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Tips from the Pros

Jul

Where Do I Go From Here?

The 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!

Tags: 2010 graduates, college student job, cover letter secrets, cv writing, graduate resume, interview questions, LinkedIn profile, resume writing, resume writing service, writing a resume

May

How To Avoid Being Red-Flagged As A Job Hopper

By RedStarResume No comments yet

Have you switched careers several times in the past ten years, worked several short-term positions, or been retrenched and forced to find new work? If you’ve held several different positions in the past 5-10 years, you may be sending a message to employers that you’re a job hopper, not staying in positions for very long. Hiring managers confess that if a candidate looks like a job hopper, they will automatically discard their resume, assuming that they’re either not reliable, get bored easily in positions or have been terminated by past employers. Whether employers’ perceptions are accurate or not, you don’t want to be labeled a job hopper and lose a good opportunity.

Whatever your reasons are for frequently changing positions (and there are a lot of totally legitimate reasons nowadays to choose, or circumstantially need to change jobs), you don’t want to be automatically discarded for positions you apply for. Try these helpful tips to avoid being labeled a ‘Job Hopper’ and eliminated from consideration.

Categorize your work experience differently

If you have several short-term, consulting or temporary work assignments, you may want to consider categorizing them under one heading such as “Consultant” and list the various projects you worked on and accomplishments under that, so it appears more as a whole set instead of separate assignments. You can also include two separate headings for your work experience if you’ve transitioned between industries a lot. Put “Relevant Work Experience” with the positions you’ve held that are directly related to the position you’re applying to, and “Other,” or “Additional Work Experience” below that to account for large gaps of time.

Leave out irrelevant jobs

Your resume is essentially a marketing tool to demonstrate your qualifications for a particular position or industry. If you have short-term, contract or part-time experiences that you don’t feel are relevant to the position you’re applying for, it is entirely okay to leave it out. You will, however, need to include it if a company asks for your full work experience.

De-emphasize dates of employment

If your dates of employment are choppy, you can try downplaying the dates in different ways. You can try leaving out the months of employment and only including the years, so it’s not as obvious. You can also include the dates in parenthesis after your job title, or below your achievements.

Focus on resume achievements and qualifications

Employers are mainly concerned with your success in past positions. If you can demonstrate you made significant contributions to your previous employers, even if they were short-term positions, employers will be more likely to overlook it. You can even emphasize accomplishments and skills you’ve acquired through your diverse roles, such as being a fast learner, adapting to new work environments and industry trends, and yielding high results.

Use your cover letter to briefly explain your work history, putting a positive spin on it and expressing your interest in a long-term position

If you feel like your resume screams Job Hopper, you may want to add a brief explanation for why you’ve changed jobs so frequently in your cover letter, or highlight the unique skills and perspective you’ve gained through your diverse experiences. Make sure to stay positive about your past circumstances though and try not to sound like you’re making excuses for every position you’ve left. It’s important to also express your interest in a long-term position with the company to help put employers’ fears at ease.

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

Internationally Recognized Resume Writing Experts – Specializing in Developing High Impact Resumes”

For the past decade, the team at RedStarResume has been creating award winning resumes that get noticed by hiring managers. Under our guidance, our clients have achieved successes in over 35 different industries. From the college student looking to break into his or her first job to the seasoned professional and CEO level candidate, our custom-made, high impact resumes are written specifically to match the goals and objectives of our clients.

Tags: cover letter, cv writing, expert resume, how to write a resume, job hoppper, professional resume, redstarresume, resume, resume writer, resume writing, writing a resume

Apr

Trade Jobs in Australia and NZ

By RedStarResume No comments yet

If you’re seeking a trade job within the Australian Job Market or the New Zealand Job Market, you will need to first prepare a resume that adequately highlights your skills, qualifications and experience. Most importantly, however, it needs to be targeted toward the Australian and New Zealand job markets, and it needs to be written in the most effective way possible. With the competition for jobs so intense for both domestic and international job seekers, slapping a few sentences together and writing “CV” at the top of a page is no longer good enough to get you hired.

No matter your profession – if you’re a building contractor, mechanic, plumber, electrician, boiler operator, welder, fabricator, technician or excavator to name just a few – you need to ensure that your professional resume ticks all the right boxes when you are seeking any type of employment.

