce development career, I saw a hot job lead in the want ads.Because of my utmost confidence in my résumé writing skills,and expecting to land an interview, I faxed my résumé.Sure enough, within 24 hours, my telephone rang.As expected, it was the employer who placed the ad.However, this call was not for an interview just yet. He called to insist on a separate document that I neglected to send in the first placeâ€"a cover letter.The Importance of a Cover LetterI was lucky that time.Over the years I learned that there are many employers who will not consider you for a position if you do not include a cover letter in your response to their written job announcements.Especially if the announcements expressly request you to do so.Does it mean they will read your cover letter?Yes and no as it depends on the individual employer.My professional advice is not to take chances. Always send a well thought out, well-written, well-structured cover letter!As a certified profess ional résumé writer, I get queasy feelings when people ask me to write a cover letter for them unless they have a selected job in mind.That way, I can tailor the cover letter and create the appearance of a perfect match for the job.If you want to insult a potential employer, send a generic, one-size-fits-all cover letter.You are sending a message that you're not very serious about the position, and are only looking for a paycheck.The most effective cover letters are: Written to specific individuals At specific organizations Targeting specific positionsIf I write a cover letter for you, it is important that you tweak it to your voice.Give it your personality and let it exude your passion and ability to fit with the company’s vision.No writer, not even Ernest Hemingway, can do that for you.How Do You Write a Cover Letter That Impresses Employers?Study the job announcement Tailor your cover letter to the announcement. Use the important keywords and phrases listed therein. Browse the company’s website, and find something that resonates with you. Reference it at the beginning of your cover letter as a motivating factor in your joining their team. Such a statement sends a loud resounding signal to the employer that you might be a good “fit.” Employers value this more than mere qualifications. Effectively use the closing of your cover letter. Affirm to the employers that you look forward to the opportunity to meet with them personally in a job interview. Always thank them for their time and consideration. Sample Cover LetterBelow, you will find a well-written sample cover letter that ...Outlines experience Includes specific career highlights Provides a strong closing(For more on writing great cover letters, check outHow To Write An Amazing Cover Letter With Examples.)

Facebook Groups Pages Benefit Personal Brands - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Facebook Groups Pages Benefit Personal Brands - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Groups on Facebook have become a hub of activity, especially for brands. When Pages were launched,   Groups remained a place for sharing information, learning, and networking on a similar topic, issue or concern. Today groups can help build your personal brand’s Fan base and create more social interactions. Many brands and businesses focus on their Facebook Page as the main place for activity, promotions and posts. By engaging in groups that are relevant to your niche you can actually attract new Fans and visibility. Is it possible to create more engagement and growth through organic reach on Facebook? The answer is most definitely yes, and the influence from groups for your personal brand is a tremendous asset to that strategy. When you become active in groups on Facebook your business is building long-lasting relationships. A simple branding image is important if you host your own group, which I highly recommend. But it’s important to first know how a Fan Page is different from a Facebook Group. Groups versus Pages on Facebook Here are several key elements to a successful networking strategy in your Facebook group(s): • Consistent and active communication While groups are not a place where brands can make a sales pitch, they are a venue for sparking conversation and interest. Through engagement during the week and sharing information you are not only establishing your presence, but also showcasing your expertise, which can later attract visitors to your Fan Page who want to know more about your company. • Build interest in your personal brand’s services Part of a long-term successful marketing strategy is building up to the point where your brand has a membership program. While these are expensive to launch, a Facebook group is a good starter place where you can share tips, advice, and so on to attract a fan base that later can be converted into a membership program. Keep in mind that Facebook does have ownership to groups, and to share your information sparingly so as to reserve the most important aspects for your program. • Post content the News Feeds will love Facebook tends to showcase posts made in various groups more than from Pages. Post information that is relevant to your personal brand for the best visibility, and also to attract the right target market. • Share information about your brand Page A well thought-out status update may include a link to your Fan Page when providing helpful information to the group members. This not only helps grow your network, but promotes sharing. While a Facebook Page is more focused on content, images, video, and promotions a group is all about creating meaningful conversations to build a strong community. Over time, members will naturally be drawn to your personal brand’s Page, and this can extend into your other social networks as well. Gil C / Shutterstock.com

When Writing an Application Or RSum Follow-Up Message, You Should Open With Your Name and the Name of the Position?

