It’s not that hard to update your resume when you’re applying for the next role up the ladder in your field. You’re an associate operations manager trying to become a senior operations manager? Just show how what you’ve already done qualifies you to do similar things at a higher level.
Things get trickier when you’re trying to change industries. You’ve got to rebrand experiences here as transferable qualifications there. You need to explain why you’re a better hire than the candidate who’s spent their whole career in the field you’re trying to get into. And you’ve got to decide which parts of your experience just aren’t relevant anymore.
Figuring this out is a highly situational challenge–what works for one career changer’s resume might not work for another’s. But Erica Breuer, founder of Cake Resumes, says there are some straightforward dos and don’ts that can point you in the right direction.
DO: INCLUDE GROUP WORK
“I often work with career changers who don’t feel they have the right to include projects on their resume that were a team effort, especially when these projects fell outside of their normal job duties,” Breuer tells Fast Company. But it’s precisely those experiences you’ll want to rely on the most. “Including them, while nodding to the team-based or ‘special projects’ nature of the work is the way to go,” she says. “If it happened, it’s a fact, and it can go on your resume.”
Think of it this way: The tasks that are small, routine, or specialized enough for you to complete on your own may not be that relevant outside your industry. But bigger, collaborative projects tend to involve processes and challenges of a higher order, which draw on skills that just about every employer needs–no matter their field.
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“Many career changers get the advice to tweak job titles on their resume to look like the perfect fit. This almost always backfires,” Breuer explains. “It risks looking dishonest or, worse, the self-assigned titles they create add confusion more than they align them with a new path.”
While you can’t control your past job titles, you can control how you describe what you accomplish while you held them. Breuer’s suggestion? “Add a tagline of sorts to the true job title, one that states experience related to the new career direction, for example; ‘Director of Operations—Global Recruitment & Talent Acquisition.’” This way a hiring manager in the HR field, which you’re trying to get into, can spot right away that your operations role had to do with recruiting and talent.
(SOMETIMES) DO: DITCH STRICT CHRONOLOGY IF YOU NEED TO
For job seekers with a lot of experience, it’s common to truncate anything that came before the past 15–20-year period. But Breuer says this rule doesn’t always suit, especially “when you have an early-career experience that applies to an upcoming career change. Drawing this line is important, but so is sharing the details relevant at this very moment. If you’re not doing that, the resume is pointless,” she points out.
So feel free to shake up the chronological approach if you need to. “There are a number of ways to loop early experiences back into a resume without the kitchen sink-style timeline,” says Breuer. For example, you might try breaking your work history into subcategories like “Technical Experience” and “Managerial Experience.”
DON’T: GO TOO BROAD
A final common mistake Breuer sees pretty often among job seekers hoping to change careers is “expecting their resume to do too many things at once,” she says. “They want to capture their career wins, life story, hobbies, and persona as a whole, when a resume actually functions best when it’s a compelling and conciserecord of your experiences as they pertain to the role at hand.”
When you’re worried about being under-qualified, you might be tempted to overstuff your resume to compensate. Don’t do that. The key is to give recruiters and hiring managers a clear narrative about why you’re the best fit from the role because you’d be coming at it from a nontraditional angle. No, that won’t be the full story of your career, but it will probably be the most effective one for this opportunity.
To take some of the pressure off, Breuer suggests remembering that your resume–while important–is only one piece of the self-portrait you’re presenting to employers. She adds, “It should stack with other branding platforms, such as a personal website, LinkedIn profile, or even a cover letter, in order to tell the whole story of who you are and the value you bring.”
https://www.firstsun.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Change-Direction.jpg450970First Sun Teamhttps://www.firstsun.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/logo-min-300x123.jpgFirst Sun Team2018-03-07 14:32:332020-09-30 20:48:34Your #Career : Changing Careers? Here’s Exactly What To Put On Your #Resume And What to Leave Off…
When the seasons change from winter to spring, flower bloom and nature is abuzz with new growth. Be inspired by the scenery around you by considering a job change. Switching companies or roles can reinvigorate your career and offer some of the perks you’ve been wanting: unlimited PTO, a matching 401k, ample parental leave, learning and development programs, and commuter assistance.
Dust off your resume and refresh your cover letter. Here are 20 companies hiring like crazy this month.
