Launching Your Job Search - Job Search 101 - CareerAlley

Launching Your Job Search - Job Search 101 - CareerAlley We may receive compensation when you click on links to products from our partners.1 Welcome to CareerAlleys Job Search 101 series, specifically focused for those who are launching a job search for the first time (or those that need some great advice). Over the course of this series, we plan to cover the following job search basics to get you started: General Advice Posting Job Search website links (with brief reviews) Posting headhunter / Executive Search website links Tools and Templates There are five basic types of job searchers: Not Happy People who are not happy with their compensation, dont like what they are doing, dont like their manager, are past due on a promotion, or just dont like their company. Worried People who are worried about their company (may not survive, may be taken over, etc.), worried about their job (potential job cuts), worried about their industry, etc. Career Change People who have just finished a degree (while working), people who want to make a career change or all of the above. Not Currently Looking People who are not actually looking to make a change, but get offered a new opportunity (through a headhunter or a friend) Job Loss People lose their jobs all the time for various reasons: Company downsizing, job elimination, takeovers/mergers, Company bankruptcy or poor performance. Job Search Websites: Not all job search websites are created equal. Some allow resume posting, job search tools and general advise while others offer fee based services and appear to be job search sites. My general view is that you can get everything you need for your job search without paying a fee, but this is a personal choice and may be driven by the need for specialized help. However, if you are creative and diligent you can find everything you need by leveraging the web, family and friends (and of course, CareerAlley). Sometimes it feels like there is an endless number of job search websites (many of which are a waste of time). Ive listed below a very brief overview of two popular job search sites with very different styles to get you started. There will be a more focused job search site article in a future posts. Every site is different, although most of them have the basics (which Ive listed below, so you may want to refer back to this in later posts). There are too many options to list them all. What to look for on a Job Search Site: Resume Posting: Many sites allow 1 or more resumes to be posted. Sometimes there are options to build your resume online, upload a Word doc or cut and paste your resume into their form (depending on the site). Privacy: A Privacy option (which allows you to block companies) can be very useful. Blocked companies either be companies that you dont want to work for or your current employer (the last thing you want is for your name to come up in a search by your current employer!). Job Search: The job search function allows you to narrow your job search to certain criteria (varies from site to site). Some also allow you to save 1 or more searches (with a number of options). This allows you to quickly run searches for specifics (as decided by you). Job Match Notification: Most sites will send an email to you with the results of your searches (but dont flood your email with so many that you are overwhelmed). Linked Application: This is the ability to apply directly for the job opportunity. This is typically a link to the companys career site and will save you time. Other Stuff: Some sites offer career advise, resume building techniques, samples of resumes, samples of cover letters, etc. Some free, some not. Monster.com The grandfather (sorry Monster) of all job search websites. One of the first useful job search sites, Monster has spent a lot of time and effort to evolve with the fast changing job search resource landscape (including buying up their main competitor at the time Hotjobs). Monster is one of the more popular job search sites and their homepage looks more like a job advice site than a dedicated job search site. A brief overview: Resume Posting: This free service allows up to 5 resumes to be posted. You can build your resume online, upload a Word doc or cut and paste your resume into their form. Privacy: There is a Privacy option which allows you to block companies. Job Search: The job search function in Monster is very good. You can save up to 5 searches. Email notification is available. Job Search Advice: Lots of stuff to help you in your search. Indeed.com Indeed has what I call a minimalist homepage which allows you to focus on the task at hand (job search!). A brief overview: Job Search: Powerful filters allow you to narrow your search to those opportunities that best meet your criterial. You can save searches and create job alerts which will send an email based on your criteria. Lots of choices on narrowing your search. Resume Posting: This site also allows up resumes to be posted. You can build your resume online, upload a Word doc or cut and paste your resume into their form. Privacy: There is a Privacy option which allows you to block companies. Dont forget to take a look at CareerAlleys dedicated Job Search Site == CareerAlley Job Search Anther great CareerAlley resource to check out: CareerAlleys Job Search Site List Career Tip of the Day:Why You Need a Job Search Marketing Toolkit Suggested Reading:50 Easy Ways to Job Search and Find Work: Hot Job Hunting Tips that works We are always eager to hear from our readers. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions or suggestions regarding CareerAlley content. Good luck in your search,Joey Google+ what where job title, keywords or company city, state or zip jobs by What's next? Ready to take action? Choose the right tools to help you build your career. Looking for related topics? Find out how to identify and land your dream job. Subscribe and make meaningful progress on your career. It’s about time you focused on your career. Get Educated Contact Us Advertise Copyright 2020 CareerAlley. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy + Disclosure home popular resources subscribe search