When Writing an Application Or RSum Follow-Up Message, You Should Open With Your Name and the Name of the Position?This article will discuss some of the basic principles to follow when writing an application or Rsum follow-up message. Some of these principles are common sense. Others are easily overlooked or, more accurately, over looked.It is important to have a positive tone in your application. You should convey a message that includes specific instructions, thorough descriptions of the problem, solutions and steps to take to correct the problem, and the steps to take in order to complete the task. When the message appears vague, people may assume that the problem was not really a problem at all, but, instead, some sort of other situation. Inaccurate statements can be interpreted in a variety of ways. For example, saying that you were waiting for the computer to reboot may be interpreted as meaning that you will have to reboot the computer.It is also important to give an accurate account of the situation. If you are vague about how long the problem has been occurring, it may be misinterpreted as a time limitation, such as 'we are looking for the problem now, but we cannot guarantee it will be fixed within the next ten minutes.' That type of wording may be interpreted as, 'we want you to solve this problem, but if you do not act quickly, we will have to continue to wait for it to be fixed.'Write your message in the third person. People do not think of themselves as the main character in the story they are writing. When writing an application or Rsum follow-up message, you should open with your own name and personal information. Then, use a picture that is related to the issue and your own job.This is a small point that I noticed. While many make the mistake of identifying themselves as the cause of the problem, I find that the problem itself often causes problems. One popular example would be a commercial when there is a fire at the office. The fire breaks ou t during the phone interview and the interviewer has to wait until everyone gets off the phone to interview the new employee. Having to wait on hold for the next call can lead to long waits while waiting.It is important to provide the correct information in the application. If there is a price listed, the price should be the primary focus of the message. In addition, if the price does not match the description, do not use it.The opposite is true also. If the price is listed incorrectly, it may cause the recruiter to believe that the cost is too high. It may also confuse the reader about what price to expect in the future. It is important to include accurate information in the application so that the recruiters do not incorrectly interpret the message.Finally, when writing an application or Rsum follow-up message, you should always avoid making your application seem difficult to understand. It is important to focus on providing the correct information so that the reader can see that the information given is accurate. When writing an application or Rsum follow-up message, you should open with your name and the name of the position and picture.