Advisor Group Where Hiring: Phoenix, AZ: Oakdale, MN; Atlanta, GA; Jersey City, NJ & more. What They Do: “Advisor Group Inc. is one of the nation’s largest networks of independent financial advisors serving over 5,000 advisors and overseeing approximately $180 billion in client assets.” What Employees Say: “The best reason to work for Advisor Group is that there is so much room for growth. The leadership team is awesome. The CEO actually listens to regular employees. The best part is the fact that they actually pay attention to employees who go the extra mile. You are able to be evaluated by your clients and Advisors. Great place to build relationships with some of the best Advisors in the country. The teams are strong and go the extra mile to help each other. The best part is that Teamwork actually makes the Dream Work. I loved working for this company.” —Former Technical Services Processor
Hilton Where Hiring: Santa Barbara, CA; Austin, TX; Portland, OR; Birmingham, AL; Boca Raton, FL; Hawaii; Omaha, NE; Seattle, WA & more. What They Do: “Hilton is a leading global hospitality company, spanning the lodging sector from luxury and full-service hotels and resorts to extended-stay suites and focused-service hotels.” What Employees Say: “I work at the most beautiful resort with amazing views, food and amenities. I pinch myself daily and can’t believe I work here!” —Current Associate Director of Catering
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Aurora Health Care Where Hiring: Oshkosh, WI; Milwaukee, WI; New Berlin, WI; Green Bay, WI & more. What They Do: “Aurora Health Care is an integrated, not-for-profit, and all-for-people health care provider serving communities throughout eastern Wisconsin and northern Illinois.” What Employees Say: “It’s a teaching hospital and they are very good with teaching new employees, interns, volunteers, etc and the workers are very understanding and compassionate people.” —Current Pharmacy Technician
Skullcandy Where Hiring: Park City, UT; London, England; and Salt Lake City, UT What They Do: “If your head craves sweet tunes, Skullcandy has a treat for you. The youth-oriented firm designs and sells edgy, stylish headphones, ear buds, docking station speakers, and other audio goodies, as well as apparel and accessories.” What Employees Say: “Great culture that offers flexibility and interesting work. Good if you are motivated and self directed needing little to no direction.” —Former Employee
National Debt Relief Where Hiring: New York, NY; Los Angeles, CA What They Do: “National Debt Relief was founded on a simple, powerful idea: people should be able to live their lives without the stress and anxiety of overwhelming debt.” What Employees Say: “Been with the company for a couple months now. This was the best training I’ve had starting at new job and preparing myself to be one of the best in the company. Supervisors are very helpful and will provide tips. Great environment. Fun and motivating. Like the different start shifts very helpful traffic wise if you are driving from far.” —Current Debt Specialist
LogMeIn Where Hiring: Boston, MA; London, England; Mountain View, CA; Dublin & more. What They Do: “Simplifying how people interact with each other and the world around them to drive meaningful insight, deeper relationships and better outcomes for all has helped LogMeIn grow to become one of the world’s top 10 SaaS companies.” What Employees Say: “LogMeIn is on an incredible journey. Each quarter the bar is raised and the growth and innovation continues to accelerate. Employees of all levels have plenty of opportunity to grow their skills and career. Bill Wagner is a world class CEO and is focused and fearless.” —Current Sales Manager
RetailMeNot Where Hiring: Austin, TX; Phoenix, AZ & more. What They Do: “RetailMeNot, Inc. is a leading digital savings destination connecting consumers with retailers, restaurants and brands, both online and in-store.” What Employees Say: “I work with smart, nice, collaborative co-workers who are solving interesting problems to grow the company and deliver savings to consumers in new and innovative ways. Some part of my work is fun every day and a large part of that is due to company culture and nature of the business.” —Current Senior Product Marketing Manager
Workday Where Hiring: San Francisco, CA; Salt Lake City, UT; Pleasanton, CA; London, England & more. What They Do: “Workday is a leading provider of enterprise cloud applications for finance and human resources.” What Employees Say: “The company is true to its values, starting with an investment in, and strong commitment to, its people. As an employee, I have always felt very fortunate to work for such a great company, but when the entire management team was pulled into a two day off-site to learn more about how we can do even more to support our employees, I realized just how special this place is. It provides a fast faced environment where hard work and fun go hand in hand.” —Current Employee
Brunswick Where Hiring: Lebanon, MO; Largo, FL; Clarkston, WA; Palm Coast, FL; Chicago, IL; Fort Wayne, IN; Lowell, MI; Vonore, TN & more. What They Do: “The company is a global manufacturer of marine, recreation and fitness products. Its largest business segment, marine engines, comprises outboard, inboard, and sterndrive engines, propellers and control systems.” What Employees Say: “Lots of room for employees with traditional jobs to move up. A great variety of Brunswick companies have a lot of opportunities to grow and make a good living at the same time.” —Former Project Manager
Union Pacific Where Hiring: Rawlins, WY; North Platte, NE; Chicago, IL; Saint Paul, MN; Roseville, CA; Cheyenne, WY; Houston, TX & more. What They Do: “One of America’s most recognized companies, Union Pacific Railroad connects 23 states in the western two-thirds of the country by rail, providing a critical link in the global supply chain.” What Employees Say: “Challenging work, professional growth opportunities, held accountable and rewarded when perform; Very competitive Benefits package.” —Current Employee
Dollar General Where Hiring: Vallejo, CA; Ravenna, OH; Springfield, IL; Monee, IL; Ashland City, TN; Wilmington, DE & more. What They Do: “Dollar General helps shoppers Save time. Save money. Every day!® by offering products that are frequently used and replenished, such as food, snacks, health and beauty aids, cleaning supplies, basic apparel, housewares and seasonal items at everyday low prices in convenient neighborhood locations.” What Employees Say: “Unlimited growth potential on the corporate and retail side. Positive financial growth & rate of expansion. Great mission and vision (“Serving Others”)” —Current Talent Acquisition Representative
Hensel Phelps Where Hiring: Phoenix, AZ; Sacramento, CA; Honolulu, HI; Orlando, FL; El Paso, TX; Fairfax, VA & more. What They Do: “We construct great buildings and our people are our greatest assets; empowered to make decisions and trained to make the right ones.” What Employees Say: “Hensel Phelps is employee owned and puts a lot of time and effort into producing the best employees. Benefits for employees are the best among all GC’s and better than a majority of other companies outside of construction, they set up their employees to be set up for life, even when their careers are over.” —Current Office Engineer
