Use a Professional Resume Writing Service When Looking For Work

Use a Professional Resume Writing Service When Looking For WorkWhen you are looking for work, most people look for a way to find a job that will require them to write their resumes and cover letters using the services of a professional resume writing company. By following the advice of this article, you will be able to get started with your job search without worrying about hiring professionals to help you out. There are ways to write your own cover letter and resume, and here are some tips for you to take advantage of.When you are looking for a way to start writing your resume and cover letter for yourself, think about it as a starting point. Be sure to use a template that is properly formatted so that you can have an easier time filling out the information. Also, when you are first beginning to write your resumes and cover letters, be sure to focus on what you want to accomplish and focus on this first.As you start out, you will begin to learn more about what you want. It's hard to become overwhelmed at this point, but you will begin to see a trend where there is a lot of information on your resume and cover letter. It can become very overwhelming to sort through all of the details. You might find that it is better to use templates that are already completed, because you can simply fill in the blanks and leave it as such.Also, keep in mind that some programs will ask you to fill out a form that has a number of fields. Depending on how you are learning the software, you may not have to enter all of the information. The bottom line is to start with the basics so that you are able to know the basics, which should lead to making changes and adding information as needed.You should also consider that a lot of the money that is spent when you hire a resume writing service from a temp agency comes out of your pocket. It is going to cost you to hire professionals, and in return they will be offering to write your resumes and cover letters for you. So you should look a t it as a return on your investment. That is why if you are just starting out with your own resume and cover letter, you should consider using the services of a professional resume writer.One of the things that you will want to know is that when you are sending a resume and cover letter, you want to make sure that it is not only professionally formatted, but it is also correct. Your resume and cover letter will need to match the requirements of the companies that you are submitting your resume to. So you want to make sure that everything is in order and then you can let the professionals do their work.Another thing that you want to know is that the agency that you are using has been established and reputable for many years. Make sure that they have been in business for several years before you decide to use them to send your resume and cover letter. Also, make sure that they understand that they will be receiving resumes from many different people and they must always be professiona l and know how to draft a professional resume and cover letter.It can be difficult to choose the right type of writers and one way to find them is to use the Internet. You can find freelance writers that are looking for writing jobs. But before sending in your resume, make sure that you have researched the writers in advance and have done your homework to make sure that you have a good chance of getting the work that you want and deserve.

The 3 Keys To Successful Performance Management

The 3 Keys To Successful Performance Management Let’s be honest: nobody likes traditional performance reviews. Managers hate trying to find time in their schedules to give employees a year’s worth of feedback. Employees dread having to hear a laundry list of mistakes they’ve made. In the end, both parties leave the meeting feeling it was less than productive. It’s time to stop thinking of performance management as a necessary evil. The first step to doing that is getting everyone on the same page about the purpose of performance reviews. Unfortunately, as a recent survey from my company, Quantum Workplace, found, there is little agreement about performance management. In fact, just 45.4 percent of managers think that performance reviews are effective at motivating employees. And as our infographic below shows, that’s just the beginning of the problems with traditional performance management. In order to get a better understanding of how managers can better provide feedback to employees, let’s break down the basics of performance management: 1. The basics The  survey revealed something shocking: only 14.4 percent of individual contributors know how their performance is measured. When it comes to the very basics of performance management, there’s already confusion. And that does not bode well for the process as a whole. Without a clear understanding about how performance is judged, all feedback lacks context. A manager can tell an employee that their communication skills need work, but unless everyone is on the same page about the performance criteria, the employee won’t know how to apply that feedback. Encourage managers to start each review with a reminder of how performance is evaluated and what they are looking for from each employee. Leave time for employees to ask questions so they can clarify any expectations that seem vague to them. 2. Frequency For decades, performance management has been considered a once a year event. The annual review ruled the roost. But that leaves employees wanting more frequent feedback. The survey found that only 8.9 percent of employees find annual reviews to be the most effective way for managers to touch base with them. Almost half (49 percent) of employees would prefer to discuss their performance on a monthly or quarterly basis. By giving employees feedback more frequently, managers can make the process more digestible. When you try to cram 12 month’s worth of suggestions into a half hour, things fall through the cracks. Managers need to pick and choose what type of feedback they provide, giving employees a less than complete picture of their performance. Some of their successes will go unrecognized and some of their chances to improve, overlooked. Instead, schedule regular performance discussions. Have an agenda that allows enough time for an in-depth conversation about how the employee is doing and what they still need to work on. And know that more frequent reviews will improve overall performance management. Our survey found that 60.7 percent of employees and 81.6 percent of managers believe performance would be better if it was discussed more than once a year. 3. Sources of feedback In theory, managers should have a good perspective on how each of their employees are doing. But in reality, they can’t spend every moment of their day observing or interacting with each individual. If they’re the only source of feedback for employees, than they are only seeing part of the picture. Co-workers, however, spend more time working side-by-side on a daily basis. They’re in the trenches together. They see who’s contributing and in what ways, so including their feedback provides valuable information for individuals. Managers understand the importance of peer feedback 73.4 percent said it was beneficial for performance management. By making it a formal part of the process, they’ll know the best way to incorporate it in their regular employee reviews. Develop a survey for co-workers that focuses on teamwork and what part each individual plays in overall success. This will highlight factors managers are missing or viewing differently about an employee’s performance. With that extra information, they can give better, more complete feedback. How a company handles performance management can make or break their chance at success. But for the process to work, everyone needs to understand the purpose of providing feedback. That means getting managers and employees on the same page about expectations so everyone has a complete picture of what’s going on. About the author:  Natalie Hackbarth is the Inbound Marketing Manager of Quantum Workplace, a company dedicated to providing every organization with quality engagement tools that guide their next step in making work better every day. You can connect with Natalie and the Quantum Workplace team on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook.

