Although we have talked about several pieces for your Job Search Toolkit, your plans for a job search are not yet complete. Additionally, I encourage you to prepare a professional bio, identify your target companies/organizations, select professional references, develop a networking script and list of contacts, and create/purchase a record keeping system.
The professional bio should be prepared to highlight achievements related to your current career direction. It should be brief, typically no more than one page, and should be written in third person. This document could be used in some networking meetings and possibly in contacting potential employers. Instead of peddling your resume everywhere, a professional bio can be used when you talk with people about what you are looking for, as it will give them concrete examples of your experiences. If you are approaching a potential employer about how your background may be beneficial to them, a professional bio can be a good representation of you. You may also wish to share a copy with people who will be serving as professional references for you and others who may be able to put in a good word for you with people they know.
A professional biography (bio) is a brief (one typed page) description of your work history. Obviously, you would not necessarily include every job you have held, only those that are most relevant to the kind of work you are currently seeking. The points on your bio should be linked to your accomplishment stories. You should also include some tangible results from the accomplishments you include. It is good to include any quantifiable data that relates to your accomplishments, as well. Find appropriate action words to use in describing what you have done.
Once you have clarified the kind of work you are looking for, you should put together a list of preferred potential employers who could benefit from your skills and talents. Those would be the organizations that you should research fairly well to learn about them as you try to find a niche you could fill for them. You will want to find out not only their location and primary contact information, but also names of key people related to your desired position. You would also want to research potential needs they may have or problems you could help them address. We will address the remaining pieces for the toolkit in the last blog post for this series.
Mary Ann Davis, M.A., is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in private practice providing coaching and counseling for life's transitions; including a job or career change, coping with an empty nest, planning to return to work or school, non-retirement planning, coping with loss of job, and other life planning issues. She meets with individuals in-person and on-line to assist them to find solutions to their life transition issues. Mary Ann is certified as a Master Career Counselor (MCC) by the National Career Development Association, a Life/Work Counselor by the National Employment Counseling Association, and is a Distance Credentialed Counselor (DCC). Please visit her web site at http://www.yourcareerplan.com/ for more information on her services.
To contact Mary Ann, please call (513) 665-4444 x3 and leave a personal and confidential message or send an email to YourCareerPlan@cinci.rr.com.
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Your Job Search Toolkit (part 5)
In preparation for job interviews, you should also prepare, or at least think about, experiences and activities from your past that would demonstrate your skills and strengths to share with an employer. It is a good idea to write out some stories of your accomplishments. You should be able to come with at least 5 or 6 stories from your background that would be appropriate to share. These accomplishments can be from previous work experiences, volunteer or community activities, but should be relevant to the kinds of work you are currently pursuing. Obviously, if you are considering different types of work for your next move, you may need some different stories to suit the different industries or work environments you are seeking.
In addition to preparing your accomplishment stories, in this job market, it is to your advantage to have an online presence. You should have an email address (not through your employer) through which you could be contacted. The email address should be a decent name, not some "cute" nickname, etc. These days it is also a good idea to have a Professional Profile on LinkedIn. You should use it only for professional information and networking. If you have a profile on Facebook or other network, I encourage you to check to see what information is there and remove anything you would not want a potential employer to see. Employers are actually checking the online presence of candidates - sometimes even before they invite them in for an interview. As far as that goes, it is a good idea to Google yourself so you can see what else is out there about you.
LinkedIn can be very beneficial in your networking activities but you should be willing to share information, as well. Find some groups you would like to belong to and follow their posts, offering a reply or comment, as appropriate. Maintaining your contacts through LinkedIn can also be advantageous even after you start a new job.
Although I encourage you to find job posting sites that are appropriate for you to follow in your search, I also encourage you to monitor the amount of time you spend on line. It is very easy to get involved in browsing and reading, but it is not necessarily a productive use of your time.
Mary Ann Davis, M.A., is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in private practice providing coaching and counseling for life's transitions; including a career or job change, planning for non-retirement, coping with a job loss, preparing to return to school or to work, and other life planning issues. She meets with individuals in person and on-line to assist them to find solutions to life transition issues. Mary Ann is certified as a Master Career Counselor (MCC) by the National Career Development Association, a Life/Work Counselor by the National Employment Counseling Association, and is a Distance Credentialed Counselor (DCC). Please visit her web site at http://www.yourcareerplan.com/ for more information on her services.
