Resume Archives - Steven Mostyn

Phases in the Job Hunting Life Cycle

Interview Questions, Job Hunting, Resume

There are 3 major phases of the job hunting life cycle. Each is essential in landing a new job.

The following article will explain the different phases in the job hunting life cycle.

They are:

Creating a resume/online profile
Searching for a job
Effective interviewing

Many professionals go their entire careers without developing these three major skills. When it comes time to search for a job, they are often frustrated and wonder why they can’t get hired.

Think of the job hunting life cycle like a clock. If any pieces of the clock are broken, the clock will not work. When job seekers lack in any of these three major phases, they have problems in their quest for employment.

If you do not work to improve in each of these phases, you will have a more difficult time landing a job. In fact, you could, in theory, be good at interviewing (phase 3) but if you have a lousy resume/profile (phase 1) and are not good at searching for a job (phase 2), you will have a harder time landing a role. You will not be able to get into the front door and nail your interview because you didn’t make it past the first or second phase. On the flip side, you could be a lousy interview but have a killer resume and be good at job searches – you breeze past phases 1 and 2 but when you get to the 3^rd phase, employers won’t hire you due to your poor interviewing skills.

Examine your job hunting life cycle. Systematically work to improve your skill in any or all of the three phases where you are weaker. When your 3 life cycle phases are strong, you will have a higher probability of gaining new employment.

Conclusion

Don’t beat yourself up if your resume is weak, your job search skills are shaky, or your interviewing leaves something to be desired. You can improve. The succeeding chapters will help you strengthen your skills. With knowledge and practice, you’ll have a healthy job hunting life cycle and can look forward to a lifetime of success.

How to Write an Effective Resume?

Resume

The following article will explain in detail how to write an effective resume

For many job seekers writing a professional-looking resume is not something they know how to do. In the resume writing process, they create resumes that do not include important resume elements that are fundamental in writing an effective resume. These sections include using the right resume format, having a resume focus, proper resume esthetics, SEO, and proper resume editing. As a result, instead of writing a professional-looking resume, they write resumes that look quite unprofessional and lowers their chances of landing a new job. Read this article carefully and learn about the most important elements that a resume should always have.

Resume Content

Resume content is the information in your resume that will sell you to prospective employers. If the information is not informative and engaging, employers may not take a second look at you. You have properly heard it before, but a hiring manager will spend only a few seconds reading your resume, so make sure that the content uses words and sentences that will attract potential employers to your resume. The writing style should also be sophisticated to your career level. Can you imagine an executive CEO having a resume written like someone who is a new grad? That Executive would be perceived to be more incompetent, having a resume written like a new grad. This is the one reason executives tend to hire a professional resume writing service to ensure their executive resume matches the level of their executive peers.

Resume Writing Services: Why Both Professional and Executive Job Seekers Need Them

Your Resume Must be Focused

If a hiring manager gets confused by your resume and do not know what profession is, they will pass on your background. You might be wondering how it could be possible for a hiring manager to be confused and not understand someone’s profession based on reading a resume. The truth is over 25% of the resumes I have read in my 20+ year HR career were not focused on their profession. The biggest mistake is this area is a job seeker job title. If your job title is not a title a hiring manager can recognize as a typical title in your field, they will not be able to figure out what your profession is and pass on your background. Also including jobs or education not relevant to your career. In this case I have seen resumes that list someone’s part-time job first like a part estate agent when they are applying for tech industry jobs. If a hiring manager sees the real estate job first, they may think that is your profession. My advice is do not put jobs or education that is not applicable. For jobs that are not applicable and are part of your career activity limit the information about these jobs saving the space for jobs in your profession.

Resume Esthetics

Resume esthetics is the look and style of your resume and LinkedIn profile that will attract the eye of employers. An ugly resume will not appeal to employers. You should create a resume that will make you stand out among your peers. Some job seekers create resumes that are quite boring with very ugly plain text. At the same time, you do not want to write a resume that will stand out in the wrong way. For example, the recent trend of using graphic designer resume templates for professional jobs. As these resumes do not look appropriate for most professionals, they stand out in the wrong way compared to their peers. Your resume should be attractive and look professional. More info on the topic can be found here.

What Are The Most Common Resume Mistakes

Resume Font Size

If a hiring manager can’t read your resume, they will not move forward with your background. Many job seekers keep their font size at 10. In their quest to add information in their resume, the job seekers use a smaller font size. It would be better for these job seekers to keep their font size at 12. If a hiring manager needs a microscope to read your resume you are doomed. Ask yourself this question what is more important to add and squeeze content into your resume or to make your resume readable with a normal font size. Keep your font size at 12 and save hiring managers’ eyes in the process.

Resume Sections and the Right Chronological Order

When you write a resume, there are sections that a resume must contain, and if they are missing your resume will not be effective. These are the typical sections that resumes should include such as Objective Section, Education, Professional Experience, Skills, and other key sections such as Publications, Language Section, and Awards, The order is also important as you want to make sure the order follows resume norms and focuses on the important sections first. Also, the resume should be in the right chronological order. Sometimes to hide information a job seeker will list a past job first. You should always ensure you list your current job first in your job history.

What Sections Should be Included in a Resume?

Resume SEO

In today’s job landscape, most jobs are filtered through an ATS system by an HR professional looking for keywords. If you do not write keywords in your resume your resume may not rank compared to your peers. There is an art and science to adding SEO to your resume including job titles, key-word placement, and other optimization methods. This broad topic is covered in more detail in this article.

The Value of SEO in Finding a Job

Limit Your Resume size

As covered in previous articles and videos keep your resume to the proper page limit based on your years of experience and profession. Many job seekers fail in this area creating resumes that are not the right size for their level of experience or profession.

How Many Pages Should A Resume Be?

Resume Editing

You must ensure your resume has 100% no mistakes, including spelling, grammar, and punctuation. One little mistake on your resume, and no one will take you seriously. A good rule of habit is to have other people review your resume. I also recommend using tools more than spellcheck such as Grammarly. Even better have someone with editing experience or an English major review your resume. That is why I use a professional editor with a Ph.D. in English as my editor for my professional resume writing service.

Conclusion

Writing an effective resume is paramount in landing your next job, and by following the advice in this article, you will learn how to write an effective resume that will include elements that all resumes need.