Procore Technologies Where Hiring: Los Angeles, CA; Willmar, MN; Portland, OR; Austin, TX & more. What They Do: “Procore Technologies provides cloud-based construction management software to clients across the globe.” What Employees Say: “Some of the best people I’ve ever worked with. Passionate, Intelligent, Driven, and Humble. The company makes every effort to hire A+ people and then has a high trust of their employees once they get there. Things like unlimited paid time off, amazing benefits, rad work spaces, and kombucha on tap really are a manifestation of the values of the company.” —Current Customer Success Manager
Redfin Where Hiring: San Francisco, CA; Albuquerque, NM; Rockville, MD; Allentown, PA; Salt Lake City, UT; Atlanta, GA & more. What They Do: “Redfin is a next-generation real estate brokerage with the mission to redefine real estate in the customer’s favor through a combination of technology and service.” What Employees Say: “Great balance between a small company and a large company: small enough that things move fast, big enough to have the infrastructure to get your job done.” —Current Employee
Camden Property Trust Where Hiring: Fort Lauderdale, FL; Englewood, CO; Houston, TX; Charlotte, NC; Mission Viejo, CA & more. What They Do: “Camden Property Trust is one of the largest publicly traded multifamily companies in the U.S. Operating as a Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT), we own, develop, acquire, sell and manage apartment communities in 14 major markets with more than 1,700 employees nationwide and headquartered in Houston, Texas.” What Employees Say: “They actually care about you as a person and everyone is incredibly friendly. I was heartbroken to leave the company due to family issues but still the best company I have every worked for.” —Former Employee
Cylance Where Hiring: Irvine, CA; Washington, DC; Austin, TX & more. What They Do: “Cylance is revolutionizing cybersecurity with products and services that proactively prevent, rather than reactively detect execution of advanced persistent threats and malware, enabling a level of security that far exceeds the effectiveness of current industry solutions deployed throughout enterprises, government and institutions worldwide.” What Employees Say: “Cylance made a broken industry relevant again. Cybersecurity and Artificial Intelligence are going to be critically important for the foreseeable future and Cylance combines the best of both.” —Current Employee
Samsung Semiconductor Where Hiring: San Jose, CA; Pasadena, CA; Cedar Rapids, IA; Seattle, WA & more. What They Do: “Samsung Semiconductor, Inc. (SSI) is a wholly-owned U.S. subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.—the industry’s leader in DRAM, NAND Flash, solid state drives, mobile DRAM and graphics memory.” What Employees Say: “Company is headed in the right direction, great technology, good and dedicated employees. Everyone is committed to winning and making the company successful.” —Current Employee
Treasury Wine Estates Where Hiring: London, England; Oakland, CA; Eastern, KY; Napa, CA; Western, NE & more. What They Do: “With over 14,000 hectares of vineyards, 70 plus wine brands and over 3,400 global employees, Treasury Wine Estates brings together some of the most popular and collected wines from Australia, California, Italy and New Zealand.” What Employees Say: “Treasury Wine Estates is full of passionate, knowledgeable employees who truly enjoy their job. I have had a wonderful time in my employment here finding myself jumping up in the morning to fulfill a career that excites me.” —Current HR Employee
Experian Where Hiring: Schaumburg, IL; San Francisco, CA; Nashville, TN; Austin, TX & more. What They Do: “Experian is the leading global information services company, providing data and analytical tools to our clients around the world.” What Employees Say: “Great place to work in friendly, collaborative environment, as evidenced by long average tenures. Flexible work environment. Strong upper management team. Good benefits including employee stock purchase plans.” —Current Analyst
Bloomberg LP*Hiring Engineers Like Crazy!* Where Hiring: San Francisco, CA; New York, NY; London, England; Princeton, NJ & more. What They Do: “Born in 1981, Bloomberg is the world’s primary distributor of financial data and a top news provider of the 21st century.” What Employees Say: “You’ll succeed at Bloomberg if you work hard, pay attention, have high ethical standards. Editorial is fun as you’re working with some of the best talent around and you get to try new things. The perks and benefits are amazing: not just the famously free food, but the annual summer parties, insurance plans, retirement match, museum memberships.” —Former Employee
https://www.firstsun.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/PeopleAwaitingInterview.jpg8001200First Sun Teamhttps://www.firstsun.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/logo-min-300x123.jpgFirst Sun Team2018-03-06 16:37:012020-09-30 20:48:35Your #Career : 20 Companies #Hiring Like Crazy in March 2018 ……Dust off your #Resume and Refresh your #CoverLetter. Here are 20 Companies #Hiring like Crazy this Month.
Resumes are essential to the job search, but let’s be honest: creating one is not exactly anyone’s idea of a good time. With so many conflicting pieces of advice, you might feel like you don’t know where to start or what to do. But don’t worry — this time, we’ve done the heavy lifting.
We combed through some of our best resume advice and compiled it into one infographic to give you an easy-to-follow outline for a resume that will wow recruiters and hopefully, land you the job of your dreams.
Ready for a resume revamp?Read on below!
1. Design Matters: Don’t go overboard with intricately decorated templates. Look for sufficient white space, margins of at least .7 inches, and a font size no smaller than 11 pt.
2. Be Reachable: Make it easy for recruiters to reach out to you by providing your contact info near the header.
3. Show Off Your Skills: Don’t make recruiters hunt for the most critical information on your resume — include a table of your key soft and hard skill sets up top. Make sure your highlighted skills show why you’re a good fit for the job — all the better if these are keywords from the job description.
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4. List Your Experience: This section should include each company you’ve worked for, your title, the dates you worked there, and several bullet points that describe your key accomplishments and responsibilities.
5. Quantify Your Experience: Whenever you can, use concrete data points — it helps provide recruiters with the scope and context of your work, and demonstrates how you contributed to the bottom line.
6. Include Other Positions: Don’t be afraid to include positions that aren’t directly related to the one you’re applying for, especially if you have limited work experience. You can still use it to demonstrate the skills and qualities you want highlighted.
7. Get the Grade: Many jobs require degrees or certifications, so make sure to list yours. GPA is optional, but may be worth including if you’ve graduated recently with high marks.
8. The Extra Stuff: Add some color to your resume with a short catch-all ‘Additional Experience’ section at the end. Include clubs/organizations, volunteer experience, awards you’ve won, and even interesting hobbies or activities.
