INFOGRAPHIC: How to craft a cover letter worth reading

By Justin Thompson,

The cover letter. Perhaps the most controversial job-search document. Well, if not the most controversial, then it's at least the one that annoys people the most. "What should I put in it?" "Do I really need to include this?" "Will anyone actually read this?" "What's the point if I'm including my résumé?"

I always recommend including a cover letter, especially if the job is related to communications, marketing or any profession that relies on you being well-spoken and having exceptional writing abilities.

Similar to the résumé infographic we created to show you the before and after, here is an infographic on cover letters and how to make one that is eye-catching to a hiring manager.

 

Can You Ever Lie On Your Resume And Get Away With It?

4 whoppers to avoid if you want to get the job and keep it

By Miriam Salpeter



"Seeking liars; apply within." An unlikely headline for any job. While some employers may be lazy and fail to confirm credentials before hiring certain applicants, people who embellish their qualifications or lie about them are always at risk for losing their positions -- even after having worked in the job for years.

Case in point, recent news reports indicate that Steve Masiello's coaching career has gone into limbo because the University of South Florida (USF) decided to verify his credentials before extending a formal offer to recruit him away from his current position at Manhattan College. Clearly, based on his bio posted on his current employer's website, he was representing himself as having a bachelor's degree. A background check uncovered the lie; he never graduated. Now, he stands to lose the offer to join USF he is on leave from his current job as a result. One lie could result in two lost jobs.

If you don't want to be looking over your shoulder or hoping no one in HR gets suspicious and decides to audit their files, avoid these whoppers on your resume:

Lies About Past Employers

Do not lie about where you worked, even if you think it sounds impressive to pad your resume with big-name employers. It's very easy to verify employment, even via a quick review of LinkedIn contacts and an email or two.

Lies of Omission

If you think failing to mention key points will keep you out of trouble, think again. "You never actually asked me if I graduated with a degree" will not serve as a good excuse if you're approached about lying about your academic credentials that may be listed in an ambiguous manner on your resume. Leaving dates off your resume and failing to disclose other details is not wise.

As illustrated in Masiello's case, these lies can come back to bite you, even after you've been in a job. In fact, there was a case of a dean at MIT who resigned her post after working there for 28 years when the university audited its files and learned she did not have degrees from the three schools listed on her initial resume.

Half-Truths

Plan to leave a job off your resume because you were only there for a short time? Keep in mind, there is a lot of scrutiny on new hires, and if a company conducts a background check, you'll need to be prepared to explain why you didn't want anyone to know you worked in that company. You don't want to raise any red flags or spook employers who might wonder what else they don't know about you before they hire you.

Little Embellishments

You've likely read about how personal branding is an important part of marketing yourself for a job, but you may have incorrectly assumed boosting your qualifications was part of growing your brand. Avoid embellishing your titles, your mentors or your skills and accomplishments on your resume and you're much more likely to land in a job that's the right fit for you. Avoid this big job search mistake to find - and keep - your next job.

The best (and worst) words to have on your résumé

By Tony Valdivieso 
 

Do you consider yourself a hard worker? A real go-getter? Someone who likes to think outside of the box? Then you’re just the type of person who needs to review their résumé ASAP.
A recent CareerBuilder survey found there are some words hiring managers and human resources pros just don’t want to see on your résumé. And if you’ve called yourself a go-to person, a team player or a strategic thinker, you’ll need to make a few changes before you send your résumé to anyone else.

The deal-breakers
Unless you want to end up on an employer’s “Do not call” list, think twice before you put any of these empty words on your résumé — they won’t accomplish as much as you might hope.

1.  Best of breed: 38 percent
2.  Go-getter: 27 percent
3.  Think outside of the box: 26 percent
4.  Synergy: 22 percent
5.  Go-to person: 22 percent
6.  Thought leadership: 16 percent
7.  Value add: 16 percent
8.  Results-driven: 16 percent
9.  Team player: 15 percent
10.  Bottom-line: 14 percent
11.  Hard worker: 13 percent
12.  Strategic thinker: 12 percent
13.  Dynamic: 12 percent
14.  Self-motivated: 12 percent
15.  Detail-oriented: 11 percent
16.  Proactively: 11 percent
17.  Track record: 10 percent

You don’t have much time
Given the amount of time your résumé has to make an impression, it should come as no surprise that your choice of words can be exactly the reason you aren’t brought in for an interview. In fact, if you get more than a couple minutes of attention, you should consider yourself lucky.
Sixty-eight percent of hiring managers and human resources pros will spend two minutes or less reviewing each résumé they receive; 17 percent will actually spend 30 seconds or less.
“Hiring managers prefer strong action words that can be used to define specific experience, skills and accomplishments,” says Rosemary Haefner, vice president of human resources at CareerBuilder. “Subjective terms and clichés are seen as negative, because they don’t convey real information. For instance, don’t say you are ‘results-driven;’ show the employer your actual results.”

