How to Craft the Perfect Modern Resume

How to Craft the Perfect Modern Resume The day and age of education and job history resumes are long-gone. Todays successful resumes are social, interactive and are brought to life for all those reading it. In a digital world, text becomes more than letters, words and sentences on a page. The phrases come alive, grab attention and guide the hiring professional through your resume. The modern resume is changing and evolving. While it may seem daunting to some, it offers the opportunity to combine creativity and personality with education and work history, giving an applicant an edge over others seeking the same position. Fortunately, our friends at  ColoradoTech  have come up with the perfect modern resume plan. Takeaways: Use Georgia as your font not Times New Roman. Photos can add personality to your resume. Dont be lazy be sure to tailor your resume to each position. Online resumes are searchable and offer increased interactive elements, including video. Social networks can help or hinder your chances of getting a job or getting into college or education programs best suited for your career. The wrong image on social media can torpedo an otherwise stellar resume. RELATED:  7  Resume  Mistakes You Probably Didnt Realize

Google Guy 5 ways to build a network outside your company

Google Guy 5 ways to build a network outside your company By Jason Warner One of the biggest mistakes I see people make is that they get caught up in the tactics of their job at a particular company, and they then dont do anything to advance their career beyond their current employer. This is a significant error in life strategy. I see people all the time, maneuvering inside a corporation to reach their goals. In the old talent economy, it was sufficient to network inside the company, and work on extra projects outside your department in order to be well positioned to earn the much coveted consistently exceeds on your annual review. In the new talent economy you have to take that one step further, and make yourself valuable outside your company as well. Here are five ways to advance your career beyond your current employer: 1. Set aside a significant amount of time each week. Its important to realize that in a corporate environment, there will almost always be more work than time and resources allow. In fact, many companies manage expenses by employing an N-1 strategy to control costs. If the company needs N resources, theyll only resource to N-1 (or N-10 sometimes). For a variety of reasons, this tactic controls costs, creates flexibility in managing expenses, and forces some degree of prioritization. If you are the one willing to make up for the lack of resources, knock yourself out. Im not suggesting that you do the bare minimum at your job, but I am suggesting that you spend a little of your weekly efforts towards advancing your career beyond your current employer. 2. Network for the sole purpose of building relationships. Building a network has to be an ongoing, authentic pursuit. I recommend at least an hour a week of tactical, outbound, relationship-building efforts. Focus on trying to find ways to help other people. But make smart choices about who you network with. Also, if you wait until you need a job, networking is largely ineffective. Nobody wants to hear from you only when you need something. Im always trying to network, not because Im looking for the next great job, but because its part of my overall life strategy. 3. Be online. I recommend that everyone have a blog, and I predict that for top talent, blogs will become more important than resumes. (In some ways this may already be true.) If youre going to blog, I recommend writing at least one or two posts week, and more if you can swing it. (Admittedly this is hard to do unless you are exceptionally talented or have no life.) If a blog isnt for you, at least become active online, either by participating in discussion forums, writing on distribution lists, or commenting on influential peoples blogs. You never know what connections will develop that might lead to career opportunity (or maybe youll even meet your mate). Overall, online pursuits should be at least one hour a week. I probably do four hours a week, which consists mostly of writing for my blog and commenting on other blogs. 4. Understand the space youre in. Get to know whatever segment in whatever industry you are choosing to exist in. You need to know who the players are in the space you want to play. This understanding will help augment and align your networking efforts. Some people actively make lists of the people they want to meet in their industry, and then start a targeted connection campaign. I prefer a more organic approach, and I simply try to authentically make human connections when there seems to be a reasonable opportunity to do so. You should spend an hour a week reading and exploring the industry you work in. 5. Give back. Find ways to give back to the industry in which you work, for at least an hour a week. This can comprise many different efforts, from speaking at conferences, writing for journals, or simply attending industry events. Get involved in an industry-related non-profit organization. If there isnt one in your area, start one, and it will give you an excuse to meet lots of people. Giving back to your industry is a way to further your career, and also to make yourself feel good.

