Your Resume Should Be Proofed and Fast Writing Skills

Your Resume Should Be Proofed and Fast Writing SkillsA very important part of writing a resume is proof reading and fast writing skills. You do not want to put your writing skills on the back burner for the rest of your life. Proof reading and fast writing skills are also considered by most employers when they choose who to hire for a job. That is why you want to make sure that you are up to par with how you should proof read and be able to write your resume and fast writing skills.The first thing you need to consider is the format of your resume. You should take care of every last detail so that the employer can easily see what you have to offer. One mistake most people make is that they do not proof read and have their resumes filled out wrong. Your resume should look like an essay when you fill it out and formatted correctly.Secondly, it is essential that your resume is short and sweet. Employers tend to use abbreviations and keywords in their search engines and it is best to avoi d these in your resume. Also, keep your resume concise and keep it to a certain word count. This will save you time and ensure that the hiring manager has something they can get quickly from your resume.Lastly, if you do not proof read your resume properly and have spelling and grammar errors then you may not have as much of a chance of getting a job as you could have had if you proof read and proofed it. A lot of employers prefer resumes that are well written and error free and this is something you want to take note of. This will make sure that you get the job you were looking for in the future.Make sure that you proofread and edit your resume before sending it in. This is a good way to ensure that you get a job because many people can see that you have proofread your resume before sending it in. The next thing you should do is research your resume and see what you may find in the way of typos, grammatical mistakes, and other errors. These are the things that you can correct befor e you send your resume out for consideration.Making sure you have fast writing skills and proofreading your resume is not enough. You should be sure that your resume is polished and looking as professional as possible. Proofing your resume and doing your own editing should not be underestimated. There are many people who spend countless hours doing research, editing, and proofing their resumes.Do not be ashamed if you can't write or proofread. In fact, you should make it a point to go out there and learn as much as you can about how to proof read and fast write skills. This is a skill that you will need to be skilled at in order to get hired.Here is a final tip to think about when doing your resume. It is important that you give your resume a personal touch so that it is not all the same. Write different words that show that you are different and that you stand out from the crowd. As you are reading your resume, you will want to keep in mind this very important tip so that you do no t lose your chance.

Interview Series - Career Experts - Heidi Scott Giusto from Career Path Writing Solutions CareerMetis.com