The words they actually want to see
If you felt like you really had something when you called yourself “hard-working,” there’s a lot of room for improvement. (Besides, that’s something almost everyone would say.) Employers don’t simply want to know what you think about yourself; they want to see results. If you really are a hard worker, prove it by backing up that claim with some data.
Rather than focusing on your previous duties to capture your relevant experience, focus on what you’ve been able to achieve using your relevant skills. The following terms — mostly verbs — should help you refocus your résumé on what truly matters. As an added bonus, hiring managers would love to see these terms:

1.  Achieved: 52 percent
2.  Improved: 48 percent
3.  Trained/mentored: 47 percent
4.  Managed: 44 percent
5.  Created: 43 percent
6.  Resolved: 40 percent
7.  Volunteered: 35 percent
8.  Influenced: 29 percent
9.  Increased/decreased: 28 percent
10.  Ideas: 27 percent
11.  Negotiated: 25 percent
12.  Launched: 24 percent
13.  Revenue/profits: 23 percent
14.  Under budget: 16 percent
15.  Won: 13 percent

The bottom line: You can’t afford to make a bad first impression, and you don’t have a lot of time to make a good first impression. With some hiring managers, you’ll have 30 seconds to make your case, and the numbers say you probably won’t make it past two minutes.
Highlight your accomplishments and sell just how important your skills have been. If you’ve received honors or awards, make sure to find room for them. Focus on what you think will cause hiring managers to stop and take a second look at your name — you can likely find more unique things to say about yourself than “I’m a hard worker.”

The Weekly Roundup: 5 Steps to a Killer Resume

    By Bill Hartnett

Getty Images

Five experts show you how to craft the perfect calling card

​How do you boil your career down into one or two concise, compelling pages? How can you craft the perfect resume? This is possibly the most confounding and tricky piece of the job search. HR or the hiring manager will likely judge your resume in seconds. Get it right and you may wind up on the top of the stack. Get it wrong and you will get nowhere. The truth is there is no definitive blueprint for the perfect resume, but there are a lot of great resume building strategies that will optimize your skills, experience and accomplishments. Let's look to the experts for insights on how to build, update and troubleshoot your resume:



How to Write a Standout Resume and Land Your Next Marketing Job

Hubspot takes a marketer's approach to building a killer resume. If you're thinking, "I'm not a marketer," please hold that thought and read on. We are ALL marketers these days and let the inbound experts guide you in how to market YOU! They've got five tips to help you write the resume and a bonus link to ten stellar templates.



45 Quick Changes That Help Your Resume Get Noticed

No time for a complete resume overhaul, but that CV is looking dusty and tired? If you've got 2 minutes, maybe 5 or even 10-15, The Daily Muse has a ton of speedy updates and touch-ups grouped by the amount of time you have. A little tweak here or a bit of extra polish here could be the quick fix your resume needs.



Resume Tip Tuesday: When is it OK to Include Short Stints?

You came, you worked, you left...quickly. How do you showcase brief, but valuable experience at jobs that didn't last long? Yep, it can be tricky and a possible red flag for hiring managers. Career Bliss talks to HR pros and outlines the safest route through these potentially treacherous waters.


Major Resume Myths

One page? Two pages? Do I need an objective statement? Everybody is an expert and has an opinion about resumes. Guess what? They are often dead wrong. Doostang debunks the myths and offers simple, straightforward advice on some resume basics. It's all blocking and tackling, folks.



Optimizing Your Resume With Keywords

Let's finish off with a little science from our friends at Careerealism. If you are applying online for jobs, chances are a computer will scan your resume first. Find out how to run circles around applicant tracking systems and move one step closer to your next gig with the power of KEYWORDS.

Let's hope these tips and ideas helped buff your resume to a nice recruiter-friendly sheen. Let me know about YOUR favorite resume building strategies and tools in comments. A job seeker's resume is never done. However, this week is over and the weekend begins now. Good luck on the job hunt and see you next week.

This Resume Tool Got Me a Job in 5 Months

The resume addendum works well if your job history is long

    By Rhona Bronson

Getty Images/Vetta

Any job posted on online boards today gets hundreds of resumes submitted. The quantity received by HR recruiters is so overwhelming that jobs are frequently taken down within hours. With so many resumes hitting a recruiter's desk, how can you differentiate your application, particularly when your experience is unconventional?

Although it's recommended to tailor your resume to the job, with only hours to spare, it's not always time-efficient to rewrite a resume. To respond in a timely fashion to unique opportunities I created a new technique - the Resume Addendum.

Why I Needed an Addendum

In my job search, I was attracted to posts in industries where my skills were applicable but my most recent industry affiliations were not. I had been a marketing director for many years, but in the latter years my resume was heavily weighted in the media. Since my resume had been tailored to highlight just the last 15 years of my career, much of my original experience and training in alternative industries such as health care were no longer obvious.

The first key difference was in the opening of each document. My resume started with my contact info and a summary of my senior-level marketing experiences. In stark contrast, the addendum started with an aggregated total of specific industry experiences, and showcased relevant education certifications and conferences that were not in my resume.

Although my masters' degree was on my resume, it was at the bottom well after more timely professional experience, and it did not mention the health certification. The degree on my resume served to qualify me for positions that required advanced degrees, but the certification was not relevant. On the addendum, the certification was critical to show industry-specific training.

Addendums versus Resumes

Other contrasts between the two documents included:

• The Resume had dates. The Addendum did not.
• The Resume had no health care references and some association experience. The Addendum only had health and association references.
• A Resume can be longer than one page. An Addendum is one page.

In general, my resume showcased my most recent and digitally engaging marketing accomplishments. In contrast, my addendum highlighted older training and experience relevant for the targeted industry.