Highlighting Qualifications and Certifications:

In my experience, tradesmen often focus on their skills and certifications. Make sure you highlight any relevant skills or qualifications on the top of your resume or at least on the first page. You want the reader to see that you are qualified from the start. Building on this, you can then list any certification that you may hold. Some jobs may require particular certifications, and if this is the case, make sure that you list these! If you lack a “required” certification, don’t apply as you will be wasting your time… the “certification” is required for a reason.

Highlighting Experience:

It goes without saying that it is always important to highlight your professional experience on your resume. Daily duties are definitely an integral part to this – make sure that you list the most relevant duties that were a part of your job, and pay particular attention to include any related duties that are mentioned in job advertisements that you respond to. Don’t forget to also make sure that you list any special achievements or recognitions that you have received. In a tight job market an employer will want to see how you will add value to their organisation.

At the end of the day, the most important thing to remember is that you need to tailor each resume. If a job advertisement calls for certain skills or qualifications make sure you find somewhere to mention these on your resume. Not only will your resume stand out to the hiring manager or recruiter, but it will also make sure that your resume comes up in any keyword searches.

Top 5 Resume Writing Tips!

Responsibilities, achievements and duties need to be written clearly and backed up with supporting evidence.

Use British English ONLY in your Australian/NZ Resume – words such as “specialise” and “realise” need to be spelled with an “s” not a “z”

No picture is necessary on your Australian Resume

Do not include personal information such as marital status, date of birth, number of children, occupation of spouse, gender, religious affiliation, colour or race on your resume. It is true that in certain countries (South Africa, for example) personal information is included and is required, however it is not necessary or needed on your Australian or NZ Resume

Spend as much time as possible ensuring you address EXACTLY what the employer wants. For example, if the job advertisement lists certain duties for the job, make sure you incorporate these duties into your current resume. If the job requires excellent customer service skills, provide examples about how you have provided excellent customer service

Get the edge on other job seekers and save yourself enormous amounts of time and stress by ensuring your resume ticks all the right boxes.

Tags: aussie resume, Australian Job Market, cv writing, new zealand job market, NZ job market, professional resume, resume writing, trade jobs

Dec

Pimp My Resume

By RedStarResume No comments yet

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 Publications – http://www.bestresponseresume.com

The #1 student and graduate Professional Resume Service

Tags: cover letter secrets, cover letter tips, cv writing, expert resume, graduate job, graduate resume, graduate resumes, how to find a job, how to write a resume, pimp my resume, professional resume, Professional writers, resume pimp, resume writers, resume writing, writing a resume

Oct

Why Job Seekers Require A Professionally Written Resume?

By RedStarResume No comments yet

In today’s society where job hunting has become tougher and tougher and being unemployed is so costly, there are many reasons why job candidates are increasingly turning to resume writing services to give them a greater opportunity to find success. With the growth of the Internet and access to experts in all professions, reaching out for expert assistance is easier than ever before. Rather than trying to be their own experts, people are now more inclined to reach out to real experts to ensure that the job is done right the first time.

When your hot water tank stops working you call a professional plumber, even though you can probably fix it yourself. You can go online and research how to fix a hot water tank, and you can even pay a few dollars to get a step by step guideline to help fix the tank (I did this and the tank ended up costing twice as much to fix). However, as most people do not have the qualified skills to fix a hot water tank they call in a professional to do the job for them.

The same is true of a professional resume writer or CV writer. Just like a plumber is trained and qualified to fix your hot water tank, a resume writer has the experience and skills to write a resume that will enhance your job application.

What will a resume writer do for me?

The hardest aspect of resume writing is knowing what actually belongs in the resumes and what type of information will make them stand out. In my past experience as a job recruiter, at least 50% of the candidates for each job shared the same type of education and skills. So the question is – what can a candidate do to highlight their resume? This is what a good resume writer can do. They have the ability to understand what needs to go into the resume and how to best present the information. No matter how good your education, skills or experience, if you are unable to present this information to a hiring manager, you will have very little chance of getting the job.

What is the difference between a good resume and a bad resume?