Interview Series - Career Experts - Heidi Scott Giusto from Career Path Writing Solutions CareerMetis.com In this interview series, we caught up with Heidi Scott Giusto from Career Path Writing Solutionswho shares her expertise and insights about job search, career change, etc. in today’s marketplace.Tell us a little bit about your companyevalCareer Path Writing Solutions is dedicated to helping individuals and businesses succeed when the stakes are high.In practice, this means I work with job seekers as they proactively manage their careers. I’m a twice-certified resume writer and also routinely work on cover letters, LinkedIn profiles, and interview preparation.How did you get started in this path?I got started working on resumes while I was in my doctoral program at Duke University. I worked at the Writing Studio, and friends and family came to me for help because they knew I worked on writing.The first seven people I helped quickly secured job offers. I knew I found my niche. Since then, I have engaged in substantial professional development and have earned four career services c ertifications.Is this something you decided early on in your career?I fell into this path while I was in graduate school. Via formal education, I am a professional historian. This training gives me a particular understanding of the cultural and historical context of an individual’s work history and accomplishments.While in graduate school, I realized my true passion for helping people articulate their value as they manage their careers.Soon after earning my PhD, I launched Career Path Writing Solutions. I’ve been growing my businesses steadily for the past six years.What is the Best Career Advice You’ve ever received?My dissertation advisor told me “There will be plenty of people who close doors on you. Never close any on yourself.”That advice is priceless.evalWhat is the most exciting part of working in thisindustry?Helping people navigate career change is deeply satisfying and a privilege.Clients have told me they love having me in their corner, and I love being in their corner!How do to stay abreast of the industry as an expert?I stay abreast of the industry by maintaining close connections with recruiters, who help me stay knowledgeable of hiring trends, and through professional organizations.I am a member of the Professional Association of Resume Writers and Career Coaches, the National Resume Writers’ Association, and a Career Thought Leaders Associate.What are some of the things that you see job seekers struggle with the most?Many job seekers struggle to devote the time necessary for a job search.They might haphazardly apply to jobs rather than have a strategic plan for the process.What are the common mistakes that you see them do?Common mistakes are submitting documents that have basic errors and are not tailored to the job.Similarly, once securing interviews, some job seekers do not adequately prepare for them.How should job seekers approach job search today?Strategically.They should develop a plan that involves developing exceptional docu ments and leveraging their network, and then execute on that plan.With a clear strategy, they don’t waste their timeâ€"our most precious commodity!What is the biggest trend(s) you see that job seekers will face in the next 2-3 years?I think this depends on industry and geographic area they live.For some industries, I think it will be a job seekers market whereas in other, I foresee it remaining highly competitive.What is one advice you would give someone just out of college today?Do not expect your first job to be your dream job.It might be a great job, but recognize that your first job will likely be a stepping stone to the job and career you ultimately want.What is one advice you would give someone who is switching careers?Conduct informational interviews so you can fully learn about the new career.You’ll be better prepared to write a compelling resume and cover letter, and to succeed in an interview.How should job seekers get the most out of LinkedIn?Use LinkedIn with purpose .Develop a strong profile and then use its features to network, engage in professional development, and show subject matter expertise.Unemployment is at the lowest levels, why do you think that is?My understanding is that it’s a combination of employers feeling confident they can hire more workers and also a lower labor participation rate than from before the Great Recession.The latter has the effect of skewing our understanding of just how many people would like a job. But economists are much more knowledgeable about this complex issue.What is the biggest trend(s) you see that hiring managers will face in the next 2-3 years?Depending on the industry, I think finding qualified candidates will remain a challenge.On the opposite end of the spectrum, I think that applicant tracking systems (ATSs) need to do a better job of identifying candidates.The ATSs continue to get more sophisticated, but they can overlook outstanding candidates just because a person might have not known they sh ould include a particular keyword.Heidi, what are you currently working on?I recently launched a professional writing blog series, Write to Get Results.If you’d like to be notified of each new monthly post, subscribe here:What are the best resources you recommend to job seekers?My own blog, of course! It’s at Career Path Writing Solutions .I also recommend The 2 Hour Job Search by Steve Dalton because I like his highly strategic approach to researching companies and conducting informational interviews.What is the best way for our audience to reach you?Email â€" [emailprotected]Connect with or Follow Heidi Scott Giustoon Social Media:LinkedInTwitterFacebookHeidi Scott Giusto and Career Path Writing Solutionshave also been featured in our recent compilation of the most resourceful career experts and career blogs â€" Top Career Advice Websites.

