Update Your Resume Today
A friend was just promoted to a position of vice-president of a company. I am happy for him and the first thing I told him after congratulations was “update your resume”. He is now in a new league and if and when a headhunter should call or an opportunity to advance presents itself, he must be ready with his paperwork. Ready now, not tomorrow. A prospective employer’s first impression of you should be one of preparedness.
How about you? When did you last update your resume?
The Real Estate Agent Resume: Is Yours Helping You Get More Clients?
What does your resume say about you? Sure, listing your skills and abilities is helpful, but would you like to know what REALLY gets attention? Accomplishments. Accomplishments show others what you are capable of doing.
A real estate agent resume has to focus on what you have done well in the past. It must focus on successful sales, outstanding communication, fast results and more! Buyers and sellers want to know what has made you successful in the past. It is commonly believed that if you have done well in the past, you will continue to do well in the future. So, you have to show them what you have done in order to convince them of what you can do for them.
Cover Letters, Resumes and the Job Hunter - What’s it All About?
Any good job hunter needs a resume package. The cover letter and resume always go together and do the same basic thing in slightly different ways. A job hunter without both of them will probably not get very far in the search for a good career position.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at what these crucial documents should do for you. The first part, the cover letter, is a short one page letter consisting of three or four paragraphs. It serves as an introduction to the resume. It is the part that will always be seen by the gatekeeper.
Resume Writing
This September I spent two days doing Resume Assessment at The National Job Fair and Training Expo in Toronto. 400 Job Seekers received free resume assessments from nine Resume Writers. There was a 2-3 hour wait for this service that was available from 10 am - 8 pm. Since a resume is critical to our employment success, waiting a few hours for professional advice wasn’t a big deal to most people.
Although no one gets hired solely on the basis of a resume, many job seekers miss the opportunity of an interview because of an inadequate resume. Your resume can (and should) have a distinct personality to it. It should separate you from all the people applying to land that dream job. Be unique!
New Year Career
Consider Maslow’s hierarchy of needs — once requirements for food and shelter are taken care of, you seek intellectual stimulation. On Maslow’s pyramid, until you’ve found inner serenity somewhere near the top of the pyramid, you should ask the question, how is this job helping me advance my career?
An easy way to measure this is to look at your resumé. Update it to reflect where you are today. Then identify what you’ve accomplished in the past 12 months that made you more effective, more interesting, or more marketable. Do you have 10 years’ experience, or one year’s experience repeated 10 times? Select every new skill or accomplishment that you couldn’t claim a year ago.
The Help, The Words: Resume Writing Services
The idea of a resume is a, seemingly, simple one; we all understand the purpose. The problem doesn’t appear until you actually start writing it. Then, the purpose seems to fade away in a series of clichés and odd phrases. Few people can write a good resume. Most can craft a serviceable one and some… They cannot craft anything. For those unable to create anything remotely resembling a resume, the best hope for success is to use a resume writing service.
A resume writing service can provide anything form helpful tips to actually forming your resume. They offer professional staff members, ones accustomed to catching the attention of employers. These men and women understand how difficult it is to stand out amongst the mass of applicants, so they help you create a resume that is the ideal showcase for your talents.
Writing A Resume: The Right Way
Everyone searching for that perfect career understands the need for a resume; not everyone, however, understands the value of a resume. You may have all the skills and qualifications to let you succeed, but, if you don’t have the proper resume to display them, you won’t get very far. You cannot treat your resume like a piece of paper. It is much more–and, here, we will explain what you need to know to create the resume perfect for your goals.
One: actually have a resume. There is still a number of people who think that an interview will be enough to impress potential employers. This is a mistake. Without a resume, you will be seen as unqualified and unprofessional. The first step is to recognize that you must have a resume!
Resume Writing — 4 Steps to a Killer Resume
Having trouble creating that killer resume? You’ve come to the right place. Read on. You’re only 4 Steps away from your very own truly effective resume.
Step 1: Set Yourself Apart
This is the most important Step! On average, a job on a job board like Monster.com receives over 300 responses. That’s a lot. You MUST set yourself apart.
Maximizing the Impact of Your Resume
Job-hunting can be a daunting experience. You might find it difficult to know where to begin to find the job that is most appropriate for you. Searching for employment can also be a full-time job in itself, requiring you to spend countless hours researching companies, drafting cover letters, writing resumes, and sending out application packages to prospective employers.
Fortunately, in the age of the Internet, there are some high-tech solutions to the problem of making sure your resume gets in the hands of an individual who is looking for someone of your qualifications. Resume distribution services are increasingly becoming the job-hunting method of choice for a number of job-seekers. Thanks to some innovative software, resume distribution is easier and more effective than ever before.