3 surefire questions for hiring the right people

3 surefire questions for hiring the right people 3 surefire questions for hiring the right people When former Monster.com President Steve Pogorzelski joined Avention as CEO in 2014, his first order of business was to get the right people on board. He knew that if he wanted to do so, it would require that he clearly define the company’s values and corporate culture. Although the business information company had been around for 20 years, a value system had never been articulated. In fact, when Pogorzelski asked employees to define what the company stood for, no one could really give him an answer. To Pogorzelski, values and culture are essential, because they help guide members of the company to evaluate progress, conduct operations, and make important decisions, including who should be hired, fired and rewarded. Many business owners, executives and HR representatives have at least a story or two about a candidate with a great résumé who just didn’t fit, or a worker who didn’t stand out at first but turned into an integral component of success. There’s no single secret to finding the right candidate, of course, but Pogorzelski believes that having a strong value system and a defined culture can help you determine who will thrive at your company. Here are his go-to interview questions to determine which candidates bring the right qualities to open positions. 1. What was your biggest business success story? In asking this question, Pogorzelski looks as much for the way in which the job seeker tells the story as he does at the story itself. Many candidates, eager to appear accomplished and qualified, position their successes as accomplishments that they reached on their own. Few projects or initiatives are successful because of one person, which reflects a principle that Pogorzelski emphasized when developing Avention’s culture. In fact, one of the Avention’s tenets is “every person adds value.” For him, overuse of the pronoun “I” is a red flag when potential hires share examples of their most successful moments. “We,” by contrast, is Pogorzelskis favorite word to hear when candidates describe their biggest successes. Candidates who say “we” and give their co-workers and teammates credit are the kinds of people likely to take on more work in the name of helping colleagues and developing Avention’s positive, collaborative culture. 2. What was your biggest failure during your career and what did you learn from it? With this question, too, Pogorzelski looks closely at the ways in which candidates describe their experiences. Taking accountability in times of failure is an important piece of Avention’s value system, so he considers whether prospective hires take full responsibility in the retelling of their biggest failures. One clear sign of such a person is whether the candidate starts his or her sentences with “I.” He says, “Someone who can take full responsibility for a failure and explain the lesson in it is likely a person who would fit in well at Avention.” 3. What could I do differently or better as CEO? One of Avention’s values is openness and transparency. To understand whether a candidate “gets” this, Pogorzelski will ask what the company could do better and what he could do better as its CEO. It’s never an easy question to answer, but he believes it’s one of the most important ways to assess whether potential hires align with the value system. Candidates who shy away from answering this question may not be brave or direct enough to succeed at Avention. Those who are informed and bold enough to tell Pogorzelski how he and Avention could improve are the types of candidates that reflect the company’s culture of courage and openness. Job interviews are all about asking the right questions, but it can be difficult to figure out what those questions are in the first place. A defined set of values and corporate culture helps you not only identify the right questions, but also understand what to look for in a response. It’s a method that’s worked for Pogorzelski throughout his career, and one that has helped him build a world-class leadership team that is poised to propel Avention’s growth.

Control the Chaos of Job Search - Hire Imaging

Control the Chaos of Job Search - Hire Imaging The heart of the message Many job seekers feel as though the job market and maze that is job search, is a chaotic mess. They feel thrown into the deep end without a compass. If your mind goes blank when it comes to planning your next step and long-term action in your job search, you are not alone. The heart of the message “I’ve never had to look for a job in my life, and now I have to find one right away. I’m clueless.” “Wow! Those folks make me feel like a desperado looking for their help, or for them to pick me. It’s really intimidating and demeaning.” I hear refrains like these from clients all the time. It is a mess in many ways. The job market presents a confusing face and few guideposts to people seeking employment. The Internet bombards job seekers with massive amounts of information; yet much of it is just plain bad. Applicants don’t know how to sift the valuable career service providers from the mediocre or worse. It throws candidates into a black hole, and exploits applicants far more than it assists them. Our job market “system falls woefully short in matching the right people with the right jobs. The key to taking the power You will bring it under your personal control when you decide that employers are no more your backers than you are theirs. You will bring it under control when you decide to banish this attitude of humility and well, sheepish and meek posturing or petitioning for a favor; and when you understand that you are offering employers value at least equal to any pay they may offer you. With this mindset, you will look on the whole employment process as one in which people collaboratively explore the possibility of a mutually beneficial relationship. This is really important: Understanding and believing that you are valuable  means you know when to blame the system and not yourself if things get off track in your job search. Leave no stone unturned Because of the way the job market is currently designed, confusion, frustration, disappointmentâ€"even depressionâ€"are rampant among job seekers. The best way to avoid such discouragement is to enter the job market knowing its pitfalls and how to dodge them. Aim for the ideal fit. Honestly, most people can find a job. The question is whether it is the one you want. Shouldn’t your next position closely fit your entire personality (skills, interests, dislikes, non-negotiables, etc.) to be an exciting piece of your life? Shouldn’t it challenge you yet satisfy you? Shouldn’t it be where you want it to be? Does this exist? Yes! But here’s the deal; if you are going to find one of the better jobs, you will have to talk about it; and campaign for it. Focus your efforts. Some things have not changed. Your best return will be through targeted research; and reaching out to and talking to people  . Rely on your own strategically pulled together tools, resources and plan. Don’t rely on the Internet job banks, help-wanted ads, agencies, etc. You can hit the wall quite fast. Remember the 80/20 rule. Concentrating most of your effortâ€"at least 80% of itâ€"on those vast number of openings that employers never release to agencies or job banks (or haven’t even created yet), is crucial to your successful job search. On the other hand, do devote some time (but not more than 20%) to the services of organized job delivery systems. Get help. If you are struggling, a qualified career coach or counselor can help. There are many out there who care deeply about helping their clients; and who have the experience and skills to do so. Ask for references, and check them out online to see if they have credentials, a professional presence, and have general credibility and recommendation. The right career coach can help you keep your balance as you walk the high wire between difficult decisions and repeated discouragement. Whatever you do, keep in mind that no stone should be left unturned in your job search. Look on it as a full-time project. If you are employed, it is a part-time job. If you are unemployed, it is a full-time job. In the words of Dennis Waitley, “The results you achieve will be in direct proportion to the effort you apply.” Photo:  Sebastien Wiertz