6 Things To Do After A Layoff

6 Things To Do After A Layoff The days after a layoff are difficult but its crucial you begin setting the right wheels in motion. Whether you saw it coming or not, a layoff plain old stinks! Shock, anger, frustration, and other emotions are normal, so be ready to work through them. The key to securing your next job after a layoff is to get yourself moving forward as quickly as possible. These tips will help get you on track! Talk To Your Family Have an open discussion with your family, including your children, and explain the facts about what has transpired and how this will impact everyone. Ask your family for their help and support over the upcoming months and maintain open lines of communication about what is going on with your search. The fear and anxiety you are experiencing is normal and your family feels it too! When you talk openly and honestly about your job search, you help everyone understand their role and the progress you are making. Build Lists Creating lists may not be your preferred style, but do it anyway. You will need to refer to these lists to keep on track. Make a list of 100 people you know well. Create a list of 25 accomplishment stories (learn more here) Next, make a list of the top 50 companies you would like to work for or who could potentially hire you for the work you want to do. Learn how to find target companies. Now reach out to the 100 people on your list with a positive tone and request help, advice and information. Please do not say “help me I am looking for a job!” Learn how to network without a resume instead. Cut Unnecessary Expenses Immediately Your family can help eliminate unnecessary spending. Ask each family member what they will do to reduce their expenditures. Another way to cut your expenses is to evaluate other health insurance options. Your employer will offer the option to continue your health insurance at your cost, also known as COBRA. This is extremely expensive and will drain savings quickly. Begin investigating other health insurance options immediately by talking to colleagues, business owners, and anyone who is unemployed to learn what health insurance options they are using. Your frugality now will enable you to endure the long job search process. Create An Weekly Plan You want time to recuperate from the shock of being laid off, but often the best way to overcome this is by setting a daily agenda. Create a new routine similar to your work schedule. Set your alarm, take a shower and get your day started. I know this sounds silly, but it does help! More importantly, have specific actions identified during your day. This should include networking events, meeting with past colleagues, occasionally volunteering, investing in your professional development through formal or informal learning opportunities, and an hour or two of “you” time when you can indulge in your favorite pastime. This Job Search Checklist will help! One last reminder- do not spend all your time behind the computer! Get out of your house and meet people! Your weekly and daily job search plan should consist of outreach efforts ranging from networking requests to talking with recruiting agencies. A scant few actually find their jobs through online ads. Learn To Say No Its not unusual after a layoff for family and friends to begin calling on you for your help once they find out you are no longer working. However, your new full-time job is looking for a job. Learn to decline requests which would take away from your search. Just say no to the “honey-do” list and delegated household chores. Fulfilling these duties may provide a feeling of accomplishment in the short-term, however, when you procrastinate on your job search efforts, you will extend the time you are unemployed, and no one wants to be in that position. It’s A Marathon, Not A Sprint Inevitably, your job search will take longer than you want. Incorporate a healthy balance: exercise, eat right, get enough sleep, and remember, everything in moderation. This post originally appeared on US News World Report

Dont Ignore Your References

Dont Ignore Your References Have you wondered why you didnt get called in for an interview when the job was a perfect fit? Maybe it was because when they contacted your references, something went wrong. Good references are one of your biggest assets in a job search because they are independent witnesses who testify that your skills and work habits are suitable that you will be a good fit for that job. But since references are real people, things change. Choose Your References Carefully The buddy that you party with every weekend is probably not going to be a good reference about your professionalism, right? Think about who will be an authority in your career search; someone who understands the work involved and who has seen how you work. This means supervisors, professors, and those you have served with as a volunteer. Look at the reference the way an employer would and think about the type of questions that will be asked: How long have they known you? How have they worked with you? What problems have you had in the workplace? Check With Your References Regularly Ask your reference first, before you put their name down, as a professional courtesy to them. But even if someone has told you its okay to use them as a reference, you need to ask if they will be available when you expect a potential employer to contact them. The professor you worked with as an intern may be out of the country for a few months and unavailable, for instance. Its also a good idea to make sure the contact information you list for your references is accurate and current. Queries sent to an unused email address will not help your job prospects, will they? Neither will phone calls that are never answered or wrong numbers. Its always a good idea to check your references before the employer does  so you can verify that they will be available and able to provide the positive reference you need to get that job.