How To Get a Job as a New Grad

Job Hunting, Job Search, Resume

The following article will give new grads great tips on how to land their first job

Your first professional job can be very hard to obtain, and you might be competing against hundreds of other grads to land only one role. If you executive your job search the right way you can overcome many mistakes other recent grads make and improve your chances of landing a job.

Give the Impression That You Have More Experience Than You Do

Landing your first role in your profession can be quite competitive because many new grads are competing for very few spots. To make yourself stand out from the competition, your resume should give the impression that you have more experience than you do. Here are 3 suggestions on how to do that.

1. Include volunteer job-related experience.

If you have any volunteer unpaid experience in your field you should make sure you list that experience. Below you will find an example.

Data Analyst (Volunteer), ABC Corp 2017

As a volunteer data analyst, I assisted the strategy department in determining the effectiveness of major projects’ outcomes. Used Excel and Salesforce to attract data to analyze success.

2. Include job experience not related to your field.

When looking to land your first job in your field of training, if you do not have relevant work experience, you should list unrelated work experience on your resume. This will show potential employers that you have experience in a work environment. In addition, many employers value unrelated experience, such as working in fast-food or retail, because it develops great work ethic and customer service skills.

3. Include academic job-related experience.

If you have no job-related experience but have the academic-related experience, elaborate about that in your resume. See the example below.

Academic Project – J2EE Mobile Banking Application
University of Waterloo 2017
For my final academic project at the University of Waterloo, I designed and developed a mobile banking application using J2EE, Java, Spring, Struts, ibatis, JSP, AJAX, HTML, Oracle 12g, Maven, Log4J, slf4j, iText, Edit plus, Eclipse IDE, JUnit, WinCVS, Axis2, JSON, and UNIX.

Highlight Academic Achievements

While academic achievements are always important to include in a resume, highlighting them is even more crucial when you are looking for your first job. Any academic achievement you have obtained, such as a high GPA, scholarships, awards or any other accomplishments, should be listed on your resume.

Focus on Entry-Level Jobs

As a new grad right out of school with little experience, you should focus on looking for entry-level jobs. These are jobs where employers want to hire someone who has little or no experience.

Starting with an entry-level search might seem like common sense, but a lot of grads don’t make applying for entry-level jobs their focus. Most want to jump right into a high-paying job with all the perks and benefits. But they forget one thing: those jobs require experience.

Experience is something a new grad doesn’t have. By putting in the time and working in an entry-level position, you’ll gain the experience that employers are looking for and then you’ll be qualified for more advanced roles.

You can look for entry-level jobs on all major job sites, specialty sites, aggregators, job classifieds, and entry-level job sites.

Get Experience by Internships or Volunteering

If you do not have any job-related experience, a great way to get it is to do an internship or volunteer in your field.

Many companies offer both paid and unpaid internships designed to help those breaking into that profession gain experience. If an intern performs well in their role, a company often will hire them when the internship is finished.

To find internships or volunteer roles, look at all major job sites, specialty sites, aggregators, job classifieds, entry-level job sites, and internship/volunteer sites.

How to get Paid and Unpaid Internships

Proper Interviewing Etiquette

You worked hard in school, got good grades, did an internship, and when it comes time to interview, you mess up. This is very common for new grads, but it can be corrected.

The number one thing many entry-level job seekers have trouble with is how to interview professionally. Most new grads do not know how to communicate in the corporate workplace, so when they interview, they are too casual in the way they express themselves and make the mistake of littering their speech with slang. This turns potential employers off. My advice to new grads is to practice proper interviewing etiquette and learn to speak in a professional manner.

Conclusion

Getting that first job in the profession they trained for can be a difficult undertaking for a new grad. Applying the tips in this chapter will make looking and obtaining your first job easier.

What Sections Should be Included in a Resume?

Resume

This article will teach you what sections should be included in a resume.

As an executive or professional you want to make sure you include the right sections when you write a resume. The information in this article will provide you with all the information you need to know on how to create a resume for either an Executive or Professional job seeker.

Key Sections in a Professional or Executive Resume:

Your Personal Info
Objective
Education
Job History
Skills

Below you will find a description of each.

Your Personal Info

This section appears at the top of a resume and includes your basic information. Some job seekers are afraid to include their personal contact details and address. This is a mistake because it makes it harder for employers to contact you. If you have a major certification or education in the profession you are applying for I would recommend you put it beside your name. Also, your name should be the largest font on the resume. If you used 12 for your resume, your name should be set at 14.

Example of the personal info section:

Jane Smith CFP

Objective Section:

There are some experts who believe you should not include the objective section anymore on resumes as it is a waste of valuable resume real estate. But many employers expect to see an objective section so I would still recommend having it on your resume. Stating your objective serves the purpose of being an introduction to your resume. Keep this section brief. It should highlight your background in 1 or 2 sentences.

Example of an Objective Section:

Future-focused Financial Analyst with a commitment to quality and accuracy seeks a progressive role with a dynamic, growth-oriented organization where financial modeling & analytical techniques can be leveraged to achieve exceptional results.

Education Section

This self-explanatory section focuses on your education, certifications, and courses. You should include education, certifications, and courses that are relevant to the job you’re searching for. If you have certifications that are not relevant to the job you want, do not list them on your resume. For example, if you have a personal training certification but are not looking to get hired as a personal trainer, that certification doesn’t need to be on your resume.

You can also list courses in progress or ones you are looking to do in the future. This will show initiative on your part and might give you an advantage over other candidates. Another good reason to include courses and certifications: if a recruiter searches for a specific credential, you might pop up on their search.

Where should the education section be placed in your resume? If you applying for a job where specific education and/or certification is centric to the job, place it near the top. If not, place it at the bottom.

If you are seasoned in your career, you might choose to leave out the year you graduated. Academic achievements, such as high GPAs or scholarships, should be included in this section. Many entry-level roles like to see potential candidates’ GPAs.

Example of Education Section:

EDUCATION

Formal Education:

MBA – Focus in Financial Modeling (4.0 GPA) – University of Florida 2017

Bachelor of History -York University, Toronto 2015

Professional Certifications:

PMP – Certified Project Manager – Project Management Institute

2016

Lean Six Sigma Green Belt – In Progress

Job History Section:

The job history section is the most important section on your resume. It is the section that describes your work history. It is also the section hiring managers are going to focus on.