Format PPT on Writing Resume

Format PPT on Writing ResumeWhen choosing the format for your PPT on writing resume, be sure to follow some basic guidelines. Always start with a picture to illustrate the type of experience you have. Then continue with relevant content for each section of the resume.For each section of the resume, the first thing to write in the body of the title page is your name and contact information. Include a contact number and a job title. It's not necessary to include your work experience under your name. This is why a good format is to use your name or a title under your company name.The second section of the resume should start with your education and skills. Whether you received your undergraduate degree from Harvard or your first-year degree from an online program, you can add this experience. In addition, be sure to include your leadership experience. Again, the best way to format these sections is under your company name.You'll have to choose what sort of skills to include. If you're a pplying for a higher level position that requires knowledge of programming languages, it might be a good idea to include those skills. If you're applying for a lower level position, such as an administrative assistant, then it would be a good idea to focus on your writing, customer service, problem solving, and other work experience related to those specific job duties.Be sure to include any additional information and skills you possess. If you've been working in sales for five years, then it's appropriate to include sales experience under your name. On the other hand, if you've been in sales for six years, then you'll want to include that as well. Both approaches are acceptable.From your skills to your work experience, be sure to add a few paragraphs explaining each job duties. Do not make your resume to long because having too much information will make it difficult to read.Finally, review the resume as you're submitting it to determine where you need to make changes. After all, i t's always important to edit your resume to make it more attractive to an employer.One final tip to help you format your resume. You may want to avoid using Microsoft Word 2020 and later.

A Guide to Writing a Resume Without a Template

A Guide to Writing a Resume Without a TemplateA resume is the first thing that most job seekers see when they step out of the job hunt office. Having a fantastic resume can mean the difference between landing the first job and getting passed over. So when you get ready to start writing your resume, you are going to want to make sure that you are using a guide to writing a resume without a template. Here is how to go about it.The first thing that you need to do is to list things that you have accomplished in the past. Whether you have had a career in sales or you are an editor, you should list them in your resume. Some examples of things that you may have accomplished in the past are completing college, doing volunteer work, finding a good job, purchasing a new home, going on vacation, raising a family, etc. You can also list some accomplishments that you might have gotten from a previous employer, if you have one.Remember to include a bit of personal information about yourself. Do no t forget to list your name, address, phone number, email address, and most importantly, birth date. If you are over the age of thirty-five, it would be best if you included this information. You will want to make sure that your birth date does not conflict with any other information listed on your resume. For example, if you are getting a job at Walmart, it is a good idea to list your birth date at this time, so that you can apply for Walmart jobs when you are twenty-five years old.When you are listing your accomplishments, make sure that you include them in chronological order. If you list them in a hurried way, chances are that you will seem like you have just started in your career. Besides that, if you do not include the chronological order, then you may come across as a stalling candidate.One important thing that you will want to list is the position that you are applying for. In order to apply for a specific position, you must first list the job title, the organization that yo u are applying for, and then the title of the position that you are applying for. Doing this will help to make it easier for the hiring manager to review your resume properly.In order to make sure that you do not miss anything, you will want to make sure that you review your resume for errors before submitting it. There are some things that you may not notice when you are reviewing it. For example, you may not realize that there are spaces in your resume. You should always make sure that you double check your resume before submitting it.Make sure that you follow the steps in this guide to writing a resume without a template. It will go a long way in helping you land that job and help you get your dream job.

