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Browse published articles attributed to Maria Hebda, with full-archive search.
Whether the economy is crashing or booming, it is crucial to keep your resume updated and ready to be sent out on a moment's notice!
When searching for a job online, sometimes you will notice employers requesting a CV as opposed to a resume. What exactly is a CV and how does it differ from a resume? CV is an abbreviation for curriculum vitae, which is a Latin word meaning course of life or career. They are usually longer than the traditional one or two page resume and offer a complete history of work experience,significant contributions, and education. CVs are formal and comprehensive while resumes are brief.
Arguments abound, even among career professionals, about whether or not you should put an objective on your resume. Here are some PROS and CONS to consider about objectives: 1. You need to know where you want the resume to take you, and you need to make sure it's crystal-clear to the prospective employer. I can't emphasize this enough: Employers will not play a guessing-game to figure out what kind of work you want to do!
Do you find yourself spending a lot of time ruminating about your past career decisions, wondering if you should have done things differently-if you should have made other choices? Do you worry that you wasted your efforts or made a wrong decision somewhere along your path? Let me reassure you. Having had the honor of working with thousands of individuals with a wide variety of career experiences, I have come to believe that there are no wrong choices. New Directions
If you’re deciding what movie to rent or what to have for lunch, the possible down-side of a poor choice probably doesn’t amount to much. On the other hand, when your job search or career success is at stake, choices become much more critical.
One of the most powerful but underutilized strategies in finding a job is informational interviewing, the process of conducting highly focused conversations with professionals currently working in your field of interest in order to gather information about a job, company, field or industry. Informational interviews provide excellent opportunities to gain knowledge that you may not be able to find elsewhere, clarify your understanding, sharpen your focus, make connections, build relationships with influential professionals and, potentially, land a job.
As I work with senior-level IT leaders, IT operations directors, as well as IT program and project managers, I hear more and more about failed technology implementations. Not that the technology itself failed, although that certainly happens too. What really intrigues me is the level of project failure from an operational, functional, and process standpoint. IT Project Failure: What Drives It? Where to begin? IT projects fail for so many reasons. Chief among them, however, are reasons that must be considered before any project is initiated. These include:
Change is constant, prevalent, inevitable. We experience it in the weather as temperatures vary, in the seasons as spring cycles to winter, and within ourselves as we accumulate experiences. For most of us, these changes or transitions are characteristically familiar. Similarly, we embrace characteristic changes in our careers, expecting a familiar, linear path of advancement within an organization, within the same industry. This typical paradigm describes the traditional career ladder.
Companies today are moving quickly and looking for talent that can keep up, or better yet, bring cutting-edge ideas to give them a competitive advantage. A hiring manager’s first impression of you is most likely your resume, and if it says, “I’m old school,” you are probably not getting the interviews you would like. In the spirit of Jeff Foxworthy, here are some signs that your resume might be “old” school:
Locating and securing a job is a job in itself. In fact, many people dread the employment search process because it is often very tedious, grueling, time consuming and unrewarding. We are frequently mistreated, misunderstood and misrepresented. The up side to this dilemma is we can eliminate most of the confusion and despair that accompanies beating the streets for that ideal career position by implementing a simple, yet very successful, plan of action. Which starts with a good resume.
"Should I Lie About My Age On a Resume?" * I am too old * I've never managed anyone directly * I don't have Microsoft Excel experience * I have a job gap from 2002-2004 You'll never see these above items on a resume because the purpose of the resume is to put your best foot (or feet) forward and to downplay your potential weaknesses. Adding an easy reference to your age is the same thing as saying "I am an older adult." Unfortunately, this can be viewed as a weakness by many hiring managers and recruiters.
Ah. After much hard work, your resume is beautiful! You've spent countless hours (and perhaps a chunk of change) perfecting both its content and appearance and now you're ready to send it out to fulfill its primary duty--landing you an interview. Or several. And fast. What you may not realize, however, is that the first interview is about to begin--the 10-second interview where the recipient of your resume quickly and perhaps even unconsciously begins evaluating your candidacy based solely on *how* you've applied for the job.