Tips for Writing a Waitressing Resume

Tips for Writing a Waitressing ResumeOne of the first things that you will learn if you are learning to write a waitressing resume is that the idea of an attractive job application letter is to sell yourself as much as possible. Of course, every job is unique, and each job will come with its own set of requirements in order to get hired for the position, but most importantly, you will need to sell yourself.Therefore, it is important to know exactly what it is that you are selling when writing your resume. You need to take the time to understand the type of job that you have chosen, and how this will fit into your future career plans. It is very important to take this time to understand your career goals, so that you can figure out what you want to talk about on your resume.What do you really want to talk about in your resume? Many people think that the best way to do this is to focus on what you expect to be in the position that you are applying for. In many cases, this is true but n ot always. It is much better to have something in your resume that will give you an idea of what you can expect when you are applying for the job, because a good candidate will already have a detailed idea of what it is that you expect.There are certain questions that will come up in your interview, so if you want to sell yourself as much as possible, be sure to include these questions on your resume. Here are some of the more common questions that you might be asked. Be sure to answer them properly and on time, so that you are not penalized for having them on your resume.For example, if you are being interviewed for a position that you won't be expected to work the entire day, don't fall back on an argument that you may not be physically capable of doing the job. Focuson something positive in your resume, and this is the one thing that will help you impress the interviewer.If you don't care for the interview process, don't be afraid to show that off in your resume. Try not to use t oo many expletives, and instead, focus on a few key points that you can touch on.Writing a great resume will help you get the job, and it is easier than you think. Whether you are interviewing for a job in a fast food restaurant, or you are interviewing for a job in a hospital, remember that you want to make the interview process as short as possible. The only time that you will need to show off your full resume is during the interview itself, and after you have talked to the manager for a while, the interviewer will want to see a more condensed version of what you can do.

To Make More Money, Go to College in a Big City

To Make More Money, Go to College in a Big City Almost everyone wants to get a great job after college. New studies suggest a surprising way to get one. A growing body of research is finding that economically vibrant cities can boost pay for students who graduate from high-quality colleges, enabling them to land unusually high paying jobs. “If all else is equal, going to college in a more vibrant city is going to be better for you,” says John Friedman, a Brown University economist who is a co-author of a recent study showing which colleges have the best records of launching low-income students into the upper middle class. He estimates that a city’s economic strength can add about 15% to the earning power of students who graduation from local high-quality colleges. Read more: MONEY’s Best Colleges rankings and college finder tool The reason: Employers tend to recruit locally for internships, and internships tend to lead to well-paying jobs, explains Rosalind Greenstein, a lecturer at Tufts University who has also studied the impact of local economies on student experiences. “One of the thing you buy in a college is the network,” she says. Attending a school that helps you make connections to lots of local employers, therefore, is a way to quickly and significantly expand a student’s job-seeking network. But before you tear up your entire set of college applications, consider these two important caveats, which both Greenstein and Friedman’s group (called the Equality of Opportunity Project) offer to anyone looking for a college that will give them an edge in the job market. First off, not all urban areas are created equalâ€"and only a few cities have the kind of strong, diverse job market that creates opportunities for students. The Equality of Opportunity Project found that colleges in cities with troubled economies, especially in the South and Midwest, had poor records as launchpads for students. The schools that had the best records of helping students improve on their parents’ socioeconomic status, Friedman’s group found, tended to be clustered in the New York, Los Angeles and the San Francisco metro areas, with smaller hubs in El Paso and San Antonio, Texas. Other researchers cite a few other hot spots. Paul Marthers, the incoming vice provost of enrollment management for Emory University, and co-author of Follow Your Interest to the Right College, also singled out the Texas tech hub in Austin. And he noted a couple of other cities with surprising strengths for students: Atlanta and Nashville have vibrant music industries; and Pittsburgh has great opportunities for anyone studying health sciences or leading-edge computing, such as self-driving cars. Money’s data, meanwhile, identifies a cluster of schools in Minneapolis/St. Paul. Researchers also offer a second caution: Just being located in a strong city doesn’t make up for a low-quality education. While the colleges with the best records of boosting students to high-paying jobs were clustered in a few cities, Friedman noted that each of those cities also had dozens of colleges with very poor records. Greenstein adds that for students to succeed, they need to focus primarily on finding colleges where they’ll thrive academically and socially. Indeed, the data show that dropping out of a college cuts a student’s likely lifetime earning power by more than 40%â€"far more than the potential 10% or 15% earnings premium you’d get from attending one of the handful of high-quality colleges in the hottest job markets.