Have You GraduatedFrom Childhood - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Have You Graduated…From Childhood - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career If there were one question I wish I could ask prospective employees, it would be: Have you graduated from childhood yet? Then, I would hire the people who said yes and could prove they graduated from childhood. It’s not that I don’t love children. I have one and love her more than life itself. It’s just that the demands of my workplace involve employees using the kind of grown up thinking and behaviors that only childhood graduates can muster. By graduating, I mean you have resolved the big issues of the surreal experience that was your childhood. Everyone’s childhood is surreal. Think about it. During the first several years of your life, giants surrounded you while talking in indistinguishable sounds. Without notice, people picked you up off your back or feet. For no apparent reason, they smiled at you. Or smacked you. All decisions were made for you. You were constantly being coddled, trained, regarded, disciplined or painfully ignored. Put in a couple of years like that or 18 of them, and you have a lot to get over. And yet, the workplace that you enter after those years â€" or the stay of execution that is college and graduate school â€" only rewards people who have the skills of an adult. Work demands you make decisions about your loss of freedom. It’s almost always a trade-off between doing exactly what you’d like to do versus doing what needs to be done. Rarely do those things match up perfectly. Adults have to see potential choices, use self-determination, make commitments, manage anger or disappointment, and exhibit a surfeit of self-control. When you feel lost, under-utilized, left out, over-burdened, angry or clueless about what your boss or colleagues are doing â€" and what you should be doing given their actions, it’s simply a sign that you haven’t yet graduated from childhood. Most employers are looking for grown-ups. And most employees haven’t had the guidance to truly graduate from their childhood. This graduation isn’t the walk across a stage or a piece of paper with fancy writing. You probably have a good bit of reading and writing to do, to sort out who you are and what your purpose is. You probably need to ask and answer some big questions to get you started on self-determination, self-reliance and resilience. Let me know if you’d like a list to get you started. Email Nance@NanceRosen.com, subject line: Graduate.

