How to Become a Cover Letter Writing Machine (Part Two)

How to Become a Cover Letter Writing Machine (Part Two)How to Become a Cover Letter Writing Machine (Part Two)Last week, we reviewed how creating a cover letter template can save time and effort when sending out multiple job applications. However, even the best template needs to be customized before you send it out as a cover letter. Employers want to see evidence that you are specifically interested in the position you are applying for, and elend just mass mailing every company with a job posting.Here, step by step, is a guide to personalizing your cover letters1. departure by stating the purpose of your letter- to obtain the specific position advertised.I am writing to express my interest in the auffhrungs coordinator position at Company.2. Next, in one or two sentences, summarize why you are interested in and qualified for the role.As a recent graduate of State College with a major in Business Administration and two years of part-time experience in an event staff role, I am now se eking to begin my career in public relations and special events. I am confident that my ambition, attention to detail and strong work ethic would make me an asset to your team.3. Now, take a look at the section of your template that describes your qualifications. Heres an example of how it might look as part of the template (prior to customization)During my junior year of college, I worked part-time as part of the schools events staff. In this role, I helped to plan and staff campus events, including set-up and breakdown. My senior year, I was promoted to Events Manager and was responsible for supervising a team of five event staff members. These positions not only gave me valuable hands-on experience in event planning and on-site coordination, but also helped me to develop a great sense of teamwork and collaboration.4. Heres the key step even though you will use the qualifications paragraph in each cover letter, take an extra moment to add a sentence explaining how your experience specifically qualifies you for the position youre applying for. It may seem obvious to you, but spell it out for the hiring manager anyway. Hint dont be afraid to repeat key words from the job descriptionDuring my junior year of college, I worked part-time as part of the schools events staff. In this role, I helped to plan and staff campus events, including set-up and breakdown. My senior year, I was promoted to Events Manager and was responsible for supervising a team of five event staff members. These positions not only gave me valuable hands-on experience in event planning and on-site coordination, but also helped me to develop a great sense of teamwork and collaboration. I believe that my experience in these roles has prepared me to execute and plan programs for Company, including managing event logistics and supervising vendors and staff.5. Repeat the above steps for any other relevant experience or qualifications you have.Sure, its a bit more work to customize your cover lette rs. But the payoff- more interviews- is certainly worth the extra effort.

