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 #9: Use Social Networking

Social networking can be an integral part of your job search or career building - if you use it correctly. If not used correctly, even information you consider private like a photo posted on Facebook or a random comment on Twitter, could cost you your job and unexpectedly damage your career.

Social media participation is an essential tool in networking with potential professional contacts, staying in touch with current and former contacts, advancing your career, and keeping in touch with the world

To find tips on what you shouldn't do when it comes to social media and your career - and that's just as important as what you should do, see the complete set of references here.

25 Great Resume Templates For All Jobs

Your internet search for 'resume templates' ends here

Kristen Felicetti

We've all scoured the internet for "resume examples" or "resume templates", but let's face it, usually the sample resumes you find are too generic, not appropriate for your field, impossible to download, or simply ugly. Luckily, template provider Hloom has put an end to your frustration. They've created a great collection of 277 free templates.

The Hloom page is easy to navigate and all the templates open in Microsoft Word. However, there's still an overwhelming 277 different templates to sift through, so AOL Jobs has made it even easier. We've selected our 25 favorite templates from Hloom. These 25 templates include appropriate examples for positions in finance, admin, graphic design, academia, and more.

Some of the designs we selected are traditional and some are more creative, but all have smart and clean designs. All successful resumes should be visually appealing to the hiring party and clearly highlight your qualifications in an organized way.

Classic
These clean, modern designs can work as resume templates for most jobs, from creative positions to corporate ones.







Finance and Business
Whether you're an executive, or just aiming to be one, these templates reflect a professional and strong candidate.




ATS Optimized
Hloom has a great section of ATS Optimized resumes. These layouts use prominent headers and traditional fonts. They are designed to potentially insert keywords that relate to the job posting near the top. They do not use graphics, borders, tables, or any other design elements that might be difficult for a computer applicant tracking system to interpret. The layouts themselves are also ideal for clerical and administrative jobs.




Entry level
Even if you're just entering the workplace, a recent college graduate, or making a career change, you can still have a great resume. Here are some templates for candidates who might be light on previous experience.



Creative and Academic
If you're applying for a job in a creative field, you might be seeking a template that has a bit more flair. The first template is suited for an actor, gallery artist, or any position that prioritizes listing creative work over descriptions of work experience. The last template is for academics or anyone who needs a resume that lists research and publications.

Browse all 277 Free Resume Templates at Hloom.
              

Job Search #8: Find Contacts at a Company

It's not only who you know personally who can help. It's also who the people you know can refer you to. Those people may be able to assist you, as well. How do you find connections at companies? It's actually simple and easy to search online to find contacts at your companies of interest. Asking for help, the old fashioned way, still works, too.

See the article with additional hints here.

Job Search #7: Build a Career Network

The best time to build a solid network is before you need it.  Career networking doesn�t have to be intimidating and job search networking is still the top way people find new jobs.

The importance of career networking shouldn't be discounted when you are in the midst of a job search. In fact, your career network should become a part of your daily work and career-related endeavors, as well as part of your job search.

For further discussions on career development, see the complete article here.

Job Search #6: Fast Track Your Job Search

What can you do when you have to find a job fast? It's not easy, but there are steps you can take to expedite your job search.

Spending some time to get your job search in order, keeping it organized, focused, and on the fast track will help you find a job faster than if you don't have a plan in place.

Rather than missing your job search targets, you'll be spending your time job searching in an effective manner if you take it one step at a time - and stay on top of managing job search process.  See the full article here.

  

Here are some suggestions.

• Plan and Organize Your Search
• Write Your Resume
• Create a Personal Cover Letter Template
• Create/Update Your Professional Profilles
• Select Job Search Websites
• Use Your Words

For more insight, click here.

Job Search #5: Finding Job Listings

Here are the best sites to find job listings including job search engine sites, job boards, company websites, niche job sites, social media and professional networking sites, jobs listed by type of job seeker and location, and more top job listing sites.

Here is a valuable outline of finding best sites for particular job listings.

1. Top 5 Best Job Sites for Students
2. Best Job Search Engines
3. More Good Job Sites
4. Best Local Job Sites
5. Jobs Listed by Career Field/Industry
6. Jobs Listed by Location

For more info, click here.

Job Search #4: E-mail Etiquette

Job search email etiquette including choosing an email account, formatting your email messages, what to put in the Subject Line of your message, how to create an email signature, and how to send email messages when job searching.

When you are using email to job search, it's important that all your communications are as professional as they would be if you were writing an old-fashioned paper letter. Here's information on what to include in your job search emails, how to format your email, and how to make sure your email message is read.

For more information, click here.

Beware of These 4 Grammar Mistakes on Resumes and Cover Letters

Chek evry sentence real careful-like

Susan Ricker

In Larry Beason and Mark Lester's book, "A Commonsense Guide to Grammar and Usage," the authors understand that sentence diagramming and tense agreement may not be issues that most people are concerned with in their writing. However, that doesn't mean that writing well has to be difficult. "Avoiding errors is not the most important aspect of writing effectively, but it is important enough to deserve writers' attention," they write. And if you've ever written a cover letter or resume that claims you have "excelent attention to detail," but misspell excellent, you can understand why presenting yourself as a smart, capable worker who can communicate effectively is important to hiring managers.