The difference is HUGE. It is no longer good enough to sit down for 20 minutes, type your name at the top of the resume, write down your work history (including a few bullet points about your duties or responsibilities) and expect to be called for interviews. It just does not work that way anymore. Not only does your resume need to be 100% completely targeted toward the job you are applying for, but it also needs to be written for that particular job market. An accounting resume is different to a mining resume and they both need to be written accordingly. Most importantly, highlighting achievements is the number one rule of resume writing. An average resume will focus too much on the day to day duties and responsibilities. These duties are expected of the job candidate and while they are important (and do need to be in the resume), turning these duties into achievements is how to make your resume stand out. This is what an expert resume writer can do for you!

© RedStarResume Publications – www.redstarresume.com

RedStarResume: #1 for Resume Writing and Cover Letter Services

Read More articles by RedStarResume including:

Tags: college student job, cover letter, cover letter writing, cv writing, graduate job, graduate resume, how to write a resume, interviewing, job search, professional resume writer, resume writer, resume writing service, student resume, writing a resume

Oct

How Long Will a Hiring Manager Or Recruiter Spend Reading My CV?

By RedStarResume No comments yet

Recruiters and hiring managers have their own rules on how much time they will spend reading through a candidate’s professional CV. For a specialised role or more senior role, a HR Manager will receive much fewer CV applications and are more likely to read through entire CVs. How long will they spend on a role, though, that receives over hundreds of CV applications? Is it realistic to think that they are going to read through every single CV?

Time is always scarce and reports suggest that a hiring manager will generally spend no more than 20-30 seconds analysing a candidate’s CV. If they cannot find the information they are looking for immediately, or your CV writing is not presented, structured and formatted correctly chances are that your CV will be deleted. This is the cut throat world of job seeking. Make a HR Manager guess and your CV is sure to end up in the recycle bin.

Times have changed and with competition for jobs so intense the responsibility of writing the perfect CV is more important than ever.

Why isn’t the hiring manager reading through my entire CV?

In an ideal world, a team of HR representatives would sit down and together go through every CV that they receive for a particular role. The HR team would analyse every person and read through every page of each CV with a fine-tooth comb. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Managers are under pressure to fine the right candidates in the shortest amounts of time. In many cases, a hiring manager or recruitment agent may be sourcing multiple jobs and therefore may be receiving hundreds, if not thousands, of CVs. A former colleague of mine was once recruiting for 15 different roles and received more than 3000 CV applications!

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

With such limited time for your CV to stand out to the potential reader, you need to focus on highlighting your achievements and the value-added skills that you can bring to your next job. Often times, people remain fixated on listing all the daily duties they perform in a particular job. From a hiring manager’s point of view, being able to perform the job is expected – this does not make you stand out from the competition. The hiring manager wants to know that if they hire you for the job, you will not only successfully fill your duties, but you will also bring a whole range of skills to the business.

Five tips to making your CV shine

Use strategic keywords throughout your CV (if the business is using software programs to read through the CVs, make sure that your CV will be noticed)

Target your CV toward the job and industry you are applying for. One size does not fit all!

Turn your responsibilities into “achievement statements

Use examples to back up your statements

Quality over quantity

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

RedStarResume is #1 for CV Writing Services

Tags: australian cv writer, cv writers, cv writing, executive cv, executive cv writing, professional cv, professional cv writing, Professional writers

Oct

What Does Your Resume Say About You?

By RedStarResume No comments yet

When you hear the saying “a picture tells a thousand words”, this means that a picture can tell a story just as easily as a large amount of text. The same is true about your professional resume. Your resume can tell the reader a lot about the type of person you are and the type of worker you will be.

During one of my earliest roles as a recruiting agent, I was asked to find a shortlist of 5 candidates to fulfill a HR position. The position was an entry level role for a very well known and respected investment bank and although the client had instructed several requirements that they wanted in the right candidate (e.g. Bachelor Degree), the most important aspect was to find a candidate that would be the “right fit” for this company.

We began our search for the candidate by placing a job advert in one of the online job portals. Within 3 hours we had over 150 resumes sitting in our inbox. By the end of the day we had another 400 resumes (at that stage we decided to take the job advert of the Internet). With our client urgently calling us wanting to know how soon they would receive resumes of potential candidates, we had the task of trying to sort through the huge amount of resumes and find the top 5 candidates.

