17
Jul

Where Do I Go From Here?

guest-blogging-1The summer after I completed a year-long national service program, I attended a leadership and career development workshop at my alma mater. The goal of the workshop was to evaluate our experiences thus far and the skills we had learned in order to figure out the next step in our careers. One of the most valuable exercises we did that week was a prioritization activity used to evaluate the tasks we performed in the past, the things we liked doing the most, and to figure out which things we’d like to do more of in our next job. It’s one of the most useful activities

I’ve found for providing insight into what you’re currently looking for in a position. The activity goes like this:
1. Write down a list of action, –ing words that you’ve done in your previous positions or that relate to the work you do in a job. List as many words as possible. Words such as planning, organizing, creating, researching, calling, directing, counseling and so on.

2. Evaluate your list of words and choose the top ten activities that you enjoy doing the most in a job, and want to continue doing more of in your next position.

3. Next, you’ll compare each of the activities individually with the other nine, choosing the activity that you’d like to do most in a job. Keep track of how many times you choose each activity.

4. Once you’ve gone through comparing each of your ten activities with one another, count up the number of times you chose each one.

5. Order your list of activities according to the amount of times you chose them.

Your new ordered list of ten activities should show the priority of activities you want to do in future positions. This can help you to tailor your job search for positions that will allow you to do the things that matter most to you in your job and give you a better idea of where you want to end up in your career.

1. _________________________

2. _________________________

3. _________________________

4. _________________________

5. _________________________

6. _________________________

Amanda Ryan is a Program Development Associate & Senior Resume Writer at RedStarResume. Amanda is a highly skilled resume writing expert and career expert who also specialises in creating, writing and developing career content, working alongside student and graduate job seekers and developing career content for newsletters, partners and career websites.

Need the help of a professional resume writer with expert resume writing skills? Contact the team at RedStarResume!

05
Sep

Replacing the Objective Statement With A Qualifications Profile On Your Resume

ad-160x600Does your current resume begin with a generic objective statement telling the reader what type of jobs you are looking for? Let me guess that it reads something similar to this:

“I am seeking the opportunity to expand my skills, knowledge and experience in a challenging professional environment. I am honest, reliable, eager to learn and open to tackling a range of tasks. I am a strong and empathetic team player and always complete tasks to a high degree of quality and to deadlines”

If this is how your resume begins, it’s time to make changes. In the competitive job environment where hiring managers may receive upwards of 500 applications for a single position, an objective statement is more likely going to lead to your resume being deleted.  From a hiring manager’s perspective, they are not interested in a non-specific, all-purpose statement that adds no value to the resume and provides them with no reason to want to hire you. You may have the best skills and be the perfect fit for the job however, you may never get this opportunity because your resume has already been deleted.

What is a Qualifications Profile?

A great way to introduce yourself on your resume is by creating a qualifications summary or career summary.  Rather than telling the reader you are seeking an opportunity to expand your skills, rather promote what skills you actually can bring to this specific role. A targeted resume including a targeted profile will encourage the reader to continue reading the resume as opposed to pressing the delete button. For example, if you are applying for an IT job that requires programming skills, list you’re programming skills within your introductory profile. That way, the reader will straight away be interested to read on as they know that you have skills that are required for this position.

How long should my Qualifications Profile be?

The last thing you want to do is turn your qualifications profile into an essay! Statistically, a hiring manager will only spend between 15 to 20 seconds when initially reading your resume. If they open your resume and see a half page profile they are more likely to be turned off as they won’t be bothered to read all this information. A well written profile should be no longer than 2-4 sentences. It needs to be targeted and present value.

Final Thought:

When you begin to write your new resume, don’t forget the number one rule. Your resume is a marketing document. The more you can showcase your skills and achievements the greater chance you will have of being selected for the interview stage.

© RedStarResume Publications – http://www.bestresponseresume.com

What you get with a RedStarResume Resume Package:

Strategically written resume or CV and cover letter designed to target hiring managers & recruiters

Professional layout and design that has been highly praised by recruiters, hiring managers and career experts throughout the world

“Targeted Keywords” and correct formatting to guarantee that your resume will be picked up by recruiters and software programs

A keyword rich resume designed to highlight your resume within the first 10 seconds

24/7 access to your own personal writer

100% customer satisfaction guarantee

RedStarResume are the #1 Resume and CV Writers across 35 different industries. They take great pride in creating tailored resumes that match your goals and desires, and their commitment to you is unmatched by any other resume-writing service

20
Dec

Pimp My Resume

Is your resume not getting you the job interviews you had hoped for? Are you applying for hundreds of jobs online but not receiving a single phone call? If you have the skills and experience to perform a certain job, but you can’t seem to get yourself an interview, it could be time to “pimp my resume!”