To contact Mary Ann, please call (513) 665-4444 x3 and leave a personal and confidential message or send an email to YourCareerPlan@cinci.rr.com.
In addition to preparing your accomplishment stories, in this job market, it is to your advantage to have an online presence. You should have an email address (not through your employer) through which you could be contacted. The email address should be a decent name, not some "cute" nickname, etc. These days it is also a good idea to have a Professional Profile on LinkedIn. You should use it only for professional information and networking. If you have a profile on Facebook or other network, I encourage you to check to see what information is there and remove anything you would not want a potential employer to see. Employers are actually checking the online presence of candidates - sometimes even before they invite them in for an interview. As far as that goes, it is a good idea to Google yourself so you can see what else is out there about you.
LinkedIn can be very beneficial in your networking activities but you should be willing to share information, as well. Find some groups you would like to belong to and follow their posts, offering a reply or comment, as appropriate. Maintaining your contacts through LinkedIn can also be advantageous even after you start a new job.
Although I encourage you to find job posting sites that are appropriate for you to follow in your search, I also encourage you to monitor the amount of time you spend on line. It is very easy to get involved in browsing and reading, but it is not necessarily a productive use of your time.
Mary Ann Davis, M.A., is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in private practice providing coaching and counseling for life's transitions; including a career or job change, planning for non-retirement, coping with a job loss, preparing to return to school or to work, and other life planning issues. She meets with individuals in person and on-line to assist them to find solutions to life transition issues. Mary Ann is certified as a Master Career Counselor (MCC) by the National Career Development Association, a Life/Work Counselor by the National Employment Counseling Association, and is a Distance Credentialed Counselor (DCC). Please visit her web site at http://www.yourcareerplan.com/ for more information on her services.
To contact Mary Ann, please call (513) 665-4444 x3 and leave a personal and confidential message or send an email to YourCareerPlan@cinci.rr.com.
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Your Job Search Toolkit (part 4)
These days a job search requires the individual to be prepared for a variety of interview situations. Employers or their representatives are probably conducting more phone screening interviews than they used to do. Those are often designed to "weed out" candidates who are not the type of employee the employer is seeking. It may involve clarifying parts of your background or more of a personality screening. At any rate, no matter what the format, an interview should be prepared for in advance. You may be invited to meet with a search committee and/or someone from Human Resources and that will likely happen before you actually get to meet with someone from the actual hiring department and before you meet your potential boss.
It is OK to ask what type of interview or format you will be involved in. This allows you to get your mind ready for what you may face. It is always a good idea to think about what kinds of questions you may get. There are a variety of sources online that offer typical interview questions, if you'd like to review those. In addition to the typical questions, you should think about what you would want to know, if you were in the position of employer, and how you would answer those questions. You should also prepare some questions you can ask. They should be designed to demonstrate that you know something about the organization and its products/services.
As part of your preparation, you should think about what you consider to be your individual attractive factors - those things about you that make you a strong candidate and hopefully make you more qualified than others who apply. What skills/experiences do you possess that other applicants may not? Are there particular traits you possess that may make you more attractive to a potential employer? Why would they want to hire you, instead of one of the other hundreds of candidates who likely applied for the job? Those are questions you will want to answer in preparing for your interviews. Hopefully in your research on the organization, you were able to identify a need they have that you could help them address. All of these pieces could be part of your individual attractive factors.
Mary Ann Davis, M.A., is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in private practice providing coaching and counseling for life's transitions; including career or job change, coping with a job loss, preparing to return to school or to work, planning for retirement, and other life planning concerns. She works with individuals in persona and via telephone to assist them in finding solutions to their life transition issues. Mary Ann is certified as a Master Career Counselor (MCC) by the National Career Development Association, a Life/Work Counselor by the National Employment Counseling Association, and is a Distance Credentialed Counselor (DCC). Please visit her web site at http://www.yourcareerplan.com/ for more information on her services.
To contact Mary Ann, please call (513) 665-4444 x3 and leave a personal and confidential message or send an email to YourCareerPlan@cinci.rr.com.
It is OK to ask what type of interview or format you will be involved in. This allows you to get your mind ready for what you may face. It is always a good idea to think about what kinds of questions you may get. There are a variety of sources online that offer typical interview questions, if you'd like to review those. In addition to the typical questions, you should think about what you would want to know, if you were in the position of employer, and how you would answer those questions. You should also prepare some questions you can ask. They should be designed to demonstrate that you know something about the organization and its products/services.