35 Inspirational Graduation Quotes to Read - The Muse

35 Inspirational Graduation Quotes to Read - The Muse35 Inspirational Graduation Quotes to ReadIts graduation season, which means that college students everywhere are getting a heavy dose of advice for finding their passions, chasing success, and thriving in the real world. Which- lets face it- we all could probably use. So today, we rounded up 35 of the best graduation quotes of all time. Sure, theyre great tips for the new grads out there, but theyre bound to offer the rest of us some big-time inspiration, too. Do all the other things, the ambitious things- travel, get rich, get famous, innovate, lead, fall in love, make and lose fortunes...but as you do, to the extent that you can, err in the direction of kindness. George Saunders to Syracuse University in 2013 Sometimes you find out what you are supposed to be doing by doing the things you are bedrngnis supposed to do.Oprah Winfrey to Howard University in 2007 Dont buy societys definition of success. Because its not working for a nyone. Its not working for women, its not working for men, its not working for polar bears, its not working for the cicadas that are apparently about to emerge and swarm us. Its only truly working for those who make pharmaceuticals for stress, diabetes, heart disease, sleeplessness, and high blood pressure.Arianna Huffington to Smith College in 2013 Do not worry too much about your lawn. You will soon find if you havent already that almost every adult American devotes tremendous time and money to the maintenance of an invasive plant species called pferderennbahn grass that we cant eat. I encourage you to choose better obsessions. John Green to Butler University in 2013And how do you know when youre doing something right? How do you know that? It feels so. What I know now is that feelings are really your GPS system for life. When youre supposed to do something or not supposed to do something, your emotional guidance system lets you know. The trick is to learn to check your ego at the door and start checking your gut instead.Oprah Winfrey to Stanford University in 2008 I welches convinced that the only thing I wanted to do, ever, was to write novels. However, my parents, both of whom came from impoverished backgrounds and neither of whom had been to college, took the view that my overactive imagination was an amusing personal quirk that would never pay a mortgage or secure a pension. I know that the irony strikes with the force of a cartoon anvil, now.J.K. Rowling to Harvard University in 2008Be bold, be courageous, be your best. Former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords to Bard College in 2013 Dont be trapped by dogma- which is living with the results of other peoples thinking. Dont let the noise of others opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.Steve Jobs to Stanford in 2005Dont just get involved. Fight for your seat at the table. Better yet, fight for a seat at the head of the table.Barack Obama to Barnard College in 2012 Whatever you choose, however many roads you travel, I hope that you choose not to be a lady. I hope you will find some way to break the rules and make a little trouble out there. And I also hope that you will choose to make some of that trouble on behalf of women.Nora Ephron to Wellesley in 1996You get to consciously decide what has meaning and what doesnt. You get to decide what to worship. David Foster Wallace to Kenyon College in 2005 A world where men ran half our homes and women ran half our institutions would be just a much better world.Sheryl Sandberg to Barnard College in 2011 From my point of view, which is that of a storyteller, I see your life as already artful, waiting, just waiting and ready for you to make it art.Toni Morrison to Wellesley College in 2004 There is nothing more beautiful than finding your course as you believe you bob aimlessly in the current. Wouldnt you know that your path was there all along, waiting for you to knock, waiting for you to become. This path does not belong to your parents, your teachers, your leaders, or your lovers. Your path is your character defining itself more and more everyday like a photograph coming into focus.Jodie Foster to University of Pennsylvania in 2006Dont ever confuse the two, your life and your work. The second is only part of the first. Anna Quindlen to Villanova University in 2000There is no script. Live your life. Soak it all in. Dick Costolo to University of Michigan, Ann Arbor in 2013 But real leadership comes from the quiet nudging of an inner voice. It comes from realizing that the time has come to move beyond waiting to doing. Madeleine Albright to UNC in 2007 I encourage you to live with life. Be courageous, adventurous. Give us a tomorrow, more than we deserve. Maya Angelou to UC Riverside in 1977 Thankfully dreams can change. If wed all stuck with our first dream, the world would be overrun with cowboys and princesses. So whatever your dream is right now, if yo u dont achieve it, you havent failed, and youre not some loser. But just as importantly- and this is the part I may not get right and you may not listen to- if you do get your dream, you are not a winner.Stephen Colbert to Northwestern in 2011 The most important thing in your life is to live your life with integrity and to not give into peer pressure to try to be something that youre not. Ellen DeGeneres to Tulane in 2009It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all- in which case, you fail by default.J.K. Rowling to Harvard in 2008 The old rules are crumbling and nobody knows what the new rules are. So make up your own rules.Neil Gaiman to The University of the Arts in 2012 And when your journey seems too hard, and when you run into a chorus of cynics who tell you that youre being foolish to keep believing or that you cant do something, or that you should just give up, or you should just settle- you might say to yourself a little phrase that Ive found handy these last eight years Yes, we can.Barack Obama to Howard University in 2016Now the first suggestion is to aim high, but be aware that even before you have reached your ultimate professional destination, if you always strive for excellence, you can and should have a substantial impact on the world in which you live.Sandra Day OConnor to Gettysburg College in 2008Dont be afraid of fear. Because it sharpens you, it challenges you, it makes you stronger and when you run away from fear, you also run away from the opportunity to be your best possible self.Ed Helms to Knox College in 2013Be compassionate to everyone. Dont just search for whatever it is that annoys and frightens you, see beyond those things to the basic menschenfreundlich being. Especially see the child in the man or woman. Even if they are destroying you, allow a moment to see how lost in their own delusion and suffering they are.Alice Walker to Naropa University in 2007 Not only can you not plan the impact youre going to have, you often wont recognize it when youre having it.Dick Costolo to University of Michigan in 2013 Real courage is holding on to a still voice in your head that says, I must keep going. Its that voice that says nothing is a failure if it is not final. That voice that says to you, Get out of bed. Keep going. I will not quit.Cory Booker to Yale University in 2013 There are few things more liberating in this life than having your worst fear realized.Conan OBrien to Dartmouth College in 2011Photos courtesy of Pablo.

