What Job Search Methods Are You Using?

Posted by: Darlene Duncan, CWDP, JSS
                Training Coordinator

There was a time when job searching meant walking into a business that you felt could use your services and asking to speak to the owner or manager. After a brief conversation if the business felt they could use your talents you shook hands and the next day you started a new job.

Those days are gone.

In today’s world there are many elements that go into an effective job search. Here’s a short list of some of those elements.

Résumé – Make sure your résumé is up to date, not only in the work history and education areas but also in its formatting. Does the style résumé you’re using do an effective job of selling you? Is it too long? Is it too short? Have you tailored it to each job for which you’re applying?

Comprehensive Application – Think about all the information that you’ve been asked to supply on an application. Now create a document that contains all that information and make sure you have it with you when you go to fill out an application. Don’t forget to take it with you when you go for an interview because you may be asked to complete an application at that time. Having this information with you in an organized fashion will make completing an application much faster and easier.

Volunteering – There are many reasons to include this in your job search arsenal. One reason is that you can list it on your résumé and thereby show that you’re keeping your social and work skills fresh. Let’s face it if you’re sitting at a computer submitting résumés and job applications, you’re not using your work skills or interacting with people. Volunteering also shows potential employers you’re out there trying to make something happen instead of waiting for something to come to you. It also provides you with opportunities to meet people and expand your network of contacts.

Contacts and Relationships – Your network is a key element in your job search and if you’re not utilizing it you’re missing a lot of opportunities. It’s been said that 80% of the available jobs are only going to be found by networking. Don’t let the word ‘networking’ scare you. You do it every day whether you realize it or not. Basically, it’s all about making contact with people and building relationships with them. Think about it, if you were an employer would you be more interested in hiring someone you knew only through their résumé or someone referred to you through a friend? The obvious answer is that most people would rather hire the one referred to them through a friend. It’s even better if you meet that potential employer in a volunteer setting. People like to hire people they know, like and trust. The first step in that equation is to get known.

Social Media – Like them or not computers are here to stay and so is social media. I read an article in a human resource magazine not too long ago that said 89% of employers found 65% of their new hires through social media. Like any other tool, social media must be used with caution. Learn how to use the different varieties. Almost all the social media out there offers tutorials on how to effectively use it.

The reality is that while the tools for performing an effective job search have changed the basic concept is the same. Get known by those in a position to hire and convince them that you’re someone they need on their team.

 

 

 

 

The Importance of a Web Presence

Posted by:  Darlene Duncan CWDP, JSS, CCC, JCTC, JCDC

                  Training Coordinator

It wasn’t too long ago I attended a workshop on résumé writing and the presenter made it abundantly clear that in the near future having a web presence will be more and more important for job seekers.

 

For more information on this issue click here.

Make Your Résumé Interesting Not Boring

Posted by:  Darlene Duncan CWDP, JSS, CCC, JCTC, JCDC

                  Training Coordinator

Does your résumé motivate hiring managers to pick up the phone and call you for an interview? If your answer is no, you need to read this article.

 

Click here for the article.

THE CHANGING JOB SEARCH

Posted by:  Darlene Duncan CWDP, JSS, CCC, JCTC, JCDC
                  Training Coordinator

Like it or not, technology is becoming more and more a vital piece of the job search process. A perfect example of this is a twesume. Do you know about Twesumes? If not, you should probably read the article about the ways technology is changing the job search process. You’ll learn about twesumes and a couple of other things.

Click here for the article.

Your Cover Letter’s Impact

Posted by:  Darlene Duncan CWDP, JSS, CCC, JCTC, JCDC

                  Training Coordinator

Is your cover letter the weak link in your job search? Are employers reading your cover letter? Maybe not, if you’re starting it with that tired old opening that has been used since the dawn of cover letters. It goes something like this, “Please, accept the enclosed résumé as application for…” BORING!

Click here for to read an article that will give you some great ideas on how to have a more positive impact with your next cover letter.

IS IT MY AGE OR MY RÉSUMÉ?

Posted by:  Darlene Duncan CWDP, JSS, CCC, JCTC, JCDC

                  Training Coordinator

To answer the above question, if your résumé is giving clues to your age it could be a combination of age and résumé.

Click here to read an article that will help you fix your résumé so it doesn’t give those age clues.