For instance, in my job at the Press of Atlantic City my resume highlighted my digital revenue projects, audience growth initiatives in social media, and events management. The addendum detailed the health care clients and projects that fell within my larger job responsibilities.

Resume Example:

Addendum Example:

After the intro shown in the resume example, my detailed Press experience fills a full half page of a two-page resume. The Press experience on the addendum is limited to exactly what's shown above, but only discusses health-oriented experiences.

Resumes Rule

The Addendum never replaces a resume. It is, as titled, an addition to the resume to provide pertinent information. In my case I had two addendums. One was specifically for association jobs in any field from construction to engineering. The second combined health care and association experiences and was sent to associations such as the American Heart Association and National Celiac Foundation, both of which resulted in interviews.

The addendum serves one other purpose. With dozens of resumes that essentially look alike, the Addendum can catch a recruiter's eye just because it is different. It's a case of adding a page to catch attention. A Resume Addendum is not for everyone, but for several job postings it worked to get me an initial interview, and it may work for you. 

Résumés: What’s in and what’s out in 2014

• By Susan Ricker

On “Project Runway,” Heidi Klum often declares, “One day you’re in, the next day you’re out.” While she’s referring to fashion, the cyclical nature of trends extends to résumés and job-search tactics as well. And if your résumé style is out in 2014, you may well be out, too.

To make sure you’re keeping up with the trends and away from major résumé disasters, check out what’s in and what’s out in 2014.

IN: Keywords that match job descriptions

Many employers use applicant tracking systems to screen résumés and generate a short list of candidates. To ensure that your résumé makes it through the ATS, try “greater research into the position and employer to identify a higher percentage of the employer’s keywords associated with specific positions, then creatively embed them in the application and résumé,” says Hank Boyer, president and CEO of Boyer Management Group and author of the “Job Search Readiness Assessment.”

OUT: Listing your daily tasks as experience

Instead of using valuable space to tell employers about your basic responsibilities at previous jobs, use the section they’re most likely to pay attention to for impressive feats and stand-out accomplishments. Boyer advises including “quantified, employer-focused accomplishments listed in bullet point under each work experience. For example, ‘With team of 12 telemarketers, achieved 131 percent of productivity objectives, with a customer positive rating of 98.2 percent.’”

IN: Creating and using multiple drafts and formats

Just as no two jobs are the same, no two résumés should be the same. Boyer suggests creating multiple drafts and formats for different roles, to make it through different application mediums and screening tools. “[Create] multiple résumés, customized for each position, in both .txt and .doc formats to allow for use in online applications and ATS’s (.txt), and for traditional printed copies and PDF emailing (.doc).”

OUT: Including an objective statement

“Replace the outdated ‘objective statement’ and include a summary of your qualifications at the top of your résumé,” says Carri Nebens, executive hiring manager and owner of Equis Staffing. “This swap offers a more personal look at you and what you could bring to the job. This should be three to five sentences long and should be tailored specifically for the job you are applying for. Be straight to the point, and market yourself as the ideal person for the job. Be compelling and concise, using this section to paint a picture of your characteristics, experience and achievements.”

IN: Pointing employers to your online presence

While you only get so much room on an application or résumé, there’s likely much more you’d like to share with prospective employers. The best way to do this? “Include your LinkedIn URL,” Nebens says. “First, if you haven’t already, you should create a LinkedIn profile, as LinkedIn profile URLs are becoming standard to put on your résumé. A LinkedIn profile will allow prospective employers the opportunity to learn more about your skills and better assess your qualifications. Make sure to fully develop your profile prior to listing your URL and align your résumé’s goal with your profile, so both are telling the same story.”

OUT: “References available upon request”

Similar to the objective statement, including references or “references available upon request” is a waste of valuable résumé real estate and just repeats the obvious. Ellis Chase, president of EJ Chase Consulting Inc. and author of “In Search of the Fun-Forever Job: Career Strategies that Work,” recommends omitting the standard references line. “‘References available upon request’ was great in 1955. Not so much now. What are you going to say — ‘References not available upon request’? Lose it.” Instead, expand other sections that need the space. Chase suggests creating an “Additional relevant information” section, where you can list your skills, languages and technologies that are immediately relevant to the desired targets.

Get Your Resume Out There The Right Way

Don't start sending a resume out until it's ready

    By Personal Branding Blog

Getty Images

By Alex Freund

People in transition or those who contemplate making a job change should not start dispersing their résumés all over the place before those résumés are up to snuff. I know that people in transition are very eager to get back in the game, to restore their (temporarily) lost identity, and to restart the flow of income, but the biggest mistake they make at this point is to start blasting weak credentials. Once your résumé hits cyberspace, you never know where it's going to end up. Therefore, it is of utmost importance that before you post a résumé, it be a solid and strong one.

Next, the question is where to post it? Generally there are three types of job boards: 

• The big and popular job boards such as HotJobs.com, Monster, and CareerBuilder.com are musts. While there may be overlaps among them, you never know which one is used by which recruiter or which potential employer.
• Those in the six-figure-income range can also post their résumés on such job search sites as sixfiguresjob.com, which is still free. They can also possibly try for at least one month certain others such as TheLadders.com and ExecuNet, which charge a small fee. The value of these sites is hotly debated among their users. Some job seekers were greatly helped by them, while others considered it a waste.
• There are several other, specialized sites such as lawjobs.com, Biospace, and HigherEdJobs, which should be used as appropriate.

