How to improve your resume’s looks Tuesday, Jun 12 2012 

resume , , , eattilbursting 8:57 am

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505143_162-57447352/improve-the-look-of-your-resume/?tag=nl.e664

Sometimes it can seem pointless to carefully format and organize your resume. The best way to share a resume so it looks the way you intended is to provide it in PDF format, but often that’s not possible. When you finally submit your resume to a potential employer, you sometimes have to copy and paste it into a text-only Web form or upload it as a Microsoft Word file because the company won’t accept PDFs. There’s not much you can do about those horrific text-only Web forms, but if you’re sharing a Word doc, it’s easy to make sure it looks its best.

 

 

What To Highlight In Your Resume When You Have Minimal Experience Monday, May 28 2012 

resume , , , , , , eattilbursting 1:08 am

http://comerecommended.com/publish2/what-to-highlight-in-your-resume-when-you-have-minimal-experience/

As a student or recent graduate, it can be difficult to draft a resume when you don’t have a ton of work experience under your belt. But this isn’t the only thing potential employers want to see on your resume. There are plenty of other things you can highlight on your resume, even when you have a small amount of work experience. Here are some to consider:

  1. Volunteer experience. If you’ve volunteered your time at an organization where you’ve put your skills to use, this is certainly something to include on your resume. For instance, perhaps your education focused on marketing, and you spent five hours per week at your local animal shelter assisting in creating marketing materials. This is something you should share on your resume

– This article does briefly highlight a number of ways to flesh out a résumé when you don’t have much experience. I would encourage someone in this position to also look at any sports or extra-curricular activities you have participated in, as it gives an excellent indication of relevant skills/ qualities you may have, such as dedication, timekeeping and perseverance

– Conduit

 

4 Reasons Resumes Are Rejected Sunday, May 27 2012 

resume , , , , , , , eattilbursting 6:52 pm

http://thegrindstone.com/career-management/4-reasons-resumes-are-rejected-745/

Recruiters spend countless hours reviewing resumes and screening candidates. In fact, they spend so much time scanning resumes, they can often do it in one minute or less.

As disappointing as that may be given all the hard work you put into your resume, it’s the unfortunate reality…and with such a small amount of time to make an impression, it’s no wonder they occasionally get it wrong. You may have been the perfect person for the position, but because you failed to successfully package yourself, your resume and your chances end up meeting their demise with the click of a mouse. Read on to learn the top four reasons your resume may end up in recycle bin or folder.

1. The length: Have you ever read a magazine article, short story, blog, etc. and remember thinking “Get to the point already?” Well, recruiters have this same thought when they read over a three-page resume. Nine times out of 10 they will probably just move it to the rejection stack.

 

– I disagree with a few parts of this article, length of resume is very much dependent on the type of role you are applying for i.e. it would be inappropriate for an executive role to have a brief resume, as with IT roles where it is necessary to give a significant amount of detail about your technical expertise. I also don’t necessarily think that a cover letter is a deal breaker – if your résumé is well written, and specific to the role you are applying for, a cover letter, or lack thereof, is not going to damage your chances.

However, spelling and grammar errors can automatically place your résumé in the reject pile. I would suggest having someone else, with a fresh set of eyes, review it before sending it anywhere.

– Conduit

 

Is there a gap growing in your resume? Friday, May 25 2012 

resume , , , eattilbursting 8:57 am

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505125_162-57433387/is-there-a-gap-growing-in-your-resume/?tag=nl.e713

I’m getting more emails from people who’ve been out of work quite a long time. Not surprisingly, they’re very dispirited but what makes it worse is that they are worrying about how to cover the gap that is growing in their resume. Being out of work is debilitating because your morale plummets, your confidence starts to hemorrhage and your passion for network decidedly dwindles. What should you do?

 

I confronted this problem many years ago when I sold my business, moved continents and had my first child – all at pretty much the same time. (I would not recommend this to anyone.) So I found myself in a new city where I knew no one – so no networking. The industry I knew well – television – wasn’t a going concern in my new home. My confidence was rock bottom – having a baby at home will do that to you. What was I to do?

 

Recruiters Tell Us: Do Resume Fads Really Work? Wednesday, May 23 2012 

resume , , eattilbursting 9:24 pm

http://www.thedailymuse.com/job-search/4-resume-fads-do-they-really-work/

As any job hunter knows all too well, there’s a lot of competition out there. In today’s job market, employers are inundated with dozens—even hundreds—of resumes for almost any position they post.

And as a result, job seekers have started getting creative, ditching the traditional white linen paper and trying trends like artistically designed resumes or video submissions to help their applications stand out from the pack.

But before you jump on the bandwagon, consider this: Not all these resume fads will make the impression you want them to. “I don’t like gimmicks,” says Beth Sightler, the assistant director of a Vermont-based non-profit organization. And her sentiment was one shared by several recruiters and hiring managers I spoke with. Here’s a closer look at some of the current resume trends—and what to think about before giving them a try.

