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13
Aug

What Do You Do When Your Resume Is Bare?

By RedStarResume No comments yet

guest-blogging-1One of the first steps in making the transition from student to job seeker is to create a professional resume. At first glance it may seem like you don’t have much to put on your resume, however if you assess your past experiences you’ll realize you have more relevant experience to highlight on your resume than you think. Employers look to your past performance to predict your success in the future. As a student or recent graduate, jobs aren’t the only way you can demonstrate your prior success. Remember that resume writing is all about highlighting your achievements. Don’t forget to include examples and evidence to further promote your value added skills to hiring managers.

6 Things to Include on your Resume as a Current Student or Recent Graduate…

Relevant Coursework:

As a student or recent graduate, employers realize that so far most of your life has been spent in the classroom, learning and studying. It’s beneficial to highlight coursework that is related to the field you’re applying for. This can show employers that you’ve learned relevant material from your studies and that you have thorough knowledge that can be an asset to their company.

Internships:

Of course you’ll want to include any and all student internships you’ve had in the past. It’s always better if you’ve participated in an internship related to the jobs you’re applying for; however having any type of internship can show a level of maturity and responsibility. It also shows that you’ve been exposed to a real working environment and are better prepared to enter the workforce.

Part-time/ Summer Jobs:

Don’t belittle your part-time or seasonal work experience. A job in retail or summer camp may not seem relevant to the field you’re going into, however you learn a great deal of foundational skills by having a part-time job that prepares you for having a full-time position. Employers like to see that you’re mature enough to hold a job and learn some basic skills and work ethic.

Volunteer Work:

Volunteering can also provide valuable skills and promote leadership and cooperation. It’s good to include any volunteering you’ve been part of in the past, as it can also demonstrate maturity, responsibility, team work and cooperation.

Extra-curricular Activities:

Feel free to list relevant extra-curricular activities on your resume. Anything you do on your free time that shows commitment, leadership, team work, etc. You can demonstrate skills you’ve acquired through your extra-curricular activities. For example if you’ve played on a sports team while in school, this can show you’re a team player and able to successfully handle multiple tasks.

Memberships/ Affiliations:

Including relevant memberships and affiliations can help demonstrate your commitment to a particular field of study, issue, or show your success in a certain area if membership is merit-based.

About the Author:

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.

 

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27
Mar

Graduate Resume Writing

By RedStarResume No comments yet

Resume Writing Skills for Entry Level Candidates

As a current student, recent graduate or entry level job candidate, entering the job market for the very first time, you are probably also getting ready to write your very first professional resume.  As you sit at your desk with an empty looking document staring straight at you, I bet you’re thinking the same thing that millions of other entry level job seekers have all thought at some time. “Where do I start and what do I do first?”

The first thing to understand as a new job seeker is that your resume is a representation of you. If you want to be considered as a professional job candidate, then your resume needs to be presented, structured and submitted in a professional way. First impressions are so important and in a world where a hiring manager can often receive in excess of 500 – 1000 applications for a graduate position. If your resume does not immediately stand out, it will be deleted.

What should I include in my professional resume?

The key to writing an expert resume that will get noticed is to focus on targeting your application to the job that you are applying for. For example, if you are applying for a teacher role than you need to present as much information to the reader that will make you the best possible candidate for the teaching position. This information needs to be highlighted on your CV and backed up with quantitative evidence (where possible).

The best way to shine above your competition is highlighting your achievements as opposed to just including your general work duties and responsibilities. This is a great way to stand out from the pack and provide the reader with all the great value added skills that you have to offer. For example, if at school or college you were involved in extracurricular activities, don’t just mention these activities but highlight how you managed to add value.

I recently sat down with a marketing graduate who worked on campus in arranging, co-ordinating and organising university events. On her original resume she had five bullet points explaining what she did in her role (basic duties). There was nothing wrong with what she had written, however her resume was never going to stand out against all the other marketing graduates she was competing against. In order to upgrade the resume and turn her original resume into a marketing document, we turned the duties and responsibilities into achievement statements. Rather than saying “Developed the newsletter” which tells the reader nothing, we converted this statement into an achievement statement with quantifiable evidence. “Developed the newsletter throughout the entire campus leading to an increase in subscription from 1000 to 5000 people within a 6 month period.”