How to stand out from the competition:

First impressions count! It is estimated that a hiring manager or recruitment agent will spend no more than 15 -30 seconds reading through your resume before either deciding to continue reading or pressing delete. Unfortunately there is not one secret that will guarantee your resume will stand out from the competition, but there are many factors that will get your resume deleted. In my experience the first thing I look for in a resume is professionalism.

Spelling Mistakes and bad grammar:

It is an unforgiveable sin to have any spelling errors on your resume. Spelling mistakes and bad grammar send out a negative signal that that the candidate is careless, does not take pride in his or her work and lacks the professionalism that the client demands. Without even reading through more of the resume I would delete this resume.

Layout and Presentation:

It is an undisputed fact that if a hiring manager has two resumes sitting on the table, they are instinctively going to be drawn to the resume that is professionally presented and easy to read. No matter what the resumes say, the first impression is already made. If both candidates share similar skills and experiences, just take a guess at which resume the hiring manager is going to choose.

When you sit down to write your resume, remember one thing. Your resume is your representation. This 2-3 page document is all you have to prove to the hiring manager that you are the right person for the job. Present a professional picture and make sure that you stand out above your competition.

During the last decade, RedStarResume has successfully written hundreds of professional CV’s for candidates across the globe. From the student or entry level position to the CEO, our unique, custom-made CV’s are written specifically to match the goals and desires of our clients and to help them land jobs

Expert CV Writers: #1 for CV Writing and Cover Letter Writing

Read more articles by RedStarResume including:

Tags: cv services, cv writer, cv writers, cv writing, executive cv writing, professional cv, professional resume, resume writing, writing cv

Aug

Can’t Get A Job …..

By RedStarResume No comments yet

Tags: college student job, cover letter secrets, cover letter tips, cv writing, expert resume, graduate jobs, how to write a cover letter, how to write a resume, interview secrets, job hunt, job search, new job, professional resume, resume writing, student jobs, student resume, telephone interview, writing a resume

Aug

Resume Writing Tips to Succeed in a Tight Job Market

By RedStarResume No comments yet

It’s an undisputed fact – today’s job market is tighter than ever before. During this period of economic strife and instability, competition for the best jobs is extremely stiff. Job stability seems practically non-existent. Turnover rates are at an all-time high, given the number of layoffs and agency closings. Millions of individuals are unemployed and clamoring for employment regardless of skill level. Whether you are a doctor, a chef, an engineer, a secretary, housekeeper or even a resume writer, individuals from all walks of life struggle to retain their current positions since the economic future is not promised.

But what route should you take if you yearn for a better opportunity or are even without a job right now? How can you ensure that your name is at least known to companies looking to fill positions? One way is to hire a resume writing expert to help ensure that your resume / CV goes to the top of the pile.

Let’s look at it in a simple way. If you want to build a new house, you can go online, research how to build a new house and go out and buy the materials to begin building your dream house. However, as building anything is probably not your expertise and you want the house built properly the first time, it makes sense to call in a professional builder who has all the expertise and experience in building homes. The same is true of the resume writer. You can easily pick up a pen and paper and write a resume, however a resume writer can do it a lot more effectively and professionally because they have the experience, knowledge and skills in the art of resume writing.

The first stage of building your professional resume includes starting off with supplying the information that you wish to have printed on your document. This includes the obvious, such as your basic information (name, address, phone number, city, state and zip code). You should also be prepared to have a chronological listing of your past and current employment (if applicable).

It is important to have an idea beforehand of how you’d like to word your list so that your job duties don’t sound mundane or discredit your actual tasks. Never simply state that you were just a “cook” if in reality, you were a culinary arts service person!

Make sure your resume includes targeted keywords that leave no doubt that your past employment was productive. Stay clear of the ordinary, eliminating redundant phrases such as “typed letters”, “filed documents” or “bussed tables”. Yawn!

Most importantly, you need to use achievements throughout your resume to highlight your skills. You need to turn your basic duties into “accomplishment statements” and, if possible, use quantifiable results to the duties you have performed. A successful resume will highlight achievements rather than focus on responsibilities.

Job seeking is a cut throat business and in order to succeed your resume needs to be 100% right, and it needs to be presented and formatted professionally and correctly. When you apply for a particular job you only have one chance to succeed. Make sure that you give yourself every opportunity to get that new job!