Your jobs should be listed in chronological order from newest to oldest. Your company, job title, employment duration, and city you worked in should all be listed before your experience. It is a good idea to write a synopsis of the company you worked at. In bullet points, note your positive experiences in that job, from most important to least important. This is a way to market yourself to employers: they see what you have achieved and how you can help them. Be sure to include any large-scale achievements you had at that job.

For the tech sector, along with all the tech skills you used at that company, list the technical environment at the end of the position.

Example of Job History Section:

WORK EXPERIENCE

Health System America

Director Talent Acquisition, Seattle Washington (November 2013 – Present)

Health System America is one of the largest health care organizations, with more than 100,000 employees across the United States. The system supports 80 hospitals as well as 100 long term acute care facilities. As a director of talent acquisition, led the talent acquisition functions for the entire organization. Specific duties include:

Build from scratch Health System America’s talent acquisition department, including hiring the recruitment team, creating metrics, processes, SLAs and overall strategy.
Saved the organization 50 million dollars in agency saving over a 5 year period
Reduce time to fill metrics from over 50 days down to 28
Lead, train, mentor and guide teams of 50 staff including 5 managers, 30 recruiters, 10 sourcers and 10 onboarding specialists.
Design, develop, and implement recruitment process improvements.

Successful large scale projects: Staffed new units for Operating Room, CVICU, Free standing ER, Dialysis, Peds, NICU, ICU, Med-Surg & Wellness Center.

Skills Section:

The skills section is the area of the resume where you list all your relevant skills. This area is also important in terms of SEO—when filling a job, the keywords recruiters search for are often what skills you list. To pop up on a recruiter’s search, make your skills specific. For example, don’t just list MS Office as a skill; include the specific Office programs that you are familiar with: Word, Excel, etc. Sometimes the smallest skill can pop up on a recruiter’s search.

Example of Skills Section:

SKILLS

w Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) w Accounting & Payroll Systems (ADP, JD Edwards, Oracle) w Financial Statements w Accounts Payable/Receivable w Tax Reporting w Bank Reconciliation w General Ledgers w Payroll w Profit and Loss Analysis

Where to Place Those Sections on a Resume

In most cases, your resume should follow this order:

Personal info
Objective
Job history
Education
Skills

In occupations where education or skills are critical, you could put education and/or skills directly after the objective section.

Additional Resume Sections & When to Add Them to Your Resume

There are additional sections some individuals put on their resumes. For each of these sections, the pros and cons will be discussed as well as when to use them. These sections include:

Volunteer experience
Un Paid Internships/Co-Op
Hobbies and Interests
Awards and Achievements
Publications and Patents
Industry Experiences
Languages

Un-Paid Internships/Co-Op – Only list unpaid internship or co-op experience if it is relevant to your field or if you are lacking real-world job experience.
Volunteer experience – Include your volunteer experience if you are applying to jobs who look fondly on volunteering, like non-profits or social-minded companies. Also, many entry-level jobs like to see what you have done past school and work, so this could be useful in this instance. Volunteer experience could also be used to fill a void in resumes for individuals with limited work experience or who have been out of work.
Hobbies and interests – For the most part, this section is not needed unless you know a potential employer values specific hobbies and interests.
Awards and Achievements – This section can be useful if you have achieved certain job-related achievements in your profession, such as winning specific industry awards.
Industry Experiences – This optional section is where you list what industries you have worked in. This section is good for candidates who work in consulting or are looking to get into consulting.
Patents and Publications – This is a rare section usually reserved for very technical roles. In some engineering roles, this section is quite useful.
Languages – This section lists the languages you speak. In certain countries, like Canada where both English and French is spoken, speaking 2 languages can increase your chances of getting the job. Do your homework to see if employers in your geographical area are interested in candidates who speak a second or third language.

Customize Your Resume to the Job You Are Applying For

Unless you are using a quick application, you should customize your resume for every job you apply for. This means that for every application, you should customize your resume with keywords you see in that particular job description.

Resume Writing Services: Why Both Professional and Executive Job Seekers Need Them

Resume

The following article will explain in detail why both Professional and Executive job seekers need to hire a professional resume writing service.

It will also explain why all Professional Resume Writing Services are not the same and what you should watch out for when you hire one.

Professionals and Executives need career advancement

Many job seekers who are professionals or executives are usually at a point in their career where the next job they obtain can be the difference between career trajectory or career suicide. For an executive or professional, advancement in their career can also be the difference of tens of thousands of dollars to even hundreds of thousands of dollars with each career advancement. With the right approach to their job search such as an effective resume, professional or executive job seekers can move up to the corporate ladder.

Why do both Professional and Executive job seekers fail?

Why do so many professional and executive job seekers struggle in their pursuit of career advancement? The answer is many professional, and executive job seekers do not create effective job-hunting tools like an effective resume. These same professional and executive job seekers might be some of the brightest minds in their fields, but if they do not have the right job-hunting tools like an effective resume, they reduce their chances of landing their next job.

Professionals and executives do not invest in their careers!

If you were to ask professional and executive job seekers if they do their taxes or cut their hair, most would say of course not as they are not qualified to do this.

Although most professionals and executives who are looking for a new job continue to write their resume even though they do not know how to write an effective resume, the results for some of these professional and executive job seekers is they lose out on many jobs that would have increased their income by an extensive amount. For only a small fee of hiring a professional resume writing service, the professional or executive could have increased their chances of landing a job and recoup their small cost by increasing their salary levels. Many executives and professionals spend money on things of no value, yet when it comes to their career do not invest in tools like a resume. The old saying goes a penny-wise a penny foolish.

Resume writing services understand resume formats

Resume writing services understand the type of resume format that both recruiters and hiring managers look for in a candidate. Instead of guessing and getting the wrong resume format, a professional resume writing service will create the right format for your resume, and as a result, your resume will not end up in the rubbish bin.

Please see my article about common resume mistakes to learn more about this topic.

What Are The Most Common Resume Mistakes

Resume writing services understand SEO and ATS systems

Have you ever wondered why some professionals or executives who have less skill then you seem to get better jobs then you? The reason in many cases is their resume includes search engine optimization (SEO). SEO pushes their resume to the top of hiring managers lists based on key-words. In many cases, applicant tracking systems (ATS) the online tool that job seekers apply too automatically disqualifies candidates if they are missing keywords. Please see an article I wrote on SEO to learn how this works in more detail.

