7 Things Candidates Cant Hide in Their Resumes

7 Things Candidates Can’t Hide in Their Resumes OK, I’m quite prepared to be shot down in flames from all sides for writing this. Shoot me down anyway for starting this blog with a cliché, but here’s what I (as a former recruiter) and other recruiters can work out while we are reading your resume. 1. You are not a native English speaker Your English could be text book for the most part, but I can still work out whether it’s your second language, just from a quick read of your resume. You may leave off an “s.” or you use words in the wrong context. Here’s some strange expression I’ve seen lately: “Providing delightful customer service” “Maintain and strengthen customers” “Organizing equipments” “Good skills in….” If you are new to an Anglophone country, one of the major concerns local employers have about employing you, is how well you communicate. Behind this concern is another concern about how well you’ll fit in. Any incorrect choice of words will fuel any negative stereotypes a recruiter may have about your communication skills. Have a “local” speaker read over your resume before you send it. (Good practice for anyone, really) I receive enough emails from recent arrivals to know cultural stereotyping is a major problem. 2. You are inflating your experience and skills I have often seen people describe a stint of counter service at McDonalds as: “providing high levels of client service.” While this statement is not incorrect, it is misleading. A client is generally someone whom you deal with more than once. A customer is someone who comes to the counter. Most recruiters know what people do at McDonalds, so this statement just sounds silly. The person who wrote the above has oversold what they actually did and not mentioned what is really challenging or interesting about a job at Maccas. Anyone who works there for any length of time can generally work well under pressure and serve people in a fast paced and highly measured environment. That’s the interesting part. 3. You’re not very confident Nowhere on your resume can I read anything about you personally. If you do not tell me your strengths or achievements, I am either going to assume you don’t have any, or do not think they are important enough to list. Most of the employers whom we interviewed for the book, want their employees to be “self aware.” They want people to understand their strengths, so they can apply them to the job at hand. Read what they say here on self awareness. I am not talking about a laundry list that sounds like any other person. That’s almost as bad as no strengths at all. 4. You want to keep your age to yourself I know this because you have not put dates on your study. And fair enough too. Many of the emails I receive are from people worried that they are 40, 50 or above. While I have not seen any out and out age discrimination in my time in recruiting, I receive enough questions and heard enough horror stories about this to know it exists. 5. You lack marketing skills You haven’t sent me a cover letter or written a career objective on the top of your resume. Reading your resume I have to guess what it is that you want to do. 6. You aren’t really that bothered about this job Read point five. 7. You do not write very often, or well. You have too many redundant words on your resume. If you have a list headed “responsibilities, then I do not need to read that you are “responsible for” on the very next line. Other examples are where you say “in order to” instead of just “to” or “planning and strategizing” which are pretty much the same thing. Further reading at 5 Old-School Sections You Ought To Remove from Your Resume. Image: Shutterstock