9. Keep It Concise: Limit your resume to 1-2 pages at the most.
https://www.firstsun.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/business-man-confused-9.jpg400800First Sun Teamhttps://www.firstsun.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/logo-min-300x123.jpgFirst Sun Team2018-02-24 17:13:412020-09-30 20:48:43Your #Career : Here’s What the Perfect #Resume Looks Like…. We Combed through Some of our Best #ResumeAdvice & Compiled it into One Infographic to Give you an Easy-to-Follow Outline for a Resume that will Wow #Recruiters & Hopefully, Land you the #Job of your Dreams.
You’ve invested a lot of time in your job search – researching job openings, identifying companies, perfecting your resume, and sharpening your interview skills.
Now, you’re ready to take the first big step. You’ve found a perfect role just opened at your dream company. Meticulously, you complete the online application, attach your cover letter and resume and send everything off!
Now what?
You should proactively follow up while keeping in mind that dozens — even hundreds — of other resumes also are flooding the same HR department, making it difficult to personally respond to each applicant.
This doesn’t take away the value of sending a courteous and concise follow up. In fact, following up (the right way) may be just what’s needed to distinguish your application from the pack.
Consider these steps to follow up after submitting your online application.
Step #1
If a contact email is provided, make note of this along with the date you submitted your application.
Approximately one week after submitting your application, plan a brief courteous email check-in to confirm they received it. Use this opportunity also to reinforce your enthusiasm for the role.
If another week passes and you still have not heard back, then another short, one- to two-paragraph note is in order, indicating genuine interest in the position and inquiring about next steps.
You may also use this second follow-up to reinforce how you envision using your skills to solve a potential challenge you suspect — or even know — the company is facing. Keep this “solution” very brief (1-3 sentences). The power of this “future impact” proposal is to trigger a connection between your value proposition and their pain points.
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If a contact email is NOT provided during the application process, then you will need to be a bit more creative.
Search the company site to locate contact names that are related to the particular role or division for which you applied. If you find a name but no method of reaching them, then make a note of the name.
Next, research that person and company name online, and when you locate them, hunt for an email address. Using the email address, conduct the follow-up similarly (but not exactly the same) as mentioned above – brief, polite and enthusiastic notes indicating you have applied to a role in this person’s company.
Communicate that upon researching further, you discovered this person may be a person of influence, and perhaps even is the one vetting resumes for the open job. As such, you wanted to reach out with a brief status inquiry while further expressing your interest. Be careful not to imply an expected response, and that your intentions are simply to express further interest in the role.
If you have a name but cannot locate an email, then perhaps a call into the company reception desk will help. Indicate whom you are trying to reach and simply request the best way to email them. Search Facebook or other social media sites to unearth more information.
Applying for jobs at smaller or mid-sized companies may provide a more direct route to following up as often key leadership/ownership are listed, along with contact information, directly on the site.
Whether emailing or phoning, keep your tone upbeat and professionally passionate, indicating that you would love to explore working for this company. Be specific to prove your sentiments are credible. And always be prepared to walk away from the conversation and move on to the next potential opportunity, without leaving a trail of angst or pressure in your wake. Stay positive, which will not only serve your job search well, but will also help you move more confidently throughout the process.
https://www.firstsun.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/woman-using-her-smartphone-while-working-remotely-on-laptop-picjumbo-com.jpg26674000First Sun Teamhttps://www.firstsun.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/logo-min-300x123.jpgFirst Sun Team2018-02-20 16:53:252020-09-30 20:48:47Your #Career : How to Follow Up on Your Job Application…. Meticulously, you Complete the #OnlineApplication, attach your #CoverLetter and #Resume & Send Everything Off! Now What?
Since most resumes are written to cast a wide net, they basically just recite everything the writer has done, but this approach dilutes the all-important data density that makes your resume discoverable. In order for recruiters to find your resume in the vast databases they search through, you need to focus on a specific target job, then get the role’s relevant keywords front-and-center where ATS, or “applicant tracking systems,” will detect them.
And as it turns out, one of the best ways to do that is by resurrecting–but with a twist–the dusty old “objective” statement you’ve been told dozens of times to cut.
No one reads resumes for fun–only when there’s a specific job to fill. That means recruiters and hiring managers are fixated on the skill requirements of the job openings they’re looking to fill. Consequently, a resume that starts with “Objective” and focuses on what you want out of your career as the opening paragraph does nothing to help you. After all, nobody really cares what you want at this point (save that for negotiating an offer), so putting that right up top wastes prime ad space.
Headlines of all kinds, including the one at the top of this article, act as signposts, telling the reader what’s ahead–and that holds true on your resume, too. So replace “Objective” with a more relevant and compelling heading: “Performance Summary” or “Career Summary” tends to work well. Right away it flags for the reader that you’re going to tell them what you can do or what you’ve already done, rather than what you want.
Under this heading, highlight your capabilities as they relate to the demands of the target job, using the words, phrases, and acronyms listed in job postings for the type of role you’re angling for. Make sure you include objective criteria for your customers’ needs, too. That helps your resume’s discoverability by ATS, and it grabs the reader’s attention.
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To write a good performance summary, you need to get inside the heads of your prospective employers’ customers to discover what they collectively want. Yes–think past the hiring managers and recruiters for a second, and consider the organization’s end goals instead: the people it’s trying to serve.
I’ve laid out some tips for doing this in one of my books, but for present purposes, the gist is just to think about your own capabilities as they relate to customer needs. How can what you do directly help them? The answer to that is the basis of your performance summary.
Here’s an example:
Performance Summary: 9-plus years of marcomm experience in new technologies executing high-impact, cost-efficient, media outreach for brand awareness, b2b marketing, and business and public-policy audiences. Expert in crisis communication and corporate reputation maintenance. Bilingual.