 

 

Work Gaps – Can You Really Hide Them? Monday, May 21 2012 

resume , , eattilbursting 10:16 pm

http://www.cpgjobs.com/work-gaps-can-you-really-hide-them/

Work gaps continue to be job seekers’ biggest worry.  It’s little wonder; we still carry a certain amount of stigma associated with a gap – never mind what it might do to the bank account.  I am continuously asked, “How do I lay out my resume to minimize the effect of a gap?”   Sure, you can do a few things, but really, I think most work gaps look worse to the owner than they do to everyone else.

I’d like to look at work gaps and also try to adjust your attitude.

What’s the problem with a work gap?

A gap may signify that we have a hidden issue that causes us to be undesirable to hire.  We all know the type of person who no one misses when they leave.  They may have a funky personality, are difficult to work with or have a host of other undesirable work traits.  It might be glaringly obvious to others, but not to ourselves.

A work gap could mean you’re just plain lazy.  Too lazy to get a job and therefore too lazy to consider for hire.

It could be hiding a deep dark secret, like being in jail; and no one wants that!

 

Does it Every Pay For Someone to Fib on a Resume? Sunday, May 20 2012 

resume eattilbursting 2:25 am

http://www.tlnt.com/2012/05/18/weekly-wrap-does-it-every-pay-for-someone-to-fib-on-a-resume/

When is a fib really a lie? And when does a fib-turned-lie really matter?

It’s a question I keep rolling over in my mind, especially given all that has been written the last few weeks over the résumé inaccuracies — some may prefer a stronger, more judgmental description — by now former Yahoo CEO Scott Thompson.

He has been castigated for one seemingly minor, yet telling, résumé issue: he claimed he graduated from Stonehill College in Massachusetts with degree in computer science and accounting, when in fact, it was ONLY in accounting.

Why the silly (and stupid) lie?

This would be no big deal most of the time, because unlike so many other executives who have had resume issues, Thompson did actually graduate from the college he listed with an accounting degree as he said he did. His error was in claiming a dual degree in computer science that Stonehill didn’t even offer at the time of his graduation.

 

 

Where Does Volunteer Work it Belong on a Resume? Friday, May 18 2012 

resume , , eattilbursting 9:29 am

http://www.careerealism.com/where-volunteer-work-resume/

Most often, volunteer work appears toward the end of a resume, after work history.

However, if you have been out of the workforce for a while, are a recent college graduate or are changing careers, your volunteer activities may be the showcase for your most important skills and accomplishments.

As a recent college graduate or a career changer, you might hone new skills as a volunteer in your field, in preparation for a full-time job.

For example, if you want to work in the healthcare industry, you might volunteer at a hospital; if you want to become a graphic designer, you might lend your skills to a nonprofit in search of a logo.

If you’ve been out of the workforce for a while, volunteering may be an excellent way to keep your skills sharp. An IT professional might volunteer to help a nonprofit organization maintain its computers; develop a program to track donors or clients; or enhance their website.

 

 

How to Remove Lies From Your Resume (and LinkedIn) Without Getting Fired… Wednesday, May 16 2012 

career and resume , , , eattilbursting 5:43 pm

http://www.hrcapitalist.com/2012/05/how-to-remove-lies-from-your-resume-and-linkedin-without-getting-fired.html

So you’ve distributed a lie on your resume.  Maybe a big one, maybe a small one.

Still, if you’ve been following the saga of Yahoo CEO Scott Thompson, any lie on your resume should give you cause for pause.  Consider the rundown of Thompson’s alleged character issue via a resume lie from the San Jose Mecrury News:

“Yahoo (YHOO) CEO Scott Thompson will step down from the helm of the Sunnyvale Internet company after a furor resulting from a false degree on his company bio, according to a Sunday report.Activity broadcasts

Thompson, who took over as head of the struggling company less than six months ago, claimed he received degrees in accounting and computer science from Stonehill College near Boston, but Yahoo’s largest outside investor revealed earlier this month that the accounting degree was the only one he earned.

Yahoo admitted Thompson did not receive a computer science degree, but termed it an “inadvertent error.” That did not halt the controversy stemming from the revelation, however, and Thompson’s attempts at damage control — two apologies to Yahoo staff and claims that the error resulted from a mistake by an executive search firm that recruited him to his former job at PayPal — did little to calm calls for his job.”

 

 

8 Common Lies People Tell On Their Resumes Wednesday, May 16 2012 

resume , eattilbursting 12:56 am

http://thegrindstone.com/career-management/resumes-strategy/8-common-lies-people-tell-on-their-resumes-998/

Yahoo CEO Scott Thompson resigned this weekend after his company found out he had lied on his resume and stated that he had a computer science degree (he doesn’t). This got us thinking: what else do people lie about on their resume? We know that lying on a resume isn’t exactly uncommon, since 40% of people reportedly do it. Even though LinkedIn has helped reduce some of the common resume lies, it’s still a persistent problem among job seekers.

Here are eight of the most common lies people put on their resumes. Avoid these and you will be one step further from ending up like Scott Thompson (jobless, publicly shamed).

 

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