As part of your preparation, you should think about what you consider to be your individual attractive factors - those things about you that make you a strong candidate and hopefully make you more qualified than others who apply. What skills/experiences do you possess that other applicants may not? Are there particular traits you possess that may make you more attractive to a potential employer? Why would they want to hire you, instead of one of the other hundreds of candidates who likely applied for the job? Those are questions you will want to answer in preparing for your interviews. Hopefully in your research on the organization, you were able to identify a need they have that you could help them address. All of these pieces could be part of your individual attractive factors.
Mary Ann Davis, M.A., is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in private practice providing coaching and counseling for life's transitions; including career or job change, coping with a job loss, preparing to return to school or to work, planning for retirement, and other life planning concerns. She works with individuals in persona and via telephone to assist them in finding solutions to their life transition issues. Mary Ann is certified as a Master Career Counselor (MCC) by the National Career Development Association, a Life/Work Counselor by the National Employment Counseling Association, and is a Distance Credentialed Counselor (DCC). Please visit her web site at http://www.yourcareerplan.com/ for more information on her services.
To contact Mary Ann, please call (513) 665-4444 x3 and leave a personal and confidential message or send an email to YourCareerPlan@cinci.rr.com.
Your Job Search Toolkit (part 3)
We have reviewed the three main formats for resumes for your job search toolkit. Today, we will talk about your Position and Departure Statements. Although I suggest you prepare these statements in advance, ideally they will be something you can repeat without having it sound like a memorized speech. So I do encourage you to practice your statements, once you have written them.
When I talk about a Departure Statement, I'm referring to a brief statement that explains why you left/or are planning to leave your previous position - your departure. This could be particularly beneficial when your reason(s) are not within your control, but when well written, could also help explain situations where you were "at fault".
Your Departure Statement should be brief - about 30 to 40 seconds - and should be positive in tone. It should include why and how you left your previous employer or why you are seeking a new position. It should reflect that you have a clear idea of where you are headed professionally, and that you are prepared to do what you need to do to get there. It could be used when you are networking or looking for leads to potential employment opportunities and may be appropriate to share in an interview when asked why you are looking or why you are available.
A Position Statement is also known by other names, including an Introductory Statement or an elevator speech. This statement should also be brief - about 30 seconds - and be positive in nature. It should address your individual attractive factors (to be covered in a later post on toolkits), your professional reputation, and the kind of industry and position you are looking for.
The Position Statement is also very valuable when networking and can be crafted as a response to the frequently asked interview question, "Tell me about yourself." It could also be used when you unexpectedly meet someone in a professional situation you would like to introduce yourself to. This statement should also reflect your knowledge of who you are, professionally, and what you are looking for, which should be a reasonable goal, based on your background.
Obviously, if you are currently looking for more than one type of job, you would need to adjust your statements accordingly, so they are appropriate for what you will share otherwise about your background.
Mary Ann Davis, M.A., is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in private practice providing coaching and counseling for life's transitions; including a career or job change, planning for retirement, coping with a job loss, preparing to return to work or school, coping with an empty nest, and other life planning concerns. She meets with individuals in person and via telephone to assist them with finding solutions to their life planning issues. Mary Ann is certified as a Master Career Counselor (MCC) by the National Career Development Association, a Life/Work Counselor by the National Employment Counseling Association, and is a Distance Credentialed Counselor (DCC). For more information on her services, please visit her web site at www.YourCareerPlan.com.
To contact Mary Ann, please call (513) 665-4444 x3 and leave a personal and confidential message or send an email to YourCareerPlan@cinci.rr.com.
When I talk about a Departure Statement, I'm referring to a brief statement that explains why you left/or are planning to leave your previous position - your departure. This could be particularly beneficial when your reason(s) are not within your control, but when well written, could also help explain situations where you were "at fault".
Your Departure Statement should be brief - about 30 to 40 seconds - and should be positive in tone. It should include why and how you left your previous employer or why you are seeking a new position. It should reflect that you have a clear idea of where you are headed professionally, and that you are prepared to do what you need to do to get there. It could be used when you are networking or looking for leads to potential employment opportunities and may be appropriate to share in an interview when asked why you are looking or why you are available.