What Every Applicant Ought to Know About HR People

What Every Applicant Ought to Know About HR People If you are an applicant, I’m sure that you are busy finishing your resume and you are even practicing mock interviews with your friends. That’s a good sign. But do you know that your resume and way of speaking is not enough for you to pass the interview process? I conducted some small chit-chats with different HR people. Luckily, they shared their ‘secrets’ with me. I’m willing to share it with you. I believe that you will be able to get hired if you read this article. Format of your resume You might have great credentials. You might have a lot of awards. In fact, it seems that it won’t fit in a 2 â€" page resume. Do you still have to include all your credentials? My answer is a big NO. Just so you know, HR people are very busy. They won’t give an hour just to read your ‘novel’ like resume. It is best if you learn how to compile those. For example, instead of putting all the years when you became an outstanding student like this: 1999 3rd Honor Student 2000 2nd Honor Student 2001 3rd Honor Student you can just put, ‘Consistent Honor Student’. I think that even if you don’t put the years when you bagged the awards, the HR people will know that you are smart using the alternative phrase I suggested. Related: Warning! 3 Things that Really Shouldnt Be on Your Profile. The kind of paper you are using Of course, this wouldn’t apply if you are going to send your resume via email. But if you are going to personally deliver your resume, I suggest that you print it in a quality paper. I remember during college, I submitted a report to my strict professor. I wasn’t aware that the kind of paper that you use has a bearing. Well, when I got my report back, I received a bad comment about the quality of paper I used. My professor said that a paper can tell a lot of things about a person. It’s actually a representation if you are serious or not. From then on, I always print important documents in a quality paper. How you walk Don’t you know that HR representatives check out the way you walk? Some people think that this is shallow. If you ask my opinion, that’s fine. I would like you to know that walking can also tell thousands of things about your personality. Try to put yourself in their position. If you are an HR personnel, who would you hire? Are you going to be impressed by a person who walks with his head down? Or are you going to be impressed by a person who’s confident? There’s no doubt that you will choose the latter, right? A company needs an employee that represents them well. If you are confident even while walking, you will have that unfair leverage. Related: And the Interview Was Going So Well Until How you smell! I’m not talking about smelling like you just finished a basketball game. This is actually the other way around. Don’t go in an interview smelling like you took a bath using perfume. It’s too strong. A lot of times HR people disgraced that. Just make sure that you smell nice. That means, you need to be fresh. A little bit of scent will do fine. And don’t forget to bring your handkerchief. That will come in handy if you perspire a lot. Irritating follow ups Once you are done with the interview, don’t panic. This is the perfect time to breathe. Wait for a few days for the call. Don’t call the employers every day. Even if you made the cut, you’ll never get hired because they are already irritated. Use this knowledge to be able to fully prepare for your application. Perhaps, you think that what I have here are shallow or useless. Believe me, they play a huge role in the process. Hence, you have to take note of these. Related: 10 Job Interview Blunders You Must Avoid. Toni Okeson is one of the senior content writers for Gowelding.org. It is an established welding site and a place to learn about Tungsten Arc Weld. If you wish to learn welding from the best, then this is the best source. Image: Shutterstock.

