Use Impressive Written Communication

Aside from resumes, your job search will likely require you to write effectively to communicate your capabilities.  Interviews are great when you can get one, but they are usually the result of prior written communication. 

Your effectiveness in writing cover letters, completing applications, and sending follow-up thank-you letters depends on paying attention to the details. For pointers on these three necessary documents see the material here.

Complete an Impressive Application

Depending on the type of position you are looking for, part of your job search will likely include filling out applications. Employers use applications to identify candidates who have the skills and education needed for the position. However, they may learn much more about you than just your qualifications. 

When filling out applications, whether on paper or on a computer, you have the opportunity to demonstrate that you are prepared, thorough, and follow directions. For hints on being successful with both forms of application, see the material here.

Using Power Statements

Communicating your value to the reader of your resume or your profile is of prime importance. Your value or ability to satisfy the positon requirements is being compared to many other candidates being reviewed. Using well thought out power statements helps you hold a position for further consideration.

Power statements are appropriate for use in your application, resume and online profile. During an interview these principles are applicable to your work experience examples s you reply to questions.

Review the use of power statements here.

Quantifying Achievements on Your Resume

When citing past work experience on your resume, it is important to articulate your achievements since employers are always eager to know how you have contributed to the organizations you worked for. By highlighting job achievements, you provide good evidence to demonstrate how you can use your skills to improve work results.

When developing your achievement statements, you are suggested to quantify your achievements with numbers that specify details such as project scope and work outcomes. As a result, readers can get a clear picture of how well you did.

For the "how to's" in writing strong achievement statements, click here for examples of accomplishing this

TagCrowd as a Job Search Tool

TagCrowd is a web application for visualizing word frequencies in any text by creating what is popularly known as a word cloud. - TagCrowd is particularly useful in making it easier to analyze a detailed job description for the particular requirements for each job by creating a screen with the most frequently mentioned keywords for skills and experiences emphasized in a concise manner. These keywords must be addressed and customized in your resume for you to have impact with each of your employment applications.

Topics covered included:

• TagCrowd as a job search tool
• How does TagCrowd Work?
• Any problems with TagCrowd?

Click here for more info.

Overcome Age in Your Resume

Older workers have an uphill battle when it comes to changing jobs. Although employers are not supposed to discriminate against older workers, some hiring managers do favor younger employees. If overcoming age bias is a concern, there are several things you should do when updating your resume.

There's no rule that you have to list every position you've ever held.  Overcome age bias early in the hiring process by listing only your most recent jobs on your resume. If you have been in the same industry for 25 years, eliminate information about jobs you held more than 15 years ago.

Click here the full article on Age and Resumes.

New Year Trends for Resumes

Technology seems to change everything in the marketplace every few years, and it should be no surprise that resumes are reflecting those changes. 

Stay up to date in your job search and make sure you are keeping up with resume trends and career-search innovations. 

Review seven of the top resume trends expected to become prevalent in 2015 here. 

Job Search #10: Build a Personal Brand

In obtaining a new position your identity is key. As with advertising the association with a 'brand' creates an effective connection. Professional branding is important for anyone who is job searching or building their career. It's important to create a personal brand that portrays you in a professional light and which provides employers and contacts with a strong positive impression of you as a high-caliber individual.

For articles presenting this approach see several articles here.

Job Search #2: Resume Strategies

The resume is often the first impersonal impression you will make with a potential employer. The development your resume consists of many components:  resume writing,  the creation of a professional resume, its format, and the presentation of your value to the employer.

These components need to be integrated into a final professional version. For a comprehensive description of these many aspects of a resume, each with a comprehensive discussion, see the complete resource here.

Job Longevity Shows Commitment

Reporting your longevity on each job is an essential part of your resume. Employers look for you to stick with a job two years or more to convey your commitment; job hopping is not a favorable attribute. Your resume should have beginning month and year for each employer reported.

To make the most of your job experience review the topic of longevity and how to convey it here.

Reasons for Changing Jobs

During the time the economy struggled, it was important just to have a job. As the economy improves, you may consider the opportunity to change jobs. Carefully consider the reasons you come up with to justify a significant decision.

Don’t overreact. Leaving a job to minimize pain should not be the primary reason for accepting another job. Both negative and positive motivators must be considered; as well as extrinsic (short-term) motivators, and intrinsic (long-term).

See an interesting diagram in the full article to assist your decision making here.

Write a Persuasive Cover Letter

You put a lot of thought and work into developing a professional resume, but may lose steam when it comes to the cover letter. When you submit a resume for a job posting or to a referral, you may be asked to submit a cover letter. There is at least a 50% chance that your cover letter will actually be read.

A well-written persuasive cover letter is a powerful addition to your suite of career marketing documents. So transform your existing cover letter from boring to attention-grabbing in five steps.

See the five steps with examples in the full article here.

Resume, elaborate: Problem, Solution, Results

Use the PSR – for “problem, solution, results” — methodology to punch up your experience bullets and provide a brief project summary.

So what is this magical PSR methodology? In a nutshell, it’s a classic writing technique that authors have been using for years. Instead of providing information in a vacuum, you lure in reviewers by defining the challenge you’ve faced, your course of action and the results you achieved.

• Define the Problem
• Describe the Solution
• Outline Your Impact

The final step is to edit all of this into powerful accomplishment bullets, project summaries and interview vignettes. For more detail and an example, see the complete article here.

Eight Top Articles from 2013

There have been many articles presented on this blog over the last year. Here are the most popular 8 from the Beyond.com site, one of the sites watched for employment tips. 