Improve your job search results by avoiding these common resume pitfalls: Trying to Be All Things – Choosing a focus can seem limiting! Review effective marketing campaigns (remember, your resume is a marketing tool), and you will consistently find cohesive, compelling messaging. Even at a career fair, your resume must present a focused picture of your value-add to the organization. Bring multiple versions if necessary.
Anyone expecting to see great results from using a generic resume for their job search is setting themselves up for a big disappointment. Employers, recruiters, hiring managers, and HR personnel are not seeking "general" candidates to come in for interviews, they are looking for candidates who know what skills they have to offer and where they can best fit into a company.
The difference in business ideas can be compared to the difference between mediocre and exceptional and between boredom and passion. Whether you're coming up with an effective way to streamline the job search process, writing a best-selling headline to attract new clients, or coming up with a product or program that can take your business to the next level, to attract potential clients you need to stand out or you'll be overlooked. You're an expert at making your clients stand out from the crowd. Now it's about making you stand out from the crowd.
Many job seekers ask professional resume writers to develop a generic resume that can be used for several targets. Sometimes the client is not even sure what those targets will be but wants a document that will work for any position he or she decides to apply for. This is a huge mistake! It makes no sense to pay for a professional resume unless your job target is clear. Why? Hiring managers and potential employers are not psychic. You cannot expect them to take the time to read through a generic resume and find a fit for you. They have neither the time nor the desire to do this.
When people go shopping, whether it’s for a minor purchase or a large ticket item like a new car, price will always be a determining factor. If they feel the cost is worth it, they’ll pay it and if they don’t they won’t. It’s pretty simple when buying tangible items. But when making non-tangible purchases like career coaching and resume writing services, it’s not as simple. When it comes to career services, the real purchase is your industry expertise and the coach/client or writer/client relationship.
How Resilient Are You? “Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.” ~Confucius Have you noticed that some people seem to recover from setbacks more quickly than others? Have you wondered what their secret is? Bouncing back is an increasingly important skill for professionals who want to thrive in today’s fast-moving world of work where careers are less predictable, job changes are more frequent, and there is less job security.
I am often contacted by people (oftentimes mothers) who took an extended absence from the workforce to raise children. Those children get older and more self-sufficient; the stay at home moms decide they would like to return to the workplace. Oftentimes these women had good careers, working as atto eys, project managers, analysts, and technology professionals, among many other professions.
Preparing for the Interview Next, it’s time to research the field or industry and the contact’s company. This will help you avoid wasting precious interview time asking questions that you would have been able to answer by doing a little investigation, as well as demonstrate that you are interested and proactive.
Unfortunately, there are a lot of people out there who think hiring a resume writer is a big waste of time and money. If you're one of these people, please keep reading. I can assure you that it will be well worth your time. Why hire a professional resume writer?
If you are reentering the job market and have relevant volunteer experience, be sure to include it. It counts! A recent client wanted to reenter the job market after taking time off for children. Her earlier career had been in residential real estate and Xerox equipment sales. Her new job target was non-profit development. How did we position her for a development position in the non-profit arena? We focused heavily on her recent, highly relevant volunteer work.
Just a short time ago, it was customary for your resume to have a line towards the top that read something like: "OBJECTIVE: To obtain a position in customer service in which I can utilize my skills at an organization that facilitates innovation and growth". Times have changed since then, and undoubtedly, so has the criteria that formulates an effective resume.
Offering your career services and products based on what you “think” your clients or potential clients may want is cutting back on the amount of business you could be doing. To start off 2016 on a strong note, below are 5 Quick Tips when it comes to market research and attracting ideal clients. 1. Determine what specific services and products you want to offer potential clients and existing clients as their career coach or resume writer. Go beyond the humdrum "I do career coaching" or "I write resumes" as a way to describe and market your service.
