Resume @ MindSay

So far, I've submitted 66 resumes to companies. 

Take a look around and you will see that most people think nothing of changing jobs at the drop of a hat! Each one is interested in going where the money beckons! The result is that job hunting has become an industry by itself today!

Why do I call it an industry? Some people have realized that these job hunters require help and have come up with the perfect resources. There are entire books and web sites that offer expert advice regarding a great variety of professions and career options. Social groups provide personal counseling. TV has become a great medium to advertise jobs as well as have programs on careers. The radio is not far behind! Whatever be the resource, contact information is provided too.

Some career development professionals have made it their business to stick to a certain area of expertise only, where job hunting is concerned. For instance, some of them find another form of gainful employment for those workers who have been laid off at their previous jobs. Others aid those people who have constrained themselves to the house for 10 years or even more, and then discover that they need to go back to work once again. Basically, these experts take care of the special needs of each individual.

Of course, with the emergence of the Internet, job hunting has taken on a new meaning! There are many advantages to be gained from browsing the Net. One gets a bird’s eye view of all the jobs that are advertised out there. So finding a match becomes easier, and right from the comfort of one’s living room! There are no time constraints involved in job hunting here, even midnight is okay! The best part of the whole thing is, you are “seen” by everyone, everywhere!

Before uploading a resume, it would be wise to do some research on the company and position being applied for. What are the employers like? What is the professional background of the company? What do past/current employees feel about the management and the company itself? Pay and perks offered? These are just a few basic questions which come to mind; there could be many more. The answers to these questions can help the job hunter to narrow down his/her choice of preferences.

There are other aspects to job hunting too. It may be a fresh college graduate or it may be someone who has gone through a number of jobs already, but each one finds job hunting a strain. It is not just a question of sending a resume (even a resume has to be written out properly); there are other skills that are required, such as personal grooming and demeanor, facing an interview, and so on. Hence, quite a few employment services and schools have come up, offering to train the individual in developing these skills.

To conclude, job hunting does bring on a lot of stress, especially if quick results are not to be seen. It hurts that so much of searching has come to naught. One has to have a lot of patience for the right job to come along. Also, to put everything in a realistic perspective, there is nothing wrong in working one’s way up from the bottom of the ladder if top positions are not immediately available. Maybe one could spend less time on brooding, and instead concentrate on developing a different set of skills or some kind of useful activity till an excellent job shows up.

Source: Articles Base

To be able to know more about job search tips, you must also consider some factors like attending free seminars to help you educate yourself and improve your job search skills and gain competitive edge in today's job market. The free Philadelphia Job Hunters Education and Networking Event will tackle how to dress for success, how to stay motivated during your job search, job search strategies for the currently employed, tools for recent college graduates, and internet job search strategies.

Building a great resume may not seem to be an easy task.  The hardest part can be trying to gather you background experience and translate that into a marketable resume.  You may think that you have not done enough, especially if you are straight out of college.  But the important thing is to build a resume that shows your strengths.  

The first think you should do is think like a hiring manager.  Think about what qualities you would want in someone that you were hiring.  Make a list of these words such as organized, dependable, team worker, etc.  Make a list of skills that would appeal to you if you were hiring someone – computer literate, Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Switchboard, Adobe Photoshop, etc.  Next, make a list of all the jobs you have held in order of date.  Nothing is too trivial – even playing on your sports team in college shows that you are a team player. Now that you’ve got all this information gathered, you can build a resume.

On your official resume your name, address, telephone number and email address should appear at the top in a clear font such as Arial or Time New Roman.  Next list your objective, a one liner that states your goal such as “obtaining a position to utilize my skills in design”.  Your education should come next by listing your school, city and state where it resides, your degree and your major/minor concentration.  Next comes your experience.  You want to list from most recent and back with job title, company name, city and state and your dates of employment.  Under that list your responsibilities and accomplishments.  Do not worry if there are not a lot of jobs, concentrate more on what you did at your job and how it highlights your skillset.  Save a place for Activities and Special Skills where you can elaborate more on what you can bring to the table. An employer wants someone who is well rounded, so having some great hobbies and activities shows that you are full of energy and like to participate.

When you build a resume it should be one page if possible, error free, on white or off white paper and with correct grammar.  Your resume speaks for you.  If it is filled with errors, then how can you expect an employer to think you can produce error free work. Until they meet you, your resume is all an employer can go by.  Make it clear and concise and play up all that is you! For more info on Build a resume, go to Build A Resume Online

Each day as I read the news and hear about more about our job market, I am more convinced that all professionals need to be constantly working on their brand. Beverly Macy in her blog today says, “These days job candidates – from the boardroom to the mail room - need to articulate a promise of value that will convince the prospective employer you can add to the growth of the company. Your personal brand promise needs to be apparent in your resume, your cover letter, your “look”, your approach, your conversation –and especially your online presence.” The one thing I would add to Beverly’s list above is a professional portfolio. Read my previous blogs to learn how to do this at PersonaVita.

Below are four good nuggets from Beverly’s blog - tips to the mid-career person for branding themselves.
1. Use more than one channel to promote your personal brand. Create a personal, blog, or online resume that prominently features your Personal Branding Statement
2. Tell readers what they will gain by hiring or working with you
3. A picture is worth 1000 words. Use photos and graphic designs that reinforce your verbal message to create memorable.
4. Reinforce your personal brand in all your interactions with others. Mention your key attributes and special qualities in voice mail messages, your email signature, and whenever you speak with current or potential clients face to face.