A Position Statement is also known by other names, including an Introductory Statement or an elevator speech. This statement should also be brief - about 30 seconds - and be positive in nature. It should address your individual attractive factors (to be covered in a later post on toolkits), your professional reputation, and the kind of industry and position you are looking for.
The Position Statement is also very valuable when networking and can be crafted as a response to the frequently asked interview question, "Tell me about yourself." It could also be used when you unexpectedly meet someone in a professional situation you would like to introduce yourself to. This statement should also reflect your knowledge of who you are, professionally, and what you are looking for, which should be a reasonable goal, based on your background.
Obviously, if you are currently looking for more than one type of job, you would need to adjust your statements accordingly, so they are appropriate for what you will share otherwise about your background.
Mary Ann Davis, M.A., is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in private practice providing coaching and counseling for life's transitions; including a career or job change, planning for retirement, coping with a job loss, preparing to return to work or school, coping with an empty nest, and other life planning concerns. She meets with individuals in person and via telephone to assist them with finding solutions to their life planning issues. Mary Ann is certified as a Master Career Counselor (MCC) by the National Career Development Association, a Life/Work Counselor by the National Employment Counseling Association, and is a Distance Credentialed Counselor (DCC). For more information on her services, please visit her web site at www.YourCareerPlan.com.
To contact Mary Ann, please call (513) 665-4444 x3 and leave a personal and confidential message or send an email to YourCareerPlan@cinci.rr.com.
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Create Your Job Search Toolkit (part 2)
In the last post we talked about a basic chronological resume for your job search toolkit. Today, we'll talk about the other resume formats - functional and combination (sometimes referred to as chrono-functional). If you choose to design a functional or combination resume, their formats are fairly similar. Instead of listing your work experiences in reverse chronological order, like you would for a chronological resume, you identify 3 to 5 broad skill areas which you have used and would like to focus on in your next position.
Of course, you would still begin with appropriate contact information about you, no matter which format you choose. Your resume could still have a Summary or Professional Profile section that could be written as a sort of paragraph or just a bulleted list. The idea for the summary is to give the reader a few highlights from your background that will entice her/him to read further. This should also include action words that are directly related to the kind of work you hope to do next.
For your work experience, you would create 3 to 5 headings that represent your experiences (your functional skills), whether paid or volunteer. So a person in business might use headings of Marketing and Communications, Inventory Control, and Management and Supervision, for example. Then under each of those headings you would have brief statements that represent experiences you have using that skill. The statements could be work from a combination of job titles and/or companies or from volunteer or other professional activities. So the skills and experiences that you want to showcase that are related to marketing and communications, for example, would be listed under that category.
The primary difference between a functional and a combination resume is the amount of information provided for each of your employers. In a truly functional resume, you would simply list the name of each employer, dates of employment, location of the job, and your job title. In a combination resume, in addition to that information, you would also provide a brief statement (or statements about your responsibilities in each job. In either format, if the name of the employer may not easily be recognized, it is a good idea to include a brief statement regarding the nature of the company - it's primary focus.
You will need an education section no matter which format you choose. If you have volunteer experiences, you may wish to include a section to list those organizations or companies, as well. Additionally, you may wish to include a section on professional activities or organizations in which you are actively involved.
It is generally believed that a combination or functional resume provides more flexibility, and perhaps visibility, particularly for individuals who are making a career change and not staying in the same field in which they are currently or were most recently working. These formats are also preferred by many individuals who have a gap in their work history. On the whole, I believe most employers still prefer the chronological resume format, but if your background would be represented by one of the other formats, you may wish to try that and see what responses you get. Because, no matter which resume format you choose, if it does not result in positive responses, you want to make some adjustments to it and try again. In the next post we will discuss other items for your job search toolkit.
Mary Ann Davis, M.A., is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in private practice, providing coaching and counseling for life's transitions; including a career change or job search, preparing for retirement, returning to work or to school, coping with a loss of job. She meets with individuals in person and via telephone assisting them to find solutions to their life transition issues. She is certified as a Master Career Counselor (MCC) by the National Career Development Association, a Life/Work Counselor by the National Employment Counseling Association, and is a Distance Credentialed Counselor (DCC). Please visit her web site at www.YourCareerPlan.com for more information on her services.