Which Job Boards are Most Useful for Jobseekers

Which Job Boards are Most Useful for Jobseekers Youre looking for a new job, so the best place to turn is to the biggest and most popular job posting sites, right? Maybe not. Employers don’t always turn to the major job posting sites. It pays to know what type of employer is likely to post on what job sites. The Major Players When it comes to general job searching, Monster, Careerbuilder, and Indeed definitely run the game. However, just because a site is large and popular doesnt mean employers choose to use them. Heres how some of the biggest job posting companies stack up against each other in the employers eyes. Both Indeed and Monster produce more candidates that do not have any college education than Careerbuilder. Careerbuilder also features more candidates that have college degrees, some from an accredited online college. Indeed and Monster both cater to teenagers, temporary job seekers, those with only high school education and those who are fresh out of college, while Careerbuilder does not include these candidates. Indeed is the most all-inclusive job posting board. It includes contract positions, work-at-home jobs, summer jobs, and even volunteer work. Employers offering any of these types of position are more likely to use Indeed. Monster produces fewer candidates without a college education and more with degrees than Indeed, although Careerbuilder still has the others beat in this aspect. Which is Best? What it all boils down to is the type of job being posted. Employers posting more serious positions that require qualified candidates often choose to use Careerbuilder. Although Careerbuilder is more expensive for employers, it also weeds out some of the less serious applicants. High-scale employers dont want to be bombarded with applications from unqualified candidates. Employers hiring for entry-level positions are likely to use Monster because Monster receives more traffic than Indeed and lets employers filter and manage applications. Of all the sites, Indeed is the cheapest for employers to use and allows for unlimited posts, so companies who have a high turnaround rate for employees are more likely to use Indeed. Specialized Job Boards Employers that are hiring sometimes use specialized job boards before they resort to posting the job on major job boards. This is because, on small-scale sites, they’re more likely to pull in qualified candidates with experience and true interest in the field of work, while on major sites, thousands of candidates are likely to apply to every job available. Here are some example specialized job boards employers favor: Dice is a very popular job posting site for tech positions like tech developers, engineers, programmers, and tech writers. Career Bank and eFinancial Careers  focuses on jobs in the finance and banking industries. Variety Careers posts media jobs like television, radio, production, gaming, music, and more. Adzuna  is a popular place to post marketing and advertising jobs including the design and creative aspects. Health E Careers and Medical Workers posts jobs in the medical field from physicians, nursing, pharmaceutical, and more. Law Jobs posts attorney, paralegal, and other legal jobs. PR Week Jobs posts everything public relations. Commarts and Craigs List are popular for creative job postings like graphic design, writing, etc. While specialized jobs can be found on major job posting sites, employers favor these sites that produce the best candidates. Social Networking Many companies also turn to social networking sites when looking for new employees. LinkedIn is one of the most popular social networking sites employers and recruiters love to use. With LinkedIn, employers can build a network of professionals who they can turn to for references and recommendations. They can also search for candidates based on their current and past employers. Not to mention, with thousands of people readily posting their resumes, LinkedIn is a goldmine for recruiting. Employers also consider Facebook and Twitter when recruiting. It’s not uncommon for an employer to check up on an individual’s social profiles before hiring, and many applicants have been turned down because of crude language, inappropriate pictures, and displays of partying, drinking or using drugs. How to Go About Job Searching If you’re looking for a job, it’s a good idea to go ahead and post your resume to the major job boards, if only because you’ll receive plenty of exposure. But if you really want to land a great gig, be sure to post your resume and apply for jobs on boards that are specific to your field of work. Remember to use customized resumes for every position, and a strong general resume for the job board database. To give yourself a real edge, create a LinkedIn profile and start networking with others in your field of work. Be sure to monitor your social networking activity and remember anything you post remains online forever. With a strong social presence and your resume submitted on the right job boards, youll be on your way to a great career. Related: Top 5 Job Search Aggregators for a Smarter Job Hunt. Michael is a blogger who currently works for vistacollege.edu. He has passions in all corners of the online world. In his downtime he enjoys being outdoors, traveling, and blogging on everything from technology to business, to marketing, and beyond.