The Value of SEO in Finding a Job

Professional resume writing services should know how to incorporate SEO into your resume so your resume will get past ATS systems.

Resume Writing Services and the time factor!

Many executive-level job seekers, as well as professionals, live busy lives and the time, they would put into creating a resume most likely would not recoup the money they would save by not hiring a professional resume writing service.

What you should look for when hiring a professional resume writing service

Now that you know the advantages of hiring a professional resume writing service, the next section will give recommendations on what to look for when you are looking to hire a professional resume writing service. Resume Writing Services are not equal, so this section is very important to read.

What are the credentials of the professional resume writing service?

When looking to hire a profile resume writing service, it is important to know their credentials. Do they have an education in HR? Do they have an advanced degree like a Masters’s? What HR certifications do you have? Have they written any books or articles on the topic? Are they recognized as an expert? Resume writing services should have most of these credentials. A quick google search can easily determine the credentials of the staff of the professional resume writing service you are looking into hiring.

How many years has the professional resume writing service been in business for?

A very simples questions executives and professionals should ask any professional resume writing service is how many years have they being in business? Professional resume writing services should have a track record of being in business for more than five years to demonstrate a track record of working with clients.

Does the professional resume writing service have a high level of customer experience for executives?

Being an executive or professional, you are used to getting a high level of attention and customer service. Professional resume writing services should provide a high level of service for you. This includes working with a professional resume writing service that is patient with you in creating your resume.

Professional resume writing services should have resume writers who have a recruitment background

Some professional resume writers might be good writers with a perfect understanding of grammar but if they do not have a recruitment background, they will not understand at a micro level the kind of resumes recruiters and hiring managers to look for. This is like hiring a baseball coach who has never played baseball. If professional resume writing services use resume writers who have never worked as recruiters, there is little chance they have the experience to understand what information should be on a resume.

Does the professional resume writing service outsource their work?

Professional resume writing services that outsource their work, especially overseas, should be avoided at all costs. Executive and professional level job seekers should receive top-level service. If your work is going to be outsourced there is a very low chance your resume will be of high quality when working with a resume service demand to know who does the work.

Does the professional resume writing service have experience working in your profession?

A very important question to ask a professional resume writing service is if they have experience working with people in your profession. Certain professions like technology require a very sound foundation to understand the terminology and what employers look for. Professional resume writing services should have experience creating a resume in your profession. You should ask them about their experience and even test them on their knowledge.

Professional resume writing services should be a full-time business.

Many people dabble with resume writing, and it is not their full-time profession. Professional resume writing services should be run by people whose career is resume writing, not something else.

If you are an executive does the professional resume writing service have experience with executive-level resumes?

An executive resume, like different professions, requires knowledge in the kind of resume that is suitable for an executive. Professional resume writing services should have experience creating the kind of resumes for the executive level.

Besides resumes does the professional resume writing service create LinkedIn profiles and cover letters.

Today almost as important to both executive level and professional level job seekers is both their LinkedIn profile and their cover letter. When looking to hire a professional resume writing service, they must have experience creating effective cover letters and LinkedIn profiles for both executives and professionals. Just likes a resume both tools require a high level of skill, and it is recommended you get this done by a professional resume writing service that has experience in this space. For more information on how to create a cover letter please see this article

How to Create an Effective Cover Letter

To learn more information on how to create an effective LinkedIn profile, please see my 3 part article on the topic by clicking here

How to Create a LinkedIn Profile that Stands Out – Part 1

The professional resume writing services should offer revisions.

Professional resume writing services in many cases only offer limited revisions. After a few revisions, you are stuck with a final resume that may not be suitable for you. Many executive levels and professional job seekers have very detailed job histories, and this could require a professional resume writing service that allows for unlimited revisions to create a superior final resume that will stand out to employers.

Professional resume writing services should use professional editors

Very few professional resume writing services use professional editors to edit their resumes. They are usually just reviewed by the resume writers themselves. This is a big mistake that can not be stressed enough. Any writing activity requires a high level of editorial work. As an executive or professional, your resume must be perfect when it comes to an edited final product. An executive or professional cannot afford to have one spelling or grammatic issue on their resume. Do not make the big mistake of hiring a professional resume writing service that does not use professional editors. In terms of the kind of editor used they must have a background in either academia or real-world editing experience toped with actual resume editing experience.

Professional resume writing services should have strict timelines

Professional resume writing services must be able to provide you with exact deadlines on when your resume will be completed. If they can’t give you guidelines be cautious that they might be overworked and can’t handle taking you on as a resume client.

Intakes are a must for professional resume writing services

As an executive or professional, you have both a detailed and complex career. If a professional resume writing service does not spend time with you on a detailed intake session, they are truly not a professional resume writing service. Your career as a professional or executive is important, and you should not work with professional resume writing services that are not professional!

Professional resume writing services should create visually appealing resumes

This might seem elementary, but many professional resume writing services do not create a resume that positively attracts hiring managers to their resume. Both executive level and professional level job-hinters need a resume that will positively stand out.

Does the professional resume writing service know the basic rules of resume writing?

Hiring professional resume writing services that do not understand resume rules can result in you having a resume that does not have the right format for potential companies. This includes geographical resume norms, the physical design of the resume, and very simple things like font size and even just how many pages your resume should be. For more information on how many pages should your resume be please see this article

How Many Pages Should A Resume Be?

Conclusion

An executive or professional can not afford to make mistakes when it comes to creating an effective resume. Understanding how important a resume is to an executive and professional is paramount they use the services of a professional resume writing service. Also, an executive or professional must choose the right professional resume writing service with all the experience and services that will enable executives or professionals to obtain the jobs they are truly seeking.

In terms of professional resume writing services my firm, Elite Pro Resume Services is considered the leading professional resume writing service. As a two-time best-selling author on the topic and a writer of over 50 articles on the topic for top sites like Forbes, and HR.com you will be good hands. In my 20+ year career, I have helped thousands of executive-level and professional job seekers land jobs to many leading firms including Deloitte, BP, TD, IBM, E & Y, Microsoft, and Amazon to name a few.

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How Many Pages Should A Resume Be?

Resume, Uncategorized

The following article will inform you on how many pages your resume should be.