A question I'm being frequently asked is how many job boards to use. My answer is that five to eight are suitable. Posting on job boards is laborious when setting them up for the first time. After doing so, it's important to visit the sites daily -- yes, daily -- and make a small change such as adding or deleting a line and then saving the change. Doing that makes your résumé appear to be fresh. Recruiters have many fresh résumés to choose from, so why should they bother looking at older ones whose owners may have already found employment elsewhere?

The push and the pull

Now that you've pushed your résumé out into cyberspace, you should pull in openings that have been posted. Several job search sites do that for you. They're known by the term aggregators. Indeed.com is one of the most popular ones, and there are others such as JobCircle and Simply Hired.

The aggregators are very user-friendly, and as a job seeker, you should set up a number of job alerts, as they are called, to reach your in-box daily. In fact, you should have several of them based on different keywords you've used and the distance from your ZIP code that you're willing to commute to a job. The disadvantage of these types of sites is that there will be many duplicates. It takes a few trials and errors before hitting it right.

Good hunting!    

7 Reasons To Update Your Resume Even If You're Not Looking

You never know when you'll be looking for a job next

By Brazen Life By Jo Casey  
Work is going well, and you have a job you enjoy with great benefits. You feel like you have a future at this company. You have no intention of moving on anytime soon. You're in a good place professionally, so you may never need to think about revisiting your boring old resume ever again!

Unfortunately, that's a myth. In fact, everyone should review their resume and and keep it up-to-date no matter where they are in their career.

If you haven't revisited your resume for awhile, read on for seven reasons why you should polish it this very moment: 

1. Remind yourself of your skills and achievements

A resume isn't just a list of job titles and how long you've worked at various jobs. It's a record of your body of work.

Your resume contains info about what you've learned, the skills you've developed and the differences you've made in your career. Having a clear sense of your journey will help you make smart short-term and long-term plans for your career.

2. Give yourself a confidence boost

When you're in the thick of day-to-day work, it's easy to forget how far you've come and in which areas you've developed. By revisiting your accomplishments periodically, you'll better be able to track your own professional progress and make sure the important ones make it to your resume.

If you update your resume just every few years or only when you're looking for a job, you might completely forget about new skills because you mastered them so long ago. By keeping your resume up-to-date, you can see how you've grown even from a few months ago.

3. Understand yourself better

One of the keys to happiness, impact and career development is understanding yourself. Your resume is the blueprint not only of your skills and achievements, but also of your preferences, passions and values. Every role you've ever had has been a reflection of who you are.

You can learn from the jobs you loved, the ones you hated and those that were just a bit "blah."

Dig deep. Did you thrive in a particular type of environment? Did you enjoy working in teams or independently? Did you thrive working for innovative fast-changing organizations or those that valued evolution and heritage?

Analyze what lit you up and has worked along your career path, as well as what hasn't worked. Use the information you learn about yourself to tailor your own work towards your preferences.

4. Reflect on your key lessons and identify development areas

Your key achievements happened for a reason. And so did your mistakes. Have a look at your resume and think about which events have been great teachers. What did you learn? How have you moved forward with those learnings? What could you do to develop even further?

5. Develop a clearer idea of your strengths

Research has shown that the more you work to your strengths, skills and passions, the happier and more productive you are. In other words, it's not doing great work that brings you happiness, but feeling happy that helps you do great work.

So, how have you worked toward your strengths in the past? How can you do it more in the future? How can you consciously use those strengths more often and in new ways?

6. See the thread that binds your body of work together

Resumes give you a high-level view of your career. Patterns start to emerge that can give you new insights into your career and where you might want to head in the future. Ask yourself what thought processes led to you make those career choices. Would you do anything differently?

7. Prepare yourself for the worst

The world of work has changed beyond recognition over the past 20 years. It's a sad fact, but you never knowa when your resume might come in handy. Having one that's up-to-date will help you hit the ground running if you ever do need to look for alternative work.

If you have an updated resume you can send out quickly, you'll recover more quickly after a layoff and have less to stress about. Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst, as the saying goes.

Revisiting your resume can feel like a pain in the butt. It takes time and requires that you reflect on your career journey. But it doesn't have to be so painful. The more frequently you update your resume, the less work it really is. Plus, revisiting your accomplishments will help you develop confidence and clearer direction in your career.

Update these 5 items on your résumé

By Debra Auerbach, 

Everything needs updating every once and awhile. After having the same haircut for a few years, it's always fun to change it up a bit. When a new season arrives, it's a good excuse to clean out the closet and update your wardrobe.

When it comes to your résumé, it's smart to periodically revisit and refresh it, even if you aren't looking for a new job at that moment. Having a current résumé will come in handy should you find yourself in a position where you need or want a new job right away.

No need to panic that your résumé needs a total overhaul. There are a few basic items that you can update easily. Here are five:

1. Contact information

This might seem like an obvious one, but if you haven't touched your résumé in a while, you may still have your old address or cellphone number on there. Also, check to see which email address you've included; you want the email address on your résumé to be as professionally sounding as possible. If your email address is still likestoparty28@hotmail.com, it's time to create a new one. Consider [first name].[last name]@hotmail.com instead.

