#JobSearch : Recruiter And Application Tracking System(ATS) Expert Shares Resume Dos, Don’ts. How to Effectively Create your Resume to Get Through ATS.

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In the hiring process, 90% of large employers use an Applicant Tracking System where job candidates submit their resumes online when applying for positions. Many job hunters – whether they are 20-something or 50-something do not understand how the Applicant Tracking System works and certain myths have been passed around on the Internet that are not true. Tejal Wagadia is JobScan’s Career

Expert with a background in corporate recruiting who also writes a job search and career blog called coffee and tejal. She talked with me about the facts regarding resumes, ATS, and how recruiters and employers use it. Job Scan, she noted, is an online service that uses AI to review a resume and aid you in optimizing your resume as you apply to a specific ATS system.

What is an Applicant Tracking System?

ATS is a human resources software, that works as an online database or a digital filing cabinet and so a recruiter or hiring manager can go in and look at your resume, notes Wagadia. ATS is used by companies of all sizes to organize, search, and communicate with large groups of applicants, but it is significant to note that 99% of Fortune 500 use an ATS in their recruitment and hiring process. Companies often hire for multiple positions at once and receive hundreds if not thousands of applicants for each job opening. When a recruiter or hiring manager receives that many resumes, it’s not feasible for them to carefully read each one. ATS makes searching easier—or even automated—saving time and removing unqualified people.

When you apply through an ATS, you will most likely be asked to answer what are called “knockout questions”, stated Wagadia. Knockout questions can be in the style of checkboxes or short answer questions. Their purpose is to narrow the pool of applicants. Filters are used by the software to eliminate unqualified candidates often involving Education requirements, certifications, specific experience, or work authorizations. So, if you answer any of the knockout questions unsatisfactorily, the resume will either be flagged or auto-rejected by the ATS. If you answer the knockout questions correctly, your resume will make it through to the next stage.

 

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What Skill Sets Do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

Did you know?  First Sun Consulting, LLc (FSC) is celebrating over 30 years in the delivery of corporate & individual outplacement services & programs to over 1200 of our corporate clients in the U.S., Canada, UK, & Mexico!  

We here at FSC want to thank each of corporate partners in the opportunity in serving & moving each of their transitioning employee(s) rapidly toward employment !

 

Article continued …

Recruiters and managers then select specific keywords to sort through and find appropriate candidates. These keywords are used in the job posting. They could be based on skills, location, or work experience needed.

“One major myth out there on the Internet about ATS is simply not true,” revealed Wagadia. “This online statistic is a myth: “75% of resumes are never seen human eyes as they are filtered out by the ATS.” In my experience and talking with other recruiters, this is not true. Your rejection is likely from a human being.” A resume writer simply made up this statistic and many resume writers repeated it and use it in their service ads and on their websites.

Here are her insights to lower your job search stress on how to effectively create your Resume to get through ATS.

MYTHS to Avoid. Wagadia noted that there are no tricks to beat the ATS. You need the experience, and qualifications because sooner or later in the review process a human looks at the resume and if you lack these you are instantly rejected. Here are her tips for improving your resume. Writing keywords in white on the resume inside margins does not work. Thinking more keywords the better is not effective either.

Customize the resume based on the job description. Look at the first 3-5 qualifications and 3-5 duties and ensure that you are using that verbiage on your resume. Add it if it is missing. Do this with each submitted resume for each job opportunity.

Avoid these mistakes. Don’t submit in a PDF format although the system may accept a PDF, it’s more effective to submit the resume as a Word doc. ATS cannot read headers, footers, text boxes, tables, columns, or color ink. Also, some job hunters rate their skills themselves on their resume but this another critical error. Use traditional fonts and spell out acronyms.

Only apply if you meet 75-80% of the qualifications. The company will eliminate you if you lack most of the key qualifications. But if you have most of the qualifications you can apply. For example, you have 5 years of experience and they ask for 7, you are close enough if you have all the other work experience asked for. What is essential is to determine if you have done this job and what have you accomplished on the job. If the answer is yes, apply.

Use a traditional standard format. Keep in mind that when a recruiter does look at your resume, it’s a pretty quick glance. Have your top accomplishments and best experience near the top. ATS wants your information in specified standard headings Education, Professional Experience, Technical Skills, Honors and Awards, etc., so do not get creative here in making up section heading titles.

Refine your job search to be more effective. Think QUALITY over QUANITY in terms of the application you make. Do not spend endless hours a week online filing dozens of applications. You must be fresh to customize that resume to use for your application. When one is done, walk away from the computer. 5-10 hours a week is the approximate amount of time you need to spend on identifying leads, customizing the resume, and applying. Also important to note that additional job search hours should be spent on Interviewing and the all-important networking tasks.

NETWORKING must be an essential part of your job search process. Assuming you are qualified for the job, look to find the recruiter on LinkedIn. Reach out to that person. Mention you are applying and very briefly outline your skills and ask for more info on the job. Another key step is to look for a connection working inside the company and reach out to them for more info about the company, job. You should also ask them to pass on your resume to HR or the appropriate recruiter or hiring manager as an internally referred resume ALWAYS gets looked at.