You are the top professional in your field, and you have done many big achievements. To write all the amazing information about your career, you end up writing a five-page resume. Your thought process is you have so much great content about your career; you can justify having a long resume because you are sure everyone wants to learn more about your amazing background.

Despite your amazing background when you submit your long resume no recruiter calls you back. How could it be possible that a professional at the top of their game does not get callbacks? The answer is simply the length of the resume. In the job seeker’s quest to add lots of information they have created a situation where instead of drawing positive attention to their resume, they have lost potential audience from hiring managers.

Recruiters and Hiring Managers are Busy!

Most hiring managers and recruiters have busy jobs, and they have little time to look at every detail of the resumes they see. Think of this stat that the average recruiter has 55 open jobs and on average, 55 applications pure job. So, at any given time a recruiter has 3,025 resumes to look through at any given time. Knowing that stat do you think it would be possible for a recruiter to read a long resume?

Also, think of a hiring manager who on top of their busy management duties of running a department they have the added responsibility of hiring staff. Hiring managers have to squeeze in the needed time to review a resume, and most will not have the time to read through long resumes?

The 6-second rule of Resumes

Yes, job seekers, there is a 6-second rule that a recruiter and hiring manager will only take 6 seconds to look at your resume. As mentioned above, recruiters and hiring managers are quite busy and on average will only take 6 seconds to look at your resume.

The truth is most recruiters and hiring managers will stop on page 1 and other than looking for gaps in your resume and education rarely look in detail at the last few pages of a resume. So, your attempts to impress a recruiter and hiring manager with a long resume in most cases is a waste of time!

Understanding that there is unspoken etiquette

There is unspoken etiquette when it comes to resume length, and if you deviate from this norm, your resume stands out negatively, and your job prospects decrease. This article will give you more information on resume etiquette and mistakes.

What Are The Most Common Resume Mistakes

Quality over Quantity resumes

Many job seekers make a mistake and thinking that they can impress a recruiter or hiring manager with a long resume believing this will give them the edge over other job seekers. Instead of focusing on the quality the emphasis on the quality backfires as their actual content does not impress both recruiters and hiring managers.

Think of ads you see online that grab your attention. They are usually short and written well that draw you in quickly. Resumes are similar to this as you have to be able to describe your background in short but descriptive ways to draw an audience without boring them. In some ways, this is also very similar to the old classified ads where an individual was limited to the number of words they could write.

Now that you understand the importance of why resumes can’t be long or deviate from resume etiquette the following information bellow with go into detail on how many pages a resume should be for your level of years of experience you have. As well it will describe what professions can have long resumes. It will also explain in detail the reason you should stick to the resume page number recommended.

Individuals with less than five years of experience

In most circumstances, a job seeker with less than five years of experience should only have a resume with one page. At this stage in your career, you are ever a new grad, or you are at the intermediate experience level in your career.

For new grads, there is no justification to think that a long resume of more than 1 page will be beneficial to you in getting you a job. At this stage, they should be more inclined to focus on resume content and less on creating a long-winded resume. Your focus should be on your education and any relevant internship or part-time job experience.

For jobseekers with 1 to 5 years of experience, they may feel that their years of experience can justify a resume length of more than 1 page, but again the recommendation is to keep to 1 page. At this stage in your career, the focus should be on showing content that can justify promotions. In your 1 page resume, you have to ensure that all your content is valuable, and you do not waste space.

Individuals with five or more years of experience

For individuals with five or more years of experience, you can have a 2 page resume.
At this stage in your career, you can have the content to justify 2 pages in your resume. At the same time, it still would be better to keep to 1 page if you do not have the quality of the content to justify 2 pages. Again it is better to have quality over quantity.

Job seekers that still want to go past the 2 pages on their resume would still not be the recommendation as again you will deviate from resume etiquette, and most hiring managers will not read the extra content.

When can you go past 2 pages on a resume?

The following professions can justify having a resume past 2 pages

Executive Resumes

Executives have lots of content in their careers, and it is one of the few times stake holders such as hiring managers, recruiters will read a long resume due to the level of the role. For executives, I would recommend 2-3 pages and not more.

Acadamdiea Resumes

To apply for many academic roles you need a resume that includes articles and publications that you have written as well as a detailed resume. For some academic roles, a long resume of even up to 5 Pages is possible. It is best to understand the academic institution you are applying to before creating your resume.

Scientific Research Resumes

Similar to academic resumes, the scientific resume can be longer than 2 pages as in many cases there are links to patents and papers written by the professional.

Government Jobs

Some government jobs require a long application that require a resume to be over 2 pages. It is best to understand the government institution you are applying to before creating your resume.

Conclusion

By following the recommendation of this article of keeping your resume to the proper length, you will increase your chance of landing a job.

How Do I Change Careers?

Interview Questions, Job Hunting, Job Search, LinkedIn, Resume

The Purpose of This Article is to Give you Some Useful Tips on How to Change Careers

There comes a time in your career when either by choice or with limited options you need to switch careers. Switching careers is not an easy thing to do, and many individuals do not know where to start.

How to Think of New Career Choices

1. Consider careers based on your interests and hobbies. The most obvious place to think of when thinking of changing careers is your interests and hobbies.

2. Look at another person’s success. Do you know people who are in careers that you could see yourself doing or you have an interest in? Ask them for pointers or ideas.

3. Research on YouTube. Check out different YouTube videos to get ideas of potential career choices. Enter “career search” in the search box and see what comes up.

4. Meet with a career counselor. Career Counselors can work with you to determine potential careers that are a good fit for your education and interests.

5. Do a career exploration test. These tests will point you to a career that matches your personality and interests.

6. Research on Google. In Google’s search box, type “career search” to look up information on different career ideas.

7. Ask friends and family for possible ideas.

8. Look on Job Boards. Major job boards (such as Indeed, Monster, and CareerBuilder) will show you what kinds of careers are out there.

9. Go to your local library. Look up books on different career ideas. Or ask a librarian for help.

10. Check out government labor sites. Most countries have websites that provide great info on jobs and labor trends.

My final recommendation is to think of something you are passionate about as the more passion you have for something the more likely you will do well and like it.

Be Realistic in Your Career Choices

When considering career choices be realistic in terms of education and experience. If you want to be a lawyer, and you do not have a law degree and a license to practice law you will not be a lawyer. Your new career choice must match your education and or experience.