Just like the TV show aims at taking old, worn out and run down cars and turning them into new, modern “pimped” out cars, it could be time to give your old resume the boot and upgrade to a new and fancier model. We all want to be driving around in the newest and best looking car, and the same goes for your resume. However, the biggest difference between driving an old car and using your old resume is that the car will still get you from point A to point B, but an old resume will only end up in the deleted folder!

Find below 5 easy tips you can implement that will help you pimp your resume!

Strategic Key Words:

A great way to pimp your resume and ensure that it stands out and gets noticed by software programs is to use strategic keywords throughout your resume. Recruiters or hiring managers will often skim over resumes and look for keywords or they may use software programs to find keywords. These can be changed depending on the job you are applying for.

Remove all unnecessary information:

The best looking resume contains only relevant information that adds value to your job application. If your existing resume has the title “curriculum vitae” or “Professional CV”, remove this immediately. It goes without saying that if you are applying for a job, your application is obviously your curriculum vitae – there is no need to include this irrelevant information. Take a read through your resume and ensure that only value added information is included.

Achievements and Recognition:

An achievements and recognition area on your resume can really make your application stand out over the competition. Rather than boring the reader with all the daily duties you perform, inspire the reader with achievement statements that show off all the wonderful skills and achievements you have performed. Remember, the best way to present your achievements is to back them up with examples. Qualitative examples are even better!

Friendly Font:

When you sit down to read a book, do you ever stop to think about the font? Of course you don’t because typically all books are written with an easy to read font. Could you imagine reading through a novel that used hard to read fonts? You would put the book down before you completed the first chapter! The same goes for your professional resume. Use an easy to read, modern font (I like the font “Calibri”) and make it as easy as possible for the reader.

 Modernise

Give your resume a new modern look. Do not use old and outdated resume templates that are floating around the internet. Although these templates may be free, they are a free for a reason! When you open up your resume ask yourself the question – “If I were a hiring manager, would I be impressed with this resume?” If the answer is no, then it’s time for a change and a makeover is needed.

© RedStarResume Publicationshttp://www.bestresponseresume.com

The #1 student and graduate Professional Resume Service

 

17
Aug

Dressing professionally is one step to getting promoted

Getting ahead in the workplace comes down to many different factors. Your skills and values you bring to the job are of the upmost importance. If you can’t deliver in your job it doesn’t matter how nice you are as the company won’t want to keep you on their payroll. There are, however, other things you can do to help maintain a professional image and make you stand out in your work environment.

Dressing for Success:

How you dress and how you look says a lot about the person you are. If you come to work with a shirt hanging out and dirty shoes, you present an unprofessional image of not caring. No Looking smart will create a positive image about the way you work.

One of my colleagues shed light on this point when he compared two employees under him that were competing for a promotion. One of them dressed every day in a nicely pressed suit with a tie and perfectly polished shoes. The other wore the same worn suit and same tie nearly every day. Furthermore, his shoes were not polished and his hair was in a mess. Both of them had equal skills and their work was first-rate. When my colleague needed to promote one of these men he went with the man who looked the more professional. As he told me, “Who I promoted was a reflection on me. At the end of the day, it was a pretty easy decision.”

First impression in the work environment:

First impressions count and in the work environment it is important that we portray the right impression every single day. Understanding your working environment is the key, and this should drive you in the right direction.

If you work in a professional organisation such as a law firm, for example, and you have large tattoos on your arms, rolling up your sleeves at work is probably not the best idea. Keeping your tattoos covered while at work would probably be advised. The same goes for piercings. The opposite is also true – if you work in a more creative environment, then showing off your tattoos at work would be acceptable and wearing a suit would be deemed inappropriate!

Conclusion:

The key to dressing professionally is understanding your working culture. Dressing for success will make you feel like a winner, but will also send the right image to those around you about your professionalism and attitude

© RedStarResume Publications – www.redstarresume.com

07
Aug

More Numbers Less Words

Are you sick of not landing job interviews? Are you applying for jobs you feel you are more than qualified for, but not having any success? More than likely, the problem has more to do with the way your resume is written than not having the right skill sets for the job.

Resume writing is an art form and in order to be successful your resume needs to pass 4 major rules:

Skills and qualifications are highlighted in order to make your resume instantly stand out. Reports suggest that once a hiring manager or recruiter opens your resume you have between 10-20 seconds to make an impact. No impact, no interview, no job!

Strategic keywords to highlight your achievements and pass online screening software tools that are used to reduce the amount of candidate resumes that a business may receive for a certain role.

Formatted, structured and presented specifically to target your experience and industry

Presented in a professional manner using the correct font, bullet points, headings, length and most importantly error free!