2. Objective statement

Your objective statement may be up-to-date, well thought out and well written. The problem? You have an objective statement in the first place. Objective statements are outdated and are being replaced by professional summaries or summaries of qualifications. The difference between the two is that objective statements talk about what you want in a job; professional summaries recap your job-seeker "brand" and explain why you're the right fit for the position in question. Since this is usually the first thing hiring managers will read on your résumé, you want to make sure it grabs their attention and makes them want to learn more about your skills and qualifications.

3. Skills/areas of expertise section

The skills or areas of expertise section is usually where you list out in bullets everything you're proficient at; so anything from a certain Web design program you've mastered to your negotiating skills. Take a look at your list to make sure you can still confidently say you excel at all those skills, and see if there are any new skills you've acquired that you'd like to add. Also think about the "So what?" for each skill listed; if you can't answer or speak in depth about your expertise, don't include it. Something else to consider? Removing this section all together and incorporating your skills into the professional summary/summary of qualifications section.

4. Education

You may be proud of your 3.9 GPA or that you graduated with honors. And if you're entry level, you should include such achievements, along with relevant coursework, on your résumé. However, if you're an experienced job seeker, it's no longer necessary to mention your GPA or go into specifics about what classes you took as an undergrad. Instead, keep this section simple, listing the college you went to and its location, the degree(s) you graduated with and years attended.

Of course, if you recently went back to school to obtain a post-graduate degree or certification, that information should be included, especially if it shows how you have gained skills that will help you succeed at the job for which you're applying.

5. Formatting

With the limited amount of space that you have to include your entire work and education history, it can be tempting to use a ton of different font sizes, bullets and section breaks to break up the content and keep it organized. If your résumé looks like an eye sore, it's time for a formatting refresh. Sleek and simple is the name of the game -- use easy-to-read fonts and clean formatting. You can use all caps or a different font color to emphasize section headers, but keep it consistent and stick with basic colors such as blue.

Sure, change is never easy, but with a few simple updates to your résumé, you'll be in good shape to tackle a new job search -- whether that's a few days, months or years down the road.

Best Of: Resume And Cover Letter Crafting

Your first impression depends on these two

By Mariya Pylayev

Remember the first time you wrote a cover letter? It was eloquent and poignant, detailing all the things an employer drools over in a job candidate. Once you completed your masterpiece, you packaged it with your equally exceptional resume and flung it out into the ether, sparking an epic, gruesome war between ten of the top companies in your desired field over a chance to employ you, the most coveted worker in all the land.

This has probably never actually happened to you (or anyone), because job hunting is a learned skill that many find arduous to master. And today, the job seeker has become loaded with more responsibilities, like constant networking, social media upkeep and outsmarting resume-scanning robots.

But there's one thing that hasn't changed about the application process and it won't give you nostalgia: the resume-cover letter combo. Check out AOL Jobs' roundup of the best resume and cover letter advice below.

Resumes

What to include and exclude on your resume

Tighten up your resume with these dos and don'ts.

Never use these 10 words on your resume

You may be responsible, creative and effective – but so is the rest of the job-seeking world. Keep these words off your resume to avoid blending in with the job pool.

How to keep your resume from the applicant black hole

Almost every major midsize company uses an applicant tracking system to sift through the large volume of resumes they receive.

Make Facebook work for your job search

It's no secret that many employers are screening their candidates' social media profiles before making a final decision. Rather than looking like you've got something to hide, you can open up parts of your Facebook as a supplement to your application.

Resume tips for career changers

Getting a job in a field you've never worked in is tough. If you're pursuing a second or third career, you can still show a prospective employer that you have the chops to take on the challenge by being honest and playing up your strengths.

Explaining resume gaps to your employers

Employment gaps are red flags to hiring managers. Whatever your reason is for having one, you must address it on your resume. The employer will either toss it aside, as he or she likely would if it remained unexplained, or the honesty will give you a fighting chance.

Cover Letters

Is the cover letter obscelete?

The short answer is no. Most companies still require one, and even if they don't explicitly ask for it, look at it as your only chance distinguish yourself from another equally qualified candidate.

Cover letter mistakes that may cost you the interview

The cover letter is a chance to add some personality and discuss your interest in the company, but it should always remain professional.

How to write a cover letter

The video below is part of a video blog series Nika Harper does on writing. If you've tried many conventional cover letter writing guides without good results, I encourage you to hear out Harper's thoughts, as it's some of the most current and creative help on writing cover letters that I've come across. It's sound advice, even if the occasional gamer lingo flies right over your head.

Résumé 101: New Résumé, New Year

• By CareerBuilder blogger

Now that we’re in a new year, we want to make sure that you’re armed with best information  so that you can land a job ASAP.

Many factors played into your not being able to find a job  in 2009. While the economy and the job market had plenty to do with it, there comes a point when you have to look at yourself and what you are (or aren’t) doing and how it’s affecting your job search. Let’s start with the most basic thing you need in your job search: a résumé.

Here’s a little résumé 101 to refresh your job search this year, excerpted from “Career Building: Your Total Handbook for Finding a Job and Making It Work.”

Writing your résumé: Hiring managers spend an average of one minute scanning a résumé. You have just a short window to convince them that you’re either fabulous or the most boring person alive. Which is it gonna be?

