Tag Archives: Resume

By Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter

Don’t Sell Yourself Short On Your Resume

Imagine for a moment, a marathon runner who has trained for years, only to stop short of the finish line. The runner has all but won the race, and a mere couple of inches are all that are needed to collect the trophy, applause and accolades they so richly deserve for all the hard work and self sacrifice they’ve put themselves through. But instead, the runner stands idly by, as one after another of the competitors cross the finish line.

Doesn’t make much sense, does it?

As a recent college grad, you definitely know a thing or two about hard work and self-sacrifice – not to mention the monetary investment necessary for a quality college education. Even those who receive full scholarships will still find out that college isn’t cheap.

However, keep in mind that graduation is not the finish line. Using that hard-earned degree to land your first job is. And you will have plenty of competition for that trophy.

Investing yourself into a well-written resume can be your best bet for making certain yours is the first chest to break the finish-line tape. As in our example above, not doing so could very well find you standing only a breath away from the win, as your competition runs past.

Consider these five suggestions when writing your story.

1) Remember, the resume is about you, but it must be written for the reader. It should compel them to action, that action being, calling you in for an interview.

2) Be certain to use language in your resume that is apropos to the industry and for the types of roles to which you are applying. Research target companies through Glassdoor, Google, Hoovers.com, Manta.com, local small business journals and a plethora of other resources available to identify vital information that helps YOU to articulate in your resume that you understand the target companies’ pain points and you can hit the ground running as a problem solver

3) It is imperative to not simply list coursework and degree consummated, but to vividly and pragmatically communicate the value you offered while employed in internships or part-time jobs while going to school. As well, what special university projects did you contribute to, especially within your major field of study, and which relate to your career objectives? Include those, digging deeply to describe what unique value YOU specifically offered. What ideas for process or for solutions building did you offer, and did your project team implement your ideas?

Did you participate in a sorority or fraternity? If so, beyond partying, what committees did you participate in or chair? For example, if you headed the recruiting committee, what percentage growth did the organization experience during your tenure? Quantify it on your resume.

What else are you proud of, and why? And why would it matter to your target reader? If it does meet the ‘so-what’ test, then include it, succinctly and with impact. Add a pithy story of the ‘how and why’ you did what you did, to entice the reader, you can do the same thing for them.

4) Get over the one-page college graduate resume ‘rule of thumb.’ That’s outdated. It’s not to say a one-page resume is in any way bad; it’s just not the only option. Do you really think that if a hiring decision-maker, a president of a local start-up or an HR representative at the local widget company runs across your compelling 2-page resume story that really speaks to THEIR needs, they’ll say, “Forget it – we can’t hire him; his resume is one page too long?”

5) Consider speaking with a professional writer to get you going in the right direction. This investment is normally quite small compared to what you’ve already spent so far and can be priceless in the knowledge you gain, the interviews you net, and ultimately the salary that you land. An old saying goes, “Don’t trip over a dollar to save a nickel.”

Remember, your resume is about You Inc., so don’t sell yourself short.

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Guest Blogger Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter, a member of the Glassdoor Clearview Collection, is chief career writer and partner with CareerTrend. Collaborating with professionals in career transition, or those individuals who desire to ignite their existing careers, Jacqui is one of only 28 Master Resume Writers (MRW) globally and holds a BA in Writing. An intuitive researcher, she unearths clients’ compelling story details and applies an inventive approach to career positioning documents and social media profiles.In addition to being interviewed for television and radio stories, Jacqui has written for the Career Management Alliance Connection monthly newsletter and blog, ExecuNet’s Career Smart Advisor, The Kansas City Star, The Business Journal and The Wall Street Journal. As well, she and her husband, “Sailor Rob,” host a lively careers-focused blog over at http://careertrend.net/blog. In addition, Jacqui is a power Twitter user listed on several “Best People to Follow” lists for job seekers.

The Glassdoor Team is a small yet seasoned group of individuals looking to provide greater transparency into one of the most important aspects of our lives – our jobs. Contributions to the blog are designed to present a unique perspective on current events, offer commentary on the inside workings on specific jobs at a multitude of companies, and provide details on the latest happenings from within Glassdoor.

By Donna  Fuscaldo

Volunteering Your Way To A Job

It’s no secret the job market is tough. But whether you’ve been unemployed for two months or two years, you can still gain new skills, fill gaps in your resume and network, all the while giving back to your community through volunteering.

Long gone are the days when volunteering meant working in a soup kitchen or taking part in a clothing drive. These days, non-profits need all types of skills from marketing to accounting. Sure you won’t get paid, but the experience you’ll gain can go a long way in landing your next paying job.

“Volunteering is a fantastic way to build skills, contacts and get your foot in the door,” says Sara Sutton Fell, chief executive and founder of FlexJobs. “It’s a great opportunity to show your motivation and contribute.”

But how should you go about getting that volunteer gig? According to career experts you’ll need to approach it similar to how you would tackle finding a paying job. After all your goal is to get into a company where you can use your current skills or learn new ones and at the same time have access to the people that can help you transition from volunteer to employee.

“You have to do some soul searching and figure out what it is you want to do and then tailor all your volunteer work to filling the tool box with those skills,” says Mary Marino, founder of EmployementPipeline.com. “This market is very competitive so getting more skills and more experience is going to help.” Let’s say your chosen field is accounting but you want to move into advertising and marketing.  Instead of offering to balance the budget ask to work in the advertising department.