How to Write a Résumé That Will Get You Interviews

Posted by:  Darlene Duncan CWDP, JSS, CCC, JCTC, JCDC
                 Training Coordinator

If you’re job searching the title of this blog probably got your attention. Your résumé should grab a potential employer’s attention that same way. Within 3 seconds of opening your résumé the reader should be able to see the value in hiring you.

 Read the article and then look over your résumé and determine where you can improve it. How can you make it a better marketing tool for your talents?

 
Click here for the article.

Social Media and Your Job Search

Posted by:    Darlene Duncan CWDP, JSS, CCC, JCTC, JCDC
                   Training Coordinator

Everyone is all a twitter about Social Media. What is it? Do I need to be involved? Should I use it find a job? The list goes on and on.

Let me answer some of these questions.

What is Social Media?

I’m going to give a very basic answer to that question. Social Media is a group of digital tools that you can use in a variety of ways. You can use them to connect with friends and family. You can use them to connect with people who share your interests. And yes, you can use Social Media to job search. In a recent human resource article, 79% of employers are using LinkedIn to recruit new employees.

Do you need to be involved in Social Media?

That’s a question that you as an individual will have to answer. Are there advantages to being involved? Yes. Are there dangers in being involved? Yes. Anytime you put information about yourself on the internet there is risk. I’m not going to go into great detail here about the dangers of being active in Social Media. Life is full of dangers, real and imagined. Each person must do his or her research and decide for themselves about their level of involvement in Social Media.

Should you use Social Media to find a job?

In today’s digital world people are using all forms of Social Media to find jobs. Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn are all valuable tools to find your next job. There are other Social Media formats out there; however, those three are the most well-known. If you’re new to the digital world of Social Media and you plan on using these tools for your job search the first thing you’ll need to do is to learn how to use them. Almost all social media formats offer tutorials on how to use their system. Make sure you know how to use their privacy settings and set them to match your comfort level.

 

Up until recently we had a client that came through the Daytona One-Stop whose self-appointed mission was to get a job using LinkedIn. He taught himself what he needed to know about LinkedIn and was kind enough to post what he learned in several blog posts. He no longer has time to post to our blog because, drum roll please, he found a job using LinkedIn.

The truth is that computers are becoming more and more integrated into our lives. Like it or not, they’re here to stay. Does this mean that you don’t need to do the face-to-face networking that has been around for a very long time? No, that’s not what it means. The electronic networking you do is simply an additional tool to boost your network.

It may be politically incorrect but in the real world, it has always been and will probably always be more about who you know than what you know. Yes, you need to know how to do the job. However, there are a great many other people out there who also know how to do the job. That’s why who you know becomes so important.

 

Can Social Media help you find your next job? Possibly, if you learn to use it correctly. Regardless of economic conditions, finding a job has always been and will probably always be the most difficult job any of us ever have.

 
Will you be able to find a job if all you do is complete job applications? Maybe, but it will take a very long time. Using Social Media, face-to-face networking, and a good résumé will probably get you faster and better results.

12 TOTALLY RIDICULOUS RÉSUMÉ MISTAKES

Posted by:   Darlene Duncan CWDP, JSS, CCC, JCTC, JCDC
                   Training Coordinator
 

Just the other day a client sent me an article about 12 totally ridiculous résumé mistakes. The article quotes information from a survey done by CareerBuilder.

Following is an excerpt from the article, “The survey asked almost 2,300 hiring managers nationwide what would make them automatically dismiss a candidate. Among the top responses were typos (61 percent), an inappropriate email address (35 percent), not listing skills (30 percent), and sending in a résumé more than two pages long (22 percent).”

 
To read the whole article click here.

Nine Résumé Writing Tips

Posted by:    Darlene Duncan CWDP, JSS, CCC, JCTC, JCDC

                   Training Coordinator
 

Some people think they have a résumé to get a job. Your résumés job isn’t to get you a job. Your résumés job is to get you an interview. If your résumé is getting you interviews, it’s doing its job. Below are some tips on writing your résumé.

1.    Target your résumé at the job for which you’re applying. One size fits all doesn’t work in the world of résumés.

2.    Use action verbs to start each bulleted line. Make certain the action verbs you use are in the proper tense. If you’re still at the job you’re describing you will use present tense. If this is a position you no longer have then you’ll use past tense.

3.    Don’t waste white space. This doesn’t mean that you need to use every bit of white space on the page. It does mean that you should have one inch margins, use an easy to read font and make sure the font size is large enough to be easy to read. The sample résumés we use in our workshops are font size 12.