Here are the elements that your résumé should include:

Contact information: Your name (if your formal name is Abigail but you go by Abby, use Abby), address, phone number, e-mail address and Web site. And make sure to use a professional e-mail address for your job applications. Employers aren’t likely to call HotPants1234@hotmail.com.

Career summary or objective: This gives the hiring manager an idea of who you are immediately — before spending the 60 seconds skimming your résumé and deciding if he wants to bring you in for an interview. Many job seekers equate a summary with an objective. While both are two to three sentences appearing at the top of your résumé, they are different.

An objective states a job seeker’s desired job description, and is often ideal for people who are just starting out in the work force or changing industries. Some words of warning: It could pigeonhole you and limit how employers see you. If you are looking to take the next step in your chosen field, consider writing a career summary instead.

A career summary gives an overview of your work experience and/or relevant education.

Summary of qualifications: This calls out the most relevant information for the job. If you include this, the hiring manager doesn’t have to hunt for your abilities. This is an easy way to tailor your résumé for each job application. Look at the required skills listed in a job posting and use this as an opportunity to highlight the skills needed for the job. If you are changing careers or industries, this section helps you highlight certain transferable skills.

Technical skills: This is where you can show your computer and software proficiency. Are you missing a technical skill listed in the job description? Don’t throw in the towel. Seventy-eight percent of hiring managers report they are willing to recruit workers who don’t have experience in their particular industry or field and provide training/certifications needed.

Work history: This is where you list chronologically any work experience – titles, employer and dates of tenure. List only the most recent and relevant information; no one cares about your ninth-grade babysitting club … unless you are looking for something in child care (even then, save it for your cover letter).

Education: Include your dates of graduation, college major and minor, degrees earned or expected graduation date.

So there you have it; the very basics you should include on your résumé. Other things to remember to include? Keywords, accomplishments and no errors.

If you need some help writing your résumé, check out CBResume, or if you’d like a free critique of your current résumé, click here.

Questions? Just ask us here. In the meantime, here is some more light résumé reading to check out:

• The Résumé Black Hole
• Buzzwords That Can Damage Your Résumé
• HD Résumé: Making Things Crystal Clear

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Work history: This is where you list chronologically any work experience – titles, employer and dates of tenure. List only the most recent and relevant information; no one cares about your ninth-grade babysitting club … unless you are looking for something in childcare (even then, save it for your cover letter).

Don't Use These 10 Words On Your Resume

Show, don't tell. LinkedIn's annual survey of overused words

By Business Insider  

   

 

 

Getty Images

By Alison Griswold

Are you responsible? A strategic planner and creative thinker?

So is the rest of the career-seeking world, according to LinkedIn's annual list of the year's most overused resume words. "Responsible" was the worst offender in 2013, followed by "strategic" and "creative."

To compile its fourth annual list, LinkedIn examined the online profiles and resumes of its more than 259 million members. In the two previous years, "creative" led the rankings.

Here is LinkedIn's full list of overused resume words:

1. Responsible
2. Strategic
3. Creative
4. Effective
5. Patient
6. Expert
7. Organizational
8. Driven
9. Innovative
10. Analytical

Nicole Williams, the official career expert of LinkedIn, says the list is a reminder of how it's always better to show rather than tell when selling yourself on a resume. "Providing concrete examples to demonstrate how you are responsible or strategic is always better than just simply using the words," she explains.

While there's nothing wrong with being responsible, strategic, or creative, the danger in marketing yourself with those terms is that you'll blend in with the job pool.

"If you sound like everyone else, you won't stand out from other professionals vying for opportunities," Williams says. "Differentiate yourself by uniquely describing what you have accomplished in your career and back it up with concrete examples of your work."

Check out an infographic on the data below:

Résumés: What's in and what's out in 2014

By Susan Ricker, 

On "Project Runway," Heidi Klum often declares, "One day you're in, the next day you're out." While she's referring to fashion, the cyclical nature of trends extends to résumés and job-search tactics as well. And if your résumé style is out in 2014, you may well be out, too.
To make sure you're keeping up with the trends and away from major résumé disasters, check out what's in and what's out in 2014.

IN: Keywords that match job descriptions

Many employers use applicant tracking systems to screen résumés and generate a short list of candidates. To ensure that your résumé makes it through the ATS, try "greater research into the position and employer to identify a higher percentage of the employer's keywords associated with specific positions, then creatively embed them in the application and résumé," says Hank Boyer, president and CEO of Boyer Management Group and author of the "Job Search Readiness Assessment."

OUT: Listing your daily tasks as experience

Instead of using valuable space to tell employers about your basic responsibilities at previous jobs, use the section they're most likely to pay attention to for impressive feats and stand-out accomplishments. Boyer advises including "quantified, employer-focused accomplishments listed in bullet point under each work experience. For example, 'With team of 12 telemarketers, achieved 131 percent of productivity objectives, with a customer positive rating of 98.2 percent.'"

IN: Creating and using multiple drafts and formatsJust as no two jobs are the same, no two résumés should be the same. Boyer suggests creating multiple drafts and formats for different roles, to make it through different application mediums and screening tools. "[Create] multiple résumés, customized for each position, in both .txt and .doc formats to allow for use in online applications and ATS's (.txt), and for traditional printed copies and PDF emailing (.doc)."