 

Forbes.com | May 25, 2021 |  Robin Ryan

 

#JobSearch : 5 Mistakes Most People Do When Creating Resumes. Job Hunters Must Focus on How their Resume Comes Across to Businesses.

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A resume is often the first piece of contact between an employer and an applicant. Gone are the days when we could pop into an office and talk to future jobs; there’s no initial face-to-face anymore unless you make it to the interview stage. Instead, job hunters must focus on how their resume comes across to businesses. 

A surprisingly large number of seemingly small mistakes can cause your resume to fail. So instead of letting any of this drag you down, here are the top ones to watch out for and how they could affect how a company views you.

Overlooking Typos and Grammatical Errors:   Sentences that have obvious typos, poorly phrased grammar, and no forethought can be hard to read.  An entire resume of those can be nearly impossible to bother with.  Many companies won’t admit this, but resumes with too many typos or glaring errors never make it past the first stage.

The main reason for this fail is because it shows a lack of an eye for detail. Companies want employees who put effort into things that need it, and if you can’t put any effort into your first communication with them, how can they trust you to work hard for their company?

A simple pass through a spellcheck system can be good, but if you want to take it further, you ask someone you trust to read over your resume a couple of times. Unfortunately, although reading it over yourself may catch some, we tend to be less capable of detecting our errors.

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What Skill Sets Do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

Did you know?  First Sun Consulting, LLc (FSC) is celebrating over 30 years in the delivery of corporate & individual outplacement services & programs to over 1200 of our corporate clients in the U.S., Canada, UK, & Mexico!  

We here at FSC want to thank each of corporate partners in the opportunity in serving & moving each of their transitioning employee(s) rapidly toward employment !

 

Article continued …

Including Information Just To Fill It Out:  You may think that the longer your resume is, the more impressive it is: but that’s not the case if it’s all a bunch of filler. Filler is anything unnecessary but gets added to fill out the text or make the document longer.

“Companies will either think that you’re lying about other parts of your resume and are trying to hide it: or they’ll assume that you don’t understand what skills are vital. Including one job you worked for ten years and did well in is more important than padding it out with many small jobs you did throughout the years. Less can be more, as long as what you include has value.” –

Marla DiCarlo, CEO of Raincatcher

 

Avoiding, or Leaning Too Far Into, Style:   Infographic resumes were a fun and quirky style of applying to a job in the early 2010s, but most companies aren’t interested in these. Some larger businesses don’t even view resumes until after they’ve been scanned through a filter of things they want from an employee: this could leave your resume unread if you over-format it and try to get too cute with the design. The biggest mistakes are over-formatting, changing the background color to something too bright, or having the text almost illegible because it’s in a dozen different colors.

On the other hand, you should ensure there’s at least a little personality to it. Don’t make the rookie mistake of applying with every header, sentence, and link at the same size and style. As a society, we’ve moved past applications in twelve-point Times New Roman. You can also play around with minor changes, like your text’s alignment, what order you place things in, and how you word each part of the document, but be careful.  You don’t want to go overboard.

 

Add just enough personality to make it feel right for you, but don’t go too far off the deep end.

 

Missing the Opportunity to Word Things In Your Favor :  Show off your accomplishments instead of just saying what work was thrust upon you in previous jobs. This could mean explaining how you lead a team and what you achieved with that team, instead of simply saying that you were given a team to lead. Think about it as an action story instead of a product description on a grocery store’s website.

 

Attempting One Resume For Every Job:  If you’re desperate for work and applying for a ton of different jobs, you’re not alone!  The problem comes when you apply to every single job with the same application and wording. You want to make companies feel like it’s their specific business you’re interested in and make it clear that you know which job you’re applying for. Of course, you might be applying to hundreds over the period of a week, but tweaking the wording and ensuring you include only relevant information can give you the boost to the top of a company’s interest.

 

Your Resume Is An Advertisement For Yourself:  When you’re sending out resumes, you’re attempting to show businesses the value you can offer them. View it as trying to show off a product, but the product is yourself. It would help if you were honest about what you’re capable of, polish it up to look attractive to anyone reading, and have a little humor and intrigue to make them interested.

 

FSC Career Blog Author:  Andrew Nelson is a freelance writer and contributor in the Human Resource Industry. He specializes in topics such as workplace management, employee lifestyle and fringe benefits, employee retention and employee development. 

 

FSC Career Blog – May 20, 2021

#YourCareer : Thought Leadership Myths to Guard Against.

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As an executive, thought leadership is one of the best qualities you can possess. When you are a thought leader, you have innovative ideas that help business move in a positive direction, all while influencing other employees as well.

However, there are some myths you need to be aware of when it comes to thought leadership for executives.