Five years managing disbursed internal and external communications teams.
Adept at developing marcomm strategy with teams spread across all EMEA cultures.
Note those keywords that are likely to get swept up by an ATS: “marcomm” for “marketing communications,” “b2b” for “business-to-business,” “EMEA” for “Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.” And the bullets help you quickly break out a couple of key highlights.
Using employers’ language to describe your capabilities, wherever you can, creates a tightly focused document that establishes a clear match between your skills and employer needs. That, after all, is your resume’s real objective.
https://www.firstsun.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/ResumeInHole.jpg600857First Sun Teamhttps://www.firstsun.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/logo-min-300x123.jpgFirst Sun Team2018-02-16 16:46:262020-09-30 20:48:49Your #Career : Add This To Your Resume After Deleting Your “Objective” Statement…A “Performance Summary” Puts a Fresh (and Tech-Savvy) Spin on an Outmoded #Resume Feature.
Change is never easy, particularly if you are trying to move into an entirely new field. But change isn’t impossible. You can successfully transition into a new career, granted you are committed to it.
“It is possible to transition into a new job but it takes time and work,” says Catherine Palmiere, president of Adam Personnel, Inc.“Sometimes people make a jump and they haven’t done their due diligence.”
Change never happens overnight, and that is especially true of career change. You can’t wake up one day and say you want to trade your accounting job for a position as a fitness trainer and think it will happen quickly. Not only do you need to research the profession you are aspiring to but you have to see what type of education or certificates are needed.
But even doing that isn’t enough. You also have to look inward and make sure you have the skills and personality needed to make the move successfully. “Someone with great computer skills that’s in the financial service business that wants to move to the cloud platform will have a much easier transition then a financial services worker that wants to be a social worker,” says Palmiere.
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According to Mary Foley, Senior Sourcing Specialist for IT Talent at Progressive, people looking to switch careers should consider their passions and interests outside the office and think about ways to apply that to a new career. While you may know exactly what you want to do in your new career, for those that want to switch but aren’t sure into what it pays to take one of the many skill assessment tests available over the Web or rely on a self-assessment to figure out where your are strong and what areas you are weak in. After all, if you are not a people person than it’s doubtful that you will succeed in a customer servicerole.
“The key to remember when it comes to career transitions to make one very small step at a time,” says Alexandra Levit, business and workplace consultant and Career Advisory Board member. “Do a lot of investigation behind the scenes but don’t quit your day job.”
Levit says a great way to kick the tires and make contacts is to find a mentor or mentors in the field or job you want to work in. Those people are in the trenches day in and day out and will be a plethora of information about what it’s really like. Finding mentors can be easily done thanks to the Internet. Levit says to use online tools like LinkedIn to zero-in on the people you would want to meet in the field you are eyeing.
Once you have a list of targets, ask them if they have time for a ten or 15-minute informational interview. If you get the interview, you’ll be able to pick their brain and forge a relationship with the person or people. That could translate into a job down the road if you are front and center in their mind when an opening comes up.
Can’t or won’t find a mentor, then consider volunteering. If you always dreamed of working in a museum but ended up in the back office of a financial firm then volunteer at one. According to Levit not many people think of volunteering not only as a way to learn about a job but to get their feet wet and adds skills to their resume.
Once you’ve amassed the necessary skills and have the network in place it’s time to start sending out resumes. While a career transition can be handled in different ways via the resume, career experts say you want to focus on your transferable skills and less about the chronological order of your previous positions.
One way to do that is to go with a functional resume that lists all your skills at the top and then at the bottom has your past jobs in chronological order. “Functional resumes are controversial because people will think you are trying to hide something,” says Levit. “As long as you show your career trajectory at some point the functional resume could cause them to take a second look instead of tossing it in the garbage.”
The last thing you want to do is randomly send out resumes and hope you will get a call back. Instead, Palmiere says you have brand yourself by reaching out to the decision makers. That could mean sending a letter or email to the top person in the company you want to work for and bypassing the HR department altogether.
If you do decide to send a letter or email make sure to research the company and the person you are reaching out to. You want to show that you’ve done your homework and have real reasons to want to work there whether it’s because you believe in the company’s mission or the CEO’s philanthropic work has had such an impact on you.
https://www.firstsun.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Change.jpg33453895First Sun Teamhttps://www.firstsun.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/logo-min-300x123.jpgFirst Sun Team2018-02-15 21:57:252020-09-30 20:48:49Your #Career : How to Successfully #ChangeCareers ……Change is Never Easy, Particularly if you are Trying to Move into an Entirely New Field. But #Change isn’t Impossible. You can Successfully Transition into a #NewCareer, Granted you are Committed to It.
They say only three things are certain in life: death, taxes, and making a mistake on your resume. Well, maybe I’m exaggerating a bit with that last point, but you get what I mean. The point is, resume mistakes are hard to avoid — like super-duper hard. And when it comes to your resume, even the tiniest of mistakes can make you seem careless or even outright incompetent in the eyes of unforgiving recruiters.
So how do you make sure this doesn’t happen to you? How do you prevent yourself from making blunders on your resume that can potentially cost you a job interview? Well fear not, for this checklist can help you do just that. Follow it closely and you’ll be able to avoid 99% of the resume mistakes people most often make.
1. Does this belong?
Doublecheck that everything on your resume should be on a resume to begin with. Age, nationality, criminal record, marital status, gender, professional headshot, and unrelated hobbies – none of these things need to be included.
Of course, it’s not always going to be clear whether or not you should be mentioning something on your resume. When such a situation arises, put yourself in the employer’s shoes and ask yourself if it is something you would actually care to know. If the answer is a resounding no, then rest assured you can leave it off your resume without much consequence.