If You Read Nothing Else Today, Read This Report on Writing up a Resume Examples

If You Read Nothing Else Today, Read This Report on Writing up a Resume Examples You might also wish to mention any relationship you've got in the business since they may consider personal suggestion in the selection practice. Finding a testimonial is often as simple as asking a colleague, teacher or previous employer to compose a couple sentences about you. A testimonial is another great way to demonstrate your skill and experience is what the employer is searching for. Be aware that there might be circumstances when including some of these information proves that you're a fantastic fit for the job. You're additionally welcome to get in touch with me in the event you have some questions on the topic. Next, consider prioritizing the information that you provide in each individual description. Once you have written a work description, start looking for ways to generate your explanation more concise. It's possible to mention particular achievements such like you're well versed with foreign languages etc.. The ones sections may be used when you've compiled all the authentic information which you want to listing in your resume. Before you commence adding job descriptions to your resume, you might want to earn a list of accomplishments at every one of your jobs. Ultimately, a list of character references will also be beneficial. The Essentials of Writing up a Resume Examples That You Can Benefit From Beginning Immediately It's also wise to tailor your resume to demonstrate the way your work experience specifically meets the requirements of the job which you're applying for. Entry-level employees, who don't have lots of on-the-job experience, should incorporate every job possible whilst emphasizing the skills that match the work listing. You do not need to incorporate every job which you've held, especially when you have many years of expertise or have worked in unrelated fields. Taking the opportunity to work on your resume is vital.

Beware The #1 Myth About Getting Your Dream Job - Work It Daily

Beware The #1 Myth About Getting Your Dream Job - Work It Daily My friend Sean had a dream. He dreamed of getting paid well to do something he loved for a company that was making a profit, as well as a difference in the world. Related: This Theory Of Awesomeness Leads To Your Dream Job He wanted a fun work environment with people like him, and he knew his dream was possible because he had several role models who had already achieved it. (Note: Read to the bottom to find a free resource that’ll help you achieve your dream) The Giant Myth But there was one thing holding Sean back. A myth - ingrained in him from an early age - that said he didn’t have enough experience, and therefore couldn’t do it. Sean believed this myth so much that he didn’t even try to get his dream job. He figured that it would never happen - so why bother? The “Normal” Result So, what happened to Sean? Nothing. He got a different, “normal job” that paid the bills and he didn’t hate it too much. He started a family he loved, and worked every day of his career as a pretty happy guy - though he always had in the back of his mind the question… What if? The Cost Of Settling One day, when Sean was just a week away from retiring, he was sitting on his porch scanning the Internet, and he came across this quote: “Hell would be if God were to show me things I could have accomplished if only I had believed in myself.” - Unknown Author (that one) It really struck a chord with him. Sean sat there and reflected on the idea - and noticed it bringing up the old feelings he had whenever he wondered what could have been… Finally facing them, Sean realized with sadness that he missed his opportunity years ago. However, being just one week away from retirement, he quickly saw a new door opening that would allow him to finally pursue what he loves, and make the difference in the world he envisioned. Within a minute, Sean decided. He was going to retire, and immediately start learning how to become a public speaker. He always had a passion for moving people with his words, and he wouldn’t let his true dream slip away another day. How To Achieve Your Dream As Soon As Possible Now, I’m not going to sit here and try to make you feel guilty for your choices in life. Maybe you’ve had the courage to choose what you love, and maybe you haven’t. We’ve all compromised at some point in our lives, but the good news is that we’re always given another opportunity to seize the day. So, no matter where you are in life right now, if you know in your heart that you’re capable of more... that you deserve your dream job and an awesome life… Then seize the day, and have the courage to take the next step towards that life, today. Now, I’m so passionate about this message that I decided to give you a free resource that’ll help you take that next step towards your dream. It’s a free video sharing three solid tips you can apply today to get your dream job, and it shares the wisdom of my mentor, who helped me get my dream job years ago. So, seize the day, and have the courage to believe in yourself… and your dream. Related Posts Want Your Ultimate Job? Avoid The ‘Monster Effect’ 3 Oddly Simple Ways To Get Your Dream Job 5 Effective Tips For Landing Your Dream Job That Trump Conventional Advice   Photo Credit: Shutterstock Have you joined our career growth club?Join Us Today!