12 Ways to Speed Up Your Job Search

12 Ways to Speed Up Your Job Search Finding a job can take a long time, even when you do everything right on your end. This becomes painfully obvious at times when you have to wait for an employer to sort through information they collected from your resume, get back test scores and go through multiple interviews. Luckily, there are ways to expedite the process, at least when it comes to your own side of the equation. If you play your cards right, you can move the process along. Here are 12 great tips that can help you speed up your job search: 1) Apply  as soon as possible: Dont procrastinate or wait to apply for an opportunity youre interested in. Apply as soon as possible, which in most cases should be when you find the job posting. According to a 2011 study by StartWire, 50 percent of new hires had applied within the first week a job offer had been posted. Just imagine, that study is outdated now and the job market is much tougher. There are more people out there looking for work, which means youll have to work harder to land something. 2) Be consistent and dont give up: You may end up searching for a long time, but dont let that get you down. Remain consistent and dont give up. Continue your search, and continue applying to opportunities in droves. Attend as many interviews â€" in person or via Skype â€" as it takes. You may have to give up some of your precious personal time, but it will pay off and save you time down the road. 3) Practice makes perfect:   Even if you absolutely bomb an interview, you still learn something from the experience. When it comes to interviewing with potential employers, practice makes perfect and the more experience you have, the better. That doesnt mean you should enter an interview expecting to fail. Be prepared, and be sure to study beforehand. Do your best to ace the interview, even if you dont feel confident about it. Practice interview questions and explore potential topic discussions, wear the appropriate attire and be sure to thank the interviewer when its all over. 4) Introduce yourself and contact the appropriate parties: Your best bet is to find the name and email of the hiring manager and send a greeting to them specifically. If you find that difficult, find your next best option, such as a shift manager or comparable member of management. Its a great idea to do this before you turn in your resume. When you make contact, introduce yourself and do a brief sales pitch for yourself. 5) Put together a cover letter:   Always include a compelling cover letter with your resume. Try to remember that you should never just rehash your resume and call it a day. This is where you can take your experience and explain its relevance to a potential employer. You can also provide insight into employment gaps and careers changes, along with plans for the future. Most employers will want to know more about you than a list of previous experience and work. The cover letter is where you can show some of your personality. 6) Respond to emails and phone calls ASAP: Communication is important, but perhaps more important is reliability. Follow up with any and all connections in a timely fashion. Dont burn any bridges, and dont waste time when it comes to responding to messages. 7) Take advantage of social networking: During your networking, if you encounter someone that promises to introduce you to a potential employer, take full advantage of it. In turn, this means being ready at the drop of a hat. Have your resume, cover letter, headshot and personal pitch ready to go. Its not bad to rely on friends, family or previous colleagues to get you into a job â€" if they can truly help. Always be ready to pass out contact information and a brief sales pitch, which should hopefully be passed on to the right people. 8) Create a portfolio or professional website:   Depending on what field youre shooting for, youll want to set up a portfolio or professional website. A portfolio allows creative folks to share previous work. This is where freelancers and designers can show off published content, media or other creative works. If you dont work in a creative industry, then go with a professional website instead. Here, you can showcase your online resume, social network links, a blog and much more. The idea is to build up your character and provide an interesting backstory. More importantly, you want to ensure that backstory and content is relevant to a potential employer. 9) Look everywhere:   The Internet has made us all extremely lazy, and we owe it all to search engines. When it comes to looking for jobs, there are dozens of job search engines like Monster, Indeed and many more. Those are the obvious places to look, but dont stop there.   LinkedIn is obviously a good place to network, but did you know that 89 percent of recruiting professionals in a Jobvite survey say they have hired from the site? Be sure to actively use LinkedIn as a job search tool by maintaining your resume and publishing your thoughts to establish yourself in the industry. Staying on top of your social accounts is crucial, especially if you work in a field that requires social media experience. Don’t stop there; visit websites and blogs of companies youre interested in working for. Visit â€" in person â€" local businesses that could be a great opportunity, or call them on the phone. Scan the classifieds for work, online and off. Just make sure you broaden your horizons by searching in as many places as possible. 10) Use a good headshot: No, you dont need to run out and hire a professional photographer to get a good shot of your mug. That said, you want to have a professional-looking headshot or photo available. This image can be used for contact info pages, social media profiles and accounts, Google+ and Gmail profile pics, and much more. Youll get bonus points if you can get a creative or unique shot that gets others to remember your face. 11)  Dont forget to follow up: No matter what happens â€" even if youre told you didnt qualify or were dropped from a candidate list â€" always follow up. Thank contacts for consideration, and request that they keep your information for future openings. You never know who is going to help you find work in the future. Not to mention, no one likes a poor sport. 12)  Recruiters can help: For many people, there seems to be a stigma with asking for help, especially when it comes to finding work. Dont be afraid to get aid from recruiters. They can help you find excellent job opportunities at places you may have never even considered otherwise. They can also help you spruce up your resume and clean up your act, where applicable. Following these tips should help move your job search along, so you can hopefully land your ideal position that much sooner. Author: Sarah Landrum is a freelance writer and career blogger sharing advice on finding happiness and success in the work world. You can find her dishing out advice with a side of wit on Twitter @sarahlandrum and her career advice blog,  Punched Clocks. Image credit: #Speed202

What Can the Best Resume Writing Chicago Companies Do For You?