  1. Perfection is a Must

We all know that no one is perfect, and that includes thought leaders. Believe it or not, a good quality to improve your c-level personal branding is to admit you need to check resources to get answers to certain questions. Ensuring you’re providing the correct answers is much more important and enhances your credibility more than giving an incorrect answer immediately.

  1. Relationships Don’t Matter as Much as Productivity

Building relationships is a high-priority to a true thought leader. It will be evident to professional executive resume writers if you are a self-centered leader or if you are focused on building relationships as you become successful. Employers want to hire executives who build quality relationships as well.

 

  1. Every Thought Presented Must Be Original

Don’t be afraid to give credit where credit is due. Every great thought leader uses ideas from successful people before them and build off of those ideas to make their own. However, if you think every one of your ideas has to be original in order to improve your c-level personal branding, you’re wrong.

  1. You Must Control the Conversation

The role of a thought leader is to present new ideas in creative and innovative ways. That doesn’t necessarily mean each idea presented is the best right away. Any time a conversation comes up about an idea you have, listen to the feedback instead of shutting the person down right away. You shouldn’t try to spark a debate or control the conversation. The top resume services suggest getting feedback from as many sources as possible before developing your idea and putting it on paper.

  1. Once You Have a Great Thought, You’re Done

Thoughts without actions are useless. All professional executive resume writers want to know is what actions you took to get a certain result. You can’t put a thought on a resume because employers won’t know what result happened from the thought. Put your thought into motion to have the best results as a thought leader.

 

FSC Career Blog Author:   Erin Kennedy, MCD, CMRW, CPRW, CERW, CEMC, is a Certified Professional Resume Writer/Career Consultant, and the President of Professional Resume Services, named one of Forbes “Top 100 Career Websites”. Considered an influencer, she is consistently listed as a “Top Career Expert to Follow” on Twitter and LinkedIn.

 

FSC Career Blog | May 19, 2021 

 

 

#JobSearch : Cover Letters to Boost Your Chances of Success. How to Write One that will Boost your Chances of Getting that Interview? Great REad!

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Cover letters get mixed reviews. They are a tricky part of the job-hunting process, for sure. Some hiring managers won’t even look at a resume if isn’t accompanied by one. Others don’t pay any attention to them. So, err on the side of caution and always include one!

           Question: How do you stand out?

Now that this discussion is over, how do you approach writing one that will boost your chances of getting that interview? Realize that cover letters are a great way to show potential employers how your skills can benefit the company before they even look at your resume. Remember, your cover letter and resume will speak to different facets of you.

Here are some areas to consider when creating your cover letter: 

Conciseness

One of the most important things to remember when writing cover letters for resume is that the two shouldn’t be identical! Yes, your cover letter will contain some of the same information found in your resume, but you don’t need or have to include every single facet. Remember: hiring executives only have a few seconds to read your information. It’s best to keep your cover letter short and to the point, so you don’t waste the recruiter’s time and have a higher chance of getting called back.

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Answer: Simply go to our FSC Career Blog below & Type(#Jobsearch, #Resume, or #Networking) in Blog Search:  https://www.firstsun.com/fsc-career-blog/

What Skill Sets Do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

Did you know?  First Sun Consulting, LLc (FSC) is celebrating over 30 years in the delivery of corporate & individual outplacement services & programs to over 1200 of our corporate clients in the U.S., Canada, UK, & Mexico!  

We here at FSC want to thank each of corporate partners in the opportunity in serving & moving each of their transitioning employee(s) rapidly toward employment !

 

Article continued … 

Talk About the Company

Before you draft the first sentence of your cover letter, you should do ample research about the company you’re looking to work for. Just like your resume, your cover letter should be targeted to the employer. The best way to research the company is to network! Talk to other executives to see how you could contribute to their business and fit into their office culture. You’ll also want to be sure to look into their work within and contributions to the industry, as well as any other companies they compete with. Showing you know quite a bit about their company will prove you’re invested and worth hiring. You may just find something similar to your own work achievements, which you can tie into your cover letter. 

Take your time in crafting a targeted cover letter to highlight how you can address a company’s pain points, showing that you are worth the investment. You can always turn to a cover letter writing service for any extra help you may need to get started or sort out any kinks.

Your Strengths

One of the primary functions of resumes and cover letters is to illustrate your strengths and what you have to offer to a company. Be sure to go into these qualities in your cover letter. Talk about your skills and accomplishments you’ve gained throughout your career, what these mean and how they’d make you a valuable member of the company.

You should be trying to sell yourself as much as possible. Just don’t overdo it! You don’t want to come off as a braggart, though a bit of boasting is okay. Stick to as much factual information as possible by talking about how you’ve affected the industry, any similar or competitive companies you’ve worked for in the past, and your experiences within your chosen field. 

Referrals

Knowing someone who may have turned you onto the company will help you immediately catch a hiring executive’s eye. In fact, you may want to point out this fact right away. Networking is and has always been an important part of landing a job. Over your many years of career experience, you’ve undoubtedly amassed a large number of contacts and referrals. Now’s the time to really rely on them! A referral can vouch for you and your ability to be a great addition to the company. You never want to pass up on someone putting in a good word for you.