Target the Job you are applying for

The “one size fits all” strategy does not work for a professional resume and it is not realistic to think that you can send the same document out for every job you apply for. Your resume needs to be tailored towards the specific job and answer the questions that the role is identifying. Do not waste the reader’s time with including information that is not relevant or required in your resume. It will only reduce the professionalism of your resume. Rather than including a section on your hobbies and interests (which is outdated and not required in this day and age) include a “Key Competencies and Skills” section to further highlight to the reader all the great skills that you have to offer.

 Final Thought …

Remember the more value added information you can provide the better your new resume will be – As a hiring manager, I would rather know about your teamwork and communication skills, as opposed to knowing that you like long walks and enjoy watching the football!

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

The #1 student and graduate Professional Resume Service

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28
Dec

The Aim of the Resume

By RedStarResume No comments yet

Before we seek to find out the real aim of the resume, we need to define exactly what the resume is. As per Wikipedia, a resume is a document used by individuals to present their background and skillsets. Resumes can be used for a variety of reasons but most often to secure new employment. This basic definition is true to an extent as the resume is typically used to find a new job.  However is preparing the resume as simple as presenting “their background and skillsets”?  Is this enough to stand out from potentially hundreds of job seekers and get THE  job?

There are so many aspects that make up a good resume and while a job seeker does need to present their background and skills, there are many other aspects that make up the perfect resume.

As a professional resume writer, I have broken down the three most important elements of preparing a professional resume. No matter if you’re an entry level job seeker or a high flying executive, the same rules apply.

Target the Reader:

It does not matter how much you like your resume. The most important thing is the reader likes your resume.  After all, the reader is the only person that you need to impress. Knowing your audience is imperative when writing your resume. If you are applying for a corporate role your resume needs to give off a corporate feel. Fancy fonts and colours should be changed to bullet points and headings. Alternatively a graphic designer resume can be more creative with their resume as the target audience is a creative audience. Before you apply for any job you need to take a step back and imagine that you are the hiring manager and ask yourself the question “Is this resume targeted towards the role that I am applying for?”

Presenting a Professional Image:

First impressions are everything when it comes to hiring. Think about this. Imagine that you are sitting at home and your brother or sister tells you that they are coming over to introduce you to one of their friends who you have never met before. As the doorbell rings, you open the door to meet this new person for the very first time. Now imagine that when you open the door the person is standing there with a big spaghetti stain right in the middle of his shirt. Before you even shake the persons hand or introduce yourself you have already created a first impression of this person. The same goes for your resume. If a hiring manager opens your resume and sees a “spaghetti stain” right in the middle of your resume they will have created a first impression before reading a single word.  In the world of job seeking, creating a professional image and positive first impression is the first hurdle you need to pass on your way to a new job.

Highlighting Achievements and the Value Added Skills:

There is a huge difference between an average resume, a good resume and a great resume. Typically, what makes a great resume is being able to identify your key achievements and the value added skills (tangible and intangible) that you can bring to your next job.  Where most people fail with their resume writing is that they concentrate too much on their daily duties and responsibilities (For example “I did this on a daily basis”) as opposed to creating more achievement statements which focus on how you have added value to the organisation. Providing examples to back your statements up will give you an automatic edge over your competitors.

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

The #1  Professional Resume Service

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30
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!

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06
Oct

Five Myths About Job Searching:

By RedStarResume No comments yet

#1: The smartest person always gets the job

Definitely not true – companies these days are more interested in the complete worker. Having brains is always an advantage, but it’s not the only thing that hiring managers are looking for. In today’s economy, an employer wants to know that, if required, you are able to complete a wide range of jobs. Having transferrable skills, a can do attitude and a willingness to learn and be involved in all aspects of the business is key to nailing the job interview.

#2: Direct experience is most important

Transferable skills are key. In certain industries the job specification may require direct experience, but in many circumstances being able to show that you have the skills to succeed is just as important. Do not get discouraged if you feel that you lack the right skills to get a new job. Concentrate on the value added skills that you have and highlight these skills on your resume and in the job interview.

#3: Dating a co-worker will lead to career doom

An urban myth. I have even heard of stories where dating the boss has resulted in career success (not recommended!). Always remember to perform your role to the highest quality and it does not matter who you decide to date! (Note – public displays of affection are a big no no! – this type of behaviour is best saved for non-work hours).