Strategically Find Volunteer Work

Once you’ve figured out what you want to do as a volunteer, the next step is to find a company to give your time to. That will require research on the internet and a bit of cold calling of non-profits and for-profit companies.  Don’t focus only on the large ones. Chances are there are a lot of small organizations in your neighborhood that would welcome the help. It also pays to align yourself with a cause you care about. It will make the volunteer work more rewarding if it’s something you feel passionate about.  “Even in a volunteer work setting you are selling yourself,” says Nicole Williams, a career expert and connection director at LinkedIn. “There are a lot of qualified people looking to volunteer. This isn’t a secret.”

The holy grail of volunteering would be to serve on the board of a non-profit as an un-paid member. It’s an ideal way to network since typically the people on the board are well connected in the community. But not just everyone will be able to pull this off. According to Heather Krasna, author and career coach and you’ll need to be a lawyer, accountant of have specific skills the non-profit is looking for.

Include It on Your Resume

After you’ve landed your volunteer job it’s important to list it on your resume and profile it on your professional networks like LinkedIn. These days hiring managers consider volunteering as legitimate work experience. What’s more, it shows you’re not just sitting around, but are out there trying to keep your skills fresh.  Don’t pretend it was a paying job but do make sure to highlight the expertise you gleaned and honed from the volunteering experience. “Employers don’t care if you were paid. If the work is substantial then its work,” says Krasna.

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Donna Fuscaldo is a freelance journalist hailing out of Long Island, New York. Donna writes for numerous online publications including FoxBusiness.com, Bankrate.com, AARP.com, Insurance.com and Houselogic.com. As a personal finance reporter for years, Donna provides invaluable advice on everything from saving money to landing that dream job. She also writes a weekly column for FoxBusiness.com focused on technology for small businesses. Previously, Donna was an equities reporter for Dow Jones Newswires and a special contributor to the Wall Street Journal. Through the Glassdoor Blog, Donna will provide tips on how to find a job and more importantly keep it.

The Glassdoor Team is a small yet seasoned group of individuals looking to provide greater transparency into one of the most important aspects of our lives – our jobs. Contributions to the blog are designed to present a unique perspective on current events, offer commentary on the inside workings on specific jobs at a multitude of companies, and provide details on the latest happenings from within Glassdoor.

By Meghan M. Biro

10 Tips: Managing The Year Of Diminished Career Expectations

There are lots of people writing about how to do resumes or manage a job search, but not too many who are willing to admit there’s an elephant in the living room. But there is, and I’m going to give you a few tips on how to deal with it.

The elephant is your job – the one you’re in and want out of, or the job you’re considering taking to get away from the one you have. Chances are it’s not the job you want, or the one you trained for or think you deserve. It pays the bills, but it doesn’t get you excited. It doesn’t use all your skills. The workplace culture or environment leaves something to be desired. Maybe the commute is killing you and the person in the next cube eats sardines every day for lunch. Maybe you don’t even have a cube.

Welcome to the new job reality: diminished expectations.

We all want a great job but until the economy turns around, a good-enough job will have to do. But no one can afford to treat a job as though it’s just ‘good enough.’ To survive – both in the job and in your head – you’ll have to bring your A game every day. Even if it is a B- job.

Here are some tips for managing in a time of diminished expectations:

• Use positive affirmations to get yourself through the day. This sounds hippy-dippy but it works. Think positively. Tell yourself a positive story about your job, and it will be survivable.
• Teach yourself one new skill a month. If you’re not challenged intellectually you probably have spare cycles. Study statistical analysis – it will come in handy when making charts, and it also requires analytical thinking. Teach yourself Excel or Powerpoint – the real skills, not just 101. Set up a website.
• Start blogging. Writing things down makes them easier to process and brings insight. You can rant, but it’s more productive to write about a positive aspect of your job, or the day.
• Polish your resume. Do this once a month. Frequent updates to online profiles make you more attractive as a candidate.
• Help a co-worker. Perhaps one of your colleagues could use help with a task. Maybe it’s something you’re interested or skilled in. Either way you get karma points.
• Think about what you really want to do when you grow up. Examine your life, your decisions, your failures to decide, your current status. Be unflinching. This will prepare you for the next tip.
• Write a job description for your dream job. Then read your resume and look for the disconnects. Now you have new tasks and a new goal.
• Network with people who have the job you want. If you’ve done the two bullets above you’ll be better positioned to make this pay off.
• Seek out a career coach to help you examine – and possibly reset – your expectations. Maybe you’re way off. Maybe you weren’t an A student but thought you could bluff through to a big job. Not in this economy, and maybe never again. Be prepared to revise your life plan, at least the short-term version.
• Do something for someone else. There’s huge satisfaction in helping others. Volunteer and you will become thankful.

Meghan M. Biro, founder of TalentCulture, is a serial entrepreneur and globally recognized career expert in talent acquisition and creative personal and corporate branding. Meghan has conducted more than 300 successful career searches for clients ranging from Fortune 500s to the most innovative software start-up companies. Meghan is also a new media strategist who enjoys accelerating collaborative business and community goals. When not recruiting, blogging, and innovating, she manages a dynamic coaching practice to empower corporate leaders, mid-level managers, software technologists, and recent college graduates. Meghan is a member of the National Association of Personnel Services (NAPS), The Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) and several entrepreneurial organizations. She serves on the Alumni Council for Greens Farms Academy, acting as a career mentor to high school and college students. Founder and co-host of “#TChat, The World of Work,” a long-running, weekly Twitter chat and radio show, Meghan’s ideas have appeared on Forbes, CBS Moneywatch and she blogs regularly at Monster, The 12 Most, Ragan’s HR Communication and several additional online destinations of note.

The Glassdoor Team is a small yet seasoned group of individuals looking to provide greater transparency into one of the most important aspects of our lives – our jobs. Contributions to the blog are designed to present a unique perspective on current events, offer commentary on the inside workings on specific jobs at a multitude of companies, and provide details on the latest happenings from within Glassdoor.