Take your time in crafting a targeted cover letter to highlight how you can address a company’s pain points, showing that you are worth the investment. You can always turn to a cover letter writing service for any extra help you may need to get started or sort out any kinks.

FSC Career Blog Author:  Erin Kennedy, MCD, CMRW, CPRW, CERW, CEMC, is a Certified Professional Resume Writer/Career Consultant, and the President of Professional Resume Services, named one of Forbes “Top 100 Career Websites”. Considered an influencer, she is consistently listed as a “Top Career Expert to Follow” on Twitter and LinkedIn.

 

FSC Career Blog – May 13, 2021

 

#JobSearch : Don’t Believe These #LinkedIn Myths. Learn How to Get the Most Out of LinkedIn. Great REad!

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I speak with clients everyday who are completely overwhelmed by LinkedIn. I completely understand. Is it a job search site or networking platform? What about LinkedIn groups? Are they helpful? Can I apply for jobs from the site?

The answer to all these questions is YES!! With over 700 million users and 20 million companies using the platform, LI is the place to be for all business professionals for all the reasons mentioned. But there are still so many myths surrounding LinkedIn.

We will address some of them here to help you get the most out of this social networking site and make sure you aren’t putting a halt to your job search.

Myth #1 – Only Connect with People You Know Well

The first thing LinkedIn profile development services will tell you is you don’t want to connect with just anyone, but you also shouldn’t only connect with people you know personally. There’s nothing wrong with sending an invitation to connect with someone who you met at a social event, or maybe even in a virtual group on LinkedIn itself. As long as there is a mutual benefit to be had, the other person will appreciate the invitation. Be respectful of people and their time, but connect and offer a compliment on something they wrote and something you read about them to break the ice.

 

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Answer: Simply go to our FSC Career Blog below & Type(#Jobsearch, #Resume, or #Networking) in Blog Search:  https://www.firstsun.com/fsc-career-blog/

What Skill Sets Do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

Did you know?  First Sun Consulting, LLc (FSC) is celebrating over 30 years in the delivery of corporate & individual outplacement services & programs to over 1200 of our corporate clients in the U.S., Canada, UK, & Mexico!  

We here at FSC want to thank each of corporate partners in the opportunity in serving & moving each of their transitioning employee(s) rapidly toward employment !

 

Article continued …

Myth #2 – LinkedIn is Only for Job Searches

When utilized correctly, LinkedIn can help develop your personal brand and properly depict your career progression over the years. If you need to, consult a professional LinkedIn profile writer to help keep your profile up-to-date. Even if you aren’t actively looking for a job, a recruiter may come across your profile and offer a better opportunity to you. Also, by using LinkedIn actively, you can keep track of your connections and find out some interesting things about your industry from real people who are in it with you.

 

Myth #3 – Building a Profile Brings Job Offers

It doesn’t matter if you are a professional LinkedIn profile writer or not, simply posting a profile won’t send job offers flying in to you. It’s possible for you to receive a few inquiries, but you also have to be somewhat active on the site. We work with clients every day who think simply completing their profile is the end. Not true! Now the work begins. Even more importantly, if you are searching for a job, make it clear in your profile. Put your contact information clearly where a recruiter can see it to make it easier for them to get in touch with you.

 

Myth #4 – LinkedIn Groups Aren’t Beneficial

Some people think LinkedIn groups won’t benefit them much. However, if you ask a LinkedIn profile service, they may tell you you’re not using LinkedIn groups properly. Many people join groups, but don’t engage in them. If you start conversations and intellectual discussions, other people are more likely to join in. By networking with other executives, you’ll be able to help each other stay on top of your respective industries. The more the people in the group see your name, the more they will remember it if a job opportunity ever becomes available.

There are a lot of facts and myths when it comes to online networking, and LinkedIn is no different. Whether you’re just beginning to create a LinkedIn profile, or if you are stuck and need to give yours a facelift, we will be happy to assist you in any way we can.

 

FSC Career Blog Author:  Erin Kennedy, MCD, CMRW, CPRW, CERW, CEMC, is a Certified Professional Resume Writer/Career Consultant, and the President of Professional Resume Services, named one of Forbes “Top 100 Career Websites”. Considered an influencer, she is consistently listed as a “Top Career Expert to Follow” on Twitter and LinkedIn.

FSC Career Blog – May 10, 2021

 

#JobSearch : Here’s Why There Are Millions Of Job Openings, But Little Hiring. Very Interesting Article. Great REad!

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Wall Street professionals and economists were predicting that April’s jobs report would show that the United States economy created over one million news jobs. Then, when the U.S. Department of Labor released the actual numbers, it was only about 25% of what they expected.

There was an overwhelming sense of disappointment and dismay. Experts started to wonder what went wrong. States reopened, vaccines were administered to millions of Americans and trillions of dollars were put into the economy to stimulate growth by the federal government. Record levels of 7.4 million jobs listings were posted online. This was supposed to be good. What happened?