#4: Applying for jobs online is the only way to find a new job

Job searching online is one of many different approaches you should take. Before you even begin to apply for jobs, ensure that you have a professionally written resume. No matter how many jobs you apply for, it doesn’t matter if your resume is not selling your skills. With the growth of social networking online, sites such as LinkedIn can be a fantastic way to approach people who you typically could not just pick up the phone and call.

#5: Writing a cover letter is a waste of time

Every time you apply for a job you should accompany your resume with a targeted cover letter. The only exception is when the job specification clearly states not to send a cover letter. Most times a hiring manager will read your cover letter before opening your resume. If your cover letter does not shine, there is a good chance your resume won’t even be opened. You may have the greatest resume written by a professional resume writer, but it means nothing if your cover letter is letting you down.

© RedStarResume Publications – www.redstarresume.com

Expert Resume Writers: #1 for Resume Writing and Cover Letter Services

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20
Sep

What Are The Key Ingredients To Preparing A Resume That Will Get You Interviews?

By RedStarResume No comments yet

I decided this week to bake a double chocolate chip cake. It was so delicious and cooked to perfection that I only managed one piece before my friends had collectively finished off the rest of the cake. Before I baked the cake, I prepared the ingredients and even added in a few “extra” items to make my cake as tasty as possible. When it comes to resume writing the exact same process is required:

Key Ingredients:

Strategic Keywords

Using strategic keywords throughout your resume is imperative for a number of reasons. Recent reports suggest 80% of companies use some kind of software or scanning program to search for candidate resumes.  In today’s society it is no longer good enough to target your job toward the role you are applying for – you also need to target your resume toward software programs that are now performing first rounds of candidate selections.  In this technological world where applying for a job can literally take a couple of clicks of a button, hiring managers are seeing hundreds of resumes (sometimes thousands) for one particular job. As much as we would like a hiring manager or recruiter to read through our entire resume, this rarely happens.  As such, using strategic keywords will help your resume rank higher and ensure that it passes the first test of being read by either a recruiter or hiring manager.

Highlighting Achievements

Resume writing and job seeking has changed a lot over the past couple of years. With new online networking sites such as LinkedIn being available and making it easier for a job seeker to network with a potential boss, highlighting your achievements on your resume and cover letter is more important than ever. When a boss or hiring manger decides to employ a new person to their staff, the first thing they want to know is how this person is going to add value to their organisation. Including basic duties and responsibilities is not enough to make you stand out as the perfect person for the job. You need to prove that you are the best person by highlighting your skills and achievements.

Presentation and Format

Your resume is the first impression a hiring manager will make about you. A well presented and structured resume that is written in a clean font will portray your resume in a professional manner and immediately give your resume application a higher ranking. Alternatively, a resume application that has spelling and grammar errors, different sized fonts, long sentences (as opposed to bullet points) and a lack of headings will not portray a positive image to the reader, and you won’t look like the right person for the job. A lack of professionalism may even lead to your resume being deleted without even being read. No matter how good your skills and experience may be, once your resume is deleted, it will never be read again.

In order to prepare the perfect resume follow these three main ingredients. Take time to prepare your resume and ensure that you give yourself every opportunity to succeed!

© RedStarResume Publications – www.redstarresume.com

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

Expert Resume Writer: #1 for Resume Writing and Cover Letter Writing

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31
Aug

Starting to Prepare For The Dreaded Job Interview

By RedStarResume No comments yet

Rule number 1: Research:

Congratulations! You have been invited for the interview. Now what do you do?

The first step is beginning to research the company. Once you have done this you will be ready to prep for the interview questions, learn how to improve your interviewing skills and begin to think about what you’re going to wear to the interview.

In order to succeed in the interview you need to do your homework on the company. There is no set of rules to how to do your research but preparing yourself as much as possible will greatly enhance your chances of getting hired.

Make sure you use every available resource to help you with your preparation. By doing a basic Google on the company you can easily learn important facts about the company. Publically listed companies are easier to prepare your background research than privately listed companies as public companies are legally required to make certain information available. In the 21st century the Internet has made a lot of the pre interview research more available and easier to find. Don’t forget that you can also use other sources of information like public libraries or bookstores. Many magazines and journals can provide important and up to date information on your company and also provide you with information that your competitors who are also applying for the same job won’t know.