8 Dangerous Assumptions That Can Cost You the Job of Your Dreams

8 Dangerous Assumptions That Can Cost You the Job of Your Dreams8 Dangerous Assumptions That Can Cost You the Job of Your DreamsWe have the tendency to make assumptions about everything, writes Don Miguel Ruiz in his bestselling book The Four Agreements. The third agreement he discusses in the book is dont make assumptions. He writes, The problem with assumptions is that we believe they are truth. We could swear they are real.The process of looking for a job is rife with possible assumptions- about job requirements, company culture, what happened during the application and interview process and even what you believe you can achieve.Ruiz suggests that that the antidote to assumption-making is asking questions. Because we are afraid to ask for clarification, we make assumptions, and we believe we are right about our assumption then we defend our assumptions and try to make someone else wrong.We might believe that the job is wrong, the company is wrong or we got some badeanstalteanstalt advice. It is always better to ask questions than to make assumptions, because assumptions set us up for suffering.Here are eight assumptions about job search and how you can keep them from holding you back.1. Dont Assume You Need to Check Off Every Qualification Listed in the Job DescriptionHiring managers and recruiters usually put requirements and desired qualifications in the job description. Feeling like you have to meet every bullet point listed will prevent you from applying to many jobs that youre probably qualified for. Wendy Nolin, business and career coach at Change Agent Careers, counsels her clients to evaluate the overall requirements necessary to do the job versus the full list of desired qualifications. Most job descriptions include must have and nice-to-have qualifications, she said, and they know youll need to learn some things on the job.When you read job descriptions, ask, Does my experience meet the most important requirements? Is this a job that I could do wit h a little bit of training? If the answer is Yes, apply. The recruiter will be the one to ask you questions later.2. Dont Assume Everything You Hear About A Company Will Be True for YouYou can never assume that one parts opinion is true- whether its about the company, a team or an individual, Nolin said. Like all assumptions, this one is particularly important to question. Ask what specifically the person didnt like and find out who you else can talk to. Consider each persons agenda. Do they have a chip on their shoulder because they got passed over for a promotion? Look for patterns in the answers you get. Also do research on review sites.You might get along with someone that a few other people dont like, said Nolin. You might be the perfect person to work on that team. So go ahead and apply, and see for yourself.3. Dont Assume That Because You Dont Hear Back it Means They Dont Like YouThere are a myriad of reasons you might be rejected for a job, and none of them are about you. Fo r more on rejection, read our article Dont Take Anything Personally.4. Dont Assume You Nailed or Failed the InterviewI once walked out of an afternoon of interviews certain I had the job. I welches fully qualified and thought the interviews had gone well. I received a rejection email two weeks later. Adrienne Chang, associate marketing manager at Simply Hired, assumed that she didnt get the job when she interviewed with us because the hiring manager seemed cold. It turned out that the hiring manager was using a bad cop interview technique. As with all forms of rejection and acceptance, you cant assume you know whats going on behind the scenes. Dont let an assumption about your performance in an interview keep you from following up.5. Dont Assume the Salary Offered is All You Can GetNolin strongly advises her clients to negotiate when they receive an offer. They expect you to negotiate, she said. If they want you and need you, they are usually willing to pay more- often 10-15 percent more than the initial offer. Dont assume that the company has the power- YOU are the one who is wanted, so dont be afraid to ask for what you want.6. Dont Assume that A Best Place To Work is the Best Place for YouSome people focus all their efforts on getting into a popular company, assuming that their life and career will be perfect once they get inside. Many Simply Hired employees used to work at some of those companies. There are pluses and minuses to all working environments, most notably between companies that employ thousands of people versus those that employ a few hundred or less. Do as much research as you can to find out why you would like working at a certain font of company. In the interview, dont be afraid to ask your hiring manager to point out some unique things about the culture.7. Dont Assume That the Career Ladder is Right for YouWhen I was in my 20s I assumed that I would be a manager by 30 and a VP by 35. When I reached age 30 and was still an individual contrib utor, I was disappointed in myself. As Ruiz notes, this was an assumption that set me up for suffering- and the suffering was unnecessary because I was doing fine.Nolin frequently counsels people who got lost on the career track and burned out by age 40. Theyve made the assumption that theyre nobody without a title. Theres plenty of room in the world for individualcontributors, managers and CEOs. We need them all. We cant have all managers, CEOs and entrepreneurs.Ruiz suggests that the antidote to these sorts of assumptions is asking questions of yourself. He writes, maybe you need to stop lying to yourself about what you truly want. It may not be what other people or society tells you.8. Dont Assume You Cant Have The Job You Truly WantThere are many stories of people creating jobs for themselves, either as entrepreneurs or within companies. Nolin coaches clients who want to move to a different type of role to write a job description for the desired role. If they propose it as a bus iness problem and position themselves as the expert to solve that problem, theres a good chance the position will get created.Find your voice to ask for what you want, Ruiz writes. Everybody has the right to tell you no or yes, but you always have the right to ask. By not assuming an automatic No, you might just find a big fat Yes.