After taking a deep breath and reassessing the situation, there are valid reasons for the glaring disparity between the expected number of new jobs created and the reality. Some of the blame is being put on the scarcity of workers. Although millions of jobs have been posted online, companies aren’t able to recruit and onboard people.

Here’s what’s happening:

Parents are finding it exceedingly hard to juggle their jobs, provide child care and homeschool their children, as many public schools shut down in-classroom studies. Having to choose between working, searching for a job or taking care of their kids, many mothers elected to opt out of the job market.

Although millions of Americans have been vaccinated, there is still a palpable fear of catching Covid-19. People would rather not work than run the risk of catching and spreading the virus. In a survey of food-service workers, conducted by One Fair Wage and the Food Labor Research Center at the University of California, Berkeley, 75% of the respondents said low wages and tips was the impetus to quit their jobs during the pandemic. The survey showed that workers’ concerns about Covid-19 and “increased hostility and harassment from customers, often related to wearing masks, in addition to long-running complaints of sexual harassment” led to them leaving their jobs. Due to these types of issues, some workers not only quit, they decided not to return. Instead, they wanted to pivot to different careers outside of retail, restaurants and other frontline jobs.

 

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Answer: Simply go to our FSC Career Blog below & Type(#Jobsearch, #Resume, or #Networking) in Blog Search:  https://www.firstsun.com/fsc-career-blog/

What Skill Sets Do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

Did you know?  First Sun Consulting, LLc (FSC) is celebrating over 30 years in the delivery of corporate & individual outplacement services & programs to over 1200 of our corporate clients in the U.S., Canada, UK, & Mexico!  

We here at FSC want to thank each of corporate partners in the opportunity in serving & moving each of their transitioning employee(s) rapidly toward employment !

 

Article continued …

Some older workers, perhaps due to ageism, couldn’t find jobs, felt frustrated and left the job market altogether. Others, who were more fortunate, benefited from the booming stock market and increases in real estate and home prices, contributing to about 1.2 million older Americans deciding to cash in their chips and take an early retirement.

Employers, particularly in the restaurant and hospitality industry, have reported scant responses to their help-wanted ads. Some of these managers contend enhanced $300 unemployment benefits, along with stimulus checks and other government aid programs, are making it attractive for potential workers to stay on the sidelines. Business owners say the current system makes it too convenient for people to collect a check and not have to work. Unemployed folks would point out that it’s not worth it to take a potential health and safety risk for only a low wage. This, in part, has led to about 16 million people still receiving some form of unemployment benefits.

White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said about the matter, “We recognize that the labor supply has been affected by the pandemic, [but] are seeing little evidence though that enhanced unemployment benefits are currently affecting Americans’ willingness to work.” 

It’s reasonable that if employers need workers so badly, they should raise pay. This is also not happening. ADP chief economist Nela Richardson said, “The full sentence is ‘I can’t find workers at the wage I am willing to offer.’ Full stop.” Richardson contends that if you pay them well, “you can find workers.”

While this is easy to say, for many companies, particularly mom-and-pop businesses, which represent a significant amount of jobs, they don’t have huge financial resources—like Amazon, Apple and Facebook—and simply can’t afford it. Small and midsize businesses rely upon razor-thin profit margins and don’t have the ability to increase salaries. We’ve already seen tens of thousands of businesses permanently close during the pandemic, as they couldn’t afford to wait things out.

There is some hope on the horizon. Looking out to September, there is a belief that schools will reopen, relieving the pressure on parents, the enhanced unemployment benefits will be gone and more Americans vaccinated. This should make people who pulled out of the labor force come back and start interviewing. Hiring will return and the employment levels will improve. As more people have jobs, they have money to spend, which will help the economy and, in turn, would create more jobs. Hopefully, we’ll see the 1 million new jobs created that we had hoped for in April.

 

Forbes.com | May 7. 2021 | Jack Kelly

 

#JobSearch : Job Search Strategies for the Recent College Graduate. You Have your Degree in Hand and are Ready to Start your Job Search. So, What’s your First Step?

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After years of attending classes, studying, and taking exams, you have finally graduated!  You have your degree in hand and are ready to start your job search. So, what’s your first step?

Even in a strong economy, starting out on the job search is never easy. In a down economy, it can be even harder. It is especially difficult for new graduates who have yet to prove themselves. How do you get experience until you have experience?

 

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Question: Want the ‘the best/current articles/blogs on the web’ on Job Search, Resume, Advancing/Changing your Career, or simply Managing People?

Answer: Simply go to our FSC Career Blog below & Type(#Jobsearch, #Resume, or #Networking) in Blog Search:  https://www.firstsun.com/fsc-career-blog/

What Skill Sets Do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

Did you know?  First Sun Consulting, LLc (FSC) is celebrating over 30 years in the delivery of corporate & individual outplacement services & programs to over 1200 of our corporate clients in the U.S., Canada, UK, & Mexico!  

We here at FSC want to thank each of corporate partners in the opportunity in serving & moving each of their transitioning employee(s) rapidly toward employment !

