11 Résumé Truths That Will Brand You A Winner! - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

11 Résumé ‘Truths’ That Will Brand You A Winner! - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Funny thing about a résumé . . . no one has ever hired a résumé, but very few people can get hired without one. And in today’s challenging job market, where the typical “headhunter,” hiring manager and Human Resources professional is inundated daily with dozens, if not hundreds of résumés (I receive between 300 and 500 résumés a week!), it had better be a good one. What defines a “good” résumé? It is one that gives the recipient what I refer to as “cause for pause,” one that catches the recipient’s attention within about 30 seconds and makes him or her continue reading it. If your résumé doesn’t meet this minimum standard, it’s likely it will either be quickly and completely eliminated or, at best, be added to the burgeoning stack of résumés already received, perhaps never to see the light of day again. The résumé truths With this in mind, then, through years of professional experience and extensive research, I have come up with what I call the 11 “truths” that go into creating a good résumé, a job-winning résumé. If you will follow these “truths,” and incorporate them into your résumé, it will immediately brand you as a potential winner and move your candidacy forward! RÉSUMÉ TRUTH #1 It must be visually appealing.   Plenty of “white space.” Use of bullet points to highlight quantifiable accomplishments and achievements. No long rambling paragraphs. I don’t care how good you are, long blocks of text simply will not be read and you will be eliminated from further consideration. Use Times New Roman or Arial type faces. Nothing smaller than 11 point. Careful use of bold face type and italics. (Just last week I received a resume from a chemist. The entire resume was in bold face italics. When everything is emphasized, nothing is emphasized except your lack of understanding of accepted business writing practices! Wouldn’t you agree that this very bullet point is becoming hard to read?) RÉSUMÉ TRUTH #2 A résumé is a “movie trailer,” not the entire movie! Today people are busy and harried. No one has time to read a lengthy document. We are in a “Twitter” and text messaging world limited to 140 characters. Mark Twain once said, “I didn’t have time to write a short letter so I wrote a lengthy one instead.” Mull that over for a moment. Length? Two pages. No more! RÉSUMÉ TRUTH #3 â€" No “Career Objective.” But how will a potential employer know what kind of a job I want? The brutal truth is this: When companies are initially sifting through an inbox full of résumés, they don’t really care what you want. They only care what they want. What you want only becomes relevant whenâ€"and if!â€"you make it to the offer stage and they are then trying to woo you. RÉSUMÉ TRUTH #4 â€" Work experience in Reverse Chronological order only. You get hired when your experience is current and relevant. If you don’t do what a company needs you to do, you get hit with the “DELETE” key. The “Functional Résumé is generally deleted. (And yes, hiring managers tell me the same thing.) The “hybrid”? Maybe. If all of the other résumé “truths” are adhered to, the hybrid may pass the initial screen and you might move to the “maybe” folder. RÉSUMÉ TRUTH #5  Include one or two sentences on what each employer does. The readers of your résumé don’t have the time (or the patience) to “guess” what the companies you have worked for actually do. If, for example, they are looking for a sales manager with experience in industrial filtration, they want to know you have that experience. Example: National Filtration Systems, Inc. Vice President of Sales and Marketing What does this company do? Provide water filters for the home? Make filters for cigarettes? Neither! It is “A $60 million design build engineering firm of industrial filtration units for natural gas and oil.” By including that one sentence, you have just branded yourself as a potential candidate and made it easy for the person reviewing your résumé to say “yes” to your candidacy. RÉSUMÉ TRUTH # 6 â€" Include numbers, numbers and more numbersâ€"and throw in a few percentages for good measure! Brand yourself a winner by using quantitative measurements to demonstrate results. Example: Quality Manager Responsible for improving  processes and reducing defects. Improved revenue by  increasing production. (Hit with the DELETE key!) Versus: Quality Manager Reduced equipment failure  rate by 89% in first year. Increased  production by 15%, resulting in an annual revenue increase of $12.5  million. (She got the job!) RÉSUMÉ TRUTH #7 â€" Eliminate personal and family information Example: “Excellent health, happily married with two children.” Result: Résumé DELETED! What?! Why?! As crazy as it may seem, this simple statement actually puts the company in an EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) quandary. There have been situations where, for example, a single person was hired. Later the “married person with children” found out and the resultâ€"a lawsuit. “I was unfairly discriminated against because I am married and have a family. The company just didn’t want to add my family and me to its group health insurance plan.” Or, what if the hiring manager just got divorced? Happily married? Who needs that? DELETE! (Yes, it happens.) RÉSUMÉ TRUTH #8 â€" When all else fails, tell the truth. Never resort to a “liar, liar pants on fire” résumé. In this brutal economy, many résumés are inflated (some estimates go as high as 40%). Companies are on the look-out. Today, background checks are extremely thorough. When (not if) you are found out, you will be eliminated from further consideration. If you have already been hired, chances are you will be fired. RÉSUMÉ TRUTH #9 â€" Eliminate the “pyrotechnics” and other “razzle-dazzle.” Unless you want to be branded as an amateur: Don’t’  use yellow highlighting, colored words, background colors, etc. Don’t use colored paper. Don’t change fonts. Sparingly change type sizes. The main sections  of your résumé can be in larger size, but not words within a  sentence. RÉSUMÉ TRUTH # â€" Eliminate “References Available Upon Request.” It is a given that a pro will have them. Keep the résumé short and succinct. RÉSUMÉ TRUTH #11 â€" To include or not include dates of graduation? There are professionals who will adamantly tell you to leave dates of graduation out. Since we are dealing with “truths” here, the truth is there isn’t a right answer. You see, it has been found that 30% of people who don’t have a date of graduation on their résumé have left this information off because they never graduated! They only attended. Others leave it out because they are trying to disguise their age. What I do know is this: the more quantifiable and relevant your accomplishments and achievements, the far less important this whole issue becomes. Adhere to these “truths” when you craft your résumé and you definitely will brand yourself as a winner, someone who deserves an interview. Author: Skip Freeman is the author of “Headhunter” Hiring Secrets: The Rules of the Hiring Game Have Changed . . . Forever! and is the President and Chief Executive Officer of The HTW Group (Hire to Win), an Atlanta, GA, Metropolitan Area Executive Search Firm. Specializing in the placement of sales, engineering, manufacturing and RD professionals, he has developed powerful techniques that help companies hire the best and help the best get hired.