Antagonist Definition for Fiction Writers

Antagonist Definition for Fiction WritersAntagonist Definition for Fiction WritersAn antagonist in a work of fiction is a character who opposes a protagonist, the main character who often is the storys hero. An antagonist, when there is one, provides the storys conflict by creating an obstacle for a storys protagonist. To understand the role of an antagonist in fiction, think of the classic structure of an old western. The storys hero, wearing a white hat, is the protagonist. He is seeking to do good for the townspeople or villagers in some way. Standing between him and achieving that good, though, is the storys villain, wearing a black hat. He is the antagonist, and the protagonist must defeat him in order to complete whatever good deed is his task at hand. This obviously is a simplistic look at the roles of protagonists and antagonists, and good literature never is so simple. Stories are richer when readers can empathize with protagonists and antagonists alike and even when readers can raise questions about whether a character is really an antagonist at all. Role Reversal Count Dracula is one of the most iconic villains in English literature, and he certainly fits the classic definition of an antagonist. Jonathan Harker intends to marry Mina Murray, but the mysterious vampire Dracula travels to London and uses his charm to seduce Mina. To rescue Mina, Harker and his friends - Dr. Abraham Van Helsing, Dr. John Seward, Arthur Holmwood, and Quincey Morris - must hunt down and kill Dracula. That seems pretty straightforward, except in Bram Stokers classic novel, Dracula, the antagonist drives the story and sets events in motion. Draculas purchase of property in London prompts Harkers visit to Transylvania, and Draculas desire to move to London and establish himself there drives the rest of the story. His targeting of Minas friend Lucy Westenra motivates the others to respond and thwart Draculas efforts. In this example, an argument can be made that the anta gonist and his objectives are driving the story, and the protagonist and his friends are putting obstacles in place to try and thwart the antagonists efforts. Whether that interpretation of roles holds water is less important than the way Stoker gives his antagonist enough depth of character to allow readers to ask the question and explore its possibilities. More Than One In Margaret Atwoods dystopian The Handmaids Tale, protagonist Offred is confronted by multiple antagonists who make up the nation of Gilead. As a handmaid, Offred serves the commander and his wife, Serena Joy, and Offreds job is to help them produce offspring. The commander and his wife certainly are antagonists, as is Aunt Lydia, who helps run a re-education center where Offred was sent to be indoctrinated in preparation for her role as a handmaid. Even Nick, a guardian of Gilead who Offred befriends, and Ofglen, a fellow handmaid, can be viewed as antagonists in the sense that Offred never can be sure whether she can trust them. In fact, there are almost no characters she encounters whom she can trust completely because she never knows what secret motives they might have. This secrecy and distrust, one could argue, is the real antagonist in the story, and the characters who stand between Offred and her freedom are simply representatives of that secrecy and mistrust. Playing Both Sides Like Dracula nearly a century before him, Thomas Harris Hannibal Lecter has become an iconic villain, but is he a true antagonist? Introduced in the novels Red Dragon and The Silence of the Lambs, Lecter plays a similar role in both stories. He assists the protagonists in stopping the stories real antagonists. In the case of Red Dragon, Lecters insight helps FBI agent Will Graham track down a serial killer known as the Tooth Fairy. In The Silence of the Lambs, he helps FBI trainee Clarice Starling track down another serial killer known as Buffalo Bill. For as evil, manipulative, and self-serving as Lec ter is, arguably neither Graham nor Starling would have succeeded without his help. In that sense, his counsel is an important tool for the stories protagonists. However, Lecter has his own motives, and he secretly communicates with the Tooth Fairy behind Grahams back. In the case of Buffalo Bill, he knows more about the killer than he is willing to share, using his knowledge as a bargaining tool in his dealings with Starling and to set events in motion that create an opening for his escape.