5 Ways to Conquer New Job Anxiety - Classy Career Girl

5 Ways to Conquer New Job Anxiety Isn’t it funny how our nerves tend to kick in during the moments when they absolutely are not welcome?  You’re getting ready to start your dream job, but instead of thinking about how much could go right, your mind is giving you a reel of everything that could possibly go wrong at your new job. Suddenly you feel totally underqualified and like an imposter.  In the interview, you fought hard for your position, you had examples of your results, and great stories to share about your wins. Now all you can think about are your failures. Well, if you are in this situation I’d like to offer a little bit of advice based on over twenty years of corporate experience and my experience as an entrepreneur. Nerves are part and parcel of growth and expansion. Know that everyone feels like this at some point or other. There are practical steps you can take to make sure you start your new role as the confident and talented career woman you are. 5 Ways to Conquer New Job Anxiety 1. Avoid Masking How You Feel The first step is awareness around what you’re feeling and that your feelings are related to something in particular. You’ve already achieved that piece just by reading this post. You’ve recognized that you are feeling nervous and here you are looking for ways to process and move through it. Well done!  This is a lot harder than you might think. How often have you woken up tired, groggy, not feeling your best, and you have absolutely no idea why? You guess it could be the cheese you ate last night, or maybe youre dehydrated or your sleep was interrupted. There are a number of reasons to choose from. While you definitely don’t want to get bogged down in thinking about all of the reasons you aren’t feeling your best all of the time, having a basic understanding of your emotional, mental, and physical bodies and how they react to the environment can really help you move into your true power. The first step is recognizing how you feel without feeling the need to cover it up or mask it in any way.  No judgment here, just awareness. 2. It’s Okay To Ask For Support I know you feel like you have to be strong, to keep everything together, and be brave.   But sometimes it helps to have support.  Know that needing support is not a weakness, in fact, having the right support structure in place is a strength. It’s a positive thing to recognize that there are some areas that can be developed alongside someone else who has those skills. It’s not always possible to speak to a friend or a family member about career related struggles, especially if they have no direct experience of what youre going through. Career coaches are great support systems. They have been where you are now and can take you through the steps you are about to go through. Having a coach will help you wade through unexpected challenges, remove self-doubt, and thrive in your new role.  Together, you can work on matching strategies to specific situations so you can make the most out of your working experience. Plus, it is so much more fun and reassuring to have an expert in your corner. [RELATED: 10 Simple Rules for Guaranteed Success in Your Career] 3. Don’t Make Changes Hastily If you are moving to a new position, avoid making big changes to the structure, team, or workflow. Try to wait until youve had an opportunity to gain some perspective on the situation. It’s totally normal that you will be excited and want to make your mark, but remember, most people don’t like change. Get clear on what your vision is and then begin enrolling others by sharing your thoughts and asking for feedback. Youre not the only one who may be feeling nervous. Remember the team you are joining is likely to be very curious about you. If youre moving into a managerial position, they are going to want to get along with you and impress you. Give the team time to connect with you and create opportunities for everyone to get to know each other. 4. Make Self-Care A Priority During The Transition Phase I’m sure you already have some kind of self-care  routine in place. Try to take an extra thirty minutes to an hour a week for yourself and do something extra special.   Schedule it out in your calendar as ME TIME, so you know you will take it. Your ME TIME must be something that is absolutely just for you, completely unrelated to work, and must care for your body, mind spirit. It could be as simple as practicing a gentle yin yoga class in your spare room with some relaxing music and some candlelight.  Or it could be running a bubble bath and reading that great book you’ve been dying to read for ages. Or, if you want to get a little luxurious, book a massage at your local day spa.  This time is about really taking quality time for yourself and recognizing that you need extra rest and support right now. 5. Make Peace With Yourself and Family This Is A Priority For You And That’s Okay A struggle we all have at one point or another is how to juggle our career and family commitments. It doesnt matter what your family looks like, children or no children, single or married. Your family members  are the social connections you see regularly. During this time, they may not see as much of you as they usually do. The first step is to release guilt about this. You have decided that at this time, this position is what is important for you in your life.   That doesn’t mean you don’t care about your family.  It might help to explain to the close people in your life that the next six months are likely to be challenging for you.  Ask for their understanding and assure them that they mean the world to you. This small action will go a long way in ensuring that you and your family feel at peace about the journey you have ahead!

10 Horrors of the Job Hunt

10 Horrors of the Job Hunt Your job hunt can be full of unexpected twists and turns, adrenaline rushes and terrifying ordeals. Among the pressure  and nerves that job searching brings, the lack of sleep and stress can leave you feeling  like a zombie, a job rejection can feel like the end of the world  and the prospect of attending an interview fills you with the same kind of dread that  a meeting with the devil might. Seeing as its Halloween, Ive put together 10 of the scariest things about the job hunt. What job search factors fill you with fear? 1)  Soul destroying job applications The pressure is well and truly on to make your application stand out. But howwww?! 2) Interview bomb shells Having unexpected interview questions thrown at you can be as terrifying as a bucket of spiders! YesNo..Maybe! Can you repeat the question? 3) Monstrous mistakes Stumbling over your words, not being able to answer a question, calling your interviewer by the wrong namethe list goes oneven the tiniest of mistakes will fill you with horror. Ground please swallow me up! 4) Skeletons in your closet Agonising over the possibility that a previous conflict at work or dismissal may come back to haunt you. Lets keep that in the past ok? 5) Networking nightmares Striking up professional conversations with strangers  can be petrifying. Hellooo.sir? 6) Traumatising Tweets Discovering a mass of highly unprofessional Tweets on your public  Twitter account after sending off a dozen job applications. Delete delete DELETE!! 7) Unemployment interrogation People constantly ask you about how your job hunt is coming along. Just leave me in peace, in my unemployed tedious peace. 8) Awaiting your fate Youve had your interview and then they just leave you hanging. Put me out of my misery already! 9) Gut wrenching  rejection You find out you have been unsuccessful and realise that you have to go through it all over again. Nobody wants me! 10) Blood curdling bosses The prospect of a brand new extra terrifying boss. [Image Credit: Shutterstock]

