10 Ways College Grads Can Make Their Resumes Stand Out – Diane Gottsman

Sep 152017
 

If you are one of approximately 1.8 million students receiving a bachelor’s degree this year, you’ve probably been working on your resume. This can be a challenging task for upcoming college graduates, especially those with minimal work experience. When you consider that hiring managers typically take less than 10 seconds to decide which pile your resume goes into, you will want to make sure yours stands out in a positive way.

Knowing how to create an outstanding resume is a skill that will serve you well throughout your career. Here are 10 ways to create one that works for you.

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  •  September 15, 2017
  •  Posted by at 3:07 pm
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  •   Career Success, Resume Tips

How to Evaluate, Accept, Reject, or Negotiate a Job Offer – Rebecca Knight

Aug 282017
 

Congratulations! You got the job. Now for the hard part: deciding whether to accept it or not. How should you assess the salary as well as the other perks? Which publicly available information should you rely on? How should you try to get a better deal? And what’s the best way to decline an offer if it’s not the right job for you?

What the Experts Say

When an employer extends a job offer to you, he has, in essence, “fallen in love with you,” says John Lees, the UK-based career strategist and author of The Success Code. “He has psychologically committed to you, and it is a critical moment.” According to Lees, “you have more leverage” to shape your job description and improve your salary and benefits package “right after you are made an offer than you do in your first two years of employment.” Still, evaluating a job offer is not always straightforward — especially since you may not have the luxury of comparing it to others. “Step back and think expansively about your objectives,” advises Jeff Weiss, president of Lesley University and author of the HBR Guide to Negotiating. “Think about the offer in terms of your development, your quality of life, and the variety of the work you want to do.” No job offer will be perfect, so a big part of the evaluation requires you to “think about the trade-offs you are willing to make.” Here are some ideas to help you figure out if the job is right for you.

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  •  August 28, 2017
  •  Posted by at 4:32 pm
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  •   Career Success, Social Skills

5 Things to Consider When You Are Preparing for a Job Interview – Arnie Fertig

Aug 212017
 
Anticipate the sort of questions this specific employer is likely to ask you and practice reciting answers before your interview.

How do you see the job for which you are applying? Does it represent a needed paycheck or a valued opportunity to utilize your knowledge, skills and experience to make a difference? Is it a steppingstone to something else, or is it your ultimate dream job?

In order to land your ideal position, you need to go beyond the minimal investment of time and effort and instead reach for new levels of personal insight and interview preparedness.

[See: 25 Best Business Jobs for 2017.]

Here are five things to consider when preparing yourself for job interview success:

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  •  August 21, 2017
  •  Posted by at 11:25 am
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  •   Career Success, Interviewing

3 Pieces of Job Search Advice That Don’t Work in Real Life – Alison Green

Aug 142017
 
In an interview, don’t avoid answering why you left your previous job.

 

 

 

 

Some job searching advice feels like it was dreamed up in a lab by people who have never hired or even done much interviewing as a candidate, because it won’t work well in real life. Here are three pieces of popular advice about job searching that don’t typically play out the way they’re intended.

[See: 10 Things Your Mom Didn’t Teach You About Job Searching.]

  1. Bad advice: When your interviewer asks why you left your last job and you don’t want to give the real reason, just say “it wasn’t the right fit.”

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  •  August 14, 2017
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  •   Career Success, Interviewing

Take Proactive Control Of Your Job Search And Career – Michelle Dumas

Aug 072017
 


You’re having that dream again. You know, the one where you forgot about your job interview and you’re not prepared in the slightest. You’ve shown up wearing faded pajamas and fuzzy slippers, and to your horror, your resume is written in purple crayon.

Don’t panic. As challenging as your job search is, it’s unlikely that even your worst interview will measure up to this nightmare.

But it does open the door to the question that needs an answer: What are you doing to take proactive control of your job search?

It’s Personal

Job seekers are often told to keep emotion out of it and focus solely on the most logical choice — keep business separated from the personal side of life, and never shall the two meet.

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What Recruiters Are Really Thinking When They Hear These Cliché Interview Answers – Richard Moy

Aug 042017
 

It feels like everyone has job search advice for you when you’re looking. And many of those people mean well. But too many times, their “interview tips” are outdated, stale, or flat-out wrong. For example, my Dad used to tell me not to turn down any job that pays me enough to make rent.