Heres How to Contact Recruiters on LinkedIn

Heres How to Contact Recruiters on LinkedInHeres How to Contact Recruiters on LinkedInHow Do You Contact Recruiters on LinkedIn?Reaching out to recruiters on LinkedIn is a great way to get your name out there as long as you do it right. If youve been searching for a job for any length of time, you already know this cold, hard truth Searching for a job is hard. Its not always fun, and sometimes it can be downright terrifying.But although it might feel strange to be so direct, reaching out to recruiters on LinkedIn is completely socially acceptable. After all, thats what the platform is for dont be shy 93 percent of hiring managers use LinkedIn to find candidates, so this is a platform you need to take advantage of.If youre struggling with exactly how to reach out to recruiters on LinkedIn, here are a few tips.Make sure you have the right personBefore you can start thinking about how to approach recruiters on LinkedIn, make sure you have the right person in mind. The best way to sear ch for recruiters is to type your industry and the word recruiter, e.g.marketing recruiter. You can also narrow your search results by region to find local recruiters in your area. Just dont forget to make sure the recruiter is still active and hasnt moved on to a different job or field.Dont start with LinkedInAlthough this may seem counterintuitive, you should make your initial point of contact on a platform other than LinkedIn, such as following a recruiter on Twitter, where he or she will receive a notification with your name. That way, when you do connect with that person on LinkedIn, they will recognize your name and face.After connecting with a recruiter outside of LinkedIn, view his or her LinkedIn profile and make sure to tweak your privacy settings to allow others to see your name and headline after youve viewed their profile. This will allow the recruiter to view your full profile in return and sometimes the recruiter might even ask to connect with you before you can requ est to connect with him or her.Send a personalized connection requestYouve reached out to a recruiter on another platform, youve viewed their LinkedIn profile, and youre finally ready to connect. But before you click that blue Connect button, wait First, you have to figure out what to say.Adding a message to your connection requests is essential. If you get a connection request with no message from someone youve never met, do you accept it? Probably not. Including a message will give you a much better acceptance rate as you begin reaching out to recruiters on LinkedIn.Whats the best way to start this message? When it comes to how to contact recruiters on LinkedIn, its essential to start out with something personal to catch their attention. Maybe you and this recruiter went to the same college, or maybe you have a mutual connection (if so, ask that person for an introduction). Your completed connection request might read something like thisHello, John. I noticed you live in Atlanta I grew up there, and I miss it, but I am now a financial advisor based in New York and looking for new opportunities in the finance niche. I would appreciate any guidance you could give me. Would you like to connect and speak further?RelatedYour Guide to Recruiters and How to Know Whats Right for YouSend the recruiter your resumeOnce the recruiter accepts your connection request, its time for a more direct approach via schmelzglas or a LinkedIn message. Find a recruiters email address under Contact info on his or her profile if its not there, send a message through LinkedIn.Send the recruiter a message describing your experience, qualifications, and what youre currently looking for in a few concise sentences, and attach your resume, too. Ask if it would make sense for the two of you to connect via phone.Stay in touchNow you know how to reach out to recruiters on LinkedIn, but what happens afterward? Often, reaching out to recruiters on LinkedIn wont produce results right away. You m ay get a response along the lines of Ill keep your resume on file, which isnt very encouraging.But you can do something to ensure you stay at the top of this recruiters mind stay in touch. Dont be obnoxious its a bad idea to email the recruiter every week asking if he or she has anything for you. Instead, simply circle back every couple of months in a casual, friendly way. Maybe you come across an article about a new trend in the recruiters industry. Send the link along with a quick note This made me think of you. Hope youre doing wellKeeping a relaxed and thermisch conversation running will help a recruiter remember your name, which could lead to them thinking of you as a friendly and knowledgeable person who is always ready to help. That sounds like the kind of person a company wants to hire.Contacting recruiters on LinkedIn might seem scary, but if you stay friendly and professional throughout the process, theres no need to worry about how to approach recruiters on LinkedIn. In fact, you just might end up with a new job.Click on the following link for more networking advice.Is your resume ready for a recruiter? Check with a free, objective resume critique todayRecommended Reading14 Tips for Working With RecruitersAre Recruiters a Job Seekers Friend or Foe?The Dos and Donts of Working With Recruiters