To contact Mary Ann, please call (513) 665-4444 x3 and leave a personal and confidential voice message or send an email to YourCareerPlan@cinci.rr.com.
Of course, you would still begin with appropriate contact information about you, no matter which format you choose. Your resume could still have a Summary or Professional Profile section that could be written as a sort of paragraph or just a bulleted list. The idea for the summary is to give the reader a few highlights from your background that will entice her/him to read further. This should also include action words that are directly related to the kind of work you hope to do next.
For your work experience, you would create 3 to 5 headings that represent your experiences (your functional skills), whether paid or volunteer. So a person in business might use headings of Marketing and Communications, Inventory Control, and Management and Supervision, for example. Then under each of those headings you would have brief statements that represent experiences you have using that skill. The statements could be work from a combination of job titles and/or companies or from volunteer or other professional activities. So the skills and experiences that you want to showcase that are related to marketing and communications, for example, would be listed under that category.
The primary difference between a functional and a combination resume is the amount of information provided for each of your employers. In a truly functional resume, you would simply list the name of each employer, dates of employment, location of the job, and your job title. In a combination resume, in addition to that information, you would also provide a brief statement (or statements about your responsibilities in each job. In either format, if the name of the employer may not easily be recognized, it is a good idea to include a brief statement regarding the nature of the company - it's primary focus.
You will need an education section no matter which format you choose. If you have volunteer experiences, you may wish to include a section to list those organizations or companies, as well. Additionally, you may wish to include a section on professional activities or organizations in which you are actively involved.
It is generally believed that a combination or functional resume provides more flexibility, and perhaps visibility, particularly for individuals who are making a career change and not staying in the same field in which they are currently or were most recently working. These formats are also preferred by many individuals who have a gap in their work history. On the whole, I believe most employers still prefer the chronological resume format, but if your background would be represented by one of the other formats, you may wish to try that and see what responses you get. Because, no matter which resume format you choose, if it does not result in positive responses, you want to make some adjustments to it and try again. In the next post we will discuss other items for your job search toolkit.
Mary Ann Davis, M.A., is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in private practice, providing coaching and counseling for life's transitions; including a career change or job search, preparing for retirement, returning to work or to school, coping with a loss of job. She meets with individuals in person and via telephone assisting them to find solutions to their life transition issues. She is certified as a Master Career Counselor (MCC) by the National Career Development Association, a Life/Work Counselor by the National Employment Counseling Association, and is a Distance Credentialed Counselor (DCC). Please visit her web site at www.YourCareerPlan.com for more information on her services.
To contact Mary Ann, please call (513) 665-4444 x3 and leave a personal and confidential voice message or send an email to YourCareerPlan@cinci.rr.com.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Create Your Job Search Toolkit
In today's job market, the job seeker must be prepared to use multiple approaches to landing a new position. It is no longer sufficient to create a standard resume, peruse the want ads in the local paper and send your resume in response to an ad. These days a search is much more demanding and, in most cases, more difficult for the job seeker.
Don't get me wrong, I believe you should still look through the local paper for want ads. One thing you will find, if you haven't looked at that section lately, is that, in general, there are not as many ads as you may be used to seeing. Additionally, many of the ads are looking for general workers or job seekers with very specialized abilities. Because most jobs that are filled are never advertised anywhere, it is important not to spend a disproportionate amount of time on a method that is not likely to produce many results.
Your job search toolkit should include a number of things, but today we are going to start with a resume. Although most people suggest you revise your resume, even if only slightly, for each position for which you apply, you need to come up with your basic resume template. These days there are still three basic formats for resumes: chronological, functional, and combination. The chronological is still the preferred format for many employers, and that is the design that requires you to list your positions in reverse chronological order.
No matter what format you choose for your resume, it would generally begin with your name and your contact information. You name should be typed so that it stands out from the rest of the information. Depending on how you will deliver the resume, you may choose not to include your home address on it, but you should include your cell and/or home phone number, and your email address. Again, be sure that the outgoing message on your phones is a professional sounding one and that anyone who might answer the number given can take a message and handle the call in a professional manner. If you list two phone numbers, you should indicate which is which. Also, be sure that the email address is one that is basic or professional sounding.