What Can the Best Resume Writing Chicago Companies Do For You?The best resume writing Chicago firms can provide is first of all they should offer you as much assistance in the hiring process as possible. Their first priority is to ensure that your resume gets printed out and is seen by their company's clients. Then it should be researched, looked at, and if necessary, rewritten or modified to help you land the job.Adobe jobs is always the best. You should always go with the programs that are most compatible with your type of writing. Some tools allow you to work online and some allow you to work locally while a third tool lets you work both ways.Professional resume writers have a way of making their job easier. They can figure out exactly what you need to put on your resume, and it will be made for you.Don't be shy when writing your resume. If it was one thing that I could say is 'Write Your Resume and Keep It.' It's very easy to get caught up in the technical stuff and forget about what it's really about: what you have to offer them in the job. That's not so hard to do, but you must keep reminding yourself that it's supposed to be for you.There is no such thing as a bad time to take the initiative and rewrite your resume. Now, I'm not saying you should do it all the time. But it can be very important to some people to know that their resumes are being looked at and are getting consideration from other companies that may be interested in making an offer. So make sure you take every opportunity to do that.Also, don't overlook the fact that people can be moved in their careers. Moving down a level in the organization can open up positions that can really change the direction of the company. It can give you the opportunity to move up within the company and to see a new thing on the horizon.People aren't going to hand you the keys to career opportunities that may be waiting for you just around the corner. There is no other reason why a company should ever pass over you, because of a first come first serve system.The goal of your job search is to get hired and to be hired, so take advantage of every advantage. You want the company that you're working for to be willing to give you an opportunity. Once you get there, you will be prepared to go and to be a serious candidate in the field you want to work in.

Your Social Media Accounts Clean Them Up Before Job Hunting or Leave Them As-Is - CareerEnlightenment.com

The verdict: When recruiters try to evaluate a candidate’s personality through social media, they might be turned off by a profile with no personality. If you’re applying for jobs with certain companies or in creative industries, make sure that your profiles maintain some personal flavor. The picture of you at a wedding, standing with friends and holding a glass of champagne, shouldn’t be a problem. That video of you vomiting in the bushes after a frat party? Definitely hit “delete.”Finding the Right BalanceBefore applying for a job, review your social media profiles, and keep the following tips in mind:Use privacy settings, but remember that they’re imperfect. To be safe, never post a photo that you absolutely wouldn’t want a future employer to see. Social networks change their privacy settings all of the time, and your supposedly private photos could end up embarrassing you.Know what might be considered questionable in your industry. If you’re applying for a job as a political consultant, don’t bother deleting political posts that express your positions as long as they display good taste. Do delete profanity, references to illegal drugs, racist or discriminatory comments, evidence of illegal activity or anything that suggests you lack good judgment.Be yourself. If something you’ve posted is integral to who you are and you feel that taking it down would compromise your authentic values, leave it alone. A company that would reject you for the post might not be a place you’d want to work anyway. Alternatively, a company that sees your authentic personality and likes it could be the perfect workplace for you.The TakeawayTake the time to clean up your social media presence. It could be the difference between earning a steady paycheck and sitting at home spending too much time on Facebook.

96 Shivani Gopal - The Remarkable Woman - Jane Jackson Career

96 Shivani Gopal - The Remarkable Woman - Jane Jackson Career I recently read  an article in the Sydney Morning Herald and was intrigued by the story featuring  Shivani Gopal who has started a movement called The Remarkable Woman. I found her story so fascinating that I was compelled to contact her for an interview. This episode is an exciting one, especially for women!Shivani Gopal is an Australian Business Woman and Entrepreneur, who is leading the charge for female business networking events with her new social enterprise, The Remarkable Woman, which is guaranteed to shake up the way in which women connect and empower themselves and one another.Shivani sees The Remarkable Woman as an evolution of women’s networking business, by taking the extra step to provide the necessary support to ensure its members are truly in the drivers’ seat steering their life towards their desired destination.After many years struggling for equality as a female within the male-dominated Financial Services Industry, Shivani was accustomed to facing discriminati on because of her gender, and because of her cultural background as a Fiji-born Indian Australian.Shivani’s fire to inspire women was ignited several times throughout her career with several unfortunate incidents highlighting the need for mentoring and empowerment for women in the workplace.She says she was born into a culture where the norm for women is to study, get married and have babies and pursuing a career and choosing to put motherhood on hold was not encouraged.Let’s find out about Shivani’s career journey and how The Remarkable Woman is empowering women to become all they are meant to be!Where to find Shivani:Website:  www.theremarkablewoman.com.auFacebook:  @theremarkablewomanTwitter: @beremarkable_au