Describe a Situation in Which You Led a Team

Describe a Situation in Which You Led a Team This question is your opportunity to give a real-world example. You are going to describe a situation in which you led a team. You are going to give an example of leadership experience, show how you manage and show your impact on an organization. This also means discussing results.An employer is trying to gauge a few different things with this question. Mainly, they are trying to get a deeper look at your management and leadership experience to see what tactics you use to lead, plan, delegate and evaluate a project.They also want to see how you demonstrate your leadership skills.Picking a ProjectThe hardest part of this for some may be picking the project in which you led a team.. It is okay to have a stock project that you use for all interviews, as you will be highlighting different aspects depending on the role and company. However, if you haven’t already picked your project a great way to start is by reviewing your recent accomplishments.Make a list of recent accomplishments in which you had management and leadership experience from the last two years. It is best to pick a recent project when answering this question. If you do not have a lot of management and leadership experience, think about projects that you have completed in school or when doing community service or volunteer work.Now that you have identified several projects that you could speak about, take a look back at the job description. Do any of your projects directly relate to the experience the job is asking for? If not, don’t worry. Although it is nice to point out similarities in experience it is not required in order to answer the questions well. Identify the management and leadership skills that the organization is highlighting. This is what is important.LeadMost employers already know what the last projectwas that you led.They are looking to see if your management and leadership style meshes with their current culture and team. In some select cases, they are looking for your style to shake up the organization.The job description will give you clues to what kind of leader the organization is looking to hire. If the leadership skills do not jump out at you then focus on the key skills, what key skills would allow me to lead this type of project?Identify two or three key skills or leadership styles that you would like to highlight.PlanMake a timeline of the project, noting all large milestones. Consider why the project was initially started or why you got involved, how many people were on the team, and what major ideas or impact you had on the project.If it was a team of one, then consider who you had to collaborate with in order to complete the project. You may not touch on all the milestones when answering the questions but it is important to have them in mind when starting to craft your answer.DelegateIf you are interviewing for a management or senior role, showing your ability to delegate tasks will be important. Did your team come across any hiccups when worki ng on this project, make sure to include how you handled them.EvaluateMost importantly of all, what was the outcome of the project and how was it measured. It is okay if the outcome was not positive; just make sure to note what you would have done differently. You should make a mental note of what you would have done differently even if the project was a success. This will show an employer that you are striving for greatness and analyzing where you can improve.Construct an Answer That Combines the FollowingProblem or why the project was initiated Major steps that were taken or how you proceeded with the project, including how you collaborated/led teams and resolved issues Outcome, including how you evaluated whether the project was a success or measured outcomeGood luck!

The Top 10 Do Nots For Resume Writing

The Top 10 Do Nots For Resume WritingThe top 10 do and don't for resume writing. It is a list of tips that you must never forget when doing resume writing. By this I mean, any writing that you do for your resume must follow this do and don't.The first on the list is done have a resume. What I mean by this is that you must always have a written document or a written resume in your possession at all times. Your resume is what you use to present yourself to an employer when you apply for a job. If you do not have a resume then you cannot apply for jobs. It can be hard to get people to know that you do not have a resume but what they should know is that you have something to present them with.The second on the list is done and don't use an agent or a consultant to write your resume. If you have the ability to write your own resume it is much easier and if you do not have that ability then you need to get some assistance. Even if you do have the ability to write your own resume it is stil l much better for you to use an agent or a writer to help you out.The third on the list is done include your education in your resume. This means that if you are a PhD candidate who has a PhD, you can include your PhD in your resume. You may want to mention that in your letter of recommendation but if you have your degree or have it already in hand, include it.The fourth on the list is done and don't include your personal life experiences. Your personal life experiences can be something that you have had in the past or it can be something that you currently have going on. Be as honest as possible but remember that employers can get suspicious after a whileso don't over exaggerate your life experiences. Keep it simple but don't be too detailed about it.The fifth on the list is done and don't ignore the idea of your accomplishments. If you are applying for a position that is in a sales related field then the employer will want to know your sales records. That is what they will be look ing for. Don't leave them out so that you won't be considered for the job.The sixth on the list is done and don't make statements that you can't back up. Do use your wordings carefully. There are some statements on your resume that are true and then there are some statements that you can take a bit of a gamble with. You don't want to offend an employer or lose their respect but you also don't want to appear as though you are trying to convince them that you are something you aren't.The seventh on the list is done and don't be afraid to admit that you have not done everything. The truth is that if you don't know everything, then you should learn everything that you can. Don't be afraid to speak your mind and if you haven't done your homework and have some misconceptions then share them with the employer.

