Painful New Rule for the Federal Resume

‘Back in the day,’ when one applied for a job in the federal government, one was encouraged to load a long resume to cover all the vital data – decades of experience, skill sets, education, training, certifications, publications, and more.  There was no limit to the ...

Five Vital Resume Elements.

There are five elements often overlooked in writing a professional resume. I am not referring to mandatory hard-core data such as telephone number, email address, education, backwards chronologically listed job descriptions, and a bulleted list of years of general job experience. The five unique writing elements ...

Job search is a common sense, not a secret, process.

You ask yourself, ‘What do they know that I don’t that I must know to succeed?’ There are no ‘secrets’ to the process of job search. The word ‘secret’ implies something known only to the marketer. These are psychological operations (psyops) marketing words used to coerce ...

Past Salary History Request – Legal or Not?

Past Salary History Request – Legal or Not? Occasionally, hiring companies will ask applicants for their salary history and/or pay stubs to prove their past compensation. While there is no legal reason for asking for proof of past salary or compensation from candidates offered employment, a ...

Writing the dreaded cover letter

While the requirements of supplying cover letters are waning in the digital world of employment tasking for most hiring companies, about 5%-8% of potential employers may still ask for this communication. The recruiter wants an example of the job seeker’s ability to write a succinct and ...

Are you about to start moving on in your career?

Are you looking to move on from your current career position? (Tips # 3 and 4) Are you about to give notice to your current employer to move on in your career? (Tips # 1 and 2). There are Four Top Actions you need to consider.

Getting through the ‘The Great Resignation’ and ‘Quiet Quitting’: Career Cushioning

The pandemic-kick started Great Resignation is quitting work because the benefits or pay stinks, work hours are too stringent, a toxic environment, or all three. A 2022 survey indicated 81,000 technical workers were laid off that year, including Amazon, Meta, Door-Dash, and H&M. Quiet Quitting, is ...

Job Seeker’s 57 Interview Questions for the Interviewer

Job Seeker’s (57) Interview Questions for the Interviewer   Interviewers are more impressed with questions you ask them versus any selling points you try to make about yourself.  Create questions before each interview you can pose to the interviewer(s) during the process.  Either interject the questions ...

Showcase SME for Job Search or Business Consulting

Becoming a Subject Matter Expert for business or job search via HARO (Help a Reporter Out)   Many job seekers – especially business consultants – have a hard time explaining why their background and experience is important and useful to others.  The best way to showcase ...

Research You Must Do Before You Write Your Resume

 Research You Must Do Before You Write Your Resume Yeah – you gotta do it, research your next job before you rewrite your resume for your next job search. But – it’s all good – you’ll be amazed at what you find out, and what you ...

120 Powerful Resume Words

120 Powerful Resume Words For Your Next Job One of the issues I encounter, as a resume writer, when reviewing amateur job seeker’s resumes are descriptions loaded with subjective, misleading inclusivity, or passive language.  Examples are … performed ‘flawlessly;’ … conducted ‘all’ tasks; or ‘hand-picked’ to be ...

Do You Know the Difference Between Old Fashioned and New Methods for A Job Search?

Hunting for jobs is not the same as when your parents and grandparents looked for jobs. There are differences between ‘old fashioned’ job hunting methods and new methods used today in a new world of advanced technology.  

Common Sense Job Search – No Secrets

Job search is common sense, not a secret process.   Marketing gurus advertising ‘secrets’ are selling to fears they are putting in your mind. You are asking yourself, ‘what do they know that I don’t that I simply must know to succeed?’ There are no ‘secrets’ ...

Do You Know What You Need To Know Before Starting a New Job Search

  Do you really know what you need to know before you start searching for that next job search? Watch this video to know what objectives you need to learn before you start your job search …

Building a Government Service Resume

Building a Government Service Resume   Working a government services (GS) job is a dream for many. Everyone is familiar with the outstanding pension and health plans, as well as vacation days as standard packages working for a federal agency or department.  What is not well ...

Answering the Three Most Important Job Interview Questions

Answering the three most important job interview questions.   We have all heard them, read about the possibilities, studied the website sources and books.  We prepare for the interview questions most likely to be asked and questions directly related to the job responsibilities and required skills ...

Using Multiple Social Media for Job Searches

The 21st Century job seeker needs to cover all the bases, and ensure their resume or curriculum vitae is branded in more than job boards, but also in multiple popular social media platforms.

Last Ditch Effort After the Job Application Rejection

Staying within the circle of awareness may pay off in the near future when you showcase your professionalism in your career search efforts.

Name-dropping for your next job: How big is your ‘rolodex’?

Name-dropping – with established associations with decision makers – are important in the world of business. You know the cliché ‘…the good old boy’s club…’ still works today. It is hard to get into a decision maker’s office if they don’t know you or haven’t been recommended by someone they trust. How do you get started if you don’t have a list of names to use for stepping-stones in front of the right people?