Since launching my resume writing business 14 years ago, I have assisted many clients in posting resumes on-line, to electronic job boards such as monsterjobs.com, careerbuilder.com, and usajobs.gov. When I first began this service, statistics said that only 30 percent of employers were recruiting on-line. This figure recently has risen to over 80 percent. How They Work
So what’s the big deal or why bother with publishing an email newsletter (aka ezine)? Because your competitors know and understand the value of staying connected and being top-of-mind! Here are the Top 5 reasons why I suggest that you do:
“Five percent of [Americans] surveyed said they would actually be willing to divorce their spouse if that meant they could stop commuting and work from home instead.”¹ While the vast majority of us wouldn’t resort to something quite so drastic, more and more people are seeking ways to spend less time commuting and to incorporate more flexibility into their work schedules. However, before you request a work-from-home arrangement, there are some important things to consider. Evaluate
As an introvert and shy person, stepping out of my comfort zone is a challenge for me. However, as a business owner I know I have to overcome this challenge if I want to expand my reach and grow my business. Although not easy, I'm doing it. :)
What magic is involved in preparing a cover letter? The cover letter - sometimes known as an application letter for employment - literally covers, or is placed first, over your presented or mailed resume. Usually read first, it is intended to encourage a potential employer to read over your included resume. In addition, it is a personal narrative written communication that could decidedly influence a hirer's opinion of the applicant as a potentially suitable job candidate or one that fails that first step in gaining recognition for an interview.
Do you ever look at others who have achieved great things and think, "They're different from me. I could never find the courage to take such bold steps?" Don't sell yourself short. Often, it's a matter of determining the right career fit and breaking your goals down into attainable steps.
In our world today, inventors and developers pride themselves on developing products that will do several functions - like the cell phone that is also a camera and a GPS device. But a resume is not such a product. It needs to do one thing - make the employer want to interview you - and it needs to do that one thing extremely well.
You’ve been running your business for a few years now and you know you do a great job at meeting the needs of your clients whether it’s career coaching or resume writing, possibly both. Your clients tell you so.
It seems no matter how good we have it, we all want a better job. That means keeping track of job listings, networking, tracking down leads, analyzing potential employers and scheduling interviews. But these depend on other people, word of mouth, and the quality and quantity of job postings available at any given time. Only your resume gives you total control over how you're perceived by potential employers. It doesn't have to be a passive job listing with subjective information on why you think you're a great and wonderful person (which of course you are).
Making the decision to go into business for yourself can be very exciting and scary at the same time (at least this was how it was for me way back when). The dream of becoming my own boss, setting my own hours, and not having anyone tell me what to do is what sold me on the idea. However, keeping that sweet dream staying sweet is a whole different story! Mistake #1: Letting My Business Run Me Instead of Me Run My Business Unfortunately, I learned this the hard way so if I can help you avoid this huge mistake I made, this article has served its purpose.
So many people settle and use resume templates (aka cookie-cutter resumes) because all they have to do is plug in their info. The one thing they don’t realize is that employers are looking for more than just basic info. Employers want to know what value you bring to the table, how you contributed to companies you worked for in the past, and what contributions you’ve made for your current employer so far. A resume template doesn’t guide you on how to include this kind of information in your resume. You’re unique, and likewise, your resume should be too.
Consider this scenario; after 20 years of loyalty to his employer, Ken’s position has just been eliminated due to a company merger. He suddenly finds himself unemployed at the age of 58. As he begins to search for his outdated resume typed in 1987, he worries about what the future will hold in a world that associates youth with ambition. Frequently, he hears that 50 is the new 40 or 40 is the new 30, but knows that age discrimination in the workplace is not a thing of the past.
When I’m working with a new client and take a look at his/her LinkedIn profile (if the individual has one), I often see either a bare-bones profile or one that is clearly a verbatim online version of the client’s existing resume. Since he/she is usually coming to me for resume help, that’s a conce from the get-go because it typically means the LinkedIn profile is based on a resume that doesn’t represent the person well.