This is By Far the Dumbest Resume Trend

This is By Far the Dumbest Resume Trend This is By Far the Dumbest Resume TrendOctober 14, 2014 By the Resume Genius Team Reviewed by Mark Slack, CPRWTheres one resume trend that we absolutely cant stand Skill Ratings. Learn why this resume tactic is hurting your application, and what you can do instead. Make a Resume in MinutesDear Job Seekers,If you decide to create an infographic resume (against the suggestion of basically every hiring manager), please, for the love of god, DO NOT do this for your skills sectionDo not do this or you are a Bad Person.Oh look, a cute point ordnungsprinzip to visualize your skills Too bad it makes no sense.Creating a skills point system is an awful and illogical style of presentation that will only serve to confuse the hiring manager and make them trash your resume quickly. This trend is fruchtwein often found on graphic design resumesthat like to push the limits of creativity.Lets take a close look at why a skills point system makes no sense at a ll. Take this exampleAdobe Photoshop 7/10Adobe Dreamweaver 3/10Microsoft Word 10/10Excel 3/10Atrocious. Presenting information like this relies on a series of moronic assumptions which, stacked againstone another, creates a towering pile of illogical BS so high the peak is barely visible. Its a bad resume trend, and people should just stop it.Spock finds your resume most illogical.Nonsensical Assumption 1 All of these skills have the same level of difficultyIf you think Adobe Photoshop and Microsoft Word have the same level of difficulty, you are either living under a rock or seriously overestimating your Photoshop skills.These scales are completely meaningless.You cannot create a point scale and compare your skills against each other when those skills differ in quality and difficulty. Period.Dont believe me? Tell me if this makes any sense to youKickball 10/10Brain Surgery 5/10It doesnt make sense, does it? The only thing youve learned about my kickball skills is that Im utterly pe rfect at it (which is true). With regards to brain surgery, would you trust someone with an 8/10, or a 9/10? What does that even mean?It means nothing. Literally nothing which brings us to point 2.Stop doing this. Just stop.Nonsensical Assumption 2 The point scale means somethingIn fact, these scales are completely meaningless.In order for a 10-point scale to have any meaning, people would need to design standardized tests that measure each skill on a 10-point scale.NEWSFLASH No one has designed tests to rate your ability on a 10-point scale for the majority of skills youll put on a resume.In other words, when people rate themselves, it is also known as making $h up.Try asking someone what the difference is between being a 5/10 and a 6/10 on Microsoft Word. What do you think they would say? TipRG Hint There is no difference.Please stop. I cant take it anymora.Nonsensical Assumption 3 People are good at rating themselvesActually, people are horrible at rating themselves across the board.Did you know that idiots are more likely to rate themselves higher for tasks they are awful at, whereas intelligent people are more likely to rate themselves lower for tasks they are good at? This is a cognitive bias called illusory superiority.How can that be? Whereas intelligent people are more aware of the inherent difficulties of a given task, an idiot will obliviously think that everything is easy because theyre incapable of thinking deeply enough about the problem.(This explains the middle-management idiot phenomenon, and also why braggarts tend not to be the sharpest tools in the shed.)Just awful.So how should you present your skills?Theonly place your skills actually mean anything is in the meat of your professional experience section. Thats where you tell the hiring manager exactly what you accomplished with your skills, which is literally the only thing that matters.What have we learned? A fanciful skills rating scale gives absolutely no information whatsoever and yo u should burn your resume to a crisp if youve included one.Thanks for reading.