That Deadline Looming On Your Head Can Make You or Break You-Meeting Deadlines

That Deadline Looming On Your Head Can Make You or Break You-Meeting Deadlines Photo Credit â€" Pixabay.comDeadlines can be intimidating and can stress you out as it draws near or it can be your driving force in getting a thing done on time. The way deadlines influence you depends on how you view it and either let it take a toll on you or motivate you.The crucial importance of meeting deadlines is being stressed upon since school days and tested in class tests, quizzes, exams, term papers and the like. Deadlines become stricter as you proceed to college and university and ultimately in the corporate world, the deadline is what drives you to your ultimate goal.The clients and customers that you partner with, all demand fulfillment of deadlines and are meant to train you for excellence. Being able to meet deadlines on regular basis helps build credibility and if you view it from a financial perspective, paying your bills on time builds up a good credit score and makes you eligible for loans of all sorts. The due date of the bill is also like a deadline that helps you be financially responsible and hence brings financial stability to your life.Deadlines can be highly powerful and influential, here’s how:eval1. PlanningevalThey force you to plan ahead of time and compel you to think how it will be like to reach that point in time when your project will be completed. It helps you to establish a mind map and build upon it so that you are categorically able to achieve your ultimate goal step by step.Accumulate everything good about prioritizing your work and surviving in your first year of college and let that be your guiding principle. This was the time you learned the true meaning of independent and if you managed it well that time, and then you certainly should follow the same rules here.2. PrioritizationIt helps you identify your priorities and allot a time frame and schedule to your work so that you know which task to tackle and which one to put off for the time being. Managing your workflow cannot be done in a better manner than tying it with strict deadlines.3. Reduce ProcrastinationWe tend to procrastinate a lot and hence deadlines push us to the limit and make us do work which we would otherwise not do in normal circumstances. It is human nature that we tend to delay work which is not urgent hence deadly deadlines can make us set goals and reach out forBelow are some tips to help meet your deadlines:a) Be very specific about your deadlineTake deadlines very seriously, in fact, make sure that you have placed the exact date and time of the deadline in your mind and in writing as well. In a dynamic work environment, you will have to juggle between several responsibilities and meet multiple deadlines which will obviously require you to keep track of them. Keep some buffer time in mind also so that any delays do not affect your actual deadlines.2.Understand the inter-dependability of eventsYou will stay true to your deadlines when you will know that your deadline does not only affect your performance but has a ripple effect all along. Take, for instance, a delivery boy who fails to deliver the pizza ordered on time. He being late would ultimately bring the blame on the pizza outlet even if they had made the pizza on time and everything was perfect from the degree of hotness to the taste.Hence the end result which comes out due to missing one deadline can make the entire team look unprofessional and non-serious, which might not necessarily be the case.3. Do not leave things to the endevalA major rule of following deadlines and doing justice to them is to not cram up things at the last minute. You should start working way before the actual deadline so that there is room for some breathing space.Working on the last minute does not only include the risk of not delivering the task on time but may also lead to blunders and errors that may undermine the productivity of the individual.Working under time constraints can be mentally exhausting and may lead to undesirable repercussions and consequences.