Job Search Lessons from Weight Watchers

Job Search Lessons from Weight Watchers Im trying to shed a few pounds that seem to have made their way to my hips over the past several months and I recently visited the Weight Watchers website for some tips and inspiration. Ive come to realize that many of the same strategies that are used to lose weight are applicable to job search. Here are a few of my favorites.Record your daily progress. Weight Watchers has a plan where you record everything you eat over the course of a day. Each food has a point value and the goal is to stay within the recommended points in order to lose weight. The system makes you think twice before you down that third chocolate chip cookie and it forces you to examine everything you eat and be held accountable for it. In a job search, you also need to hold yourself accountable for your activities. Keep a diary of what you do each day. Are you spending hours on the job boards which tend to have a low rate of return or are you practicing more productive strategies like networking? Set daily product ivity goals for yourself and monitor your progress frequently.Set realistic expectations. Everyone wants a quick fix to weight loss and diets often fail because people dont see the results they want as quickly as they want them. Too often the same thing happens in a job search. People use the boards and recruiters as the quick fix and cant understand why their search is not moving along as quickly as they would like it too. Even a recruiter will tell you that you are more likely to get a job through your network than through them. Networking tends to be the most effective method of job search, but it takes time to build a robust network. Not everyone you connect with will be able to help you or at least not right away. You need to connect with a lot of people to find those who can make critical introductions and that takes time.Find a buddy. A good weight loss program includes a strong support network. Weight Watchers offers in-person support groups and online boards so members can meet and support others going through the same thing. While friends and family may be supportive, they may not give you the same motivation to stay on your weight loss plan. The same is true during a job search. Try to find a support group of other job seekers who you can confide in and bounce ideas off of.Reward yourself for reaching small goals. Weight Watchers suggests rewarding yourself with things (other than food) when you meet a certain goal. Job seekers should do the same. If you have been working hard on your search, find some time during the day to reward yourself with something you enjoyperhaps a trip to the gym or an hour reading a great book.Understand this is a process, not an event. Weight Watchers teaches members how to create healthy habits that stay with them over their lifetime. The same is true of your career. Ideally you should always be managing your career and not only thinking about it when you are in a job search mode.

Five Careers You Didnt Know Existed - CareerAlley

Five Careers You Didnt Know Existed - CareerAlley We may receive compensation when you click on links to products from our partners. Certain jobs are relatively straightforward. Most people, for instance, have a general idea of what a secretary, podiatrist, or detective do each day. There are, however, a number of jobs in little-known fields that are important for our society, yet are virtually unheard of. The following are five careers you didnt know existed: Actuary Actuaries use statistics to calculate benefits and risks for insurance companies, government entities, and academic institutions. They use their findings to advise their clients when designing products like health care plans, pensions, or insurance coverage. Actuaries are required to pass a series of 7-9 rigorous tests over a span of 8-10 years. They are rewarded, however, with a generous salary and relative job security. The demand for actuaries is expected to grow 27 percent by the year 2020. Corporate trainer Despite the job title, corporate trainers work across a variety of industries, including government agencies and non-profit organizations. Corporate trainers work with employees to help develop skills to help businesses meet their goals. Specialized corporate trainers are in high demand, but the jobs are hard to fill due to a lack of required skills for the job. Endodontics Endodontists are dentists who have completed 2-3 additional years of training beyond dental school to become experts in endodontic treatments, including root canals and treatment for dental traumas. Endodontists rely on cutting edge technologies like digital imaging and operating microscopes to provide specialized treatment. Demand for endondotics is growing, thanks in part to an aging population and greater emphasis on dental health. Although many dental offices, such as San Jose Endodontics, have practiced endodontics for years, this vital service remains relatively obscure. Flavorist The rise of food processing led to the necessary position of flavorist. A flavorist uses chemistry to create artificial and natural flavors in food products. Its an exacting profession as the food needs to taste similar to its natural counterpart and must be safe for human consumption. Flavorists have to be adventurous, experimental, and have a good palate. The food industry, government agencies, and academic institutions are primary employers of flavorists. Roughneck Roughnecks work long hours on oil drilling operations. Its a loud, sometimes dangerous profession with 10-12 hour days spent under a giant rig. The work is physical, but the money is good. Unskilled roughnecks can earn $45,000 per year, while skilled supervisors who have worked their way up can take in as much as $100,000 annually. This is a Guest post. If you would like to submit a guest post to CareerAlley, please follow these guest post guidelines. Good luck in your search. Joey Trebif