In a chronological resume format, whatever position or title you hold now, or your most recent position, would be listed at the beginning of your experience section. Before you jump into listing your experiences, I would suggest that you insert a summary of sorts for the section after your contact information. Your summary may be just a listing of areas of expertise, technical skills, or could be some significant highlights from your work history. It should not be too long, but provide sufficient information to get the attention of someone reading it.
Generally your experience section would come next. The exception may be for individuals who are just graduating - in that case, you may wish to list your education next. That is particularly helpful for those who do not have work experience related to the position they are seeking. Your current or most recent position should contain statements about the skills you demonstrated and tasks for which you were responsible. To the extent possible, all your statements in your experience section should begin with an action verb. Any figures that you can include which help to document your accomplishments is a good idea. You may use sentences or just bulleted statements for your experiences. Each position should include the title you held, the name of your employer, and dates of employment. In some cases, you may wish to include the city where you worked and/or a brief statement about the nature of the employer you worked for/the industry it is in.
You would repeat this same process for every position you have held - going back about 15 to 18 years. You would only consider including a position from further back than that if it is directly related to the position you are currently seeking. Generally 15 or so years of work history is sufficient.
Education is often the next section on a chronological resume. You generally list your most recent education first. The exception might be if you have completed some type of certificate program more recently than you received your degree. Unless the certificate is directly related to the work you are now seeking, you may need to list it after your degree. For each degree you have completed, list the name of the degree, your major area of study, the name of the institution, and generally the date you received the degree. (If you graduated long ago, you may wish to leave that date off.) If you were recognized for your grades/honors, you generally want to include that as well. If you provide your grade point average (gpa), you should include the scale on which it is based; so if you have a 3.8 on a 4.0 scale, you would indicate both numbers. You would also include that same basic information on the previous degrees/programs completed. The exception is that you do not need to include high school, unless you do not have a college education.
You may wish to include a section on professional activities or organizations to which you belong and/or a section for your volunteer activities. These can be particularly beneficial if they are related to the kind of work you hope to do or the kind of industry in which you hope to do that work. It is not appropriate to include information about your personal status and you no longer need to include the statement, "References available upon request." We will talk about the other resume formats in the next post.
Mary Ann Davis, M.A., is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) providing coaching and counseling for life's transitions; including a career change or job search, planning for retirement, coping with an empty nest, or planning to return to work or to school. She meets with individuals in person and via telephone to assist in developing plans to cope with the individual's transition. She is certified as a Master Career Counselor (MCC) by the National Career Development Association, a Life Work Counselor by the National Employment Counseling Association, and is a Distance Credentialed Counselor (DCC). Please visit her web site at www.YourCareerPlan.com for more information on her services.
To contact Mary Ann, please call (513) 665-4444 x3 and leave a personal and confidential voice message or send an email to YourCareerPlan@cinci.rr.com.
Don't get me wrong, I believe you should still look through the local paper for want ads. One thing you will find, if you haven't looked at that section lately, is that, in general, there are not as many ads as you may be used to seeing. Additionally, many of the ads are looking for general workers or job seekers with very specialized abilities. Because most jobs that are filled are never advertised anywhere, it is important not to spend a disproportionate amount of time on a method that is not likely to produce many results.
Your job search toolkit should include a number of things, but today we are going to start with a resume. Although most people suggest you revise your resume, even if only slightly, for each position for which you apply, you need to come up with your basic resume template. These days there are still three basic formats for resumes: chronological, functional, and combination. The chronological is still the preferred format for many employers, and that is the design that requires you to list your positions in reverse chronological order.
No matter what format you choose for your resume, it would generally begin with your name and your contact information. You name should be typed so that it stands out from the rest of the information. Depending on how you will deliver the resume, you may choose not to include your home address on it, but you should include your cell and/or home phone number, and your email address. Again, be sure that the outgoing message on your phones is a professional sounding one and that anyone who might answer the number given can take a message and handle the call in a professional manner. If you list two phone numbers, you should indicate which is which. Also, be sure that the email address is one that is basic or professional sounding.
In a chronological resume format, whatever position or title you hold now, or your most recent position, would be listed at the beginning of your experience section. Before you jump into listing your experiences, I would suggest that you insert a summary of sorts for the section after your contact information. Your summary may be just a listing of areas of expertise, technical skills, or could be some significant highlights from your work history. It should not be too long, but provide sufficient information to get the attention of someone reading it.