Thoughts on Project Manager Sample Resume in an Easy to Follow Manner

Thoughts on Project Manager Sample Resume in an Easy to Follow Manner The 30-Second Trick for Project Manager Sample Resume The essential elements of a resume differ based on your industry and the job which youre applying for. Finally, you wish to attempt to strike a balance between including experience thats both timely and relevant. The resume examples below are intended to assist you produce and organize your goods manager resume. Let the subsequent two digital product manager resume examples show you exactly what to do. Please get in touch with us if you would like us to add sample resumes for any particular category or whether you want to submit an example for particular category. The upcoming free resume template welches made in the shape of a brochure. Writing a strong application is a challenging procedure and we would like to make it simpler. Use facts and figures from the particular projects you have been able to show that which you have accomplished. 1 Product managers make it take place. Its fast and simple to use. How to deal with your skills There are lots of strategies to deal with the skills section on your resume, and you are able to read our full skills section writing guide here. Youre able to download and edit based on your experience and techniques. You will be able to write about your key accomplishments with every one of the significant projects handled. Secondly, you should ascertain if you possess knowledge and abilities outside project management in that area. Project Manager Sample Resume Fundamentals Explained Your purpose is to find the job. Occasionally a quick certification training course, either online or at a neighborhood college, can be only the thing you should land that dream job. Everyone knows that when hunting for work, the very first task youll need to complete for a possible employer is, Send a copy of your resume. Consider the simple fact that the employers will need to read even hundreds of resumes and pick only a single person and make yours a distinctive paper. Take understanding of the most typical questions your employer will ask, and learn to answer quickly. Be certain to include quantifiable information to actually drive home how valuable you can be to a prospective employer. Project Manager Sample Resume Secrets That No One Else Knows About In truth, its bedrngnis that hard as it might appear to be. Knowing how you consider your work is invaluable and can be difficult to get across in other resume sections. There are a few things that dont belong on a resume for work. Whether or not you depart from your job since you do not like it or as you need to, you will have to begin making new resumes and send them over to the companies that are in need of people just like you. Job seekers deserve to locate decent content quickly. Accounting and finance managers are going to want to see your technical understanding. Transportation jobs involve a great deal of responsi bility and your resume will want to reflect you can deal with that. Unique kinds of work in the food service industry require resumes with lots of the exact same skills. You will negotiate with clients on a suitable schedule and range of work. Specifically that work with clients to obtain the things that they need and the way to begin supplying them with what they require. Managing projects is a vital part of any small business. Fostered customer loyalty by ensuring our customers fully utilize the worth of our solutions and solutions. When it has to do with researching the company, there are many things which you ought to look for. When youve reviewed resumes in your field, peruse resumes across fields to know how to vary the usage of action verbs and receive a feel for what makes a zeugungsfhig accomplishment statement. Perhaps while trying to find examples you noticed poor samples all around the internet. Finding the correct job is a struggle. Theres no greater place to realize how you should write a nice and competitive resume, then by searching on the internet. The majority of the examples of resume you will discover on the internet are highly professional and will be able to help you build your resume in a limited time, in a skilled and appealing way. Its high-quality PSD file is completely customizable. A basic resume template is the most fundamental version or kind of a resume template that may be utilized to create resumes for any work position. Youve got to make sure you are in possession of a simple-to-read layout of the resume. Virtually every organization has a demand for a minumum of one Project Manager.

3 Things to Keep in Mind During Your Career Transition

3 Things to Keep in Mind During Your Career Transition Many of us dream of making a career transition, but actually making the change can be a daunting task. Here are a few things to keep in mind as you navigate the rough waters of a career change1. Anxiety Is NormalOnce the excitement of landing a job in your new career has worn off, you may find yourself lying awake a night, wondering if youre really up for the challenge.Know that it is totally normal to have a certain amount of anxiety when making such a big change. Trust that youve made the right decision. Remember that all your success in your previous career wasnt achieved in a day, but after lots of learning and doing. The same will be true of your new career.2. You May Mourn Your Old JobLeaving behind something stable, even something you were ready to walk away from, is never easy. Often, our sense of self is deeply related to the work we do, and a career transition can feel like a challenge t o our identity. Know that feelings of sadness may arise, but that doesnt mean youve made a mistake. Its just part of the process.3. Its Okay If Its Not For YouHopefully you love your career transition. If you dont, however, theres no reason to beat yourself up over your decision. If you didnt go for it and make the change, you probably would have regretted never giving it a shot.Remember that going back to your old career is always an option. In fact, you may have a newfound passion for it now that youve left. Lets call this a win-win. You followed your desires, made an informed decision, and have renewed your passion for your career.Nothing needs to be permanent unless you want it to be. Youre a rock star for being brave enough to make a change, and even more of one for being able to admit its not the change you wanted.A version of this article originally appeared on theAtrium Staffing blog.Michele Mavi isAtrium Staffings resident career expert.