1. 5 Ways to Tell if Your Interview Went Well
2. 5 Myths That Hurt a Job Search
3. Can You Lose a Job for Being Too Attractive?
4. Six Reasons Your Search Has Stalled
5. Getting the Job When You're Underqualified
6. Four Job Qualifications You Don't Really Need
7. Six Tips for a Solid Resume
8. The Top Four Career Lies

The full article at Beyond.com can be found here

Getting the Job When You're Underqualified

When you're changing careers, getting your foot in the door can often be the most difficult part. Even though you may have tons of experience in your industry, which could carry over to the new career, odds are good that you don't meet every requirement on the employer's list.

So, how can you get a job when you're underqualified?

First, it's important to know that when an employer advertises a job opening, most of their list of requirements is a wish list. They are qualifications that the employer would like to find, but they aren't set in stone. Even if you don't meet all of them, you can still apply for the job.

In order to land a job you aren't completely qualified for, you have to consider what your qualifications are. Do you meet at least 80 percent of their advertised requirements? If you were the hiring manager, why would you hire someone with your skills? The answer to these questions will help you determine how to market yourself.

To learn the "rest of the procedures" to follow, click here.

How & Where to Post Your Resume Online

When you are out of work or looking for a better job, posting your resume online can help you cover your foundation.  When you post your resume on the web you are advertising "I'm available for work" on job databases to thousands of recruiters and employers searching for just the right person. Prior to posting your resume prepare a simple version that is easily transferable to a variety of formats.  There are number of considerations when attempting to advertise yourself on the Internet.  Here's a quick summary of essential "how to" topics to consider.

1. Ways to post your resume
2. Where to post?
3. Jobs by location
4. Resume services
5. Keep Track! 
6. Confidentiality

For more info about these essential "how to" things to consider, click here.

Accomplishments style resumes

In today’s competitive job market, it’s important that your resume be the very best representation of your skills, experiences, and capabilities. Creating an Accomplishment-focused resume will give specific evidence to the reader that you go above and beyond typical job responsibilities.

By shifting the focus of your resume from generic responsibility bullet points to concrete and individualized accomplishments, the reader will be given a much better sense of who you are and what you have to offer.

Most employers and hiring managers have a general idea of what the main responsibilities of various job titles entail. Instead of using up valuable space on your resume with information that the reader most likely already knows, try creating Accomplishments or Key Contributions sub-sections under each position. See the full article here.

Dig for Resume Accomplishments

Many underestimate our achievements. We're often told not to boast, that modesty is the best policy. We show up to do our jobs every day and sometimes do great things -- isn't that enough?

Well, not if you want your resume to get noticed. Employers look for achievers, candidates who go above and beyond their job duties. Your resume allows you to describe your best accomplishments so employers want to take a chance on you. Consider:

• What Is an Accomplishment?
• How to Get Started
• Pull It All Together
• Examples

If you think you have no career accomplishments, think again; it's just a matter of digging down and pinpointing what they are. See the full article here.

"Video Resume Tips." Part 2

It is often recognized that employers are not always looking to hire the most qualified candidate.  But looking to hire "a personality" rather than "a brain in a jar," suggests applicants accompany any video they send of themselves with a traditional resume and cover letter.

For employers, don't expect them to immediately press the "Play" button right away; but instead, screening candidates on paper first because resumes can initially be perused in 5 seconds instead screening them in 1 to 3 minute segments. Then, once the first round of cuts have been made, it's fine to grab the popcorn and fire up those applicant videos.  But video resumes require creativity with an interesting story-line. Here is an example of a straight-ahead lecture format that leaves much to be desired because it lacks imagination. Click here for such presentation.. 

There are  important tips of what to incorporate in your video resume and what not what to do.  Click here for an excellent "how to" article on how to present yourself more effectively.  This on-line article is entitled "Video Resume Tips."

Cutting Edge Job Seeking Advantages: Video Resumes? Part 1

Looking for a cutting-edge job seeking advantage?  Are you resourceful and creative?  Consider doing a video resume.  A video resume is a short video created by a candidate for employment that describes the individual's skills and qualifications and is typically used to supplement a traditional text-based resume.  The uniqueness of a video resume is that it lets you express himself in a way that can't be accomplished in a traditional resume because "Pictures can speak a thousand words, and a video can speak a million."  Although video resumes were first introduced in the 1980's for use and distribution via VHS tape, the idea never took off beyond the video taping of interviews.  However with the modern capabilities of transmitting streaming video via Internet, video resumes have taken on a new popularity.

Consider this.  Do you have imagination and savvy to effectively get the attention of potential employers instead of just submitting a paper resume and waiting in-line for an job interview call? Video resumes can be the next frontier in jump-starting your employment opportunities if done correctly.  Below are three simple but very effective video resumes to make my point:  Video resumes can effectively get employer's attention within 1 to 3 minutes if done correctly that can quickly accelerate your chances of earning an interview.

1. Must also see this simple but very effective video resume that is so dynamic and eye catching  Click here   
2. Then one of my colleagues' student from the University of Denver that was created to earn job on campus in a media lab.  And he got the job!  Click here.  
3. Here's a present Denver ERC client who is a competition to get a position and presents it all creatively within 59  seconds.  Click here http://www.bestjobaroundtheworld.com/submissions/view/6337. 

It is important to note that video resumes are not for everybody.   But be aware that video resumes could be a short-cut to separating oneself from others in pursuit of an interview.

In next week's sacrament meeting bulletin, I will present an article on tips of making a video resume going far beyond a tradition video lecture presentation.which could be detrimental if planned incorrectly.