How Do I Write an Effective Cover Letter?
Top Tips from TipTopJob
· Tailor each covering letter to different employers - never send out standardised letters!!
· Keep it to 1 side of A4 paper - short and simple!!
The covering letter that you send for a job application is the most important document that you will send in the first instance for the application of a job position. It is your chance to sell yourself to the employer, to prompt the recruiter to read your CV and to gain an interview.
The role of the application letter is to draw a clear connection between the job you are seeking and your qualifications listed in the CV. The letter matches the requirements of the job with your qualifications, emphasizing how you are right for that job. The application letter is not a lengthy summary of the CV but should be used to highlight and elaborate on the key points in your CV, which are of particular relevance to the employer.
There is no strict formula for an application letter as different jobs may require different approaches. Employers can spot standardised letters that are sent out on mass, so you must tailor every letter to be uniquely relevant to each role you apply for. It is best to make sure that the letter is on a formal footing but also friendly and that you pay attention to your writing style, your spelling and grammar.
Many cover letters tend to be long winded but it is best to try to keep it to 1 side of A4 and to no more than 3 - 4 paragraphs that consist of short, simple sentences.
Structure
Introduction
The first paragraph of the application letter is the most important; it sets everything up - the tone and focus. Try to provide him/her with a reason to carry on reading your application letter and make the first paragraph an attention-grabbing one!! It is a good idea to begin by addressing the letter to a particular person if you can get hold of this information. This paragraph should be brief and to the point, indicating which job you are applying for (including a job reference number if there is one) as well as the source of your information (newspaper advertisement, personal contact etc) and an explanation as to why you have applied for this job.
Main Body
In the main parts of the application letter, you present your work experience, education, training - whatever makes that connection between you and the job you are seeking. Remember that this is the most important job you have to do in this letter - to enable the reader to see the match between your qualifications and the requirements for the job.
It may be a good idea to split the body into two paragraphs with the first focusing on the needs of the company and role requirements. You need to explain why you have applied to them, indicating the main job requirements. This will show you have done research into the company, tailoring the letter to them to be unique. In the following paragraph you need to match these to your skills and abilities, highlighting why you are right for the job and elaborating your achievements. Try to include information not already on your CV, be positive and confident and write it with a bias to the future rather than the past.
Closing Paragraph
In the last paragraph of the application letter, you can indicate how the prospective employer can get in touch with you and when are the best times for an interview. This is the place to urge that prospective employer to contact you to arrange an interview. It is important to end the letter strongly and on a positive note. End the letter with something like ‘I very much look forward to hearing from you’ and ‘Yours Sincerely’ and finally, don’t forget to sign and print your name! Once you have written your letter, check it several times for any mistakes you may have made and check all the information you have provided them with is correct and accurate. Align the company address to the left side and your address to the right and make sure the paragraphs are justified, the font is the same throughout the letter and on your CV and that it looks neat and tidy!!
If you are not replying to an advertised position, it is more appropriate to write a speculative letter to a company that you would like to work for. The cover letter will therefore be slightly different, it should begin by stating what work you are particularly seeking, say why you want to work for this company and ask for your CV to be kept and to be contacted if any vacancies open.
Example Cover Letter
Let us create an example of a job advertised for a Regional Sales Manager for a Peanut Butter company based in the UK. Applications are to be sent to John Watson the Human Resources Manager:
(Place the name and title of person who you are applying to)
John Watson
Human Resources Manager
Peanuttly Foods Ltd
Peanut Building
The Park
Salisbury
(Place in information about the position that you are applying for)
Reference: Regional Sales Manager Position
Dear John,
(Introductory paragraph)
I have seen the position advertised as a Regional Sales Manager for Peanuttly Foods Ltd advertised in the local Landover paper. I believe that I have the appropriate skills and experience that you are looking for and I would be very interested in applying for the position.
(Main body paragraphs)
I have worked for the past two years as a sales manager for Bikkit Foods in Beversham. In that capacity, I have helped to increase regional sales by 40% in our Funky chicken range. These sales increases have been achieved by an extensive marketing campaign to the 8-16 year age group and I feel that the Regional Sales Manager Position would offer me the challenges and the opportunities that I am looking for in my next career step. These main body paragraphs can be more detailed this is a example of how to present information.
(Closing paragraph)
You will find enclosed a copy of my CV, which provides a more detailed description of my education and employment history. I would welcome any opportunity to talk with you further about the position. Please do not hesitate to contact me at any time at the numbers listed on my CV if you would like to discuss any aspects of my application.
Yours Sincerely,
Peter Johnson