The Job Search Tip Introverts Hate (But Desperately Need) - Work It Daily

The Job Search Tip Introverts Hate (But Desperately Need) - Work It Daily No matter how talented, skilled, or educated you are…if you’re an introvert, you're at a bit of a disadvantage in a job search. I am not an introvert, but I speak to a lot of them, coaching them through the process of getting a new job. Related: How Introverts Can Land A Better Job The vast majority of them are amazing, highly qualified people who do their jobs extremely wellâ€"but they have a lot of trouble when it comes time to get hired. There’s one piece of advice I give that introverts almost universally step back from or even sneer at. Here’s what it is…are you ready? The job search is a sales process, and you need to ‘sell yourself’ within that process. What I’ve found is that job seekers with more reserved personalities aren’t as interested in hearing this. They take a big step back from this kind of mindset, because it comes with a need for more aggressiveness or assertiveness than they might be naturally comfortable with in a job search. If you’re an introvert, what kind of image pops up in your mind when you hear that? An overly-aggressive used-car salesman? A pitchman on a TV infomercial? Put those thoughts out of your head. That isn’t at all what I mean. What I’m talking about is a guideline or a frame of reference you can use to take action that will get you hired. It does require you to step out of your comfort zone, but the rewards for making that effort are great. You have a greater chance of winding up in a job you love, rather than a job that appears in front of you that may not be the best fit. You will almost certainly get a job faster, which puts money in your pocket in terms of a paycheck. Months without earning a paycheck adds up to thousands of dollars in lost income. How does it work in practical terms? In the big picture, you are the ‘product,’ the hiring manager (your future boss) is the ‘customer,’ and your salary is the ‘purchase price.’ The psychological process of an employer choosing to hire you is the same as that of a customer choosing to buy a product. When you break that down, you see that: 1. Your resume is a marketing document (not a job history) that needs to reveal the benefits of the product using data-based evidence. That means using numbers, dollars and percentages to describe your accomplishments. (See more about resume quantification here.) 2. Your social media profiles are advertisingâ€"like commercials or billboards that grab attention and generate interest in your product. (You must be on LinkedIn, but don’t forget the power of Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms.) 3. The interview is a sales call where you’re talking to the customer about what your product can do for them. How can you benefit that company? What do you bring? When you think of it this way, all of your interview answers become another way for you to show or describe what they’ll get out of hiring you. This makes all your answers much more effective. 4. Also in the interview, you’ll bring ‘sales materials’ that are printed evidence of the benefits of your product. You’ll bring a brag book that shows your past successes, as well as a 30-60-90-day plan that maps out what you will do for them in the future. (Find out more about 30-60-90-day plans here.) 5. At the end of the interview, you act like a sales rep and close. This means that you ask for the business or the saleâ€"the job. You say something like, “Based on what we’ve talked about so far, do you agree that I would be a good fit for this job?” This question is a technique borrowed directly from sales pitches. Most introverts are intensely uncomfortable with the idea of closing. However, I think that the results you will get from it are worth stepping out of your comfort zone. When you close, you increase your chances of getting the job offer by 30% - 40%. If you do feel uncomfortable, stop thinking of it as a sales technique. Think of it as good communicationâ€"because it is. You’re simply asking, ‘Are we on the same page?’ ‘Have I told you everything you need to know?’ All of these steps are really about communicating more effectively with hiring managers. Better communication is a goal worth chasing for all of us. If you’re an introvert, coming at your job search with this mindset will help you get a better job. I encourage you to learn more about this by attending on of my free training webinars and learning more practical tips that will get you hired. Disclosure: This post is sponsored by a Work It Daily-approved expert. You can learn more about expert posts here. Photo Credit: Bigstock Have you joined our career growth club?Join Us Today!