How To Improve Your Credit Score

How To Improve Yur leistungspunkt Score For many of us, our leistungspunkt score is the number that we didnt even know we needed to manage until its too late. We wait helplessly as lenders pull our leistungspunkt history to determine where to platzset the interest rate on our loan. Bad leistungspunkt can hurt our future finances by increasing interest rates on leistungspunkt cards and mortgages, a frustrating cycle that results from too much debt, a spotty payment history, leistungspunkt cards that have unpaid balances and even student loans.Sohow to improve your leistungspunkt score? First, we need to understand that a leistungspunkt scoreis a number intended to summarize our credit worthiness or the likelihood that we will pay back money loaned to us from a bank or other institution. Our score is based on our credit report information, which is typically maintained in the United States by three major credit bureausEquifax,ExperianandTransUnion. Our score can impact the interest rat e on our credit card or mortgage, whether a landlord decides to rent to us and even our employment. (While employers cant check an applicants credit score, they can access a credit history, or report, as part of pre-employment screening.)TheFICO Score, developed by Fair Isaac Corporation, is the fruchtwein common method used to calculate your credit score. Today, scores range from a low of 300 to a high of 850. Generally, a score below 550 is considered bad, 550 - 649 is poor, 650 - 699 is fair, 700 - 749 is good and a score above 750 is considered excellent.As you already be able to guess, you want to have a good credit score (at minimum).Generally, if you are in the bad or poor categories below 650 you may have difficulty accessing credit and be charged very, very high-interest rates. Similarly, if you are above 700 in the good or excellent categories, lenders will be very eager to do business with you.There are credit report scoreslike the VantageScore, but they tend to be used l ess often and are generally in line with your FICO score. I recommend focusing on your FICO score as your primary measure, though you may also want to access other scores if you have the time to do so.So, what should you do if your score is lower than youd like?Follow my step-by-step guide below to develop a good credit score and strong credit rating.1. Know your score.First, you need to know your score. You can pay for your score via the three major credit bureaus. When accessing your score, be careful to avoid ongoing credit monitoring offers these offers are often served up to you automatically when you are pulling your score. As you check out, ensure that youre only paying to pull your score, and not signing up for repeat charges. If your score is lower than the good or excellent categories, you may consider prioritizing areas for improvement.2. Pull your credit report.Your credit report includes the data that contributes to your score, so ensure that you have a recent copy of y our report to help you analyze your score. While legislation in the U.S. allows you to pull afree credit report each year, credit scores are not included in that free report ensure you have both.When you pull your credit report, look at it carefully for errors. Credit reports include a lot of data on your credit history, reported by banks and landlords, and can contain mistakes. Ensure that addresses are correct, that the accounts listed are owned by you (or were yours in the past) and that any late payments were, indeed, paid late.Each credit bureau has a specific process to fix any errors on your credit report, so if you find an error, take notes of exactly what youve done to work with the reporting agency to fix the error. Unfortunately, consumers (and not the agencies) bear the burden of putting in the work to fix mistakes. Follow up until you are absolutely certain that the error has been fixed.3. Evaluate what you can improve.Lets get back to improving your score. Your FICO sc ore is based on five primary factors, which have different weightingsTypes of credit in use (your credit mix) 10 percent of your scoreNew credit 10 percentLength of your credit history 15 percentAmounts owed (your credit utilization) 30 percentPayment history (how youve handled your credit) 35 percentThetype of credit in userefers to the diversity of your credit sources. Do you have five credit cards, but no other loans? This tends to lower scores. Or, do you have a student loan, one credit card and a mortgage? This mix may raise your score, as it demonstrates using credit for different things with different loan structures, versus a reliance on one type of credit.This is a smaller portion of your score, so I do not recommend taking out mora loans to improve your mix. You should limit your loans to what you truly need. However, if you have many types of the same credit (for example, many credit cards but no other loans) you may want to consider closing some cards. That said, any cre dit mix improvement will only have a modest impact on your score.New creditlooks at the recency of your accounts. In general, if you dont have much new credit, your score will be higher compared to someone who has recently opened up several new accounts. New accounts may signal that you are over-extending yourself or arent able to pay your debts, which can lower your score. You cant take proactive steps to improve this element, but you can stop opening accounts to improve this portion of your credit score.Length of credit historyis similarly something you have little control over. Generally, the best credit is old credit, and the factors in this category include how long your accounts have been open, how long since accounts have been used and how long specific account types (like credit cards) have been open.Like the new credit factor, there is little you can do to improve this element, though you can take steps to keep older credit, as long as it isnt too costly to do so. For examp le, you can pay off a high-interest credit card that you opened in college, stop actively using it, but keep it open to improve your length of credit history over time. Note that this may only make sense if the card doesnt include any other fees or costs.If youre new to creditand dont have credit cards or other loans, you may want to open one card and charge a single item on it monthly to departure establishing your credit. Once a week, you can pay for your groceries on the card and immediately pay it off. Ive struggled with credit card debt, so I understand why many avoid credit cards but if you dont have a credit history, it can be challenging for lenders to score your