Generally your experience section would come next. The exception may be for individuals who are just graduating - in that case, you may wish to list your education next. That is particularly helpful for those who do not have work experience related to the position they are seeking. Your current or most recent position should contain statements about the skills you demonstrated and tasks for which you were responsible. To the extent possible, all your statements in your experience section should begin with an action verb. Any figures that you can include which help to document your accomplishments is a good idea. You may use sentences or just bulleted statements for your experiences. Each position should include the title you held, the name of your employer, and dates of employment. In some cases, you may wish to include the city where you worked and/or a brief statement about the nature of the employer you worked for/the industry it is in.
You would repeat this same process for every position you have held - going back about 15 to 18 years. You would only consider including a position from further back than that if it is directly related to the position you are currently seeking. Generally 15 or so years of work history is sufficient.
Education is often the next section on a chronological resume. You generally list your most recent education first. The exception might be if you have completed some type of certificate program more recently than you received your degree. Unless the certificate is directly related to the work you are now seeking, you may need to list it after your degree. For each degree you have completed, list the name of the degree, your major area of study, the name of the institution, and generally the date you received the degree. (If you graduated long ago, you may wish to leave that date off.) If you were recognized for your grades/honors, you generally want to include that as well. If you provide your grade point average (gpa), you should include the scale on which it is based; so if you have a 3.8 on a 4.0 scale, you would indicate both numbers. You would also include that same basic information on the previous degrees/programs completed. The exception is that you do not need to include high school, unless you do not have a college education.
You may wish to include a section on professional activities or organizations to which you belong and/or a section for your volunteer activities. These can be particularly beneficial if they are related to the kind of work you hope to do or the kind of industry in which you hope to do that work. It is not appropriate to include information about your personal status and you no longer need to include the statement, "References available upon request." We will talk about the other resume formats in the next post.
Mary Ann Davis, M.A., is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) providing coaching and counseling for life's transitions; including a career change or job search, planning for retirement, coping with an empty nest, or planning to return to work or to school. She meets with individuals in person and via telephone to assist in developing plans to cope with the individual's transition. She is certified as a Master Career Counselor (MCC) by the National Career Development Association, a Life Work Counselor by the National Employment Counseling Association, and is a Distance Credentialed Counselor (DCC). Please visit her web site at www.YourCareerPlan.com for more information on her services.
To contact Mary Ann, please call (513) 665-4444 x3 and leave a personal and confidential voice message or send an email to YourCareerPlan@cinci.rr.com.
Monday, June 27, 2011
How Current Are You?
In today's world, job seekers must be current - in attire, approach to the job search, and in their use of technology. For some who have been in the world of work for a number of years, that may be easier said than done, but it is important to get up to speed.
The basics refresher - The clothes you wear, not only for interviewing, but networking also, should be clean and fairly conservative. Of course some professions who require creativity provide a little more flexibility in what is appropriate. But in general, men or women should dress as you would for work when you go to networking meetings and a little better than you would for work when you go in for a job interview. For women, it is appropriate to wear no more than one pair of earrings and no other visible piercings. A little color in your attire is generally good, but something on the conservative side would be good.
Although some of today's fashions are a bit much for some older job seekers, women or men should also not wear something that was appropriate in the 80s. So men's jackets and slacks or suits should also be current. Shoes should be polished and comfortable to walk in - and that applies to both genders. I suggest you carry a briefcase that is not too bulky or just a portfolio. Women who carry a briefcase should not also carry a purse.
In today's job market, the large majority of jobs that are filled are never advertised anywhere, so it is important to spend the majority of your search time networking. Some time should be devoted to print ads and/or online sources, but monitor your time appropriately. You also need to be able to apply for jobs online, whether it means uploading or posting your electronic version of your resume or filling out an online application. Along those same lines, you should include your cell phone number and/or email address on your resume and in your cover letter. These items indicate that you are at least fairly current with technology. Of course, for the job search purposes (including networking), you need to make sure your email address is not some goofy or cutesy sounding address. You also need to make sure that your outgoing message, whether on your home phone or cell phone, is something that is professional sounding. Additionally, if it is possible that someone else will answer calls placed to your home, make sure they will be able to speak in a professional manner and take a complete and accurate message. If that is not the case, you may wish to include only your cell phone number. In either case, label which number is which when you include them on your resume or correspondence.