In many cases You are going to have to start at the bottom of your new career. That being the case if you are a retail manager and you want to be an accounting manager realistically speaking you are going to have to start as a junior accountant.

Get the Right Education for Your Field Obviously, you must get the right education in your new chosen field if there is a need to. For instances if you want to get a job as a developer, and you have no academic experience in this area you will need to do this.

The good news is today many professions you can take short academic programs to find employment. A good example is the numerous developer boot camps. An example of this is Udemy where you can even learn how to program in the comfort of your own home. https://www.udemy.com/the-web-developer-bootcamp/

For some professions you can do an apprenticeship to master a skill. In my previous career as a recruiter I personally taught hundreds of individuals from scratch how to become a recruiter.

Also, there are many professions you will find that require no previous education in the field. An example of this is many sales roles where on the job training is the education.

Many people knock sales roles but there are many examples of salespeople who have made over six figures to over millions of dollars in sales without any formal education and experience.

Creating a Resume and LinkedIn Profiles that Match Your New Career Interests

You might not have exact experience in your new career choice, but you might have relevant career experience for that field.

An example might be you work in real estate in sales and want to switch careers into finance and in your current job you do some accounting and finance work like creating financial models using Excel. This experience you would focus in on your resume and LinkedIn profile.

Also adding in courses and volunteer work related to your new career aspiration is a must. For instance, if you are looking to get into finance and you have taken accounting and finance courses, you would put this in your resume.

To learn how to create an effective resume please see this article

How to Create a Resume for an Executive or Professional

Creating your new resume and LinkedIn profile to reflect your new experience can either be done by yourself or hiring a company like my company Elite Pro Resume Services.

Home

Looking For jobs in Your New Field.

Please see my article on the top ways to look for a job as a good start

Top 10 Best Ways to Look for a Job

Another avenue is to focus on entry-level jobs in your new field. For this type in the word entry level or junior along with the job title you are looking for in the title section on the job board you are using. An example would be typing in “Junior HR” or “Entry Level HR” if you were looking for an entry level HR job.

How to Interview For your New Chosen Occupation

As a starting point I recommend reading an article I wrote about the top 20 interview Questions that HR asks. https://careers.adventhealth.com/blog/how-to-answer-the-20-most-common-interview-questions

Before your interview in your new field think of all your current, relatable skills be it either academic, professional, and any other relevant skills.

When you have an interview use these examples to show the interviewer you have some related experience. For instance, if the hiring manager asks you about your experience with marketing you can mention academic courses and projects with marketing.

If you even did basic marketing at your last job you can even mention that experience. For example, if you were a retail manager who created in-store marketing that would be something you could mention.

Be Positive

Changing careers is not an easy thing to do, and you are going to have a lot of negative people in your head convincing you that will not succeed. You should do your best to ignore these negative people and move forward and try to keep positive.

There are many examples of many people who have successfully changed careers. A great example of this was a former school janitor who switched careers and eventually became the principal of the same school. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-48594032

I am personally another great example of someone who found success switching careers. In my early career, I switched careers a few times until I found my profession. If I never switched careers, I would never have become one of the leading experts about job hunting resumes and recruiting and a 2-time best seller on the subject B00IW54CJ0

Conclusion

Switching careers is difficult to do but by learning some of the useful tips from this article you will get a good head start in your quest for a new job. I wish everyone the best of luck!

How to Create a Resume Profile and Look for Jobs on Monster

Job Hunting, Job Search, Monster, Resume

This article will teach you how to create a resume profile that recruiters will find and how to search for jobs on Monster

Monster is one of the original career sites and has built up a loyal following over the years. It is a good idea to create a resume profile and to search for jobs on Monster because many recruiters use it regularly.

Monster – http://www.monster.com/

Please note: Monster is always changing, so some information found in this chapter may change over time.

How to Create a Resume Profile on Monster

To increase the chances of recruiters finding your resume on Monster, it is important to create an effective profile. Let’s go through the steps to creating an effective profile on Monster.

Step 1 – Go to https://www.monster.com/ and hit the Post a Resume icon at the top middle. This will take you to a page where you can upload your resume.

Step 2 – Hit the Upload Your Resume icon in the middle of the page. It will take you to a page asking for your email and to set up a password. Also, it gives you the option: “Email me career-related Monster updates and job opportunities.” Check Yes to be sent job alerts. It will also ask: “Email me Monster partner offers and promotions.” For this, check No so that you do not get unrelated solicitations. Then hit Register.

Step 3 – The next page asks for the following information: First Name, Last Name, Country, ZIP Code, Current Career Level, Education level. You should fill in all the info and use the drop-down menus to choose the options that most fit your background.

Step 4 – Next, you will be asked for more information in the following categories: Resume Name, Desired Job Title, Most Recent Job Title, Most Recent Employer, Work Authorization for US, Make My Resume Searchable by Employers, Make My Resume Searchable by Diversity Employers, Give Me a FREE Resume Critique, Upload an Existing Resume or Create a Monster Resume. Let’s break these down one at a time.

a) Resume Name – Give your resume a name. Keep it simple and focused on your name and job title. For example, Joe Smith Retail Store Manager. Remember that potential employers are going to see this.

b) Desired Job Title – List the desired job you are looking for.

c) Most Recent Job Title – List your most recent job title.

d) Most Recent Employer – List the last employer you worked for.

e) Work authorization for US – If you work in the US, pick one of the drop-down choices that most closely describes your situation.

f) Make My Resume Searchable by Employers – Select Yes so employers can find your resume in the database.

g) Make My Resume Searchable by Diversity Employers – Select Yes if you fall under a diversity category.

h) Give Me a FREE Resume Critique – Select No. If you’ve followed my tips for writing an effective resume, your resume should be fine.

i) Upload an Existing Resume or Create a Monster Resume – Upload a resume. This saves time; plus, you already have a great resume. After uploading your resume, you’ll be taken to the next page and will move on to Step 5.

Step 5 – This page allows you to add more information into your resume profile. My advice is to fill out as much as you can to increase your chances of being found by recruiters.