That being said, there are four grammar mistakes that seem to haunt job seekers and workers alike. Whether you're sending an email, formatting your resume or drafting a cover letter, these are the four areas that deserve a proofread before you hit send, save or print.

1. Eliminating sexist pronouns

Most job-seeker materials will cite specific examples of your work or of people you know, so using gender-specific pronouns like he or she is a must when writing. But in emails or speaking about broader topics like industry or management trends, it can be easy to generalize in sentences like, "Each person should try to do his best." The problem is that gender-specific pronouns can create or reinforce biases in people's minds, which clouds your writing and degrades the message you're sending.

To correct this issue, Beason and Lester's write, "See whether you can make the subject of your sentence plural and change the gender-exclusive pronoun to the plural form (they, them or their). Try substituting his or her for a gender-exclusive pronoun when the subject is singular. [Or] revise the sentence to avoid using personal pronouns altogether."

2. Apostrophes in contractions or showing possession 

Contractions such as can't instead of cannot help writing sound more familiar and informal, which can coax your reader into a more relaxed and understanding mood. And citing ownership of a project ("The communications team's presentation went well") is a common scenario in writing. Unfortunately, when writers aren't sure of the rules apostrophes follow, they often abuse the punctuation mark and opt for overuse versus an embarrassing omission.

The authors' advice: "If you use a contraction, it'll need an apostrophe." For possession, "Check carefully each use of its and it's in your writing. If you are indicating possession, there is no need for an apostrophe [with its versus it's]. However, if you are using a shortened form of it is, you need an apostrophe to take the place of the missing letter."

3. Capitalization

Typically, job titles are capitalized on resumes when you're listing your experience and the companies for which you've worked. But if you're writing about truck drivers as the profession, not the specific role that you had, you wouldn't capitalize the term. Confusing? It can be.

Really, you want to minimalize capitalization because it demands importance and attention, which should be saved for your titles and not every reference to the profession or industry. The authors write, "Although capitalization errors can easily occur, it is important to avoid them. Frequently, capitalization errors � like spelling errors � jump out and distract readers from what a writer is saying." For your credentials, the authors recommend to "Capitalize the names of actual courses, schools and subjects. Do not capitalize when you are making a general reference."

4. Fragments

"A fragment is part of a sentence that is punctuated as though it were a complete sentence," the authors write. However, it's an incomplete sentence, such as "Which I had worked on all night." Out of context, it makes no sense. This is a frequent offender in emails and other casual correspondences, since we tend to write those as our thoughts occur to us or in quick response.

To combat fragment sentences, read through each sentence on its own. Does it makes sense standing alone or out of context? Does it still convey a thought? If not, it needs to be merged with another sentence to become complete. This strengthens your writing and the stance you take in it.

Writing well is a skill that every profession benefits from. It can also be what catches the hiring manager's eye and gets you a resume or what impresses a boss and results in a raise or promotion. Best of all, writing well furthers your causes and conveys your ideas, making a real impact on your career and the world around you.

These Online Platforms Can Boost Your Resume for Free

Improve your chances by building these skills

Andrew Ward

Now more than ever, the job market is a treacherous place. The supply of quality jobs does not match the demand for careers for new and veteran professionals. There are ways an individual can stand out by showcasing the right skills, but getting these skills sometimes costs money many job seekers can't afford. Now a rise in free, quality education has begun to bridge the education gap. If you're looking to boost your resume, consider some of these platforms.

Coding

Ruby, JavaScript, Python. Do you know any of these programming languages? If you do, or know other in-demand languages, you have a leg up on the competition. Considered by many as the must-have job skill of the future, coding is a virtual must-have on your resume. With Codecademy, you can put yourself on the track to being more in-demand in the job market -- for free.

As GonnaBe lead engineer and co-founder C.J. Windisch told Mashable last year, "We see it everywhere from statistical analysis in baseball to politics with Barack Obama's data-driven election team," Windisch says. "Understanding data at that scale requires a computer to run numbers, not a calculator. In today's big data world, that means coding."

Codecademy user Liz Beigle-Bryant offered her experience with the website as an older job seeker. "So I'm 55, and I don't have a college degree. That means I need to work out ways to foil the resume algorithms that would automatically discard my resume," she explains. "Key web coding skills such as JavaScript, jQuery, Ruby, HTML, CSS, and Python (PHP & MySQL too) helped shoot me to the head of the queue."

With over 24 million users, Codecademy is one of the most popular destinations for learning programming and markup languages. For those serious about learning a new language, consider their Code Year, which teaches the basics to JavaScript before adding HTML and CSS.

If Codecademy isn't your speed, try some of these other free courses in coding.

Languages

Learning a language can be costly. Reputable classes can run into the high hundreds of dollars per class or program. With Duolingo anyone can learn a language for free. The founders believe high-quality education should be accessible to anyone for no cost.