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It’s darn near impossible sometimes to catch our own mistakes. Even published writers and book authors are not above having their work proofread by their editors, so whether it’s friends or family, get someone to read over your resume and share their thoughts. Even if they don’t catch any actual mistakes, it’s great to have someone offer a different opinion on how to structure a particular bullet point or reword a given sentence in order to take your resume to the next level.
If you’re having trouble finding someone, there are online communities that are willing to offer free resume help like /r/resume on Reddit. Simply post your completed resume and wait for resume enthusiasts to critique it and give feedback.
Resumes should be written using the past tense. The one exception is when you’re describing your current job. In that case, using either the past or present tense is fine and ultimately comes down to personal preference. However, the most common mistake I see is that the wrong tense is used for the action verbs at the start of each bullet point. Not only is this blunder very straightforward to fix, it’s also extremely easy for recruiters to spot, so be sure to doublecheck this particular part of your resume.
4. Did I eradicate the use of pronouns?
Using personal pronouns like “I” and “me” is generally considered taboo in resume writing. While there are some experts who are fine with meddling with the dark arts of using pronouns on resumes, my general rule of thumb is to always play things safe. After all, even though it’s true that using pronouns is acceptable by some recruiters, not using them is certainly acceptable by everyone.
There’s nothing more discouraging to recruiters than glancing over a resume and immediately noticing a formatting mistake. Whether it’s an oversized heading or a bullet point just a tad bit larger than the rest, formatting mistakes lead recruiters to believe that you’re not as detail-oriented and meticulous as they’d prefer.
While you might think that there’s no way you would ever be silly enough to make this sort of mistake, it’s actually far more common than you would think. Part of the reason why is because the formatting of your resume can potentially be distorted when saved as certain file types or opened from another computer program. This is why it’s usually advised to keep the formatting of your resume as simple as possible. Another way to avoid this is to save your resume as a PDF, which ensures that all recruiters will see your resume formatted the same way.
6. Am I making unnecessary assumptions?
Mistakes are often the results of false assumptions. This is true in life, in writing, and perhaps most of all, in resume writing. When you edit your resume, ask yourself if you’ve made any assumptions during the initial writing process where you might have haphazardly committed to certain decisions you weren’t entirely confident in. Are you unsure about the usage of a particular word but decided to use it anyways? Did you add a bullet point you weren’t too sure about including? Now is the time to scrutinize all the questionable assumptions you’ve made earlier on to prevent yourself from making foreseeable mistakes.
Remember, making mistakes is inevitable, but we always have the ability to spot and then fix them. Don’t just haphazardly glance over your resume in search for errors. Instead, narrow your focus. Use this checklist to hone in on specific types of mistakes that might have been made and then methodically fix each one. Do that and you’ll be able to craft a killer resume that will impress all the recruiters out there who are tired of seeing mistake after mistake on other people’s job applications.
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Job hunting sure isn’t what it used to be. Just a few years ago, “pounding the pavement” was a literal thing, and people were actually out on the streets, going from business to business to drop off their resumes. Today, most job applications do not take place in person. Everything is done online, and many people even apply for jobs via email. Just because you might not be applying for a job in person, though, doesn’t mean that you still don’t need to use proper etiquette to show that you are a professional.
Here are nine job seeker etiquette tips for applying for jobs via email.
1. Know Who to Send it To
When applying for a job via email, it is not enough to send it to “whom it may concern”. Whenever possible, try to find out the name and title of the contact person instead of sending an email to a general box. Make sure that you also send yourself a copy of each email that you send out. That way, you have a record of all of the jobs that you are applying for, and you aren’t going to end up doubling emails and annoying potential employers, which can easily backfire on you.
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Every job application email you send out needs to have a proper subject line. If you don’t put anything in the subject line, chances are that your email is going to end up in a spam mailbox. Your subject line should list the job that you are applying for, so the person who receives it knows exactly what job you want. You can also include your own name in the subject line to reinforce the fact that you are applying for the job, and not just sending an email on someone else’s behalf.
3. Use Business Email
Did you know that more than 60 percent of people do not use their personal email for anything that is business-related? According to Avatier, the majority of people tend to keep their business and personal email separate. So, when looking for a job, make sure that you are sending emails to business accounts, and that you have a separate email address for your employment search, as it looks more professional than just using your personal email.
4. Set Up Another Email
In addition to a business email account, it is a good idea to have a job search email account. Only use this email when you are applying for jobs. You can use it to keep track of the jobs that you have applied for, and be able to quickly and easily check messages from potential employers and other contacts. If you only use your business account for job searches, there is no need to have this additional email. In fact, it could end up becoming confusing if you are using two emails for your job search.
5. Use Proper Formatting
A job application email shouldn’t look like a typical email message. It should look like any cover letter you would send via snail mail. So, make sure that your job application emails are properly formatted. It should include a subject line, as mentioned above, and you need to edit, edit and edit some more to make sure that there are no spelling or grammatical errors. The last thing you want is to look uneducated or unprofessional because you don’t take the time to correct errors in your emails.
Your email messages concerning job applications should look like a regular business letter. Do not use acronyms, emoticons or slang. These things are okay for emails to friends, but not when you are trying to present yourself as a professional. It should start off with a salutation, and end with a signature. The only thing you don’t need to add is employer contact information in the upper left-hand corner. Otherwise, it should be identical to a letter that you would send through the regular mail.
7. Your Signature Is Important
Even though you can’t actually sign your email with a pen, you still need to add your signature. In an email, your signature should include your first and last name (it doesn’t matter which you put first), your email address and your home and cell phone numbers. It should also include your LinkedIn profile. This is your opportunity to show the person doing the hiring what skills you bring to the table without sending a cover letter that is overly long. This isn’t strictly necessary, but it something that is becoming more and more common.