Article continued …

Job hunting is, in and of itself, a full-time job and should be treated like one. The best way to land a good job is to be aggressive about hunting for one. They exist, but they are not going to come looking for you. Get up early and be prepared to work harder than you ever worked before.

Your Resume
Your resume is the first impression you give an employer.  The content, format, and style should be created in a manner that represents the value and expertise you offer, as well as appealing enough to stand above the stack of resumes the employer will be receiving for the open position. Look at our recent graduate sample resume to give you an idea of what a new graduate resume should look like. If you aren’t comfortable writing your own resume, consider consulting a professional writing service to help you out. Professional writers are trained to create individualized resumes that generate interviews.

Networking
Research professional organizations within your industry. Many have jobs posted on their sites, as well as have details of upcoming job fairs and other networking events. If you know of friends or colleagues involved in any of the organizations you’re interested in, contact them to see if it would benefit you to join as well. Make sure your LinkedIn profile is fully optimized before you start your job search. Hiring managers will be looking at it before making an interview invitation.

Interview Prep
Start now preparing for future interviews. While your parents and friends may give you interview tips, they won’t be there holding your hand during the interview-you need to be able to dazzle an employer on your own! Have 1-2 outfits readily available for interviews, as well as copies of your resume prepared to take with you. Read blogs and books that offer interview advice. Research the company before you head into the interview. Be sure you know what they do, what products they sell or services they offer. Being able to speak the company language will show the hiring manager you are serious about joining their team.

 

FSC Career Blog Author:  Erin Kennedy, MCD, CMRW, CPRW, CERW, CEMC, is a Certified Professional Resume Writer/Career Consultant, and the President of Professional Resume Services, named one of Forbes “Top 100 Career Websites”. Considered an influencer, she is consistently listed as a “Top Career Expert to Follow” on Twitter and LinkedIn.

 

FSC Career Blog –  May 3,  2021

 

#JobSearch : Action Steps to Take When Hiring Isn’t Happening. A MUst REad!

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Job searches are hard. We understand. Figuratively, you’re casting your line out in the world’s largest pond, already flanked with fishermen with just as much skill as you, and the fish headed your way are extremely choosy as to whose lure they’ll take. So, what happens when you work your hardest, buy the best possible line and lures, and camp out for hours chasing fish after fish, but fail to get a single bite?

Discouragement is the most frequent and understandable emotion. If you’ve been putting in applications for job after job but have yet to be hired by anyone, we realize and acknowledge your frustrations. However, you have to keep trying!

Here’s what you can do to try and keep yourself afloat while your job search continues.

Audit Your Resume

While this may sound like an irrelevant suggestion, it could very well ring true that you don’t have enough information included within your resume to push employers to hire you. Sometimes we shortchange ourselves by underestimating our skills. Sometimes we fail to see how certain skills and experiences relate to the industries we’re trying to work in, so we leave them out of our executive resume bio and flesh out the rest of what we have to offer. Go back over your resume and think about all of your qualifications, experiences, and skills and whether you could have skipped over anything that could prove useful. Chances are you’ll come across something you shouldn’t have left out, but other times you may just need to tweak the wording to better align with keywords that potential employers search for.

 

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Twitter: Follow us @ firstsunllc

Best Daily Choice: Follow the Best of FSC Career Articles/Blogs @

https://twitter.com/search?q=bestoffscblog&src=typeahead_click

Question: Want the ‘the best/current articles/blogs on the web’ on Job Search, Resume, Advancing/Changing your Career, or simply Managing People?

Answer: Simply go to our FSC Career Blog below & Type(#Jobsearch, #Resume, or #Networking) in Blog Search:  https://www.firstsun.com/fsc-career-blog/

What Skill Sets Do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

Did you know?  First Sun Consulting, LLc (FSC) is celebrating over 30 years in the delivery of corporate & individual outplacement services & programs to over 1200 of our corporate clients in the U.S., Canada, UK, & Mexico!  

We here at FSC want to thank each of corporate partners in the opportunity in serving & moving each of their transitioning employee(s) rapidly toward employment !

 

Article continued …

Re-evaluate Your Prospective Jobs

If your resume checks out, you may be using it to approach the wrong positions. Again, this happens more often than you’d think! Look back on all of the applications you’ve submitted recently and make a note of what you find. While you’re doing this, be sure to consider your own skills and where you fit in terms of what the employer is asking for. Sometimes we apply to positions even when we don’t have exactly the right credentials. Other times, we simply may not yet have enough experience in the field to qualify for certain positions in it.

Invest in Some Self-Improvement

If you find a dissonance between the types of jobs you want and the types of jobs you qualify for, now is the best time to start brushing up on your professional skills, so your executive LinkedIn profile (and other branding tools) will more adequately reflect your potential. You can potentially improve your professional skills by taking adult courses to learn any necessary software, researching what skills are becoming more relevant in your industry, and much more. It also helps to review the best ways to market yourself to any and all prospective employers. A professional resume company can assist you by critiquing your executive resume cover letter and much more! Be sure to reach out to your nearest and most qualified executive resume company to get back on the right track with your job search today!