A 2012 census report revealed that 55 millions Americans don't speak English in the home. While some may think the United States recognizes English as the official language of the land, there actually isn't one. That means the job market, and the consumers, may not be English speakers. If you have the skill to bridge the language gap you could be in high demand. Bilingual speakers average 5-20 percent more per hour than single-language employees.

A Rosetta Stone study concluded that average annual incomes of bilingual speakers average $10,000 higher than just English speakers and 17 percent of bilingual speakers average over $100,000 per year. In the health realm, another Rosetta Stone report supported learning a language as a way to combat mental diseases like Alzheimer's. You could be benefitting yourself on various fronts by learning another language.

Job Search #3: Effective Cover Letters

The objective of writing cover letters is to obtain a reading of your resume and help you win the interview

When you are a writing a cover letter, there is specific information that needs to be included. Your cover letter will include a contact section, a salutation, information on why you are qualified for the job, a closing, and your signature.

To see what to include in your cover letter, how to write it, its format, and cover letter examples, see the full article here.

5 Ways Your Resume Makes You Look Out Of Touch

Monster

By Catherine Conlan

Monster Contributing Writer

 

If you�ve been in the workforce for a while and are thinking of looking for a new job, you�ll want to make sure that your resume doesn�t make you look out of touch with today�s workplace. Age discrimination is, of course, illegal, but it�s still a good idea to make sure your resume gives the right impression about your skills and experience.

 

Scott Vedder, author of �Signs of a Great Resume,� says he once saw a job candidate whose resume made him look completely out of touch: It listed the names and Social Security numbers of each of his six grandchildren. �It�s never appropriate to talk about your age or family status on a resume,� Vedder says. �And it�s certainly not appropriate to send a recruiter your family members� Social Security numbers!�

 

You probably haven�t made that mistake, but consider these other ways your resume may be making you look out of touch.

An epic work history

 

There�s no getting around it: If you�ve been in the workforce a long time, you�ll have a long work history. Keep in mind, though, that you don�t need to list every job you�ve ever had � especially early ones that are no longer relevant.

 

Frame your experience as a benefit: �Recruiters frequently look for candidates with a proven history of success,� Vedder says. �Look for hints in the job posting which indicate a company is searching for a �seasoned executive,� a �mature leader,� or an �established professional� or for jobs which require �10+ years� experience. Then give specific examples to explain why your background makes you a great fit for the job.�

Your social media presence

 

For most jobs it�s OK to leave social media information off your resume, but hiring managers may still search for you online to get more information. You want them to find a strong presence that makes you look dynamic and engaged. �Even if your Facebook or Google+ profile is set to private, people can still see your main profile picture,� says Erik Bowitz of Resume Genius.

 

Make a great impression by choosing an attractive, professional photo. If you decide to be a little more public with your social media, make posts that show you�re plugged in to your industry by sharing timely articles and interesting news.

Your file format

 

Even the type of file you send your resume as can make you look out of touch. If you're using an outdated form of Microsoft Word on an old computer and send your resume as a .doc file, you risk pegging yourself as out-of-touch, Bowitz says.

 

Beyond keeping your own tools up to date, there�s no universal �right way� here. Your best bet is to find out which format is best for each employer and their application system and and use that.

Outdated phrases

 

Resumes have evolved over the years and things like �references available upon request� can make you look less than current, says Alyssa Gelbard of Resume Strategists Inc. �Another giveaway is if they have a separate �Interests� section that includes things like travel, cooking and reading.�

 

Cut the fat from your resume and keep it focused on skills and experience. In addition, highlight the value you can bring to the company.

Signs of being stuck in a tech time warp

 

Not having a personal email address is a mistake, says Tony Palm, president of Military Professionals LLC. He adds that listing proficiency in Microsoft Office, �the Web,� or other standard office technology don�t make you look current.

 

Brush up on your tech terminology to ensure you�re making the right impression. Consider a class that can help you get up to speed on what you need to know.

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.

Appearing Ageless on a Resume

Show you're up-to-date with the times, and age shouldn't matter

CareerBuilder

Matt Tarpey, CareerBuilder writer

The world moves pretty fast, and smart employers recognize that they need to be ready to innovate and adapt at a moment's notice. But this focus on rapid evolution has many older employees worrying that their age may be having a negative effect on their ability to land promising new jobs.

We spoke to several experts for tips about how job seekers can appear ageless on their resumes.

Focus on what matters
One simple and straightforward way to downplay your age is to remove graduation dates from your resume. Of course, this omission is not likely to go unnoticed. "If you do choose this option, you must be prepared to answer the question: Gee, where's your date of graduation? Or, why did you leave it off the resume?" Roy Cohen, career coach and author of The Wall Street Professional's Survival Guide points out.

When questions like these come up, Cohen suggests bringing the focus back to the job. He even offers a template response: 'I left it off intentionally. My recent experience and skills are so strong that I didn't want to clutter the resume with unnecessary information that would distract from my potential to hit the ground running immediately.'" Responses like this not only address the age issue, but also demonstrate confidence in your own ability.