5 Essential Tips for Building a Standout Resume

5 Essential Tips for Building a Standout Resume 5 Essential Tips for Building a Standout Resume No two jobs are exactly alike and for that reason, your resume shouldnt stay the same from application to application. Your resume needs to vary from job to job if you are going to prove to an employer that you are the right fit for theirspecific role.However, that doesnt mean you have to write a brand new resume for each job you apply to. You can get a step up on the competition by building a strong foundational resume that you then tweak according to each jobopening.To help you in that effort, I offer this list of five essential things that you need to include in your foundational resume. Follow this advice, and youll stand out from the crowd and gain a series advantage over the other job binnenseekers vying for the role1. EducationThere is always some question about where to place your educational experience on your resume. To some degree, the weight of your education and, therefore , its position on the page is slightly dependent on the industry youre in. In general, however, the most important thing to remember is that your resume should be written with the reader in mind.The takeawayMy golden rule is, if you graduated less than 12 months ago, you should list your education at the top. More than 12 months? Your work experience since graduation is likely mora important to a hiring manager, so list that beforeyour education.2. HonestyLying isnt uncommon on resumes, but that doesnt mean its a fruitful way to advance your career. Hiring managers were not born yesterday, and a single question about one of your resume lies might be all it takes to bring the whole bewerbungsgesprch crumbling down.Education, employment dates, job titles, and skills are the biggest problem areas when it to comes to stretching the truth. Conveniently, theyre also the easiest to verify hiring managers, like the rest of us, do have access to the Internet, after all.Keep it real, because even if your false credentials land you the job, it will most likely come back to haunt you in the future.The TakeawayHave a gap in your employment history? Its more than likely you werent sitting around doing nothing. Speak to the time you may have spent volunteering, leading your own projects, or participating in skill-training activities. Be creative with your time, and present your skill set in a powerful way.3. LengthA lot of people think the one-page resume rule is dead, so if youve been stressing about squeezing your experience into a single sheet, you canbreathe easy.However, there is one giant exception to this If you have less than five years of experience, its best to stick to one page.The TakeawayYoure not going to get passed on simplybecause your resume is two pages long, but its important to remember that resume length does play into the hiring managers perception of you as a candidate.Its also important to remember that the longer your resume is, the less likely it is that the hiring manager will see what you want them to see. A longer resume doesnt automatically mean the hiring manager is going to spend more time reading it. On the other hand, a clear and concise resumemeans that the hiring manager is more likely to focus on the most important bits.4. ConsistencyIts important to establish a simple and pleasant reading experience for hiring mangers after all, these people are often looking at hundreds of resumes each and every day. The easiest way to do this is to be consistent when formatting your content.For example, if you use bold, centered text to title the first section of the resume, then use that same style for the remaining section titles, too. If youve used a one-inch space between your first and second sections, continue with that spacing for the remainder of your resume.The takeawayAgood-looking resume on its own isnt going to land you the interview. The information on your resume still needs to be first-rate. But by displaying the content in a visually appealing and digestible way, you are most likely to get the attention you want from hiring managers.5. PersonalityIts no secret that hiring managers look for indicators of your potential cultural fit by examining your hobbies and interests. Placing a little personal information on your resume will help set you apart from other candidates and give hiring managers a glimpse into how youll fit in with the company.The takeawayAt the end of the day, hiring managers are human too take advantage of the fact that they might share similar interests. Look at it as a way to show your potential employer what you can do and what unique skills you can bring to the table.For example, if you mention that youre active in a sports league, prospective employers may see that as a sign that you know the value of teamwork. Hobbies canbe a powerful way to present your skills and cultural fit to employers.Make sure your basic resume contains these five things, and then tweak it as n ecessary for each job posting. The result will be a powerhouse document that helps you tower above the competition.Master the art of closing deals and making placements. Take our Recruiter Certification Program today. Were SHRM certified. Learn at your own pace during this 12-week program. Access over 20 courses. Great for those who want to break into recruiting, or recruiters who want to further their career.

3 Reasons to Keep Job Searching Through the Holidays

3 Reasons to Keep Job Searching Through the Holidays3 Reasons to Keep Job Searching Through the Holidays3 Reasons to Keep Job Searching Through the HolidaysTrue or false It makes no sense to look for a job during the holidays because every company slows down or stops hiring until the new year.FALSE Its really one of the best times of the year to look for a job.Take it from personal experience During one of my own job searches, I inquired about a lokalitt right after Thanksgiving. I was interviewed two weeks later and hired the week before Christmas. It can happen Here are three reasons why you shouldnt put your job search on hold over the holidaysBudgets Reset on January 1. A company that plans to expand its payroll budget in the first quarter of 2016 will be looking for qualified candidates today. So, dont sweat the holiday shopping Sending your resume and cover letter is more importantMost Job Seekers Take a Break for the Holidays. Most job seekers slow down their job searches unti l January. If a company needs to fill a position as soon as possible and theyre getting fewer resumes, youll stand a better chance of getting noticed and getting an interview.Decision Makers May Be Easier to Reach. Its not uncommon for workers to put in extra face time in the office to finish up projects that are due by the end of the year. Some may even forgo business travel and stay in the office.Even if there arent any vacancies, you might be able to land an informational interview and find out about opportunities that may come up in 2016. If the hiring manager is in a holiday mood and not too focused on getting the work done, you might leave a memorable impression so that when they do have a suitable opening, youll be top of mind.Also, if youre a college senior and looking into a full-time job after graduation, the holidays may especially be a good time to get on some hiring managers radargert screens. Making a memorable impression in December can lead to an offer before May.