OUT: Including an objective statement"Replace the outdated 'objective statement' and include a summary of your qualifications at the top of your résumé," says Carri Nebens, executive hiring manager and owner of Equis Staffing. "This swap offers a more personal look at you and what you could bring to the job. This should be three to five sentences long and should be tailored specifically for the job you are applying for. Be straight to the point, and market yourself as the ideal person for the job. Be compelling and concise, using this section to paint a picture of your characteristics, experience and achievements."

IN: Pointing employers to your online presenceWhile you only get so much room on an application or résumé, there's likely much more you'd like to share with prospective employers. The best way to do this? "Include your LinkedIn URL," Nebens says. "First, if you haven't already, you should create a LinkedIn profile, as LinkedIn profile URLs are becoming standard to put on your résumé. A LinkedIn profile will allow prospective employers the opportunity to learn more about your skills and better assess your qualifications. Make sure to fully develop your profile prior to listing your URL and align your résumé's goal with your profile, so both are telling the same story."

OUT: "References available upon request"Similar to the objective statement, including references or "references available upon request" is a waste of valuable résumé real estate and just repeats the obvious. Ellis Chase, president of EJ Chase Consulting Inc. and author of "In Search of the Fun-Forever Job: Career Strategies that Work," recommends omitting the standard references line. "'References available upon request' was great in 1955. Not so much now. What are you going to say -- 'References not available upon request'? Lose it." Instead, expand other sections that need the space. Chase suggests creating an "Additional relevant information" section, where you can list your skills, languages and technologies that are immediately relevant to the desired targets.

Do You Make These 4 Cover Letter Mistakes?

• By glassdoor.com

 














By Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter

Some people meticulously write their resume but then treat their cover letter as an afterthought, resulting in a mistake-riddled, dull and underperforming document. It's important to ensure that your job search tool kit is fully equipped with high-quality, well-honed marketing messages that are blunder-free. The following four cover letter mistakes -- and accompanying remedies -- will help sharpen your cover letter saw.

1. Using a generic salutation: While it is not always possible to obtain the name of the cover letter recipient, often, with a little digging, you can!

The fix: One example is to use LinkedIn. Let's say you discover an opening for an electrical engineer position at an engineering organization's website. The position description indicates the employee will report to the lead electrical engineer. You decide (initially) to bypass the company's automated application system so you can customize your communications.

You sail over to LinkedIn and begin researching. Use the advanced search feature and type in "name of company" for the company name, "lead electrical engineer" for keywords and "64152″ for a ZIP Code for greater Kansas City (where the company headquarters and this position are located) and click enter. Your results will appear.

Search within your first- or second-tier contacts. You want to be sure to land on the contact with lead electrical engineer in the title. You will have access to that person's first and last name. This information, along with the company's mailing address which you can generally pick up at a corporate website, will equip you to create a custom-addressed letter.

This is just one of many examples to research contact names that will help you tailor your cover letter versus writing a generic "Dear Hiring Manager" salutation. Another method is to use Glassdoor's Inside Connections feature that finds any connections to companies you search for through your friends on Facebook.

2. Peppering the letter with 'I': While the cover letter touts your value, you should be familiar with the reader's areas of pain and heartily address their needs with your solutions.

The fix: While it is nearly impossible not to use the words "I" or "my" in the cover letter, you can slant the tone and construct your sentences to better reverberate with the reader's needs. For example, instead of launching into a diatribe of "I did this" or "I did that," you might lead into a letter with something like:

"Simplifying complicated information in measurable, digestible ways to align stakeholders is my talent." Notice how "my" is used, but the sentence does not lead with the first person possessive.

Also, consider directly connecting the dots of your traits with the current industry or market need. For example: "With more than 15 years' technology process management experience, I've learned to cut through the fog and chart a clear course. Clarifying routine processes versus necessary processes has sharpened investigative abilities ... (etc.). These traits are particularly imperative in the current tumultuous economic client."

3. Droning on and on: Putting every thought, including the kitchen sink, into your letter will lose the reader's interest.

The fix: Put your content through the so-what filter as you write; however, you don't want to stifle your creativity by trying to build a perfect letter out of the gate. Assuming that you are fairly focused on your target goal by the time you get to the letter-writing stage, the initial draft should be somewhat on point. That said, self-editing is crucial. Read through your letter several times. Use a red pen, ruthlessly. Trim, edit, augment, focus. Corral the cover letter into a four-to-five-paragraph format, and use bullets to showcase certain information. Keep it to one pithy page, if possible.

4. Running out of steam: It is tough to close a story well. And, like your resume, a cover letter is a mini-story that needs a clean, compelling close. Don't make the mistake of running out of steam at the end of your letter and relying on easy, but typically boring endings. This is not only uninteresting, but it makes you look lazy.

The fix: Research other people's letters to get the creative juices flowing. Some professional resume writers publish cover letter samples on their site. Do not steal other people's language; instead, use the language as a launch pad to stimulate your own! While your closing should be sincere, it shouldn't be bland. Pretend you are talking with the person face to face. What would you say to display your enthusiasm (not desperation) for the opportunity at the end of the conversation? You would be politely persistent, right? Show the same vigor in the written word!