Get with the times
Resumes are all about first impressions, and a savvy recruiter or hiring manager may be able to estimate your age based on your resume before even seeing your graduation date. "The key to appearing 'ageless' or 'with the times' would be in how you brand yourself in your resume," says Noelle Gross, career coach and founder of Noelle Gross Career Strategy. "There are resume design services that will make your resume stand out as being amongst the most modern in the stack of resumes. Perception is everything so having some cutting edge design can really work in your favor."

For more information on how to modernize your resume, check out this article or head over to CB-Resume for a more in-depth analysis of your resume needs.

Stay in the present
One of the chief concerns employers may have with hiring older workers is their ability or willingness to change their habits to keep up with modernization. "In order to downplay your age, an applicant needs to be forward-thinking. This means they would need a firm grasp of new technologies, social media and an online portfolio," says Patrice Rice, CEO of Patrice & Associates. "Overall, his or her drive for self-improvement needs to be apparent."

Demonstrate to employers that your age doesn't affect your ability to stay current. Maintain an active social media presence and stay up to date with new technologies in your industry. "When these qualities are highlighted, an employer will look less at age and more at the candidate's drive to evolve," adds Rice.

Update your email account
You're probably already aware of the importance of having an appropriate email address, but that's not necessarily all that hiring managers will notice. "When you email your resume, one of the first things the recruiter will see is your email address," says Laura Gmeinder, career coach at Laura Gmeinder Coaching & Consulting, LLC. "What does your email address reveal about your age? I recommend getting a new email address either branding yourself with a domain or setting up a gmail account or the like. Remember to keep it professional!"

Remember, employers generally aren't concerned about your age in and of itself, but rather it's potential implications. Show them that you're up to date on modern professional trends and new technologies, and you can dispel their concerns and refocus the conversation on why you are the perfect candidate for them.

Job Search #1: When to start a search

When it comes to starting your job search, there�s no time like the present�except, maybe, if the present happens to be during a major life change, a big project at work, or the summertime.

Career experts say job seekers should always be actively looking. The stars will never align perfectly in your job search and if you wait for them to do so, a great opportunity could be missed. 

The best time to look for a new job is when you don�t need one; you just want one. For the complete discussion see the article here.

Moms� jobs can make a difference �

The Church surveys and research make some projections for the sisters of the Church. Two thirds of all sisters will at one point be the principal breadwinner for their family. This comes about with the husband�s loss of employment, unexpected death or divorce, or a sister remaining single.

There is little opportunity for a mom with the responsibility of a child to move beyond minimum wage work. To make a shift is almost impossible for a family without help. They have to work hard to make the day-to-day.

The biggest motivator for moms is the financial security that a "non-traditional" job can offer. For more details on this topic, see the full article on a Wyoming program here.

7 deadly sins of r�sum� writing

Steve P. Brady, freelancer

Despite the fact that there are numerous how-to articles out there, r�sum�s are not easy to write. They require time, talent and patience in order to craft them into targeted advertisements for your most precious commodity: you.
You don't want this document that you have been poring over for days to fall victim to the seven deadly sins of r�sum� writing. Be vigilant and double check before you send your r�sum� to any potential employers.
Deadly sin No. 1: Typos
This is a no-brainer, but it is still one of the most common mistakes on a job seeker's r�sum�. Double and triple check, and then have someone else proofread it for you. This is the easiest of the seven to fix as long as you read carefully.
Deadly sin No. 2: Faulty formatting
Today's word-processing software allows for just about anyone to become a publishing wizard. You can add shadings, graphics, artistic fonts and stylistic flourishes. Don't.
Above all else, you want your r�sum� to be readable. Keep the fancy formatting to a minimum and place a priority on scannablility. Email it to a friend to ensure that the formatting you do keep is not lost.
Deadly sin No. 3: Irrelevant job experience
Everyone is proud of their professional life, and rightfully so. However, there comes a time when you have to be ruthless with your past and cut out anything that strays from the branded image you are trying to create with your r�sum�.
A general rule of thumb is to stick with the most recent 15 years of experience. For instance, if you are going for an upper level management position, you certainly do not need to include your time in the sales department 20 years ago when you first got out of college.
Deadly sin No. 4: Weak word choice
Banish words such as 'helped," "provided" and "worked" from your r�sum� vocabulary. Only use strong, active verb phrases that point toward dynamic action. You want employers to view you as a problem solver, not as a "doer."
Deadly sin No. 5: Boring bullets
Many times when a candidate sends in his r�sum�, the work history reads as if it was taken from his job description. In fact, that is what a lot of inexperienced r�sum� writers do. If you are one of them, don't worry, it is a common mistake, but it needs to be fixed.
Instead of just listing what your job requires of you, focus on what you have been able to accomplish. Sales numbers, quotas reached, budgets balanced and clients signed are all items that will make you stand out rather than blend in. Remember the key is to sell yourself.
Deadly sin No. 6: Not including a branding statement
The r�sum� objective is dead, but long live the branding statement. This is the first section of your r�sum� after the heading where you can create a dynamic headline and description of your own personal area of expertise. This will frame the rest of the r�sum� for the reader so that she sees your experience in light of your specialty.

Deadly sin No. 7: Length
There is a lot of conflicting advice as to how long a r�sum� should be. Here is the standard. A r�sum� should contain one page for every 10 years of experience in a given field. More often than not, this guideline works.