Where Will Your Goal Take You Today - CareerAlley

Where Will Your Goal Take You Today - CareerAlley We may receive compensation when you click on links to products from our partners. ** This article originally appeared on the blog **Onlinecareertips.com** By Jackie HottFaculty member at American Public University Doctor, lawyer, farmer, actress, athlete, business woman, mom, or teacherwhich one did you want to be when you grew up? When we are young we think about the future, but you are never too old to have goals. As I reflect on my life goals I realize many of them began when I was young. I had goals of going to college, becoming a teacher, getting married, and, one day, running a marathon. I remember sharing my aspirations with family, friends, and teachers. Lately as I reflect on my life I realize I have gotten out of the habit of goal setting. Why? When we are young we fantasize about what is to come and the life we want to have as we get older. Once we have accomplished our childhood dreams, we get busy living them. We stop goal setting and begin to focus on the daily tasks rather than those that can support our future goals. In order to grow as an adult we must continue to have aspirations and dreams. Identify Your Goal I suggest you brainstorm the areas of your life that you feel either need some attention or connect to a passion you have that you would like to see grow. Choose a goal that is challenging yet attainable. Achievement and goal setting go hand in hand. Cheung (2004) shares in her article that achievement connects to goal setting. When you give yourself a difficult goal to achieve you will work harder to achieve it. A goal that is challenging is more likely to be accomplished (Cheung, 2004; Yearta, Maitlis, Briner, 1995). Take the Steps to Achievement Here are steps to help you meet your goal. Write your goal down. You can use a wipe board, the bathroom mirror, a journal, or electronic notes. Whichever modality you choose it should be something you look at often. Determine 2-4 tasks that you need to do in order to meet your goal. If running a 10k is your goal you may need to buy new shoes, develop a training program, and find a running partner. Determine the date you plan to meet your goal and mark it on the calendar and map out an action plan. Your time management plan should include time to work on your goal. Share your intentions with family and friends. This allows you to have a support system which will help you stay on track. Make the goal a priority, take action, and reward yourself when it has been accomplished. Achievement happens when a goal is supported by action. A goal comes from the mind but must be supported by the heart (Yearta, Maitlis, Briner, 1995). Where will your goals take you today? References Cheung, E. (2004). Goal setting as motivational tool in students self-regulated learning. Educational Research Quarterly, 27(3), 3-9. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/216183541?accountid=8289 Yearta, S. K., Maitlis, S., Briner, R. B. (1995). An exploratory study of goal setting in theory and practice: A motivational technique that works?. Journal Of Occupational Organizational Psychology, 68(3), 237-252. About the Author: Jackie Nicholas Hott received her Bachelors degree in Education/Communication from Mary Baldwin College in 1989 and a Masters degree in Education from Virginia Tech in 1993 focusing on College Student Personnel with a strong interest in Womens Studies. Jackie is an instructor with American Public University. She teaches the Foundations of Learning course. Before coming to APU, she taught elementary school, was the director for a nonprofit, and worked at Shenandoah University in Student Affairs. Jackies goal is to continue to write and share her passion for learning while inspiring others to achieve for their goals. We are always eager to hear from our readers. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions or suggestions regarding CareerAlley content. Good luck in your search,Joey Google+ Visit Joeys profile on Pinterest. Job Search job title, keywords, company, location jobs by What's next? Ready to take action? Choose the right tools to help you build your career. Looking for related topics? Find out how to find the opportunities that help you grow your best career. Subscribe and make meaningful progress on your career. It’s about time you focused on your career. Get Educated Contact Us Advertise Copyright 2020 CareerAlley. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy + Disclosure home popular resources subscribe search

Using an Association For Resume Writing

Using an Association For Resume WritingMany organizations may look to hire a National Resume Writing Assocation to help them with their resume and cover letter writing. As the name suggests, an association is actually a group of writers. In fact, an association can be as large or as small as you need it to be.However, if you do choose to work with an association for resume writing, it's important that you are careful to make sure that the work is done with professionalism. Since many individuals may not feel comfortable working with a large group of strangers to help with a resume, an association can make things much easier. Furthermore, many times, an association will be there for you when the right people need your resume.Of course, you will want to make sure that the association you choose has a particular focus, and specifically, that they will be concentrating on specific skills. When you want to ensure that you have the best resume possible, and that it is written with the utmo st professionalism, there is no better place to start than at an association. Keep in mind that while most associations are small and there are very few large groups, there are always those big organizations that you will want to focus on.Of course, while it is important that the association that you choose to work with has a specific focus, you also need to be sure that you get as much as you can out of the association. While it is important that you can get a large amount of content from them, you also need to make sure that you get a great deal. As a result, make sure that you do your research before you commit to anything, and that you ask plenty of questions of any group that you're considering working with.It is also important that you go ahead and choose the right group for your national resume writing. Remember, there are many associations that are small and that are focused more on quality than quantity. Therefore, don't make the mistake of choosing an association because t hey have the largest membership, but you are not sure that they have the best quality.After all, the same can be said for different associations. For example, a professional association may focus more on content quality, and less on quantity. Conversely, some associations may be smaller than others, and in order to find the perfect one, you need to research as many associations as possible.Make sure that you keep in mind that there are many ways to go about getting a resume and cover letter out. You may opt to use a resume that has been pre-designed by an association, or you may choose to write your own. Regardless of what type of resume or cover letter you choose, making sure that you hire the right group for your resume and cover letter is a must.By using an association for resume writing, you are sure to find that it makes things easier. The more you work with an association, the better chance you have of getting a great resume and cover letter. Thus, make sure that you choose th e right group for your resume, and get the most out of your resume.