Job Search Advice

Stepping Up to a Better Career was created to help job seekers nationwide find fulfilling employment by providing advice on resume writing, interviewing, job searching and more.  For the past year, I have upheld that goal by creating topics that I felt would be interesting to the 100 loyal readers I have each day.

Now I feel it is time to turn over the reigns.  I want to hear your specific questions and concerns and provide you with advice that will aid you in finding fulfilling employment and fast.

Have a question about transitioning careers? Looking for employment while keeping your old job? Networking to find employment? Moving from nonprofit work to the business sector?

Explaining laid-off or fired status? Job searching on the internet? Keeping a job after your company has been bought out or your department is being phased out?

Creating a resume? Formatting a resume? Specific resume samples? Types of resumes?

Following up on an interview? Negotiating your salary? Creating a cover letter?

If you have any questions about your job search…

Contact me!  You can choose to comment directly on this blog or you can e-mail me your questions at Resumes@AyeshaWrites4u.com and see your question appear in my next post.

All I ask is that along with your question(s), you send your first name and an e-mail address where I can contact you to let you know that your answer is being posted on the blog.

As always, good luck on your job search.

Ayesha Long

www.AyeshaWrites4u.com

Let Your Resume Shine WITHOUT You

In a world where individualism, self-criticism, and  self-reflection are encouraged, there are still places where you are not important.  Your resume happens to be one of those places.  When your resume focuses only on you and not on an employer, your previous companies, or the achievements a compnay has received by hiring you, then you will NOT get hired.

If you have ever written a resume before, you know the basics.  Pronouns do not belong on a resume – so there should be no I, you, we, he, she, or they on the resume.  Instead, your resume should begin with strong verbs that demonstrate your capabilities as an employee.  Here is where the fine line is drawn.

How do you know how much of yourself to include and how much of your previous employers?  Simply look at the classified ads and look to see what qualities your prospective employer is seeking.  Then look at your resume and ask yourself if the qualities you project on your resume demonstrate you as the right candidate for that position.

Here is an example.  I once worked with a client.  Let’s call him Jeff.  Jeff had worked in the Human Resource field and had listed every detail required of his job as an executive recruiter.  Jeff, painstakingly described how he went into the field, came up with campaigns to generate candidates, and coordinated with the hiring companies.  Yet, Jeff was trying to transition into a mangement position.  No where on his resume did he demonstrate his capabilities as a manger.  He was perfectly qualified.  In fact, on his resume he was perfectlyqualified as well – to be an executive recruiter!

The problem was that Jeff was more concerned about his past achievements and wanted to show off his success as an employee  – which is something that all employees should do.  Yet, he forgot about the most important aspect of any resume – it is not about you!  Employers do not care about your past achievements because they are well, in the past.  What they do care about is that everything on your resume demonstrates that the achievements you had were stepping stones to ensure that you are capable of handling the job that they are going to hire you to do.

So after six months of using his own resume, Jeff hired me.  Together, we looked at the classified ads of companies looking for Human Resource Managers and were able to find the qualities Jeff was lacking on his resume.  I constructed a job-winning resume that demonstrated his managerial skills, while still leaving his best accomplishments as a recruiter.  Within two weeks, Jeff had received three job offers.

Learn from Jeff.  Look at your resume and make sure that every accomplishment you post is not about you, but is about the needs and desires of your prospective employers.

As always, good luck on your job search.

Ayesha Long

www.AyeshaWrites4u.com

Step Up to a Better Career with Professional Resume Services
*** Also be sure to go to Ayesha Writes 4 You’s website and schedule your Free Resume Consultation. From now until August 15th, you can take advantage of our Summer Discount and get 15% off any resume package. So go to www.AyeshaWrites4u.com to get started now!

The Missing Component to Your Successful Resume

If you have ever written a resume before, you already know the basic elements needed for most resumes.  A resume typically has the following:

• Your name and address
• Summary of Qualifications
• Professional Experience or Work History
• Educational Experience
• Additional Criteria, such as extracurricular activities, volunteer experience, or skill sets

While this is the typical criteria used in creating a resume, a successful resume takes it one step further.  A successful resume always has keywords.

KEYWORDS

Keywords are listed as the last section on the resume or are integrated throughout the skill section of the resume.  They are words that describe the most common attributes an employer would use to find an employee when using big career sites such as Monster or Careerbuilder.  They are also useful when employers use technological software to scan resumes.  Even more importantly, when an employer stops to scan your resume, these words jump out at the employer and saves him time to have to go on a scavenger hunt to determine if you are qualified.