The following is information on these different areas.

a) View Resume – Before posting, you can make sure your uploaded resume looks good by clicking View Resume in the top corner.

b) Resume Visibility – You have 3 visibility choices: Visible to Recruiters, Limited, or Private. Keep it visible.

c) Your Profile Info – In this section, most of the areas have been pre-populated with information from your resume or from what you have already filled in. These areas include: Most Recent Job Title, Most Recent Employer, ZIP Code, Work Authorization for US, Current Career Level, Current Education Level. Check to make sure everything is filled out correctly.

d) Your Ideal Position – You’ll be asked if your pre-populated search title is correct. If yes, then keep it the way it is. You will also be asked about your minimum to maximum salary preferences. I recommend keeping salary blank so as not to lose out on salary-based roles.

e) Work Industries – If there are specific industries you want to work in, such as healthcare, the choose the option that matches your industry. You have 2 options for this section.

f) Job Occupations – This section allows you to select two job titles that you are looking for. In most cases, this is useful, so fill in the job titles that match the jobs you’re searching for.

g) Job Location – Your location is based on the ZIP Code/postal code you pre-selected. If you are open to other locations, click the I’m Interested in Other Locations button. From the drop-down selection, choose the locations where you would be willing to work.

h) Desired Job Type – Choose the type of job you are looking for: Employee, Intern, Temporary/Contract/Project, Seasonal.

i) Desired Job Status – Choose what job status you want: Full-Time, Part-Time, or Per Diem.

j) Are you willing to relocate? – Choose Yes if you would be willing to move for a new job. If you do not want to relocate, choose No.

k) Are you willing to travel? – From the drop-down menu, select the amount of time you would travel for a job: No Travel Required, Up to 25%, Up to 50%, Up to 75%, and Up to 100%.

l) What languages do you speak? – Select the languages you speak and at what level of fluency. If the language you speak is not listed, you can add it by clicking Add Language. Some companies value and are looking for multilingual candidates, so I recommend selecting all the languages you speak.

m) Have you served in the military? – If you served in the military, select the option that reflects your background.

n) Do you have security clearance? – If you have a security clearance, select what clearance you have.

o) What is your citizenship? – Choose your citizenship status.

p) When are you available to start? – From the drop-down menu, select when you can start a new role.

q) Hit the Save Settings icon at the bottom of the page and your selections will be saved.

Looking for Jobs on Monster

It is important to search for jobs on Monster every day, since not all jobs will show up in your job alerts. Below are the steps to look for a job on Monster.

Step 1 – Go to http://www.monster.com/ and hit the Find Jobs icon in the top right corner. Click the Advanced Search option in the drop-down menu. This will bring you to the Advanced Search page

Step 2 – In the Advanced Search page, generate a job search using the following criteria: Job Titles, Companies, Location, Job Type, Posting Date. Below you will find information for each.

a) Job Titles – Choose the job titles you want to search for. You can search for more than one by clicking Add Another Job Title.

b) Companies – Select Jobs by Companies if there are specific companies you would like to work for. You also have the option to add more than one company by hitting Add Another Company. Unless there are specific companies you are looking to target, I would keep this blank.

c) Location – This allows you to search for jobs based on city, state or ZIP Code.

d) Job Type – Select what type of job type you are looking for, such as Full Time, Contract, Part Time, Internship, Temp, and Other. You can select more than one option.

e) Posting Date – This section allows you to narrow or expand a job search based on how long a job has been open. Select one of these options: Any Date, Today, Yesterday, Last 3 Days, Last 7 Days, Last 14 Days, or Last 30 days. When you first start looking for jobs, keep your search open by choosing Any Date. After you have done a few searches and have already found all the older jobs, change the Posting Date to Today so only recent jobs will show up in the search.

Step 3 – Click the Search for Jobs button. A list of jobs based on your search criteria will appear. Some jobs will let you apply via your existing Monster resume or will take you to the employer’s website to complete an application.

Conclusion

As Monster has such an established recruiter clientele, it is recommended that you follow this chapter’s advice as closely as possible. By creating a Monster resume that employers will find, creating alerts to stay up-to-breast on new job openings, and looking for jobs regularly on Monster, you’ll increase your chances of landing a job.

How to Create an Effective Cover Letter

Cover Letter, Job Hunting, Job Search, Resume

The Following Post Will Give You Information on How to Create an Effective Cover Letter

Creating an effective cover letter is an essential part of the job-hunting process. If your cover letter is not effective, you might lose out on potential job opportunities. So how do you create an effective cover letter?

How to Create an Effective Cover Letter

The purpose of a cover letter is to sell yourself to recruiters and/or hiring managers and to entice them to look at your resume. There are 5 main components of a cover letter, and they are:

Part 1: The hiring manger’s contact name and company info

Below is a properly formatted example of this part. Remember to include the date. Whenever possible, refer to the hiring manager by name.

July 22, 2019

Attention: Michael Jones
Acme Corporation
1234 Acme Acres
Tampa Florida, 33605

Dear Michael Jones,

Part 2: Introduction

This is your introductory statement to potential hiring managers. It should be one paragraph and contain: the job you are applying for (including the job number if there is one), where you saw the job (newspaper, online, a job board, etc.), and why you are qualified for the role. Below is an example.

I am very interested in your position as an Account Manager, which was listed on CareerBuilder, job # 1234, and would like to submit my application for your approval. With over 5 years of experience hitting sales targets for your competitor, Oink Corporation, I would be an ideal candidate for your position. My key areas of expertise include, but are not limited to, the following:

Part 3: Your 5 major selling points

In this section, which is a continuation of part 3, list in bullet points the top 5 reasons why you are qualified for the role. This is the most important section for the cover letter; it should shine a spotlight on why you are good for the role. To draw attention to this part, it is a good idea to bold the points. Note the following example.

Hit 120% of sales quota by producing over 10 million dollars in revenue.
Top 10 account manager in the company for Revenue Quota in 2017.
Successfully developed new business by landing 12 major accounts.
Executed creative business development techniques to define and develop potential new customers within the specialty wholesale pharmacy market.
Made 2017 Sales Club.

Part 4: Conclusion

Your concluding statement ties the whole cover letter together, emphasizing why you are qualified for the role. Don’t forget to say thank you, and repeat your name and contact info. Below is a good sample conclusion.

With all my experience, I would be a great asset to your organization.