credit worthiness, and therefore youll end up with higher rates on things like auto and home loans in the future.Amounts owed, or credit utilization looks at how much you owe (your balance) relative to how much credit you have available. This is a large factor of your score (up to 30 percent) and good news one that you can take proactive steps to improve.Here, you can have a measurable impact on your score in a relatively short period of time. For example, if you lower how much you owe on riskier accounts like credit cards, your score will increase. FICO does not treat all debt the same, and mortgage, auto and student loans dont hurt your score in the same way that credit card debt does.This is because credit cards have a balance that you control your choices each month determine how much credit youll use, and therefore how large your monthly bill will be. In contrast, an auto loan has a fixed structure. Your auto loan welches provided out for a certain amount and you paying on a set schedule each month. This is a less risky proposition for lenders, who like predictability.If you have credit cards with a balance, my recommendation to improve your credit utilization is to take out all of your credit cards, write down the balances you owe and the interest rate then start paying off the highest i nterest rate cards first. This will save you money by lowering the interest you pay and eventually improve your credit score.Similarly, you can call each credit card and request a higher credit limit. An increased limit means that you will be using less of your available balance. However, it is important that you arent tempted to use your credit cards more to take advantage of your higher limit.If you keep your credit cards open when you pay them off, this can help your score (because you are using less of the total credit available to you). Again, this can be a balancing act with the first factor (type of credit in use) but remember, that is a much smaller portion of your score, at only 10 percent.If you dont have credit card debtbut have other debt (like student loans or auto loans), you can also work to reduce those balances. The amount of debt you have left on these loans is also a contributing factor to your credit utilization, and paying off your loans faster than expected can also help your credit score.Some auto, student and home loans make it a little tricky to pay down your loan balance earlier. I recommend calling your lender to understand the preferred way to make extra payments, so they dont accidentally apply it to your next months payment which would help you next month, but would not lower your balance faster. Tell the lender you are interested in making an extra payment towards the principal balance of the loan, and then keep an eye on your next statement to ensure it was applied correctly.Payment historyis the largest single factor in your credit score, at 35 percent. This element looks at how youve handled the credit youve been provided in the past, which FICO has found is a good predictor of future behavior.Payment history includes seven sub-components, including the length of overdue accounts, amount of money in collections and past due items. Negative items like bankruptcy or an unpaid account that went to collections can stay on your cre dit report for 7 - 10 years. Since this section includes historical information, there are limits to the proactive steps you can take to improve this section of your credit score.That said, you can take steps tomorrow that will improve your score in the future these include prioritizing getting up-to-date on any accounts that you are behind on, maintaining a low credit card balance, keeping a secure credit card and checking your credit account report for errors as I mentioned above.4. Plan how youll manage your credit in the future.In addition to the steps above, you can take active steps to protect and manage your credit so it continues to improve in the future. Two of the most powerful steps you can take are only accessing credit when you critically need it and paying your balance on time.If you only access credit when you critically need it, you are less likely to be tempted to fall into debt and will have a cleaner, tidier credit report. Women are often tempted by store cards t hat credit card issuers offer when were shopping I urge you to avoid these, as they are some of the highest interest-rate cards on the market, and also increase the number of credit cards you need to manage. Twenty percent off your purchase isnt worth increased debt and stress.Additionally, if you consistently pay your balance on time you are taking one of the best steps you can to improve your score. If youre going to have trouble paying a bill, call your lender and work out an arrangement many will accept a partial payment. Your lender reports missed payments to the credit bureaus, so youll want to work proactively with lenders to ensure they know your payment is coming, and dont report a missed payment instead.Finally, you may want to consider freezing your credit. This is a simple, effective step you can take for a modest fee (often five or ten dollars, and in some states, it is free). If you freeze your credit, no one can open up any credit without your confirmation first. Thi s is a powerful step to protect yourself from fraud, which can have devastating effects on your credit report and score.You can freeze your credit by contacting the three agencies directly. The last time I froze my credit I was able to complete the entire process for each agency online. When you freeze your credit, you are given a PIN that you will unlock your credit should you need to apply for a loan in the future. Save this PIN in a safe place, and should you need a loan in the coming years, you simply contact the agencies and provide the PIN so the lender can pull your credit.Candidly, I recommend a credit freeze over credit monitoring, because a freeze is more preventative. Credit monitoring tells you if something looks incorrect, which means you may have already been a victim of fraud. Additionally, credit monitoring often involves expensive, monthly fees.I wish you the very best as you work on how to improve your credit score and strengthen your consumer credit If you take st eps now, you can move your credit score up, putting you in a more favorable position for your next loan, saving you a tremendous amount of money in the long run.--The Feminist Financieris on a mission to help women build wealth and own their financial independence, by improving financial literacy and taking the mystery out of money. Ms. Financier is also a shoe addict, travel fanatic, and wine enthusiast.