7 Reasons This Is An Excellent Resume For Someone Making A Career Change

Emphasize the skills relevant to your new career track

Business Insider

By Jacquelyn Smith and Skye Gould

Writing a resume can be a daunting task. And if you're changing careers or industries, it's even more challenging.

"When you're attempting to change careers, you're often going up against many other candidates who possess a more traditional (and regularly accepted) work history for the role or industry you're targeting," says Amanda Augustine, a career expert at TheLadders, an online job-matching service for professionals. "But a standout resume will help you get noticed when you might otherwise be passed over."

In order to create an eye-catching resume that'll help you stand out from the competition, you'll have to look at all your experience and accolades in a different light, she says. "You must evaluate your experience, education, and professional development and skills to determine what's considered important for your new career, and then you'll have to re-position or re-brand yourself."

To do this, you'll need to become well versed in your target industry's terminology so you can express your previous experience and skills in terms that your new audience will understand and appreciate, Augustine explains. "That can take a lot of effort on the part of the job seeker; it may even require you to speak with people who work in your target field - which you should be doing anyway - to learn which of your skills are transferable and most prized."

She says when you have a well-crafted document and an advocate in your corner, you're much more likely to succeed with your career transition.



To get a clearer picture of what makes a resume stand out, we asked Augustine to create a sample of an excellent one for a professional changing careers.

While your resume may look different depending on the job or industry you're targeting, the one below from someone hoping to transition from HR to sales should serve as a useful guide:

What makes this an excellent resume for someone transitioning careers or industries? Augustine outlines the following reasons:

1. The job seeker's new career objective is clear.
If you want to change careers, it's best to have your new job goal well-defined, as this will dictate how you reposition your experience and which qualifications you decide to highlight in your new resume, Augustine says.

2. This resume focuses on the skills, achievements, and qualifications that are most relevant to the job seeker's new career track.
"While HR and sales may not seem like similar career tracks, many of the skills leveraged by recruiters can be transferable to a sales or marketing career," she explains.

It's important to identify which of your skill sets are valuable to another field, and in what capacity. "I can rattle off a list of common skills that are easily transferable to a variety industries and functions - problem-solving, strategic thinking, strong written or oral communication, people management, innovation, negotiation, etc. - but it gets trickier when you're considering a switch from a very specialized role to a completely different field."

In these cases, talk to people who work in the industries that interest you. Once they have a good understanding of your background and strengths, they'll be able to provide insight into which roles in their field might be relevant to you.

3. This resume sells what the job seeker has to offer.
"Hazel" is a technical recruiter seeking a position selling recruiting software to corporations, so her extensive knowledge of the recruitment process and her experience using and training others on various social recruiting platforms and applicant tracking systems work is emphasized in her professional summary and highlighted throughout the rest of her resume.

4. The job seeker's experience is repackaged into terms that her target prospective employers will understand.
"Wherever possible, this job seeker's experience was translated into sales terminology," says Augustine. "For example, the terms 'clients' or 'internal clients' were used to describe the hiring managers. Candidates were turned into prospects or potential leads. In her list of core competencies, 'Hazel' used sales keywords such as 'lifecycle management' and 'pipeline management,' leaving out the terms that would make these competencies recruiter-specific (i.e. 'recruitment process lifecycle' and 'candidate pipeline')."

Every field has its own acronyms and terminology. It's your job to figure out how to translate your experience and past successes into terms that resonate with your new target audience. Subscribe to industry-specific publications, conduct informational interviews, and start attending events that are relevant to your target field to gain this insight, and update your resume accordingly.

5. This resume is concise and only includes relevant information.
Even though the job seeker has over six years of experience and has worked in at least three positions, her resume is only one page long. "Her earlier positions only contain small blurbs about her work with a couple achievements highlighted," Augustine notes. "Rather than listing out a laundry list of your skills and experience, carefully select the accomplishments and responsibilities that will support your current career objectives."

6. The job seeker's major contributions and achievements are quantified.
Include numbers whenever possible, whether you're describing the size of your budget, the number of events you helped organize, or the number of people you managed, to demonstrate your value to the employer.

7. The job seeker included non-work related skills and activities.
"Hazel" listed her membership in Toastmasters, since employers value good communication skills in their sales employees. "Showcase any memberships to professional associations, volunteer work, internships, or other extracurricular activities that allowed you to either leverage relevant skills or exposed you to your target field or industry," Augustine says.    

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.

Display Your Career Passion!

Ever wonder what employers look for when they recruit candidates? Well now you can stop wondering because we're going to tell you. 

We recently conducted a survey in conjunction with Millennial Branding, a Gen Y research and consulting firm, to learn what hiring managers are looking for when they search for candidates, the disconnects between employers, job candidates, and the generations that currently make up the workforce. To check out the infographic presented, click here

Career Fair Checklist for Career Fair Success

Are you planning to attend a career fair soon? Are you searching for pointers to help you succeed at the career fair? Do you know the activities job-seekers should perform before, during, and after the career fair?