A Career One Resume Writing Review

A Career One Resume Writing ReviewIn this Career One Resume Writing Review, I will discuss the three basic resume requirements of a job. All employers, regardless of where they are located, seek resumes that are both professional and polished.Quality is very important when it comes to a resume. Although you may have a standard resume template that you use, it will not be effective if it does not showcase your skills, knowledge, and abilities. To make a resume effective, it should highlight your talents, abilities, and accomplishments.There are two approaches when it comes to writing a resume. The first approach is to have the resume templates that you buy and use as an example. This is a great option if you are just beginning to prepare a resume for yourself. It is also a great option if you already have several resumes.This approach works well for those people who do not have a lot of experience or they do not have the time to create a professional resume template. They can follow t he examples that they have found on the internet and customize the rest of the template that they create from scratch.The second approach is to write your own resume. If you have many experiences and skills, then you can simply add your name, address, and phone number on the front page of the resume and call it a day. You will then submit your resume as part of the regular process of filling out job applications.However, if you have created an individual resume, you will need to be creative when it comes to creating a unique cover letter and resume. If you are using the templates available online, then you can use them as a template and then customize the remainder of the resume and cover letter to fit your qualifications and experience. But, even if you are creating your own resume, you should make sure that it is unique so that it stands out from the others.When writing a professional resume, you should write a description that is easy to read and complete. This will make it easie r for an employer to find your resume in the future. You should also make sure that you have completed the required elements of the application properly to get a proper job interview.Most importantly, the resume that you create should be organized so that it makes sense. Do not allow filler words to appear in your resume that may be distracting to an employer. To create a professional resume, follow these tips from a Career One Resume Writing Review:

5 Top Tips for an Authentic and Powerful Personal Brand - Jane Jackson Career

5 Top Tips for an Authentic and Powerful Personal Brand - Jane Jackson Career Whats authentic personal branding all about?Have you ever met someone for the first time and instinctively felt uncomfortable as something didn’t quite ring true? Authenticity is of vital importance when it comes to creating a positive, professional and authentic personal brand.Without authenticity then all your efforts to ‘brand’ yourself will come to nothing. Do you project a professional image that reflects who you are? How do you know if you’re being authentic?With social media playing such a huge part in our personal and professional life, it is easy to slip into thinking that what you see on social media is what you’ll get. But that ‘image’ you’ve become used seeing to online might be all smoke and mirrors and isnt it a disappointment when you discover that someone who projects a strong brand just doesnt live up to expectations when you meet them?Most personal branding articles suggest that  you focus on these areas: · Building your reputation online through so cial media and a website · Identifying your unique strengths · Owning your space in your niche by becoming the expert in your field · Sharing your thought leadership · Projecting your own style · Identifying your values and priorities · Crafting your brand personaAll of the above are important however, as a qualified Image Consultant and Career Management Coach, I know that BEFORE you work on your brand, you must consider the following 5 KEY ASPECTS of your personal and professional image. When these are congruent then you will know that you are projecting an authentic brand.The 5 Essential Aspects of Your Personal Brand1. Your Hidden ImageThis is what others cannot see. It’s what makes your personal brand uniquely yours.2. Your Assumed ImageWhat do people expect even before they meet you?3. Your Visual ImageDo you look the part? Have you dressed appropriately for the occasion?4. Your  Experienced ImageWhat is it like to be in your presence?5. Your Proven ImageOver time, do you say what you mean and mean what you say?Managing the 5 aspects of your image is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to personal branding.   There is SO much more to do it right. And its important to get it right or you could do your career and opportunities a lot of damage.Do you want to learn how to build a powerful and authentic personal brand?   I got into greater depth in my FREE masterclass 3 SECRETS TO PERSONAL BRANDING FOR CAREER SUCCESS!   Click the image below to sign up now and make sure YOU are noticed for the right reasons!When it comes to your personal brand, its worth 45 minutes of your time and its FREE because I want you to be successful in your career, attract the job opportunities you desire, and secure that promotion you keep missing out on because your brand doesnt sell you as effectively as it could!   Take action today and become the top dog at work! ??To book Jane to speak on Polishing Your Professional Image at your next event, contact jane@janeja cksoncoach.com

People loved our 2017 conference - and 2018 will be EVEN BETTER - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

People loved our 2017 conference - and 2018 will be EVEN BETTER - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog Here an awesome writeup from a participant at our 2017 conference on happiness at work. I especially liked this part: The Conference has two traditions: perfect, sunny weather and energetic and ambitious participants. Luckily, this time it was no different And this one: We left with new knowledge about happiness at work and we were given precise tools we can use right away to make Tooploox employees happier. AWESOME! We do the conference to give people around the world the knowledge and tools they need to create happier and more successful workplaces, so we were really happy to read this. And our 2018 conference will be even better.?See the full program here. Thanks for visiting my blog. If you're new here, you should check out this list of my 10 most popular articles. And if you want more great tips and ideas you should check out our newsletter about happiness at work. It's great and it's free :-)Share this:LinkedInFacebookTwitterRedditPinterest Related

How do you know if its you or the job - Hallie Crawford

How do you know if its you or the job I was talking to my career coaching client, Damon, this week and he asked a great question. I hear this often, so I wanted to share it with you. How do you know if your job is not a good fit for you, versus you just need to improve yourself and work on your skills? Theres no one size fits all answer. Although, it would it be very nice if there was! Heres how you can start to understand the difference: Remember that there are some things we can learn and some things that we cant. Some things are also a lot harder for us to learn than others. Its the distinction between talents and skills. Talents are inherent while skills can be learned. When you are thinking, I should be better at this, are you considering something that you can actually learn and develop? Or is it a natural talent that just is not there. You need to understand the difference between something you can work on and improve versus something that is part of your personality type. Some things you cant necessarily change, and you wouldnt necessarily want to. You are who you are. So in some cases we need to accept that, move on, and realize theres a better job fit for us out there. I hope this is helpful to you to get you started on thinking about talents versus skills and understanding and your personality type. Career Transition Coach P.S. Find out if for sure if you’re in the right career with our free Ideal Career Quiz.