Should you dress up for Halloween at work -

Should you dress up for Halloween at work - For children, Halloween is a fun time to be imaginative and become anyone you want to be. Adults have co-opted this holiday for their own purposes, and some even bring their fantasy selves to work in the form of a dress-up day. Is it a good idea to dress up at work for Halloween or a  big mistake? The answer is it depends. It depends on where you work and what you plan to wear. Workplaces Where Dressing Up Is Part of the Job In some workplaces, dressing up is expected and considered part of the organizations culture. For example, if youre a teacher, and everyone dresses up as part of a book character dress-up day around Halloween, you wouldnt want to be the one teacher who doesnt play along. That will make you look uncreative at best and lazy at worst. On the other hand, if you choose inappropriately provocative attire or otherwise misfire with your costume, youll be in even worse hot water. Fishnet stockings are not the best choices for a school teacher, even if your goal is to look like Fantine from Les Miserables. You may also want to think twice about donning the persona of a political figure, even an historical one. In other words, coming in as Hitler or Syrian President al-Assad isnt likely to win favor. Another group that may be expected to go all out for Halloween is wait staffs in casual restaurants. In that case, depending on your clientele, its possible you can actually embrace your sexy alter-ego and not risk your job. However, keep in mind, if you win sexiest costume of the night, expect that image to be a part of your workplace persona long after Oct. 31 passes. Another factor to consider: will your costume elicit controversy and conversation youre not prepared to manage? If you dress up as Obamacare or Speaker Boehner, dont be surprised if people on the opposite end of the political spectrum have some choice comments. Just as its not generally a great idea to discuss politics at work, similarly, its not a great idea to wear your politics to work, even on Halloween. When Dressing Up Is Unlikely to Win You Friends Do you really want your insurance broker or attorney handing you important papers to sign while dressed as Gumby or Big Bird? The same rules go for most client-facing roles where the business at hand is serious, and the attire needs to match. Even if Halloween is your favorite day of the year, do not call your judgment into question by being the only one who takes it as an opportunity to break out of the traditional dress code to go a little crazy. Sometimes, the role you play at work will dictate whether or not you should dress up. For example, the call center team members who never see clients may be able to have some fun on Halloween, while the front-facing sales staff need to play it more conservatively. How to Decide How to Celebrate â€" Or Not! If youre new at work, ask your boss or a trusted co-worker if people dress up for Halloween. If youre a sleuth, you can peruse back issues of the company newsletter to see if Halloween is depicted in past communications. If dressing up isnt on the agenda, dont let it put you in a  bad mood; its possible you can celebrate the day in other ways at work by wearing a fun accessory. Just make sure you dont distract your co-workers with a flashing necklace or by carrying around something that moans or youll attract the kind of attention you dont want. Want to know a great way to get in the spirit of the holiday in many offices? Bring in a baked good or other sweet treat to offer co-workers. As long as youre not pushy, and recognize some people are dieting, have food allergies or aversions or dont believe in Halloween, you cant lose. We are showing you how to eat, drink and be scary this Halloween season. Read more on Halloween on AOL: 15 Frightfully Delicious Halloween Treats 11 Halloween Party Appetizers How To Look Spooky Without Looking Scary Originally appeared on AOLJobs.com.