If your resume looks as if it could have come from 20 years ago or it just hasn’t been put together carefully–with good attention to what your targeted employers are probably looking for–it most likely will end up in the resume “black hole” trap. The same goes for submitting it to employers without doing any research beforehand to see if your background makes sense for the company. Yet another black hole mistake is distributing your resume with a generic cover letter that does little, if anything, to give the employers a reason to read it OR the resume.
The department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) just released employment numbers that revealed a monthly net gain of 4,400 IT-related jobs, a sixth straight net jobs gain in IT labor segments. On the surface, this sounds like incredible news - the job outlook for IT is improving although at a somewhat slow pace. Insightful analysis of this data by Foote Partners, an independent IT benchmarking research and advisory firm, tells a completely different story that will have staggering impacts on the careers of IT professionals.
I haven’t met anyone who doesn’t like free stuff. Offering something for nothing does have its benefits. As a small business owner, are you taking advantage of this opportunity? I’m not saying give away all that you know but rather just a free “taste” of your expertise. How you give it away is up to you. It can be via a special report, class audio, or e-course. Other ways you can give a free sample is by putting together some type of checklist, self-test, or maybe a reference guide of some kind that would be ideal for your target market.
Put yourself in the place of the busy manager who has to read a stack of job description resumes. Your reaction might range from falling asleep to tearing out your hair-or wanting to! Why is that? Because job description resumes are BORING and do absolutely nothing to distinguish you from the crowd. If you're not taking appropriate steps to make yourself stand out, there's not much point in submitting your resume anywhere these days. The job market is too competitive.
One of the worst habits to have as a solopreneur is letting your inbox take control. As solopreneurs, it’s very easy to become a work-a-holic, not feeling your work is ever done and giving a great deal of time to your email can only add to your stress level without even realizing it. Improving your email habits can drastically increase your productivity, allowing more time and energy to focus your efforts on projects that support your clients and strategies that build your business.
Networking online or social networking isn't all that different from traditional business networking such as your local Business Network International (BNI) Chapter, local Chamber of Commerce, service groups, or professional networking organizations. Just like with traditional face-to-face networking, being a successful social networker means you: Show Up Regularly
This headline should come as no surprise to you if you've been following Google's growth and expansion in the Northwest: Google plans 840-worker office in Bothell. This is a tremendous opportunity for those with the right skills to fit Google's technical needs and the right personality to fit Google's culture. Do you know if this is you? I'll bet that 'Google culture' hits the top ten in search results over the next 2 weeks.
Prospective employers may spend as little as six seconds looking at your resume to make an assessment of your abilities and to match those abilities to their job opening. In those six seconds they do not read every word on the resume!
Looking for feedback on my work, I sent the exact same resume to 2 trusted recruiters and got the following two gut reactions: * "Great format but the writing could be more salesy." * "Compelling content but the format is bland." The take home message: You can't please everyone. That said, you can still win interviews from hiring managers whose resume preferences differ from your own. Just make sure you cover these "bases" within the first third of page one:
It's time for Part III of resume make-overs. Hope you enjoyed reading the other two parts and began to redo your resume. That's what this is all about.
Even in the toughest of job markets, it's important to keep your values in sight. Certainly money matters, but we all want to work for more than just a paycheck. We need to be able to articulate what matters to us and what gives us satisfaction, whether it's in solving complex problems, providing excellent customer service, being part of a team that does great things, or anything else that motivates you to excel in your profession. Whether you are unemployed and seeking a job or feeling trapped in an unrewarding job, some introspection will help guide your career in the right direction.
You Got to Give to Get: What do potential clients really “hear” when you communicate with them whether it is online, offline, in person, or on the phone? What message do they take away from your website, service offerings, products, or your “get acquainted” phone consultation?
Professional achievements and skills are two elements that must be included when developing your resume. Without them, you will only have a boring list of companies and job duties that you performed. This lack of strategy will not entice a potential employer to read your resume; not in this job market! To get noticed, you need to add value by highlighting your accomplishments throughout your document. In essence, your resume should be a marketing billboard that sells "you."