I know this is true because when I was a recruiter, I used to hear the same responses over and over again. And that means there are a lot of well-meaning people out there giving really cringe-worthy tips.

And in my experience, candidates who parrot these lines leave recruiters with no choice but to say, “Thanks, but I have no idea what this guy’s about.”

Here are a few of the biggest offenders:

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  •  August 4, 2017
  •  Posted by at 1:46 pm
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  •   Career Success, Interviewing

10 Tips for Writing the Best Resume for Your Post-Graduation Job Search – Marcia Hancock

Jul 242017
 

The biggest challenge facing college students and new grads is landing a good job. A job that is in your chosen field provides real-time professional work experience, utilizes your learned skills and pays well. Opportunities are opening as the economy expands, but new grads are often labeled as inexperienced and excluded from hiring consideration. Internships abound that offer “work for free” terms, supposedly in exchange for professional experience, yet often provide little or no experience substance.

The solution is to develop a resume that translates your academic achievements into real professional work experience.

SO HOW DO YOU TRANSLATE YOUR ACADEMIC SUCCESSES INTO NEEDED WORKPLACE SKILLS?

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  •  July 24, 2017
  •  Posted by at 12:06 pm
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  •   Career Success, Resume Tips

Ask a Career Coach: Help! I’m Not Getting Interviews, But I’m Doing Everything Right – Kyle Lee

Jul 172017
 

Dear Kyle,

I’m stuck in what I would say is a “rut.” I’ve been employed at my current position for a little over eight years and am sort of stuck. There’s no chance of advancement. I’m bored and know that I have many transferable skills (in pharmaceutical sales); however, because I don’t have direct experience in the area I want to take my career, I can’t even get an interview.

I’ve been sending out my resume for over a year now. I had it professionally assessed by someone experienced in this line of work, so I know it’s professional and highlights my transferable skills. I feel incredibly confident that if I could just obtain an interview, I’d be well on my way to getting the job. Any suggestions or insights on how else I can promote myself to stand out? I’m at a loss!!

Signed, Stuck-in-a-Rut

Dear Stuck-in-a-Rut,

You just struck a chord with 90% of people who have tried to apply for jobs online. It’s tricky; you can’t ignore the standard application process, but what do you do when the portals become black holes? Assuming you’ve already been tweaking your resume and customizing your cover letter every time you apply for an opening, following up, and still getting no response, it’s time to take other action.

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The Most Powerful Action Verbs For Professional Resumes – Caroline Zaayer Kaufman

Jul 102017
 

Your resume isn’t a place for modesty; it’s a chance to show companies all the awesome things you’ve done—and what you can do for them if given a chance. Take the opportunity to liven things up a bit. Weak, vague or overused verbs can actually diminish the excellent work you did at your last job, so choose words that more accurately reflect what you do.

“It’s critical to choose active, industry-appropriate action verbs,” says Linda Hollenback, a brand and career strategist who owns Philadelphia-based Hollenback Consulting. “Well-chosen lead action words make the difference between highlighting your skills and undermining your contribution.”

To help your credentials pack the maximum punch, Monster created a list of strong action verbs to make your resume more powerful.

Action verbs for Communication Skills

Instead of: talked, led, presented, organized

Use: addressed, corresponded, persuaded, publicized, reconciled

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  •  July 10, 2017
  •  Posted by at 11:06 am
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  •   Career Success, Resume Tips

Google Exec Shares His No. 1 Strategy for Mapping Out Your Career – Marguerite Ward

Jul 052017
 

Peter Roper became an executive at Google in part by repeatedly asking himself one question: “What skill set can I develop to enhance my career?”

Before becoming head of mobile brand strategy at the search giant in 2014, Roper made a point to prioritize new job opportunities not by the salary or location, but by the skills he would acquire.

It’s a strategy that set him up for success.

Roper, who spoke with CNBC at the Millennial 20/20 conference on March 1, held several jobs in advertising, sales and technology — including director of ad revenue strategy for music start-up Songza, which Google later acquired.

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  •  July 5, 2017
  •  Posted by at 2:24 pm
  •   Comments Off on Google Exec Shares His No. 1 Strategy for Mapping Out Your Career – Marguerite Ward
  •   Career Success
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