If you are a serious candidate and you want an employer to know you are a serious candidate, you should not only have keywords in the Keyword and Skills sections, but they should also be used throughout your resume.  For example, if you are a physical therapist and you know that typically a physical therapist must use whirlpool baths, infrared lights, and ultrasonic machines, these are all words that should be used throughout your resume – in the summary of qualifications, professional experience sections, and also in the educational section if you are a recent graduate and do not have much work experience.

Most employees assume an employer knows their job description.  So instead of outlining their duties using keywords, they give general job descriptions and leave off the most important and specific attributes to an employer.  You will not do this.  You will find out what attributes are most important to your employer and distribute these attributes throughout all of your personal branding materials.

While people in your position should do the same things, often times they don’t.  If you have ever made a lateral move in which you had the same job title but moved to a different company, you would experience this first hand.  In some companies, there is more support, so you may perform the duties necessary to only fulfill your role.  If , however, you work for a smaller company or a start-up, you will perform not only the duties typically performed for your title, but will also be responsible for several other jobs as well.  Therefore, it is always important to be specific when giving your job description.  It will let the employer know that you are perfectly capable of handling the tasks  he expects for you to take on in your new role as compared to the less specific person in which he has to guess their capabilities.

So what keywords to use?

Most people when researching keywords will quickly become overwhelmed.  It is hard to decipher which words are most important to use on your resume.  Typically, the best keywords are those that you have not already used on your resume.  For example, if you are a teacher and you already put that you “effectively planned and implemented cooperative lessons integrating the arts and technology”, then it is unnecessary to put “art and technology integration” in your keywords.  If however, you did not put a description that uses the most basic elements of your job in your professional experience, then you can use keywords to fill in the blanks.

It is also good to use keywords to provide alternate labels to your job description.  For example, many administrative assistants work under different job titles and also perform different duties according to these titles.  However, most Hiring Managers fail to make these distinctions and may only put secretary in his search engine.  If an employee fails to use the alternate title secretary, she may be overlooked for the job simply because she didn’t use the right keyword.

How do You know you used the right keywords?

As an employee, you have the advantage of knowing what duties were considered most important for your job description.  You should lead with that knowledge and then research the rest.  If you are unsure, then you should hire a professional.  Professional resume writers should have access to job profiles, have a list of keywords according to profession, and also have alliances with employment agencies that can assist them in ensuring your resume will fit the needs of the average employer in your field.

As always, good luck with your job search.

Ayesha Long

www.AyeshaWrites4u.com

Step Up to a Better Career with Professional Resume Services
*** Also be sure to go to Ayesha Writes 4 You’s website and schedule your Free Resume Consultation. From now until August 15th, you can take advantage of our Summer Discount and get 15% off any resume package. So go to www.AyeshaWrites4u.com to get started now!

Five Tips to Creating a Job-Winning Resume

Okay, I know I’m a little late with my post.  Normally I write my posts very early in the morning, but I had the one problem that is the antithesis of writers block – too many ideas at once.  I was looking at two sample resumes on a website (will not mention the name) and was shocked at how many resume writing rules had been broken.

So I decided now is the time to do a refresher on how to make your resume a success.  Here are five little tricks you can try on your own resume:

• Be active. There is nothing worse than a list of job descriptions.  The truth is that if you work in sales, teaching, or any other industry, your employer knows what you did.  No one wants to hear what you’ve been responsible for or delegated to do.  Instead explain what you managed, alleviated, or increased and how.
• Stay anonymous. Your name, phone number, email, and address is all that is needed.  I’ve seen resumes where people have not only put their pictures, but also included their relationship status, number or kids, and charitable contributions.  While this is all great information for your personal development, it actually counts as distractions to an employer.  “Oh he has five children, that means that he probably won’t be as eager to do overtime as this other guy who has no kids.”
• Have an objective. An objective shows that you have focus and are not just sifting through the internet ads and applying to everything out there.  However, an objective is also not a list of things you are looking for as an employee (See Catch an Employers Eye Immediately )
• Think simple. Graphics, overuse of borders and too many fonts are all reasons for an employer to skip past your resume.  Yes, to you it seems catchy.  But to an employer it screams gimmicky and makes the employer think that either you are not professional or are using this extra flash to hide flaws in your professional skills.  Otherwise, why would someone who is a real asset need to resort to such tricks?
• Proofread. I always laugh whenever I type this one.  I think about the clients who have put incorrect e-mail addresses or phone numbers and then complain that no one is calling them in for interviews.  Let’s be honest, if you are not Kwame Jackson, no employer is going to go beyond one phone call to try to interview you.  So if they call and your number is incorrect, you might as well have never sent your resume.