LinkedIn: Why you don’t want to miss out on the activity

Do you ever ask yourself – what good is LinkedIn? How can it help me pursue business development or a new career search? What effort do you put into learning about LinkedIn and its advantages? How much time do you spend on LinkedIn daily? What do you do while actively reviewing your account; what sections do you ‘lurk’ in more? Where do you go when you have a LinkedIn question? Do you search in the Q&A, do you ask others in groups, or do you go straight to the Help Desk & FAQs pages?

Job searching? Expose yourself!

When you expose yourself, you get attention, and then you can direct the conversation towards your goals.

Obtaining More Education and Training Resume Bullets

It is vital to show additional training achieved after the standard college education to show a trend for continued adult-learning. Money or time should not be a barrier to your adding these valuable 'capability' bullets to your resume.

PowerBall LinkedIn Training Nov. 7, 2013

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The WIFM (what’s in it for me) Syndrome for Job Search Points of Contact

In every human being, there is an intrinsic part that wants to help others. There is also an intrinsic part that prompts us to reach out to ask for help. When job seekers are looking for new career positions, that reaching out part may go into hyper-drive and could possibly prompt bad decisions or actions. Making cold-calls must be done with a purpose, and with the intent to ‘not’ bother the callee.

20 Twitter Resources for Job Hunters

Many folks think LinkedIn and large resume job boards are the only real sources you need to job searches, - but a surprising other social media is a rich source for job seekers.

How to handle gaps in your employment resume.

That dreaded hole – the one where you were out of work for several months, or years, through no fault of your own – the glaring employment gap when a full time student as a mature adult to get through the degree faster. How do you explain legitimate absences without getting ‘dinged’ for a spotty work record?

Recommendations Up May Get You Positively Noticed

Recommendations from others on your social media profiles gain you attention, but the third type of recommendation can also bring you lots of attention. This is the lateral or upward recommendation. And you are able to manipulate the recommendation to bring attention back to yourself and potentially obtain more eyes looking at your own job qualifications.

How Volunteering Equals Work Experience on Your Resume

Whether you are a teenager with little work experience, but plenty of time to offer charity organizations or a local NPO, or a corporate executive that volunteers on a NPO Board of Directors, the participation and experience gained is a vital and valuable work experience.

Using your network to find a job

The best method to start your advanced career position search is to reflect back on the people you have encountered over the past year and how you have kept up with them. Write notes for a loose script of what information or favors you are asking them for, and keep meticulous notes of the data to refer to if those calls are returned.

Before you lose your job

Hearing whispers in the office corridors about layoffs or future terminations strikes terror and instills worry in everyone – especially in the current economic crisis. If the job is in jeopardy, start taking steps to ensure readiness for that final HR call.

8 LinkedIn First-Time User Mistakes

LinkedIn is now becoming the norm for job seekers to post profiles as well as recruiters looking for and using the ‘inexpensive’ platform as a sourcing tool. Recruiters are just as discriminatory on what they see on profiles, as they would be in reviewing resumes. Those using LinkedIn for the first time can be in a rush, make minor or major mistakes, and don’t realize they have set themselves up for failure. Here are a few mistakes that can be easily corrected and will assist job seekers in getting the attention more easily from headhunters.

Job competition – staying in or getting in.

Suppose your boss called you into their office and said, “We have to cut back 50% of our work force, it’s between you and one other person. What would you do?

Top 10 things not to have on your resume and 10 alternatives

Many job seekers naively stuff too much information into a resume to attempt to communicate their qualifications for a position. Unfortunately this ‘extra information’ may hinder efforts. Recruiters look for hard facts in a resume – the warm, fuzzy, “…tell us more about you…” comes later in an interview. Here are some facts about how too much information in a resume could hinder a job seeker.

The recruiting game (the real world ‘Hunger Games’)

There is no ‘fair’ to the game – it’s play by the rules or don’t play. Job seekers are desperate to get hired and want to play the game, but need to understand the rules – as they are played by the recruiters – to understand how to play the game successfully as a job seeker.

Can company and recruiter social media and customer service relate to ‘Employer of Choice’ decisions?

Recruiters might be fighting a losing battle convincing the potential new hire to come on board with a ‘loser company’ (unless the job is to fix the company image!). Recruiters need to work hand-in-hand with marketing and PR to ensure job applicants see a positive side of the business and the result is the business is an ‘employer of choice.’

Recruiters Are Not Your Personal Job Finders

It sounds harsh, but it is reality. Finding a job is not a matter of justice or fairness or luck. No one owes anyone a job. Recruiters are your ‘friend’ only if you meet the requirements they need ‘right now.’

Avoiding Internet or E-mail Job Search Scams

Don’t believe any employer is going to offer you free housing, business vehicles, cash in advance of the job performed, or other benefits ‘too good to believe.’ Any company offering to find you employment, but charges hundreds of dollars in advance for those services, are going to do what you can do yourself. Legitimate headhunters charge the employer or the company who is seeking a qualified candidate – not the job seeker. Because someone ‘says’ you are qualified – especially via a mass generated email – doesn’t mean you are qualified.

Questions job candidates should be asking the interviewer

...the hiring manager is looking for something unique and out-of-the-ordinary to set the job seeker apart from the ‘herd.’ Having a prepared set of questions to ask the interviewer will demonstrate preparedness, attention to detail, and professional interest in the position and company. If you feel the need to remember what was said in the interview – employers should not have any problems with note taking...