8. Be Careful with Content
How you word your job application email is very important. It is a good idea to have a cover letter already prepared and edited, so you can just copy and paste it into the body of the email message. If you don’t have one ready to go, simply write it in before sending the email. If you are asked to send your resume as an attachment, send it as a PDF file or a Word document.
If you say in the email that you are sending an attachment, don’t forget to attach it. Sending a second email with the attachment is not going to look overly professional. These days, it is pretty difficult to forget the attachment, especially if you are using Gmail, since it will notify you if you don’t add it after specifying that there is one. The attachments are going to include the details about you, your resume, etc., so you need to make sure that they are properly attached and that the person doing the hiring will see them.
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Whether you’re a college senior starting to look into your post-grad prospects or a working professional with years of experience under your belt, the constantly shifting job market never gets easier to navigate.
It can be hard to wrap your head around all the newly emerging job titles and inefficient, poorly designed application systems, but the one area that you can be in complete control of are your own skills.
Don’t worry if you feel like your school career centers failed you or you’re not fully equipped yet to tackle the industry or job of your dreams. That’s why online learning platforms like Udemyand Coursera are so beautiful — you can take quality classes taught by experienced professionals or actual university professors at low costs and on your own time. Learning a new skill from scratch or brushing up on always-relevant ones has never been more accessible or convenient.
We asked Amanda Augustine, a career advice expert at TopResume and certified professional career coach with over 10 years of experience in the recruiting industry, about the top skills that anyone who wants to land a job right out of college or advance their career in today’s job market should have.
Here’s what she had to say and the online courses she recommends looking into.
Strong written communication skills can get you far.
Whether you’re writing your cover letter, following up after an interview, or sending an email to everyone in your department, superb written communication skills are a must. Impress the hiring manager or your boss by optimizing your writing skills. If you struggle to write, conquer that stumbling block with an online course in effective business writing.
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It’s helpful to be comfortable with public speaking and presentations.
Toastmasters International
You may not want a job that requires you to present in front of large crowds; however, sound presentation skills are useful in many instances beyond a podium. Employers value professionals who can clearly and succinctly articulate their thoughts one-on-one and during a group meeting.
Whether you find yourself explaining your ideas in an interview room or during a department meeting, strong communication skills will certainly come in handy. These online courses will help you improve your overall communication skills, overcome your public speaking fears, and fine-tune your powers of persuasion.
Love it or loathe it, you can’t avoid the art of networking in today’s job market. Whether you’re looking for a job or wanting to advance your career, a strong professional network is a key ingredient to success. However, not everyone is a social butterfly with a large rolodex of connections at their fingertips. If you’re not a natural power-connector as described in Malcolm Gladwell’s book, “The Tipping Point,” then it may be time to find an online course that will teach you the basics.
Remember, sending LinkedIn requests to random people does not count as networking. Look for courses that will help you go beyond social media to seek out relevant contacts and plant the seeds for a meaningful professional relationship with these connections.
In today’s job market, it’s not enough to have a great resume. You also need to clearly communicate your personal brand — the unique qualities and abilities that make you, well, you— to employers and networking connections online, on paper, and in-person. In other words, you have to consciously manage your personal marketing campaign during the job search.
It should come as no surprise, then, that marketing professionals have an advantage when it comes to searching for work. Give yourself an edge up on the competition during your job search by getting a crash course in the principles of marketing.
You may not be vying for a sales position, but don’t be fooled. Every professional can benefit from becoming a better negotiator. This valuable skill will serve you well during your job search when negotiating your job offer, as well as when you’re on the job.
From negotiating contracts with vendors or clients, to working out the details of a prospective employee’s compensation package, to vying for a raise or promotion with your boss, strong negotiation skills will help advance your career. If you’re uncomfortable leaving emotion at the door while you hash out a contract, give one of these online courses a try.
Sometimes, the best way to improve your chances of landing the job you want is to develop your relevant skills. If you’re new to the workforce with little to no professional work experience under your belt, you may need to seek alternative methods to bolster your resume.
Once you have a clear job goal in mind, reach out to people in your network who work in your desired field to find out what skills are in high demand. Then, research sites like Udemy, Envato Tuts+, General Assembly, Coursera, edX, GoSkills, Lynda.com, and SkillShare, to name a few, to find out if there’s a way for you to develop those skills while you’re searching for work. This method is also useful for those who want to change careers or move up the ladder and aren’t able to build the skills they need within their current position.
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Looking for a job is complex. At each step you take–writing a resume, drafting a cover letter, networking, interviewing, negotiating your salary, and more–there are a million different questions you could ask.
While we can’t answer all of the questions in a single blog post (believe me, that wouldn’t be fun for you or me) we can attempt to address some of the more frequent questions that come up. After poring over Reddit, Quora, Google, and other sites, we drafted a list of some of the most commonly asked job search questions and reached out to career experts to find the answers. Here are the results.
1. I’VE SUBMITTED TONS OF APPLICATIONS, BUT I HAVEN’T HEARD BACK FROM ANYONE. WHAT AM I DOING WRONG?
When it comes to submitting job applications, it’s about quality, not quantity. If you’re not hearing back at all, you may want to think about whether you’re applying to the right jobs. There’s nothing wrong with aiming high, but if you don’t have the direct experience needed for the job you want, you may want to start thinking about applying to stepping-stone positions.
Another common culprit for getting the silent treatment? “The applicant probably hasn’t tailored their resume to the position and the key requirements posted for the position,” says John Singer, CEO of Professional Development Strategies.
“For each application, you should carefully read the job description and include and/or highlight specific skills and experiences you have that match what the company is looking for. Use the same language [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][as] the job description,” adds Aurora Meneghello, career coach and founder of Repurpose Your Purpose.