Important tips for résumés and interviews after military service

• By Debra Auerbach

By Brett Harris, special to CareerBuilder

As a veteran, you typically bring a wealth of skills to the table that a civilian job applicant can’t. Military service teaches you leadership, teamwork, decision-making and even engineering and technology. And yet, CNN reports that veteran unemployment rates are almost always 2 percent higher than the national average, and 34 percent of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans are unemployed for more than a year after returning home.

It’s not that employers aren’t interested in military veterans. They just often misunderstand what a veteran applicant is capable of, because the applicant either downplays their military experience or doesn’t know how to explain it. In order to enter the job market successfully, you must represent yourself well on paper and in person.

1. Set clear career goals
For both veterans and civilians, one of the biggest challenges in writing a résumé is making it specific to the industry you want to pursue. Veterans can have even more trouble with this because they come from such a wide variety of backgrounds and have a wide variety of specialties. Veteran career resources such as counselors and coaches can help you figure out exactly what kind of work you want to do and what you’re most qualified for. They can also help you figure out if you need further education or training to get the job you want.

2. Make a résumé that speaks to employers’ needs
The secret reality of job hunting is that most people don’t have one résumé. They have several variations of their résumé that are tailored to the different positions and employers they apply for. When you’re interested in applying to a company, research everything you can. Find out what skills they’re looking for and what skills are needed for the position in question and then tailor your résumé to highlight your qualifications. Applying to work in marketing is much different than applying to work in accounting, and applying to work at a large corporation is different from applying to work for a small and growing business.

3. Show your personality
Employers have the same support and admiration for the military as most civilians, but the unfortunate truth is sometimes veterans can be a little intimidating. In job interviews, make sure you speak about your military career as only one aspect of your life and experiences. A face-to-face interview gives you the opportunity to show that military officers are people just like everyone else — they just usually have more life experience, discipline and skills than the average applicant. Be proud of your veteran status and flaunt your abilities. Don’t go into too many confusing details or discuss some of the more harrowing things you might have seen, but do make sure you’re highlighting the positive aspects of your service.

4. Be willing to learn
Preparing for a job interview usually involves rehearsing your answers to the most common questions. You should know how to break your skills down to the most basic description and give examples of when you used them effectively. But you should also prepare plenty of questions to ask the interviewer. Show her how well you’ve researched the company and how enthusiastic you are about the prospect of working there. Serving in the military is a great way to show you’re a team player, so your questions and answers should revolve around what you can bring to the business as a whole. No matter what your skills are, you can always improve and expand on them in the workplace.

Finding a job after you come home can be nerve-wracking. Luckily, there are plenty of VA services that can help you with your questions and start you on the path to finding the civilian life you always wanted. After serving your country, you deserve to find success.

How to prepare for applying on a form application

By Debra Auerbach, 

 

Form applications may bring back memories of jobs you had in high school or college. But the truth is that many jobs you'll apply for today will require applications. It's a company's way of getting standard information from every applicant and ensuring uniformity and fairness for all who apply.
While filling out a job application often seems like the easiest step in the hiring process, if you aren't prepared or don't fill out the form accurately you could end the process before it even begins.

Here are some tips to make sure you ace the form application step.
Prepare common answers ...

Submitting an application may be the first thing you do for some job opportunities, but other times you might not get the application until you go in for an interview. If that's the case, make sure you're prepared so you can fill out the form quickly and completely.
In a Microsoft Word document, create a list of information that's often requested in an application, and make sure the list is easily accessible whenever and wherever you may fill one out. Consider emailing the list to yourself so you have it when you're on the go.
Some common fields on an application may include:

• Name
• Address
• Email address
• Phone number
• Social security number
• Driver's license/state ID
• Employment history (e.g., names and dates of positions held, reasons for leaving)
• Education and experience (e.g., schools attended, degrees, graduation date, skills acquired)
• Salary
• References
• Ability to upload or copy/paste a résumé

... But don't assume all applications are the same.

If you're filling out an application for what seems like the millionth time, you may go on autopilot and answer questions the same way on each form. Make sure to read each new application thoroughly, because there may be a few questions either worded a different way or asking for different types of information than the previous application you just submitted.
Tackle tricky questions.

While most questions on an application are pretty standard and straightforward, some may be a little trickier to answer than others. One such culprit is the salary question. Whether the form asks for current salary, salary range or salary minimum, make sure you're being accurate and that you're comfortable with the number you include.
"It's best to include your minimum expectation for compensation," says Emily Hofer, chief human resources officer at Arise Virtual Solutions Inc., a work-at-home business process outsourcing company. "This needs to be something you can be comfortable with and will accept ... do not sabotage yourself by including a low number, thinking you can negotiate up when the offer comes in ... this only leads to distrust later in the process."
So how do you determine that number? "When the always fearful 'desired salary' question comes up, the applicant should use salary index sites ... to get an idea [of] what 'Job X' is worth," says Joshua Siva, author of "BOLD: Get Noticed, Get Hired." Siva also suggests calculating your expenses and financial goals and determining a number that, if offered, is one with which you'd be happy, you'd have enough to get by financially and you'd be able to live comfortably.
Stand out.

It may seem nearly impossible to stand out on a form application, but you can find small ways to impress. Show that you've done your research on the company by including some thoughts in a "comments" or "additional information" section, if available. For instance, you could say something like, "I noticed the company just won business with X beauty company. I have seven years of experience working with beauty and lifestyle clients."