Above all else, be professional.  There are dozens more tips that can be added – such as using the right type of paper, having a cover letter accompany your resume, or not including your picture.  I’d love to hear if anyone has any other tips that they think have made their resume a success.  Please share your comments below!

As always, good luck with your job search.

Ayesha Long

www.AyeshaWrites4u.com

Step Up to a Better Career with Professional Resume Services
*** Also be sure to go to Ayesha Writes 4 You’s website and schedule your Free Resume Consultation. From now until August 15th, you can take advantage of our Summer Discount and get 15% off any resume package. So go to www.AyeshaWrites4u.com to get started now!

How to Get Your Resume to Stand Out – Professionally

Why do I need a resume writer?

This is the number one question asked by job seekers when looking at professional resume services.  They read, and wonder…

“I graduated High School and have found plenty of jobs before, so why do I need a resume writer?”

“My dad works for Human Resources, I’m sure he can do my resume for me.”

“I was an English major in college, I’m sure I could put together a little one page summary highlighting my best achievements.”

These are all actual statements told to me by people who eventually hired me to write their resumes.  Their response?

“Wow, I didn’t know a resume could look so good.”

“Oh my God!  I sent out my resume three days ago and have already gotten two interviews and one job offer right over the phone.”

“That resume is awesome – I would hire myself.”

So what is it that a resume writer does that is different from the ordinary job seeker?  Why are people with exceptional qualifications getting looked over by people who are less adept and less skilled?

The answer is simple – it’s all in the packaging.  It takes an employer less than thirty seconds to look at your resume and scrap it.  A resume writer, who has been professionally trained, knows how to catch the employers attention before it wanes.  Then she knows how to keep that attention so that by the time he has finished reviewing it, he is already on the phone calling you.

So how do you know if the resume writer you select is right for you?  How can you be certain that you are not being hoodwinked into believing that this company is professional, when it really isn’t?

You have to do your research.

Before submitting any contact information, you should look for the following information either on the company’s website, by talking directly to the writer, or using google:

Is the company a part of any of the resume writing associations such as The Professional Association of Resume Writers (PARW) or The National Association of Resume Writers (NARW)?

These associations qualify it’s members, by ensuring that they are legitimate businesses.  They also provide additional workshops, seminars, and conferences to maintain the integrity of the resume writers and keep them current on trends in resume writing and human resources.

Does the company have testimonials?

A company is only as good as its brand.  You want to make sure that the company you choose not only has shining testimonials, but that they are legitimate.  Be sure to ask for references and to actually check the references.

Are there samples?

Before purchasing any product or service, you want to make sure that the company will deliver on its promise.  Asking for samples allows you to see the quality of the resume writers work and test it against other resumes you may have seen on websites or in resume books.  If it seems like the resume writer is just copying the same formats, then you can rest assured that your resume will lack the flair necessary to capture an employer’s eye.

What is their guarantee?

Never choose a resume writing company that lacks a guarantee.  You deserve to know that you are going to get what you paid for.  A resume writing company is not meant to guarantee you a job and any company that does is lying.  A resume is meant to get you in the door and get you an interview.  If you are offered a job (which more than likely you will be), that is just icing on the cake.  So what kind of guarantees should you expect?  Typically, a resume writer will give you a thirty day limit to get an interview and if you fail to get an interview, they will rewrite the resume for free, customize the cover letters for your next job, give you your money back, or apply directly to the jobs for you for an additonal fee.  Whichever option the company chooses is okay because you at least know that the company stands behind its work and is confident that they will deliver.

So if you are on the market for a job and your resume fails to get you results, your next step may be to hire a resume writer.  Then be sure to test them and make sure they meet all the qualifications to be an upstanding writer willing to deliver on his promise to get you ajob.

As always, good luck on your job search.

Sincerely,

Ayesha Long

www.AyeshaWrites4u.com

Stepping Up to a Better Career with Professional Resume Services

*** Be sure to go to Ayesha Writes 4 You’s website and schedule your Free Resume Consultation. From now until August 15th, you can get 15% off any resume package. So go to www.AyeshaWrites4u.com to get started now!

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