How can I make my resume stand out from the crowd?

Using numbers and quantitative evidence to highlight your achievements is key to standing out from the competition and presenting value added evidence about the type of behaviour a hiring manager can expect from you. If your position involves business development, for example, rather than including a generic description such as “Excellent communicator and relationship manager”, you can spice up this sentence and turn it into an “Accomplishment Statement” that will aid your resume in being noticed. (Don’t forget to use strategic keywords!)

Example 1: Successful business development and account management helped to exceed annual sales target of $X by 15% for the full financial year.

Example 2: Managed a team of 6 Sales Representatives in conducting product launches to increase new product penetration into the market leading to an overall increase of $5 million over a 12 month period

Example 3: Part of the Project Management Team involved in the rollout of a 200 networks leading to a 10% increase in revenue and a further 20% in cost savings.

Proof and Evidence

Using numbers and evidence to back up your statements will aid your resume application and make your resume shine against other candidates. In the current economy where jobs are tough to get, you need to prove to the hiring manager that you are the best candidate for the job and the best way to do this is to use numbers to back up your achievement statements.

© RedStarResume Publications – www.redstarresume.com


10
Jun

How NOT to write a cover letter!

It is not easy writing a cover letter – in fact many job candidates often find it harder writing the cover letter then the resume! In my experience I have seen fantastic cover letters, average covers and as you can see cover letters that will guarantee you will not get the job!

Tips on how NOT to write a cover letter!

2W9X5JREZ4D4

06
Jun

Rate My Resume

Is your resume good enough to get you the interview?

Will a hiring manager or recruiter read your entire resume?

Does your resume highlight your skills and achievements?

CLICK BELOW

RATE MY RESUME

22
Apr

Front Office Bankers Resume Writing

When it comes to resume/CV writing there is no magic formula to follow that will ensure your resume will be read. There are however clear dos and don’ts that will either add value to your resume or work in the negative by having your resume deleted. No matter if you’re a front office banker or part of the mailroom team, listing and identifying achievements and backing these achievements up with numerical examples is the number one way to make your resume standout.

red man Front Office Bankers Resume Writing

Too many times a job candidate will focus much of their resume on standard day to day duties. For example every person on the trading desk knows how to “analyze data”, “liaise with clients” and “maximize opportunities”. These are soft skills which are expected. It does not enhance your resume as it does not tell the reader anything. For example when writing a resume for an equity trader it is no longer good enough just to list these soft skills. In order to effectively write a good resume you need to clearly identify your areas of expertise but most importantly present quantitative examples

Writing your resume is not about reinventing the wheel, it is about ensuring that you adequately highlight everything that is required to make sure that your resume is selected and you are given the chance to present yourself in the interview. Divide your resume into sections and concentrate on using bullet points to make the resume clear and possible for the reader to scan.

As a banker, your professional experience is the most important aspect on your resume and needs to be placed on page one. However in order to make your resume stand out above the competition I like to include a short career summary, an introduction (2-3 sentences) which adequately summarizes your career. For example:

“Masters of Business Administration with seven years experience as an equity trader. With a strong background in analysis, risk management and strategic planning, I have planned, coordinated, and performed diverse trading functions in various sectors.”

Following your short career summary is the most important aspect of your resume which is listing your top key achievements in bullet point (5-6 key achievements) with an emphasize of using “keyword” rich words (These are words which are mentioned in the job description or words which headhunters or recruiters are likely to search for in their database)

Remember, the most important aspect of listing these achievements is backing everything up with quantifiable results of your work. Using the equity trader as an example, part of your success is measured in numbers so ensure your main achievements by including quantifiable examples

‘Increased cash flow by $15 million by consolidating …..”

‘Revenue and income growth of 55% over a 12-month period, through ….”

“Key member of an elite trading team that generated more than $65 million by ….”

The final part of your resume presentation is your work experience, education and professional memberships. Again the most important aspect is providing examples to everything you write and incorporating achievements as opposed to just listing day to day duties. Always ensure that you provide dates on your resume and that the resume flows chronologically. The document needs to be as easy as possible for someone to read. The more difficult you make your resume to follow the more likely it will end up being deleted.

As a front office banker, focus your resume on your leadership abilities and achievements to guarantee that your resume stands out from the crowd!

© RedStarResume Publications – Professional Resume Writing

Do you have a job interview coming up? Check out INTERVIEW SECRETS EXPOSED

An Insiders Guide: Everything you need to know in order nail your job interview

Interview Questions Interview Samples Interview Tips & Advice

Resume Writing Cover Letter Writing Job Success

 Front Office Bankers Resume Writing

Latest News

Newsletter

Get Free Career Tips and the latest jobs Market news in your email every month