Expert Resume Writers: #1 for resume writing and Cover Letter Services

Tags: best resume, cover letter, cover letter service, cv writing, expert resume, free resume, professional cv, professional resume, professional resume writer, resume, resume sample, resume service, resume template, resume writer, resume writing, resume writing service, resume writing services, resume writing tips

Jul

Executive Resume Writing:

By RedStarResume No comments yet

The best way to market your career for employment is through your resume. It is your first point of contact and first impression, and in today’s society first impressions count! If you want to get noticed and to leave an impact, your executive resume needs to be written perfectly and professionally. In accordance with the human resources experts, there are five basic concepts on how to write the executive resume.

An executive resume must be able to market your skills and highlight your qualifications and experience. As an executive, it is expected that you are able to perform the duties and responsibilities. It is also expected that you have the experience in this type of role, and therefore simply listing your basic duties is not enough to stand out as an executive. The executive resume must focus on the intangible skills that you can bring to the job and it needs to reflect your visions and skills.

Before you sit down to write your resume, imagine that you are the person reading it. So, this implies that you need to put yourself in the shoes of an employer. For every job application, your resume needs to be targeted and directly written towards the job you are applying for. If there is a great emphasis on leadership, then the executive resume needs to highlight leadership examples and areas of your past work history where you displayed leadership, supervision and managerial expertise to lead and guide employers. Using examples and quantifiable numbers will aid your resume.

Rather than a broad statement such as “exceeded sales targets on a monthly basis”, turn this statement into an accomplishment statement that uses evidence to back up the statement:

“Exceeded sales targets by 25% over a 12 month period while working in highly competitive markets, leading to an overall increase in expected revenue by $100,000”

The ten steps in drafting the perfect executive resume:

Step 1: The first step is to read through the job vacancy profile and begin to draft job objectives. Of course, they must be responsive to the position you are applying for

Step 2: Identify what knowledge, skills, and experiences will suit the job position best

Step 3: Create a shortlist of your qualifications and experiences that will reflect your suitability for the position

Step 4: Draw from your past experiences and search for accomplishments that prove you can effectively perform the job responsibilities

Step 5: Elaborate on your brief accomplishments that emphasize your abilities in handling the position you are applying for. It is also very important to emphasize how your work has benefited your previous employers

Step 6: Prepare your work history in chronological order, emphasizing your achievements. Concentrate on areas of how you added value to that positions (increased profit, reduced costs, implemented a new proposal, increased accuracy, project work, employee development, leadership initiatives, awards and recognition). Ensure that your work history is targeted towards the role you are applying for

Step 7: Don’t forget to list your educational qualifications, especially those that are relevant to the position. As an executive you have probably completed relevant training courses or leadership workshops that will further aid your resume application

Step 8: Presentation is crucial and the key is consistency!

Step 9: Target your resume with relevant information that will aid you in getting the job. At the executive level, the hiring manager is looking at your overall history – the tangible and intangible elements that make you an executive who can lead the business forward in a positive way. As mentioned previously, employers are looking for more than just work history when making personnel decisions at the executive level

Step 10: Don’t forget to use strategic keywords throughout your resume and even include 10-12 keywords to highlight your key skills. Examples of strategic keywords include:

Strategic & Tactical Planning, Relationship Management, Employee Development, New Business Development, Team Building, Training and Mentoring, Client Vendor Relations, Account Retention, Lead Generation, Presentation & Negotiation

Executive Resume Writing

Are you applying for an executive position and need a professional resume to ensure that you get the job? The team at RedStarResume can help you write a targeted resume that will portray all of your qualities to your potential future employer and highlight all of your key skills that will make you the perfect person for the job. You will be assigned a senior writer who has the experience and expertise in presenting your skills, capabilities and achievements.

Guest Blogs

Students & Grads

Tips from the Pros

Where Do I Go From Here?

How To Avoid Being Red-Flagged As A Job Hopper

Trade Jobs in Australia and NZ

Pimp My Resume

Why Job Seekers Require A Professionally Written Resume?

How Long Will a Hiring Manager Or Recruiter Spend Reading My CV?

What Does Your Resume Say About You?

Can’t Get A Job …..

Resume Writing Tips to Succeed in a Tight Job Market

Executive Resume Writing:

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