Please note that it is important to prepare 10 to 15 hours for each Job Fair with regards to the companies being represented. You need to research each company to more fully understand the scope of their products and/or services, marketing strategies, and needs or solutions that you may offer them. For specific in-depth suggestions of 1) what to do in preparation before attending a Job Fair plus 2) guidelines on what activities to pursue while at the Job Fair as well as 3) what activities to accomplish following the Job Fair, click here for a fantastic list of do�s and don�t�s.

Special bonus, this employment blog maintains an up-to-date list of Colorado Front Range Job Fairs.  Click here for daily updates.  For easier reading in your Internet browser to enlarge type size, use the control key plus the + key. To reduce the type size, use the control key plus the � key.

5 tips for college students to build their resume

By Guest Contributor 



By Kate May, recruiter at Hajoca

Today�s job market is tough; undergrads are facing more pressure than ever to set themselves apart from their competition. How do you set yourself apart from other graduates? Many college students believe that a good GPA and having some work experience automatically builds their resume and will impress prospective employers. With so much stiff competition, is that really enough? As a recruiter for Hajoca�s Management Training Program, resumes come across my desk every day, and I know what works and what doesn�t.

Here are five tips to help college students, especially business majors, build their resume into an impressive showcase for future employers.

1. Pick a major relevant to your field of interest. The first thing all college-bound students should do is pick a major that will prepare them for their post-collegiate life. Many students say they picked their major because it was a topic that sounded interesting, was easy for them, or seemed the most fun, only to realize after graduating that they were not prepared for the type of job they desired.

• Work with your school counselor to figure out the best major for your desired career path.
• Use your elective courses or take up a minor if you want to pursue some things outside of your career path; it will make you seem well rounded and can be a lot of fun.
• If you are planning a career in business or plan to go to graduate school, you want to stick with majors like Business Administration, Leadership or International Business. This will ensure you don�t miss key classes that will shape your learning and add value to your resume.

2. Have an internship � and make it count. Working as an intern can be a great way to get your foot in the door at a company and gain some real-world experience. If you decide that an internship is right for you (or is required by your school), don�t just �get the job done;� work on relationship building with your co-workers and managers. Having recommendations from one solid internship experience will go much further than working multiple part-time jobs or having multiple internships.
Business is about building relationships, and you�ll quickly learn that making a good impression on your current boss could befit you for years � even decades � to come. If you realize you are in a heavily administrative internship, take on as many projects as you can � even if you aren�t assigned to do them. Showing initiative looks good to your employer, as well as on your resume.
3. Join clubs/organizations early on and take a leadership role. College can be overwhelming at first: moving away from home, new roommates, difficult classes, and college life in general can be very scary for incoming freshmen. Joining clubs or sports that interest you is a good way to meet friends and build your resume. Showing your commitment to a club or sports team is a great way to show off your dedication, motivation and leadership skills.If you join as a freshman or sophomore, you�ll have a better chance at being elected to a leadership role. Taking on a leadership role in a club or sport shows that you can lead a group, be responsible and have the ability to influence change.
4. Show off your technology skills. In today�s job market, knowing the Microsoft Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) is not only necessary, but expected. Go one step further and get involved with creating a website, social media platform or an App. Employers look for students who know about technology and can use it to increase sales, bring in customers or update their systems. Feel technology challenged? Use Internet tutorials to learn a new skill, or ask a current Website moderator how you can contribute to their site.

5. Develop your personal brand. Your personal brand is the way others see you; it�s how you sell yourself to your potential employers. It�s more than just your resume; it�s your reputation, credibility and potential. Deciding early on to do the right thing, going above and beyond what is asked, and becoming the best person, friend, student and employee that you can be is the first step in developing your personal brand. Learn as much as you can from others: Talk to your fellow students, professors, work colleagues, friends and family. Always ask questions, but more importantly, listen. Learn when you can add value and when you can take away new understandings of ideas. Always live up to your potential and always do the right thing; this will put you on a path to success.

10 Things Not to Include When Writing a Resume

What you leave out is almost as important as what you put in

CareerBuilder

You know the basics of writing a resume - how to format it, the general order and how long it should be. But are you aware of the things you should not include? What you leave out is almost as important as what you put in. Here are 10 things that don't belong on a winning resume.

1. Typos and grammatical errors. Even the smallest typo - a missing word or the wrong form of they're/their/there - can kill your chances of advancing in your job search. A clean resume, on the other hand, opens doors. Take advantage of spelling and grammar-check software. Then ask a grammar-savvy friend, teacher or colleague to proofread your final version.

2. Personal information. Your age, marital status, whether you have children, religion, sexual orientation and political views - potential employers need to know none of those things. In fact, hiring managers are legally bound not to ask you those questions. If it's not directly related to the job, leave it out.

3. A photo. Unless you're looking for a modeling or acting job, don't send a photo of yourself. You may wonder, what's the harm in letting human resources know what you look like, especially in this age of online searches? However common the practice is in other countries, the majority of hiring managers in the U.S. still frown on this practice because they don't want to risk being accused of discrimination based on appearance.