It is also recommended that you have a profile on LinkedIn. It is true that many employers are checking online persona even before they invite candidates in for an interview, let alone before they make a job offer. Having a profile on LinkedIn is another way to indicate that you are at least somewhat comfortable with technology. Although Facebook is not considered as professional a site as LinkedIn, it is possible that a potential employer will check for a Facebook page for a candidate. So be careful about what is posted out there if you have a Facebook page. As an additional thought, sometimes you can introduce yourself to people because of LinkedIn connections.
So, if you are in, or about to conduct a job search, make sure your resume, wardrobe and knowledge of technology are current. That puts you in a better position to compete for the opportunities that are/or will soon be available.
Mary Ann Davis (M.A.) is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in private practice providing coaching and counseling for life's transitions; including a career change or job search, planning for retirement or non-retirement, coping with an empty nest or loss of job, and returning to work or school. She meets with individuals in person and via telephone assisting them to find solutions to their life planning issues. Mary Ann is certified as a Master Career Counselor (MCC) by the National Career Development Association, a Life/Work Counselor by the National Employment Counseling Association, and is a Distance Credentialed Counselor (DCC). Please visit her web site at http://www.yourcareerplan.com/ for more information on her services.
To contact Mary Ann, please call (513) 665-4444 x3 and leave a personal and confidential voice message or send an email to YourCareerPlan@cinci.rr.com.
The basics refresher - The clothes you wear, not only for interviewing, but networking also, should be clean and fairly conservative. Of course some professions who require creativity provide a little more flexibility in what is appropriate. But in general, men or women should dress as you would for work when you go to networking meetings and a little better than you would for work when you go in for a job interview. For women, it is appropriate to wear no more than one pair of earrings and no other visible piercings. A little color in your attire is generally good, but something on the conservative side would be good.
Although some of today's fashions are a bit much for some older job seekers, women or men should also not wear something that was appropriate in the 80s. So men's jackets and slacks or suits should also be current. Shoes should be polished and comfortable to walk in - and that applies to both genders. I suggest you carry a briefcase that is not too bulky or just a portfolio. Women who carry a briefcase should not also carry a purse.
In today's job market, the large majority of jobs that are filled are never advertised anywhere, so it is important to spend the majority of your search time networking. Some time should be devoted to print ads and/or online sources, but monitor your time appropriately. You also need to be able to apply for jobs online, whether it means uploading or posting your electronic version of your resume or filling out an online application. Along those same lines, you should include your cell phone number and/or email address on your resume and in your cover letter. These items indicate that you are at least fairly current with technology. Of course, for the job search purposes (including networking), you need to make sure your email address is not some goofy or cutesy sounding address. You also need to make sure that your outgoing message, whether on your home phone or cell phone, is something that is professional sounding. Additionally, if it is possible that someone else will answer calls placed to your home, make sure they will be able to speak in a professional manner and take a complete and accurate message. If that is not the case, you may wish to include only your cell phone number. In either case, label which number is which when you include them on your resume or correspondence.
It is also recommended that you have a profile on LinkedIn. It is true that many employers are checking online persona even before they invite candidates in for an interview, let alone before they make a job offer. Having a profile on LinkedIn is another way to indicate that you are at least somewhat comfortable with technology. Although Facebook is not considered as professional a site as LinkedIn, it is possible that a potential employer will check for a Facebook page for a candidate. So be careful about what is posted out there if you have a Facebook page. As an additional thought, sometimes you can introduce yourself to people because of LinkedIn connections.
So, if you are in, or about to conduct a job search, make sure your resume, wardrobe and knowledge of technology are current. That puts you in a better position to compete for the opportunities that are/or will soon be available.
Mary Ann Davis (M.A.) is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in private practice providing coaching and counseling for life's transitions; including a career change or job search, planning for retirement or non-retirement, coping with an empty nest or loss of job, and returning to work or school. She meets with individuals in person and via telephone assisting them to find solutions to their life planning issues. Mary Ann is certified as a Master Career Counselor (MCC) by the National Career Development Association, a Life/Work Counselor by the National Employment Counseling Association, and is a Distance Credentialed Counselor (DCC). Please visit her web site at http://www.yourcareerplan.com/ for more information on her services.
To contact Mary Ann, please call (513) 665-4444 x3 and leave a personal and confidential voice message or send an email to YourCareerPlan@cinci.rr.com.
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