Other strategies to get your resume past the screening phase include finding somebody at the company to refer you, and making sure your resume is Applicant Tracking System, or ATS, compliant.
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2. WILL APPLYING TO A JOB IN A DIFFERENT STATE HURT MY CHANCES OF GETTING HIRED?
It’s probably not what you want to hear, but the answer is, “It depends.” If a company doesn’t have the budget to accommodate relocation costs, or there are already plenty of qualified locals, they probably won’t be as open to interviewing out-of-state candidates. However, if you have a unique or hard-to-find set of skills and the company has a track record of hiring out-of-state applicants, your location may be no deterrent at all. Just make it clear that you’re willing to move.
“The best places to do this are in the cover letter and the summary/overview statement at the top of your resume,” says Adam Goulston, certified professional resume writer. And in all of your application materials, make it clear that you’re the best person for the job, regardless of location.
3. I NEED EXPERIENCE TO GET A JOB, BUT I NEED A JOB TO GET EXPERIENCE. WHAT CAN I DO?
It may be a bit of extra work, but you can definitely gain experience without being employed full-time in a particular field.
“Consider volunteering with nonprofits . . . sometimes volunteer gigs turn into paid jobs, and they are a good way to start your resume,” says Robyn L. Coburn, author and resume coach. You can also bulk up your resume through freelance work.
“People are often willing to take a chance on a less experienced freelancer for a one-time project, especially if it costs them less than hiring a bigger firm to complete the work,” says Jessie West of West Coaching and Consulting. Then, “you can use work completed for freelance clients to show your experience on your resume.”
Finally, there’s nothing wrong with a little good old-fashioned networking.
“Ask your family and friends, or community connections . . . if they can help you find an entry-level job in their companies,” Goulston adds. “Always express willingness to start at the bottom, work hard, and learn.”
4. HOW DO I GO FROM HAVING A GOOD RESUME TO HAVING A GREAT RESUME?
One difference between the two: A good resume shows what you did at your previous jobs, while a great resume shows the impact you had.
“Make sure the resume is filled with specific accomplishments and results you’ve delivered, quantified with numbers whenever possible,” says Kelly Donovan, principal of Kelly Donovan & Associates. One tried-and-true tactic is the STAR method, in which each bullet point lists the Situation you found yourself in, Task you were assigned, Action you took and Results of your initiatives. “However, be sure that the accomplishments and results are relevant to the job you’re going for–otherwise, your reader might be unimpressed by your examples,” Donovan cautions.
This speaks to a larger theme present in great resumes: customization.
“For each application, you should carefully read the job description and include and/or highlight specific skills and experiences you have that match what the company is looking for,” Meneghello says. This is especially important if the company uses an ATS. Speaking of which, you might be wondering . . .
5. HOW CAN I MAKE SURE MY RESUME GETS PAST AN ATS?
“Every resume should be customized to the job by carefully examining the keywords in the listing, and adjusting your resume to reflect those,” Coburn says. “Always use the exact phrase they use,” because many ATSs filter out resumes that don’t contain enough relevant keywords.
It also helps to follow a few formatting guidelines so that the ATS can easily scan your resume. Try “keeping the font at 11 points or more; using one of the standard, highly readable fonts; and making sure the employment dates are justified to the right-hand margin on the page,” Coburn adds. “Bells and whistles like columns, shading, boxes, underlining, and multiple fonts only confuse the ATS.”
6. WHAT SKILLS ARE IMPRESSIVE TO HAVE ON A RESUME?
The skills recruiters are impressed by will largely vary based on the job you’re applying to. To identify the most in-demand skills in your field, look at a wide cross-section of job postings that you’re interested in and take notes on which ones appear most frequently. Recruiters may also like to see certain role-specific certifications.
There are a handful of skills, though, that are applicable to many different careers, and are worth including no matter what. A few examples: fluency in a foreign language, data analysis (especially in common platforms like Excel or Google Sheets), and project management and leadership (with concrete examples to back it up).
7. WHEN READING A RESUME, WHAT RED FLAGS DO RECRUITERS LOOK OUT FOR?
One of the easiest ways to get your application out of the running? Typos.
“There are so many people applying for the same job, a recruiter needs to be diligent,” says business writer Mary Walton. Often, “That means they’ll throw away any resume that’s not correctly proofread without even looking at the content.” So check, double check, and even triple check your resume to make sure it’s free of errors.
You’ll also want to be careful about including long gaps on your resume with no explanation.
“Some companies have stringent hiring practices that would clearly frown on gaps,” says Susan Ruhl, a managing partner at OI Partners-Innovative Career Consulting in Denver. “If there is a gap, recruiters/hiring managers tend to become a little suspicious and so they must be explained.”
Finally, many inconsistencies, exaggerations, or straight-up lies on your resume can easily be found by cross-checking with former employers, so don’t even think about it. If a recruiter can’t trust your resume, how are they supposed to trust you as an employee?
Another big no-no is coming across as too vague. If someone asks you an anecdotal question, such as, “How have you dealt with difficult colleagues?” you should give a specific example. Again, practicing your responses (yes, that means out loud) should help prepare you for this.
FastCompany.com | February 5, 2018 | BY EMILY MOORE—GLASSDOOR 6 MINUTE READ
https://www.firstsun.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Woman-Embarssed.jpg450970First Sun Teamhttps://www.firstsun.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/logo-min-300x123.jpgFirst Sun Team2018-02-05 21:26:002020-09-30 20:49:00Your #Career : These Are The Answers To Your Most Burning #JobSearch Questions…From How to Follow Up with #Recruiters to Getting through Applicant Tracking Systems, Here are some Common Questions that Arise During #JobHunts .