4. Your keen sense of humor. Unless you're applying to be a writer for "Saturday Night Live," save your wit for after you get the job - not before. Verbal cleverness and outlandish summary statements don't come across well on paper, and busy hiring managers don't have time for, well, funny business. No matter how hard you want to stand out from the dozens of other applicants, it's not worth writing a clever resume.

5. All your jobs and responsibilities. Unless you're really desperate to show any work experience, leave off your summer job as a lifeguard or stint operating rides at the state fair. Include only what's relevant, which can include volunteering and internships. The same goes for job responsibilities: Instead of listing each and every task you did, state only skills that are pertinent to the job you're applying for, and then get specific. When writing a resume, it's far more important to demonstrate your problem-solving skills than to have an exhaustive list of your role in every single job.

6. Meaningless words. Steer clear of overused buzzwords, business-ese and esoteric acronyms. Jargon doesn't add meaning and can turn off hiring managers. So please, don't say "leverage synergies" unless you're trying to elicit an eye roll.

7. Reason for leaving. This is never expected. It interrupts and detracts from a strong narrative about your strengths and how you can apply them with a new employer. If hiring managers want to know why you left a certain job, that question will come up during the interview where you will have a better chance of explaining yourself.

8. Hobbies. Don't cram the "Other Information" section with activities that don't overlap with the job description. Translation: Do include community service, such as if you're an IT professional who teaches computer skills to seniors. That's relevant. Your bobble-head doll collection is not.

9. Salary requirements. When writing a resume, it's presumptuous to mention the minimum you'll work for. It's also a poor tactic. If the number is too high, your may not make the short list. If it's too low, you could be paid less than what the employer is willing to offer. If the job post asks for a salary requirement, don't give a number or even a range. Instead, include something like this in the cover letter: "My salary requirement will depend on a variety of factors, including the benefits package."

10. "References available upon request." Resume real estate is valuable, and this is a line that means very little. Of course you'll provide references when asked - what job candidate wouldn't? Pat phrases like this annoy hiring managers to no end.

When writing a resume, make every word on those one to two pages work for you. Aim for a chronological and easy-to-read format, use active words and drop any extras. Let your resume wow hiring managers and get you interviews - not harm your chances of getting a great job.    

Best 100 Colorado Companies for Flexible Jobs

Based on years of researching companies that hire for telecommuting, part-time, flextime, or freelance jobs, FlexJobs has compiled the best list of 100 of companies located in Colorado that specifically have hired for jobs with at least one of these flexible working options. Below you will find the company profiles on Colorado employers such as Catholic Health Initiatives, Imagine!, and Niche Technologies Inc., as well as each company's telecommuting, part-time, freelance, and flexible job posting history, a staff-written description, and the company's headquarters and website.

The purpose of the free Colorado List of Best Companies for Flexible Jobs is to help people in Colorado to easily find and research the legitimate employers embracing workplace flexibility.

If you you're looking for a job in Colorado, click here.  This guide is excellent and free as a resource for jobs!

10 Best-Paying Jobs Of The Future

If you decided on a new career path today, wouldn't you like to know which jobs will be in high demand and pay the most once you were out of school? To serve as a guide, 24/7 Wall St. has identified the best-paying jobs of the future. These jobs will grow the most in the next decade and have median incomes well above the national average. Almost without exception, these occupations will be in highest demand

One change that will create high demands for some professions is the increasing amount of data available to businesses.  For more info, click 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.

Nonverbal First Impressions

It begins even before you say your first word in an interview. As the interviewer walks toward you to shake hands, an opinion is already being formed. And as you sit waiting to spew out your answers to questions you've prepared for, you are already being judged by your appearance, posture, smile or your nervous look.

• The nonverbal messages
• The Handshake
• Your Posture 
• Eye  Contact 
• Your Hands 
•  Don't Fidget

Preparing what you have to say is important, but practicing how you will say it is imperative. The nonverbal message can speak louder than the verbal message you're sending. For details on the above see the complete article here.

This Is An Ideal Resume For A Mid-Level Employee

Step one: Don't try to squeeze everything in

Business Insider 

By Jacquelyn Smith and Skye Gould

Having a ton of experience under your belt doesn't necessarily mean you have an "impressive" resume.

"You can have all the experience in the world - but if your resume doesn't stand out, if you don't present that information in a well-organized manner, or if it doesn't tell your story, nobody will take the time to look at your resume closely enough to see all that experience," says Amanda Augustine, a career expert at TheLadders, an online job-matching service for professionals.


 To get a clearer picture of what makes a resume stand out, we asked Augustine to create a sample of an excellent one for a mid-level professional.

While your resume may look different depending on the industry you're in, the one below should serve as a useful guide for job seekers with about 10 years of experience:



What makes this an excellent resume for a mid-level professional? Augustine outlines the following reasons:

1. The job seeker didn't try to squeeze everything into one page.
"At this point in your career, you've earned the extra resume real estate," says Augustine. "Spend more space elaborating on your most recent work, assuming it's most relevant to your current job goals." Include your header at the top of the second page as well, she says, so your name and contact information are always "top of mind" for the reader.