Resume du Jour: Kelly A. Meerbott – Speaker & Trainer

Kelly A. Meerbott, Speaker & Trainer (Sales/Executives) is an experienced sales-woman, speaker, and done work for corporate execs nationwide - call her!

LinkedIn Training – Beginner’s Class, Sat. 03/23/13

• CREATE a LinkedIn profile to start linking B2B internationally • BUILDING the LinkedIn profile for query results from others • GROUP involvement to get into the discussion for topics related to your interests • GET NOTICED by businesses who want your services/products • BUILD connections to valuable business connections via invites • BUILD REFERRALS from past employers or (current) customers

Are your ‘ums’ and ‘ahs’ and ‘ands’ killing your interview(s)?

You might be flabbergasted how many times those words creep into your sentences. If you can’t string a well-put-together sentence to sound intelligent, then the impression to the listener is – you aren’t.

LinkedIn Profile – Vital for a Job Search

Is your LinkedIn Profile at 100%? LinkedIn has just celebrated reaching 200 million users on their business professional platform within the last few weeks (remember when Facebook got excited about reaching their half a billion users?). In researching this social media platform after LinkedIn recently dumped ...

How To Shop For a Resume Writer

There are hundreds of professional resume writers ‘out there’ looking for hungry job seekers.  Some resume writers are very good. Others are so concerned with making the resume ‘pretty’ they don’t do the job seeker any favors. What do you look for in a professional resume ...

Resume du Jour – Stephen P. Terveer – Non-Profit Executive

STEPHEN PHILIP TERVEER Virginia Beach, VA  23454 (757) 869-8037 / (757) 481-1199 steveterveer@verizon.net   OBJECTIVE:   Non-profit Development Leader / SME Consultant / Food Bank Expert   EXPERIENCE SUMMARY:   25 years, Manager/Executive Director, Non-Profit Organization 20 years, Grant Writing, Capital Campaign Leadership 14 years, Food Bank Management and Organization Supervision 4 years, Peace Corps ...

Bad resume advice: 15 ‘don’ts’ for resume writing

In light of the new wave of layoffs around the country, and in anticipation of those workers who will get downsized after holiday sales die down, it is productive to review what to avoid when writing resumes. These tips will help career seekers to avoid the ‘round file’ when creating or updating their resumes.

Ask yourself…

Two thousand hours. That’s the average amount of time a person spends at work each year. Over the span of a career, that adds up to more than 90,000 hours. Two thousand hours annually of getting up in the morning, driving home in the evening, and ...

How to make oneself more marketable to the defense industry

I recently received a request for information from a job seeker with a Masters in English and a Bachelors in Political Science. This job seeker was having a hard time finding a position in the Northern Virginia (NOVA) area. Either she was told she had too ...

History of the Resume – Evolution Since 1482!

I got a kick out of seeing the historic evolution of a resume from it’s initial form and format back when Leonardo Da Vinci created the first, to today’s social media link packed versions. One thing that is definitely following a trend – if you are ...

The Importance of a Good Resume – How Are You Going To Write One?

Are you asking yourself, “What do I do first to find a job?” or “What do I do first to write a resume?”  Some dream of financial freedom, and others are simply trying to find a job to help them pay the bills.  Are you needing ...

Turn a resume job description into a capability statement.

Many job seekers are not aware their resumes are ‘boring’ and tell the recruiter nothing other than providing a copy and paste version of a job seeker’s most recent job description. The job description may be word-for-word from the most recent company’s compensation plan.  Resume owners ...

So you want to be a Human Resources professional?

So you want to be a Human Resources professional?   Human Resources Management (HRM) is one of the hardest business arenas into which to get established, especially at a management level. So many (predominantly female) have to work their way up through the ranks, including paying ...

SECRETS TO MAKING JOB FAIRS WORK FOR CAREER SEARCHES

SECRETS A PROFESSIONAL RECRUITER SHARES TO MAKE JOB FAIRS ADVANCE YOUR CAREER! FIND THE ANSWERS and SECRET INFORMATION: ·  Why employers still attend and sponsor job fair events ·  Why attending job fairs are an advantage for career seekers ·  What to take to a job fair – other than a resume ·  What to ...

Writing the Dreaded Cover Letter

Writing the dreaded cover letter I have customers who beg me to help them write cover letters, and I’m amazed how grownups cower in fear of writing this simple communication.  If you remember the rule of threes, then it should be easy to do.  You want ...

Alumni benefits: What to expect when rehired

Many rehired employees have the capacity to negotiate from a point of strength with employers who wish to rehire them. Smart job seekers can regain benefits, higher salaries, and other tenured perks, if the company has the financial capacity. No company is legally obligated to provide the grandfathering of benefits, privileges, or perks. But offering these in small or incremental amounts could be a deciding factor to hiring back a special skills or unique employee that can give the company an edge against the competition. Alumnus should get everything negotiated in the final interview for an offer of (rehire) employment letter so there is no misunderstanding once onboard.