C-C-A-R for ECQs

C-C-A-R for ECQsC-C-A-R for ECQsC-C-A-R for ECQsBy Diane Hudson, Co-Author, The New SES ApplicationThe C-C-A-R format stands forCHALLENGE CONTEXT ACTIONS RESULTS.The C-C-A-R format is required of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), and used by the Qualifications Review Board (QRB), when reviewing Executive Core Qualification statements (ECQs) for final SES selection. The C-C-A-R is also reviewed in Technical Qualifications (TQs) and during the interview processThe C-C-A-R format forms the outline of an essay. Each ECQ category, and there are five categories Leading Change, Leading People, Results Driven, geschftlicher umgang Acumen, and Building Coalitions requires two essay stories in the C-C-A-R format.By writing ECQ essay stories in the C-C-A-R format you are using a set standard formula that easily forms a short essay, with a beginning, middle and end. The hiring staff (Agency Executive Resources Board (ERB)) and the QRB want to easy-to-read short-story-essays they wan t to read compelling stories that express leadership competencies. I have spoken to members of the ERB and the QRB, and many have stated that is quite clear when a candidate has submitted a well written ECQ and TQ package in the C-C-A-R format, versus someone who did not apply for C-C-A-R formula. The QRB will review the ECQ stories and look for the C-C-A-R format. If the stories are disapproved, the QRB letter may state that the C-C-A-R was not found in certain essays.How to Use C-C-A-RTo best apply the C-C-A-R, use each identifier as a separate paragraph write one story per page (two stories per ECQ), and soon you will have 10 fully developed essay stories in the C-C-A-R, based on the leadership competencies for each ECQ. For example, as you begin to draft a story, outline the one page essay into four short paragraphsCHALLENGE Describe the challenge that you faced. What did you have to fix, launch, overcome resistance and pushback to, or negotiate?CONTEXT Describe the circumstance s of the situation, the timeline, story horizon, your job title and organization, the people, finances, and who and how you had to lead through the situation. Describe the who, what, where, why and how.ACTIONS Describe the actions you took to create action. Describe the high-level actions, not the in the weeds, project management details. Talk about whom you collaborated with, by amtsstube or level what actions you took to resolve a problem by creating a new program, policy, or negotiating a deal.RESULTS Describe the results. Quantify and qualify the results. Use numbers, percentages, dollar figures, and comparisons. Ask yourself, what was it like before I began the initiative, and what it is like now? Use a ripple-effect result, and describe how the story effected organizational performance.Use this format to begin to outline your stories, and slowly fill in the stories so that each paragraph is eight to 10 lines, which then creates a full page (using 12 point Times New Roman font and one inch margins). Think through the stories, and even speak the stories. Sometimes, speaking the stories brings more important details, then trying to struggle to write the stories. Use a smart phone or recording device to speak the stories, and then transfer to paper.CHere is an example story outline (based on a Results Driven essay example, found on page 92 in The New SES Application)CHALLENGE I was challenged to turnaround a geschftliches miteinander that was hemorrhaging cash and CONTEXT In my role as a business leader and military officer, with leadership oversight for formulating and managing operational plans for large organizations, I ACTIONS To resolve the problems, I developed a strategy to address personnel and business issues, align the organization behind key business processes focused on the development of the business market, initiated a hiring and sales training program, and RESULTS Achieved transfer to my control of the high-margin premium brands, creating reco rd high sales volume and The Many Uses of C-C-A-ROnce you write the C-C-A-R, then you have crib notes to study for the interview process, which may be scored on the C-C-A-R format. The C-C-A-R format is also used in mini-essays in the five-page SES resume-based application, in GS-level interviews, and in many GS-level resumes.Free Writing ToolGet started writing C-C-A-R with our easy-to-use CCAR Accomplishment Builder. Its FREEMore InfoIf you need additional assistance, check out the followingur upcoming SES Writing Application Webinar Training starting Sep 16www.resume-place.com/training/ses-training/Our book, The New SES Applicationwww.resume-place.com/books/the-new-ses-application/Our SES Writing Serviceswww.resume-place.com/senior-executive-service/Our SES ECQ Training for Government Agencieswww.resume-place.com/training/government-agency-training/ses-workshop/Future blogs will cover the leadership competencies, mapping, and the specific ECQs.GET THE BOOK2nd Edition available De c. 2015$21.95 (includes postage)