Work, success, and meaning at every stage of your career
Writing better resumes
Specialized careers such as attorney, information technology, or CPA, have their own language and culture. Usually, it takes an attorney to know whether the skills you have are in demand or hard to find. Only an attorney will know whether the firm you worked for has prestige or great leadership or a winning culture. That’s industry insider information that an outsider expert on resumes (like me) probably doesn’t have.
I recently attended a webinar delivered by Wendy Enelow and Louise Kursmark, two career coaches with impressive credentials. They delivered a class for other career coaches on the finer points of writing resumes. Even after more than 16 years of experience in writing resumes, I learned a lot. Here are some ideas I think every jobseeker should incorporate into a resume.
Employers are using scanning technology and key word internet searches to find the best candidates for their needs. Specific phrases with quantitative proofs will help you get found; think of it as SEO (Search Engine Optimization) for your career.
Career fairs provide excellent networking opportunities for young and experienced professionals. Held on most campuses in the spring, and at various venues year round, these fairs give employers a chance to speak with city residents and students on campus about employment opportunities and employer needs.
Most jobseekers know that an error on your resume will prevent you from becoming a serious candidate for a job. It’s pretty easy to make sure your resume is immaculate; it’s only one document. But for every resume you send out, you probably send dozens of email and other electronic correspondence.
Karyn from Fleming Island, Florida wrote to us with this question:
Q: “I took the WorkKeys assessment this week and I am wondering how this can be sent to a potential employer?”
A stunning survey of workers by Monster.com shows that 98% of workers are not [completely] satisfied with their jobs and plan to look for work in 2011. Are you one of them?
If you are one of the working class who’s planning to make a break for it as soon as the economy heats up, here are some things to consider as you plan a move.
Bill Lynch had over 30 years of successful operations management, an MBA, and standout community service on his resume. Before his job ended in September 2010 (he’d seen it coming for a while), he decided to completely retool his skills and experience and pursue another field altogether.
LinkedIn’s most overused resume terms include “team player,” “motivated” and “dynamic.”
Posting a successful online resume requires techniques most candidates just don’t know. Resume search terms, resume SEO, data retrieval rules: These are key factors.
Your Work, Your Way 