FSC Career Blog Author:  Erin Kennedy, MCD, CMRW, CPRW, CERW, CEMC, is a Certified Professional Resume Writer/Career Consultant, and the President of Professional Resume Services, named one of Forbes “Top 100 Career Websites”. Considered an influencer, she is consistently listed as a “Top Career Expert to Follow” on Twitter and LinkedIn.

 

FSC Career Blog – April 26, 2021

 

#YourCareer : Is Your Elevator Pitch Ready? Here’s Some Tips to Help.

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The thing about an elevator pitch is you never know when you will need it. And inevitably, opportunity presents itself at some of the most difficult times. But if you are interested in pursuing a new position, now or even in the future, you need to have your pitch polished and ready to go at a moment’s notice.

What Is an Elevator Pitch?

Your executive bio, executive resume biography, or your elevator pitch is a brief 30-second bit about what you do, how you do it, and who you are. You’re telling any potential employer or contact why you’re the perfect candidate. An elevator pitch concisely explains why you’re the ideal candidate for the job.

 

Like this Article?  Share It!    You now can easily enjoy/follow/share Today our Award-Winning Articles/Blogs with Now Over 2.5 Million Growing Participates Worldwide in our various Social Media formats below:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-g-laughter-b46389198/

Twitter: Follow us @ firstsunllc

Best Daily Choice: Follow the Best of FSC Career Articles/Blogs @

https://twitter.com/search?q=bestoffscblog&src=typeahead_click

Question: Want the ‘the best/current articles/blogs on the web’ on Job Search, Resume, Advancing/Changing your Career, or simply Managing People?

Answer: Simply go to our FSC Career Blog below & Type(#Jobsearch, #Resume, or #Networking) in Blog Search:  https://www.firstsun.com/fsc-career-blog/

What Skill Sets Do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

Did you know?  First Sun Consulting, LLc (FSC) is celebrating over 30 years in the delivery of corporate & individual outplacement services & programs to over 1200 of our corporate clients in the U.S., Canada, UK, & Mexico!  

We here at FSC want to thank each of corporate partners in the opportunity in serving & moving each of their transitioning employee(s) rapidly toward employment !

 

Article continued …

The Difficult Piece

In theory, it doesn’t sound too difficult to speak about our abilities and accomplishments for 30-seconds. But when it comes down to it, condensing years of experience and hard work into 30-seconds of chatter is difficult. You’ve done so much, but you have so little time to articulate it. If you’re back on the job market, you’ll want to create the perfect elevator pitch immediately. You never know when a great contact or opportunity will come up so you must be prepared.

With this in mind, here’s how to develop a perfected pitch:

Clarify What You Want

Before you start crafting your pitch, you must focus on what your desires are. Clarify what you want in a job. Choose what kind of employment you’re interested in. Each industry and profession will require a different type of elevator speech.

Write It Down

Once you have determined your focus and direction, you can start writing it out. Grab a piece of paper and start scribbling. Begin by jotting down bullet point ideas about what you’ve accomplished, your abilities, personality and more. Once you have a long list, you can start going through it and crossing off items of lesser importance. When you have narrowed it down to the most important bullet points, you can begin to craft these tidbits of information into a concise, 30-second speech.

Address What’s Important

Next, you’ll want to read over your first draft and see if you’ve covered the important questions. You must answer the fundamental questions someone looking to hire you is considering:

  • What do you do?
  • Who are you?
  • What do you desire?

If you believe your elevator pitch has covered these basic questions, move on to the next tip. 

Tailor Your Words 

Once your first draft is complete and the basics are covered, you’ll want to continue combing and improving. Start by tailoring your words to relate to the individual(s) you’re going to speak to. Add in benefit-focused wording to ensure your audience understands how you can help them.

Use a Mirror

Now, take your pitch and head to the closest mirror, preferably with a little privacy. Stare yourself in the eyes and start giving your pitch. Let confidence flow through your veins and honestly believe what you’re saying. Monitor what areas of your quick speech sound great and which ones need tweaking. 

Tweak It to Perfection

Not everything sounds as good on paper as it does when spoken. Most individuals find they need to reword and tweak things after hearing it out loud. It’s important to keep sentences short, speak in clear vocabulary free of industry jargon, and keep things conversational. Once you’ve tweaked your speech to perfection, you’ll want to continue practicing. Polish your words until you can spring into action and lay down your verbal biography in front of anyone at any time. Practice always makes perfect.

Understand Your Audience

Lastly, you shouldn’t be afraid to create a couple of variations. Most people slightly change their speech when speaking with an old colleague rather than in front of an interviewer. The more you practice the pitch, the more comfortable you’ll feel when a slight tweak or change is needed.

Seek Help, if Necessary

Anything relating to your executive bio is not going to be easy. You’re going to have to work to create the perfect resume and elevator pitch. If you’re struggling to do so, professional help may be needed.