2. A list of the job seeker's core competencies is featured at the top.
Alex's resume contains a list of his core skill sets, usually referred to as, "Areas of Expertise" or, "Core Competencies." "This list serves two purposes," she says. "One, it allows a reader to quickly scan the top portion of the resume and get a good sense of Alex's capabilities; and two, it helps Alex's resume get past the electronic gatekeepers known as Applicant Tracking Systems."

3. Each role is split into responsibilities and key achievements.
Under each job title is a short description that explains Alex's responsibilities in that particular role. "Underneath the description is a set of bullets that highlight his most noteworthy and relevant contributions," Augustine explains. "Be specific and clear when describing your accomplishments and contributions."

4. Information is quantified wherever possible.
Include numbers whenever possible, whether you're describing the size of your budget, the number of events you helped organize, or the number of people you managed.

5. The job seeker used his work experience to show progression.
"Alex's work experience is listed in reverse-chronological order, starting with his current position," she points out. "More space is dedicated to the details of Alex's recent roles and achievements, as employers are most interested in this information and it's directly tied to his current job goals. Even when the job titles are the same, Alex is demonstrating how he's progressed in his career by taking on larger projects, bigger budgets, and more people."

6. The "Education" section was moved to the end of the resume.
Once you've been in the working world for three years, your education section should shift towards the bottom of your resume. "When you first graduate, your new degree is one of your best selling points," Augustine says. "Now that you've been in the workforce for a while, your experience and the skills you've developed should take center stage."

How To Write A Great Resume

Highlight your strengths and trim the fat

Alison Green

Wondering how to write a great resume that will show off your skills and experience and get you interviews? Here's a beginner's guide to how to craft a resume that will catch a hiring manager's eyes.

Your resume should be composed of the following sections:

Contact info. This is pretty straightforward � this is the header for your resume, and it's where your name, address, phone number, and email address go. It's fine to add a link your LinkedIn profile or your website if you want to, but don't clutter this section up to much.

Profile or highlights. This section is optional, but profiles or highlight sections have replaced objectives at the top of modern-day resumes. This is a quick list of the highlights of your strengths and accomplishments, summing up in just a few bullet points who you are as a candidate and what you have to offer. The idea is to provide an overall framing for your candidacy, setting the hiring manager up to see the rest of your resume through that lens.

Experience: This is the meat of your resume. You should list each job (from most recent to least recent) � where you worked, what your title was, and the years you worked there. Underneath that, you should have a bulleted list of what you achieved while working there. And this is crucial: These bullets should not be used to just explain your job duties. Instead, you should focus on accomplishments � things you achieved that weren't simply fulfilling the basis duties of your job. For instance, instead of "managed website," it's far stronger to say something like, "increased Web traffic by 15% in six months" � in other words, explain how you performed, not just what your job was.

When you're deciding what to include, give yourself permission to remove things that don't strengthen your candidacy. You don't need three lines explaining boring, basic job duties � especially if these responsibilities are going to be implied by your title. Similarly, you don't need to include that summer job from eight years ago, or that job you did for three weeks that didn't work out. Your resume is a marketing document, not a comprehensive listing of everything about you, so include the things that strengthen your candidacy, and pare down the rest.

Education: For most people, this section should just be a line or two, explaining where you went to school and what degree you graduated with. And note that generally your education should go beneath your work experience, because generally employers are most interested in what work experience you've had. Leading with your education just buries what will make most attractive to an employer.

Optional other sections: After that, you might include some additional optional sections, like Volunteer Work (or Community Involvement), Skills (if not obvious from the experience section), or Miscellaneous. Fleshing out your skills and experience in these sections can demonstrate a passion for the work that your work experience can't always do. For instance, if you're applying for an I.T. position and you run an online software discussion group in your spare time, mention that. Or if you're applying for a teaching job and you review children's books for your website, that's important to mention too. These types of details help paint a stronger picture of you as a candidate.

Things not to include: Your resume is for experience and accomplishments only. It's not the place for subjective traits, like "great leadership skills" or "creative innovator." Smart employers ignore anything subjective that applicant write about themselves because so many people's self-assessments are wildly inaccurate, so your resume should stick to objective facts. Additional no-no's: Don't include a photo of yourself, information about your age, any mention of high school, medical conditions, or family members.

Overall formatting: In all of the sections above, you should be using bullet points, not complete sentences. Hiring managers will only skim your resume initially, and big blocks of text are difficult to skim. An employer will absorb more information about you with a quick skim if your information is arranged in bullet points rather than paragraphs.

Length: As a general rule, your resume shouldn't be over two pages (or one, if you're a recent grad). The longer your resume is, the less likely an employer is to see the parts you want them to see. The initial scan of your resume is about 20 seconds - do you want that divided among three pages, or do you want it focused on the most important things you want to convey? Short and concise means that employers are more likely to read the parts you most care about. Plus, long resumes can make you come across as someone who can't edit and doesn't know what information is essential and what's less important.

Design: Avoid unusual colors or untraditional designs. All most hiring managers want from a resume: a concise, easy-to-scan list of what you've accomplished, organized chronologically by position, plus any particularly notable skills, all presented in a format that they can quickly scan and get the highlights.