A true story…

A candidate of mine was applying for a job at one of the large investment banks. Out of 150 candidates the hiring manager had selected the top 10 best resumes to perform first round interviews. Every interview was 15-20 minutes long. The final question the hiring manager asked to each of the candidates was “Tell me something about the company.” Nine out of ten of the candidates rattled off information they had read from the company’s “about us page”, but one candidate stood out. After reading about the company’s strategic purchase of a new acquisition, the candidate was able to impress the hiring manager with his (somewhat different) knowledge.

The hiring manager later offered this candidate the role not because he was the smartest candidate, but because he showed his dedication by going the extra step in his interview preparation.

Your research for the job interview preparation should give you a better insight on:

The history of the business

How old the business is

The types of services the business offers

The hierarchy structure

How many offices/locations the business has

Number of employees

Career progression

The business culture

Competitors

Benefits

Check out the Competitors websites as well – they are also a good source of information for your job preparation.

© RedStarResume Publications – www.redstarresume.com

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

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17
Aug

Dressing professionally is one step to getting promoted

By RedStarResume No comments yet

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

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12
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!

© RedStarResume Publications – www.redstarresume.com

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

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14
Jul

Is Investing in a Professional Resume Writer a Good Idea?

By RedStarResume No comments yet

125x125.jpegHow much money would you be willing to spend to find your dream job? $100? How about $1000? Maybe $10,000? Every person will have a different answer to this question, depending on where they are in their career.

I recently sat down with a candidate of mine to discuss the various options he faced as he prepared to look for a new job. My candidate was stuck in his job, hating it more and more every day, but before he quit he needed to do the maths and find out how much it was going to cost him to find a new job.

Applying a few mathematics equations we were able to come up with the cost of being unemployed and, in doing so, answered the question about whether investing in a professional resume was a good idea.

Before we begin let’s make a couple of assumptions:

The candidate is currently on $50,000 (gross). however is seeking a salary increase of 15%  which is an additional $7,500 therefore a total salary of $57,500 (gross)

50 working weeks in a year

Average time to find a new job is estimated between 3-4 months (for this example, we will say 14 weeks)

In order to work out the weekly salary we take $50,000 and divide it by 50 = $1000.00

Therefore if the average time it takes to find a new job is 14 weeks the total cost of lost salary is:

$1000.00 x 14 weeks = $14,000.00

What happens if it takes longer than 14 weeks? In the competitive job market where hiring managers are receiving in excess of 300 resumes per job it can take twice as many weeks to find a new job. In terms of loss of salary on $50,000 this works out to be:

$10,000 x 28 weeks =$28,000.00

Let’s now presume the candidate has his resume professionally written from the very first day.

A professionally written resume will ensure that hiring managers take notice and therefore will automatically increase interview rates. Generally speaking, if a hiring manager receives 100 resume applications they are likely to only choose the top 5-10% of candidates.

If a candidate has the skills, experience, expertise to perform the job, a good resume writer will repeatedly place you in that top percentage bracket. (Of course, there are many variables outside of your control including employer perception, personal preferences and the skills and quality of the competition).

Let’s assume that having a professionally written resume will increase your chances of gaining an interview by 50%. If a candidate applies for 10 targeted jobs where they have the qualifications and skills required, the odds indicate that 50% of the applications will result in interview requests. Therefore, you can expect 5 potential interviews within the first couple of weeks of applying for jobs. The more interviews you receive the more choice you will have. Nothing is better than having 2 job offers on the table!

Generally speaking the entire job selection process can take up to 4 weeks (first round interview, second round interview, background checks etc). Rather than taking 14 weeks to find a job costing you $14,000.00 in lost salary, having your resume professionally written has reduced this time to 4 weeks at a cost of $4,000.00.

HOWEVER – The candidate with his new professional resume is seeking a raise of 15% or a total salary package of $57,500. Therefore the investment in the resume has generated the candidate a profit of $3,500! And has reduced the time spent on looking for a new job from 14 weeks to 4 weeks.

The investment in a professionally written resume could be the greatest investment of your life. A small cost can lead to big long term gains. Can you afford to be out of work for an extended period of time?

The journey to finding your dream job starts with a brand new professional resume.

© RedStarResume Publications – www.redstarresume.com

RedStarResume: The leaders in Resume Writing, CV Writing & Cover Letter Writing

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