Thank you,

Fred Smith
Tel: (111) 111-1111
Email: name@gmail.com

Other Cover Letter Tips:

Do not send a cover letter unless asked to do so. Cover letters are not always needed when applying for a job. If a job application does not ask for a cover letter, there is no need to send one.
Delivery of cover letter. The most common delivery method is uploading to a company’s website. The second most common delivery method for a cover letter is via email. Via email, a hiring manager/recruiter will give you instructions as to which method they would prefer to have your cover letter delivered.
Subject line when sending via email. Don’t forget the subject line when sending a cover letter via email. If you are not given a set email delivery format, reference the job you are applying for (including job number) in the subject line. For example: re: Reference to Account Manager Job opening – Job # 1234
Keep it brief and to the point. If you are too wordy, hiring managers will skip your resume. Use your cover letter to quickly highlight your skills and make the hiring manager want to interview you.
Customize your cover letter to the role you are applying for. It is very important that your cover letter be customized for every job you apply for and be focused on your skills that match the job you are applying for.
Bold keywords. To draw attention to key points in your cover letter, bold keywords, such as the job you are applying for, the job number you are applying for, your 5 bullet points, your name, the hiring manager’s name and company info.
Use proper spelling and grammar. It goes without saying that your cover letter should be free of errors.

Putting it all together: what a finished cover letter should look like

July 22, 2019

Attention: Michael Jones
Acme Corporation
1234 Acme Acres
Tampa Florida, 33605

Dear Michael Jones,

Hit 120% of sales quota by producing over 10 million dollars in revenue.
Top 10 account manager in the company for Revenue Quota in 2017.
Successfully developed new business by landing 12 major accounts.
Executed creative business development techniques to define and develop potential new customers within the specialty wholesale pharmacy market.
Made 2017 Sales Club.

With all my experience, I would be a great asset to your organization.

Thank you,

Fred Smith
Tel: (111) 111-1111
Email: name@gmail.com

How to Look for Jobs on Google

Google, Job Hunting, Job Search, Resume

This Article Will Give You Information On How to Look for Jobs on Google

Google – https://www.google.com/

Please note: Google is always changing their format so some tips may change over time.

If you were to survey most job seekers, one of the first places they might start their job search is Google.

What is a Search Engine?

A search engine is a website that sorts websites by how relevant they are to a person’s search.

There are many search engines, such as Google, Yahoo, Bing, DuckDuckGo, and more. Any of these search engines can be used to find jobs. Currently, Google is the best search engine when looking for jobs so this article will focus on Google.

Positives and Negatives of Looking for Jobs in Search Engines

The positive: there are jobs found on search engines that may not be found on job boards and other job search tools.

The negative: sometimes a search engine will bring up irrelevant information or unrelated paid ads that could end up costing you valuable time. To help ensure you get relevant results, use Boolean techniques to improve the quality of your search. The following section explains how to use this technique.

Boolean Search Commands

If you are not familiar with Boolean, it involves using sequences of word commands in search engines to find information. Boolean can help you find information faster and more accurately. Below you will learn how to use basic Boolean, which can be applied to search for jobs on Google and other search engines.

Basic Boolean Commands

The first step in mastering Boolean is to understand basic Boolean commands. There are eight main basic Boolean operators: AND, OR, NOT, near, brackets, quotations, site, and inurl.
1. AND – This command links two things together when doing a search. For example: C++ AND capital markets. This would prompt a search of C++ and capital markets together. This is a good way to add things to a search.

2. OR – This command can link words together when doing a search. For example: RN OR Registered Nurse. This would prompt a search for either RN or Registered Nurse. This is a good time-saver because some things can be searched two ways and OR helps you do that at the same time.

3. NOT – This command means you want to exclude a specific word when doing a search. For example, you want to search for the word engineer but want to exclude the word engineering. For this search, you would type: engineer NOT engineering. This is a good way to exclude things from a search.

4. Near – This command means you want words to appear near each other. For example: ICU near nurse. If the words ICU and nurse are found close together on a website, this command will find them in a search. This search is great at finding things that go together that might not appear side by side.

5. Brackets – ( ) – This command will focus the search on whatever word is placed in brackets. For example: (J2EE). By putting J2EE in brackets, the focus of the search will be on J2EE.

6. Quotations – “ ” – This command finds exact, word-for-word phrases. For example, if you want to find only Pharmaceutical Sales Representative jobs, you would type “Pharmaceutical Sales Representative” in the Google search box.

7. site: – Limits your search to one domain. For example: site:LinkedIn.

8. inurl: – Limits your search to words found in a URL. For example, if you wanted to find resume websites, you would type: inurl:resume.

Google’s Aggregation of Other Job Sites

A new feature Google started in 2017 was the aggregation of jobs with their partnered job sites. Basically, Google, with their partnered job sites, lists jobs when you type in keywords. For example, if you type “sales job Kentucky” into the Google search box, one of the first things you’ll see will be sales jobs in Kentucky from Google’s partnered job sites.

Ways to Look for Jobs on Google

To help you make better use of Google to find jobs, following are three sample searches of different professions, using both simple searches and more complex Boolean commands. The simple search will be easier to use but the Boolean commands will pull up more relevant information. See the examples below and use them as a template to search for your own job by replacing keywords, titles, and locations.

1. Looking for a Teaching job in Anchorage, Alaska
a) Simple search – Type in the Google search bar: teaching jobs in Anchorage.
b) Complex search – Type in the Google search bar: Teacher or Teaching (job or jobs or career or opening or openings) near Anchorage Alaska.

2. Looking for a Java or J2EE Developer job in Toronto, Canada
a) Simple search – Type in the Google search bar: Java Developer job in Toronto Canada.
b) Complex search – Type in the Google search bar: (job or jobs or career or opening or openings) (“software developer” OR “software engineer” OR programmer OR “software design engineer”) (near Toronto) (Java OR j2EE)

3. Looking for a CFO job in a hospital but not at a home health or Rehabilitation center.
a) Simple search – Type in the Google search bar: CFO jobs hospital.
b) Complex search – Type in the Google search bar: CFO or “Chief Financial Officer” AND (job or jobs or career or opening or openings) AND (Hospital or Health System) NOT (“Home Health” and Rehabilitation”).

Conclusion

Google is the largest search engine and many jobs can be found by using this tool, so it’s a good idea to use Google regularly to search for jobs. In addition, if you learn how to use Boolean effectively, you might find jobs other job seekers will not and will have less competition.