4.    Bold and italicize sparingly. Bold and italicizing are used for emphasis. If you over use them they lose their punch.

5.    List accomplishments and quantify them whenever possible. The world knows that if you waited tables for three years you provided quality customer service. What they don’t know is how much money did you average in upselling on each check? What I mean by that is this, a customer comes in and orders a burger with fries. The fries come with the burger at no extra charge. However, your restaurant offers sweet potato fries in place of the regular fries for an extra dollar. So you ask, “Would you prefer sweet potato fries?” If they go for the sweet potato fries you just brought another dollar into the business. Depending on the establishment you’re working in you could also add to the tab by promoting appetizers, before meal drinks, after meal drinks and dessert. Think about how you can quantify your accomplishments in different jobs you’ve held.

6.    Spelling is a vital part of your résumé. If you worked as a Manager and your résumé says you worked as a Manger, spell check won’t catch the mistake. Why? Because you spelled ‘manger’ correctly and all spell check does is verify the word is spelled correctly. This is why you MUST proofread your résumé. Also, if you have someone whose skill with words you trust, ask them to proofread it for you.

7.    Correct grammar. An English teacher will tell you a résumé is a grammatical nightmare because of all the sentence fragments; however, that’s the nature of the beast. Despite the fact that you’re using sentence fragments, those fragments must make sense. Not only do they have to be understandable, they have to do a good job of selling you as a potential candidate for the job.

8.    The formatting, otherwise referred to as the physical appearance of your résumé must be consistent, make good use of the available space and be pleasing to the eye. A one inch margin all the way around is sufficient white space for the sides. Your font size should never be smaller than 10. Actually, a font size of 12 is better. If you start formatting your dates using two digits for the month and two digits for the year (03/08) then all your dates should be formatted that way. Consistency is crucial to your résumés success.  

9.    A two page résumé is not a crime. As a matter of it’s preferred over a one page résumé that has no white space left on it and the font size has been reduced to 9 so everything can be put on one page. If you have sufficient accomplishments, skills and work experience to justify a second page, then go to a second page. That said, a second page should be at least half full. So if you’ve written your résumé and one or two lines go to a second page, you have to make a decision. Do you have enough relevant information to expand your résumé so that it fills at least half a page on page two? If yes, go for it. If no, then you probably need to do some editing and get back to one page. The information you edit from such a résumé can be incorporated into you cover letter.

In conclusion, remember that your résumé has one job and one job only. It’s a marketing tool that should be designed to get you an interview. If your résumé is getting you interviews, it’s a good résumé. If your résumé isn’t getting you interviews, you need to fire it because it’s not doing its job. The tips above are the basic foundation of a good résumé. It’s up to you to build on that foundation.

Nail That Interview

Posted by: Darlene Duncan CWDP, JSS, CCC, JCTC, JCDC Training Coordinator

You worked on your résumé until it was a polished, effective marketing tool. Then you sent it out to employers and now you’ve gotten an interview. The résumé did its job; it got you the interview you wanted. Now it’s time for you to do your job, nail that interview.

Click here for an article with some information to help you nail that interview to the wall.

Give Your Résumé Eye Appeal

Posted by: Darlene Duncan CWDP, JSS, CCC, JCTC, JCDC
Training Coordinator

Quite often information related to how to do your résumé is something that is debatable.

However, I think everyone can agree that if you’re submitting your résumé as a Word document it will look much more attractive without the red and green squiggles.

Yes, you can make them go away while you’re looking at your résumé. However, when you send it out as an attachment and someone else opens it, those red and green squiggles will pop up.

Click here to find out how to make your Word document a Read Only document so that those colored squiggles won’t be an issue.

YIPPEEEE!!!! NO MORE RÉSUMÉS

Posted by: Darlene Duncan CWDP, JSS, CCC, JCTC, JCDC
Training Coordinator

As we move deeper and deeper into the age of the Internet many of the companies whose business is closely tied to the Internet, technology, and social media are no longer accepting résumés.

I can just imagine the smiles on your faces now at the thought of not having to create a résumé. However, depending on how tech savvy you are, that smile may disappear. You have to know that they’re going to use something to replace résumés.

So what could they want in place of a résumé? They want applicants to show them a ‘web presence’ to apply for positions. That web presence could include a profile including things like a personal blog, LinkedIn profile, Twitter feed, and links to other various social media sites.

For more details on this topic, click here to read the Wall Street Journal article.