Saturday, April 21, 2007

Do You Want to Get the Right Job?

Do You Want to Get the Right Job?

Your resume and cover letter can be very helpful in getting the right job, but how do you go about finding that perfect job in the first place?

There are many situations where people are headed down one career path and find themselves given another opportunity altogether that is even better than the one they initially chose. Other times, someone may interview for one position, but the hiring manager thinks your skills and accomplishments fit better with a different position.

Don't rule out a job or a career path just because it was not what you were initially considering.

Many people start off in one career and decide later in life to pursue another career or even their hobby. The experience almost always is more enjoyable and more profitable. Whether you create the opportunity yourself, it falls into your lap or are given direction by someone else, you should always be open to the possibilities around you. Your dream career might not be what you anticipated when you start your job search. It might be something you haven't considered at all.

One thing that can really help in this situation is understanding your expectations for a job/career. What is it that you want from your job? What is the minimum salary that you will accept for a position? How much flexibility do you need to care for your family? Are you more inclined to work by yourself or as part of a team?

In order to understand and appreciate what will make you happy, you need to spend some time analyzing your needs, desires and expectations. Unless you truly grasp what truly matters in your life, you will likely find yourself switching jobs somewhat frequently.

To read more about Careers and Jobs, go to: Career Planning

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Thursday, April 19, 2007

Using a Resume Outline

The Resume Outline identifies the major headings of the resume and what information is contained within each one. Make sure you are comfortable with each of the following sections since you will be creating your own personal professional history with them in mind.

Heading/Contact Information
Objective
Education
Work Experience
Honors/Activities/Achievements/Publications
Other

Do you know what kind of information is contained in each section?

Click here for a description of each section: Resume Outline

This resume outline should provide you with a basic understanding of the sections of a resume. While different formats use these sections in a variety of ways, the information is used in each resume.

If you need more information than this resume outline offers, peruse the site listed above. The formats tab and the examples tab both provide a great deal of information.

Best of Luck

Professional-Resume-Example.com

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Wednesday, April 18, 2007

What do You Want in a Job?

What do You Want in a Job?

Your resume and cover letter can be very helpful in getting the right job, but how do you go about finding that perfect job in the first place?

There are many situations where people are headed down one career path and find themselves given another opportunity altogether that is even better than the one they initially chose. Other times, someone may interview for one position, but the hiring manager thinks your skills and accomplishments fit better with a different position.

Don't rule out a job or a career path just because it was not what you were initially considering. You never know what might just be your new favorite thing.

Many people start off in one career and decide later in life to pursue another career or even their hobby. The experience almost always is more enjoyable and more profitable. Whether you create the opportunity yourself, it falls into your lap or are given direction by someone else, you should always be open to the possibilities around you. Your dream career might not be what you anticipated when you start your job search. It might be something you haven't considered at all.

One thing that can really help in this situation is understanding your expectations for a job/career. What is it that you want from your job? What is the minimum salary that you will accept for a position? How much flexibility do you need to care for your family? Are you more inclined to work by yourself or as part of a team?

In order to understand and appreciate what will make you happy, you need to spend some time analyzing your needs, desires and expectations. Unless you truly grasp what truly matters in your life, you will likely find yourself switching jobs somewhat frequently.

To read more about Careers and Jobs, go to: Career Planning

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Monday, April 16, 2007

What You Should NEVER Include in Your Professional Resume

By Tracey Drake

There is one golden rule in resume writing- never include information such as hobbies, race, marital status and political information on a resume. In the 1960s it used to be very popular to include a lot of personal information on your resume. That was an era when the employer wanted to know a lot about your personal life because they would use that information in the decision making process. That was also an era when there were not as many discrimination laws and employers were able to hire and fire on a variety of different reasons. Times have definitely changed and most employers have decided that they don’t need to know that information. Choosing individuals to interview and hire has become a lot more objective and they would prefer that they only know your work history rather than you personal history. Despite all of this, there are still those individuals that decide to include that information either as filler to make their resume longer or because they simply don’t know any better.

You are only setting yourself up for disappointment by including personal information on your resume. The number one item that is included on resumes, that shouldn’t be, is marital status. Potential employees should never know whether or not you are married, single or have children. This suggests that you will be preoccupied with sick children, trips to the doctor, teacher conferences, school events, etc. These things will get your potential employer preoccupied with thoughts of you missing work. Employers should also not know if you are single. This may make them think thoughts like, “Great, we’ll get him or her to work long hours or weekends!” If you are married, they might think that your spouse won’t want you to work late.

Your height and weight should also not be included in your resume. This does not really matter to your position and it is definitely too personal, but people still include this on their resumes. Also, nobody cares whether or not you like to bowl, golf, surf the Internet, take long walks on the beach and play with your puppy. These are just not necessary for a resume and your hobbies are not selling you on the position.

Other aspects that should not be included on your resume include religious and political affiliations. These open you up to personal preferences and prejudices. Potential employers may be very tempted to use this type of information against you.

Another popular feature that was included on resumes “back in the days,” was personal photographs. This is not a portfolio or an actor’s promotion pack. You are not trying to land a part, but a career. Your picture shows people what you look like and this may make them disregard the important information on you resume. This also allows them to make assumptions about you and you shouldn’t give people that opportunity. A picture will also open you up to prejudices and may keep you from getting interviews.

If you have not been in the job market for quite some time, it is time to make your resume comply with today’s guidelines. Too many individuals fail to update their resumes on a regular basis when you should be doing this regardless of whether or not you plan on leaving your current job. It is better to be prepared and always have a resume ready than to have to update one that is twenty years old.

Many students are led astray by word processing programs that suggest you had areas such as hobbies and interests. These areas are not essential and they should not be used. These areas simply add filler and nonsense to a functional resume. You are also tempted to leave personal comments that you will not want included in your resume. If you are unsure about certain areas of your resume, have friends, family, colleagues and career-counselors examine your resume and give you suggestions. Many career-counseling offices at colleges offer free resume counseling services.

© Career-Launch – specializes in effective and focused resume packages, written by industry certified professional writers. Career-Launch has written thousands of successful resumes to date for clients across a diverse range of industries and career choices. Any reproduction or reprint of this article must include this information.

Article Source:

Tracey Drake

Article at EzineArticles.com

Brought to you by: Professional-Resume-Example.com

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