 

FSC Career Blog Author:  Erin Kennedy, MCD, CMRW, CPRW, CERW, CEMC, is a Certified Professional Resume Writer/Career Consultant, and the President of Professional Resume Services, named one of Forbes “Top 100 Career Websites”. Considered an influencer, she is consistently listed as a “Top Career Expert to Follow” on Twitter and LinkedIn.

FSC Career Blog – April 20, 2021

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

#BestofFSCBlog : Why Your #JobSearch Isn’t Yielding Results? Also, Wondering Why your Search is Taking so Long?? A MUst REad for ALL!

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According to a recent survey conducted by Resume Builder and YouGov, the Covid-19 pandemic has affected employment for 30% of workers, and almost 25% of Americans say there are no suitable employment opportunities. That’s why it’s more important than ever to make yourself a competitive candidate. Unfortunately, many job seekers are struggling, wondering why their search is taking so long.

If you are one of those people, here are some reasons that your job search may not be yielding results.

Your resume doesn’t reflect the job you want

The Resume Builder survey also revealed that only 1 in 4 American workers impacted by COVID-19 update their resumes. That’s a shocking statistic. A common mistake job seekers make is allowing their resumes to reflect their previous positions, not the job they want. For example, if you’ve spent the last several years in marketing communications but want to pivot to business development, your resume should highlight your skills and experience in that area. It’s easy to write a general resume that lists past job titles and accomplishments, but recruiters look for talent specific to the positions they are looking to fill. Tailoring your resume to fit the work you want will help you land your dream job.

 

Like this Article?  Share It!    You now can easily enjoy/follow/share Today our Award-Winning Articles/Blogs with Now Over 2.5 Million Growing Participates Worldwide in our various Social Media formats below:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-g-laughter-b46389198/

Twitter: Follow us @ firstsunllc

Best Daily Choice: Follow the Best of FSC Career Articles/Blogs @

https://twitter.com/search?q=bestoffscblog&src=typeahead_click

Question: Want the ‘the best/current articles/blogs on the web’ on Job Search, Resume, Advancing/Changing your Career, or simply Managing People?

Answer: Simply go to our FSC Career Blog below & Type(#Jobsearch, #Resume, or #Networking) in Blog Search:  https://www.firstsun.com/fsc-career-blog/

What Skill Sets Do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

Did you know?  First Sun Consulting, LLc (FSC) is celebrating over 30 years in the delivery of corporate & individual outplacement services & programs to over 1200 of our corporate clients in the U.S., Canada, UK, & Mexico!  

We here at FSC want to thank each of corporate partners in the opportunity in serving & moving each of their transitioning employee(s) rapidly toward employment !

 

Article continued …

Your job search is too broad

I’ve had job seekers tell me that they want to “keep their options open,” so they purposely keep their job search broad. That’s a mistake. A better approach is to start by identifying what type of job you want. Not just what you would be a good fit for. There may be hundreds of positions that you’d be very qualified for, but would you be jumping up and down with enthusiasm about all of them? While skills and experience are essential, hiring managers also look for passion. Some would even say that passion is the most important credential when looking for a job. That’s because skills can be taught, but passion can’t. Identify roles you are passionate about so you can bring your whole self to the job interview. That way, you can make it clear how excited you are about the opportunity.

You are ignoring the hidden job market

If you are simply applying to job postings, you are missing out on a huge opportunity. Historically, the hidden job market was about unadvertised jobs. Now it’s about getting to hiring managers and recruiters early in the process, ideally, before the position is posted. That’s why it’s so important to update your social media profiles. Because on LinkedIn, for example, recruiters are actively searching for top candidates based on specific keywords. Networking is also critical. Focus your energy on building relationships to gain access to inside information about job opportunities that may not have been posted publicly yet. Start with people you know, then reach out to friends of friends. Determine who the decision-makers are at your target companies and ask them for a 15- or 20-minute virtual coffee to learn more about the culture. Step out of your comfort zone and craft messages tailored to the individual. You will be surprised by how many positive responses you’ll get.

You aren’t leveraging social media

Social media has become a valuable job search tool that many potential candidates underestimate. In a survey conducted by LiveCareer, 68% of recruiters said job seekers need a LinkedIn profile, and 65% of hiring managers said that they don’t mind being contacted by potential candidates on LinkedIn. Studies have also shown that 92% of companies are using social media for hiring and that three out of four hiring managers will search for a candidate’s social profiles. Use social media to research the companies you’re interested in. Identify executives in the companies that you are targeting and reach out to them. By following them and commenting on their tweets or posts, you can stand out as a potential candidate. Showing your value will give you an advantage over other job seekers who aren’t putting themselves out there. Start posting and reposting items relevant to your career or area of expertise to establish yourself as a thought leader. Strive to have a consistent tone and style throughout all your social media profiles. You should be using these platforms not only to job search but also to build your personal brand.

Forbes.com | April 11, 2021 | Caroline Castrillon