The Insider Secret on Forbes Resume Writing Discovered

The Insider Secret on Forbes Resume Writing Discovered If you opt to click the links on our website, we might get compensation. One particular special feature offered by Resume Writers Service is that if you're a returning customer, you can find any services for half off the normal price. Our services won't only demonstrate your value as an employee to prospective organizations, they'll also convince you of your very own expert worth. The service of Resumarea is given to clients at an affordable price that correlates to the value of your self-presentation. The Key to Successful Forbes Resume Writing What the majority of people don't consider is presenting a cover letter together with the resume. Don't forget that recruiters may see the name of the file that you send them and also try to remember they get a lot of resumes daily. The writer is likely to make contact and start to work with you straight away! Finding the very best executive resume writer for your job search ca n be tough and highly time-consuming. Things You Won't Like About Forbes Resume Writing and Things You Will Explore the credentials of those who will work on your resume. You save a great deal of time, as our online helpers are prepared to assist you succeed with an amazing application document. Scannable resumes need specific page designs because computer scanners cannot read certain products. Our 20 templates give you examples for most instances that you could face. If you've got prior work experience, you can think about mentioning how much sales your preceding company had garnered with your contribution, rather than simply elaborating on how you'd adopted a distinctive advertising strategy to grow the sales. Landing your fantasy job is dependent on much more than the resumeensure you're choosing a prosperous job search strategist who understands the total recruiting process, of which the resume is 1 part of that procedure. Expand Recruiter List after you have distributed your resume, you will obtain the comprehensive collection of businesses that have received your resume. The following resume services are a few of the finest on earth. You will need not to forget that the resume is prepared so you may sell your abilities and abilities. It's also important to think about the type of work you genuinely are interested in being hired to do. Other essential areas in your work experience will likewise be explored to highlight your credentials and make a stand-out resume. Lots of people don't like their existing job or career. The story behind your promotion can earn a difference. There's no doubt a good resume can generate enough interest to help you receive an interview. Everyone would like to offer executive resume services, but the simple truth is, not everybody is qualified to achieve that. Once you've reviewed a few websites that pique your interest, you will want to narrow it down to someone who's a fantastic fit. Our work is targeted on providing result-oriented resumes that doesn't only attract hiring managers' attention, but in addition make you receive the desirable position. To make sure that your resume appears to be ideal, you've got to get an idea who your employer is. An employer taking such a quick glance should have the ability to immediately grasp what you would like to do and gain an awareness of the value you'll be able to lead to the organization. They are likely to be concerned with the degree you just attained than something you did five years ago.

The Number One Article on Resume Writing for Mature Workers

The Number One Article on Resume Writing for Mature Workers Mirror the work ad to demonstrate which you're excellent for the role, and explain why you need to work for that specific company. A recruiter is probably going to ask you about your time spent outside the workplace, and you will need to get ready to respond in a positive way. Do a startup wherever your exit strategy is a work offer at another firm. Sooner or later, there are several factors that go into a hiring decision. Resume Writing for Mature Workers for Dummies On-line tutorial or webinar training may be a huge aid in getting you up to speed on the hottest trends and data in your area, and they offer valuable information for your resume. As an example, ensure you include keywords from the work description in your resume. Focus your resume Limit your resume to two pages, and center on the previous positions which are most relevant and impressive with respect to the job you're applying for. Look at utilizing a chrono-functional resume. Understanding Resume Writing for Mature Workers To assist you land one, get prepared to compose a good cover letter. The second half of the cover message is a great place to achieve that. If you're over 40 and searching for employment, these resume tips for older workers will be able to help you get your foot in the door. Let's review a number of the most fundamental cover letter strategies for older workers, starting now! Removing your graduation dates from your resume can be a sensible move and offer a modest additional anonymity once it comes to your age. Not everybody agrees, but a lot of career experts feel that it's important to continue to keep dates on your resume. Adhere to the standard education and experience format, but be sure your resume can lead prospective employers to your on-line presence, Collamer states. Select a direction Start by deciding what you would like to do next. Given their tenure at work, job seekers over 40 are more inclined to provide plenty of specific accomplishments. If you're an older worker that has been in the exact same job or company for a long time, emphasise the transferability of many skills you have acquired. Your skills have to be rejuvenated, too. It also ought to highlight your transferrable employability abilities and demonstrate that you're a fantastic worker. If you intend to change significantly summarize your long work career in one paragraph. In reality even resume advisors aren't too sure about how this sort of gap needs to be addressed! Most of all, ensure there aren't any typos or spelling errors! This sort of format is typically employed by job seekers attempting to hide something, and employers know that so they begin searching for potential issues whenever they start reading.