Community Blog: Advantage Writing Services

What’s personal branding and what can it do to help your career?

If you have an hour, join me today for a FREE twelve hour long teleconference. See the schedule and sign up at http://www.personalbrandingsummit.com/about.html. Teleseminars, covering everything from personal branding 1010 to personal brands for entrepreneurs, start on the hour. Can’t make it today? Podcasts are available for download on Monday.

Invest time in yourself. You’ll be glad you did.

Iam glued to the phone today, but always happy to help with your résumé writing needs and other career services. Find out more about Advantage Writing Services  at www.advantagewriting.com.

 

 

 

 

With employers receiving hundreds – some even thousands – of résumés, many hiring managers scan résumés with software looking for the “key words” pointing to the ideal candidate. A scannable résumé does not have to be plain and boring. Follow these guidelines to be sure your résumé is included in the interview pile.

Choose an easy to read font where the letters do not touch, like Times New Roman or Arial.

Avoid using bold, italic or underlined type.

Stick to font sizes or 11 pt. or larger.

The first line should only include your name, your telephone number on the second and email on the third.

Include your name on the top of each subsequent page.

Text should be left-justified.

Be careful with abbreviations.

Consider expanding the character spacing for the entire document.

Send an original printed on white paper using a laser printer.

Use plain paper, fancy or recycled paper often has specks.

Eliminate boarders or graphics, including lines, tables and columns.

Use common keyboard symbols (such as #, *, >) in place of bullets.

Instead of using & and %, spell out the words “percent” and “and.”

If you use slashes (/), make sure you leave a space for and after each slash.

Always use a paper clip, never staple the pages together.

Mail or deliver the résumé flat in a 9x12 envelope – do not fold.

Need help putting your scannable résumé together? Consider a professional résumé writer. Advantage Writing Services offers full-service résumé & job-search services. Visit www.advantagewriting.com for more information.

 

Personal branding is not a term most are familiar with. But you need to be. Your career identity is not some slick piece of advertising. Instead, it is based on the authentic, talented, and genuinely unique and special person you are. Does your résumé reflect who you are? Not just what you can do. It is your strengths, your image, your passion, and your personality traits, along with other people’s perceptions of you, applied in a work environment that enhances your productivity.

Your personal brand is not phony and conceited, an exaggeration, nor is it a trick or fleeting fad.  The components of your personal brand and career identity are the essence of you as a person and employee and it should come across clearly in your résumé and cover letter.

No matter what stage you are at in your career –- the beginning, middle, or senior level, or if you are changing careers or reinventing yourself — you must have a game plan for your future. Know how to self-promote and market yourself successfully to become the very best you can be.

 

Need help in writing your résumé or defining your personal brand? Advantage Writing Services offer professional résumé and career services including personal branding. www.advantagewriting.com

 

25 Pet Peeves and Common Mistakes as noted by some of America ’s top employers.

1. Leaving out dates
2. No chronological listing of work
3. overstatement of responsibilities
4. Too much detail, usually around job descriptions
5. Summary of work history by type instead of listing the exact company and job performed
6. Baseless description of personal strengths
7. Entitlement mentality (“I have my degree, I’m sharp, what can you do for me?”)
8. No accomplishments listed, only job titles
9. statements of accomplishments without a clear indication of where and when they were made
10. Pumped up to look as if the candidate had the qualifications he or she does not possess
11. Accomplishments separated from work history so that it is not clear what was done where
12. Fancy Fonts
13. Photo included
14. Graphics
15. Typos
16. Misspellings
17. Fluff wording
18. Poor grammar
19. Incomplete sentences
20. Disorganized
21. Too long
22. Two pages from beginners
23. Poor organization
24. lack of clear directions, focus
25. Covering up or lying about gaps in employment or lack of degree

                                                        From Resume Magic by Susan Britton Whitcomb

 Each of these offenses fall into five categories: content (1-7,) accomplishments (8-11,) visual, (12-14,) grammar (15-19,) and organization (20-15.)  Avoid these common mistakes so your résumé won’t end up in the circular file.

 Need help putting your résumé together? Call a professional résumé writer. Advantage Writing Services offers full-service résumé & job-search services. Visit www.advantagewriting.com for more information.

 

With only three weeks to go before the Career Expo, is your résumé polished and ready to attract the attention you need? Know and use these expert résumé strategies from professional résumé writers Wendy Enelow (whom I had the pleasure to meet in Savannah at the Résumé Writer’s Annual Conference) and Louise Kursmark:

Résumé Strategy #1 Who Are You ad How Do You Want to be Perceived?
You cannot write an effective résumé without knowing what type of position you will be seeking.

Résumé Strategy #2 Sell It to Me – Don’t Tell It to Me
If you “tell it,” you are simply stating facts. If you “sell it,“ you promote it, advertise it, and draw attention to it.

Résumé Strategy #3 Use Keywords
It is vital to include all the keywords that represent your experience and knowledge so that your résumé comes to the attention of employers who use scanning technology.

Résumé Strategy # 4 Use the “Big” and Save the “Little”
When deciding what to include in your résumé, try to focus on “big” things- new programs, new curricula, reduced operating costs, improved profitability, major projects, improvements in students’ test results, and more. Give a good, broad-based picture of what your were responsible for and how well you did it.

Résumé Strategy #5 Make Your Résumé “Interviewable”
Make sure your résumé leads the reader where you want to go in the interview and presents just the right organization, content, and appearance to stimulate a productive discussion.

Résumé Strategy #6 Eliminate Confusion with Structure and Context
The average reader will skim your résumé quickly and expect to pick up important facts in just a few seconds. Make it as easy as possible for readers to grasp the essential facts.

Résumé Strategy #7 Use Function to Demonstrate Achievement
You’ll create a more powerful résumé presentation if you translate your job functions into achievements.

Résumé Strategy #8 Remain in the Realm of Reality Do not push your skills and qualifications outside the bounds of what is truthful.

Résumé Strategy #9 Be Confident
To succeed, you must prepare a résumé that is written to sell you, and highlight your qualifications and your success.

Need help putting your résumé together? Margaret Burkholder is a professional résumé writer. Advantage Writing Services offers full-service job-search assistance. Visit www.advantagewriting.com for more information.

           

I was forwarded  this article from FORTUNE Magazine and thought it worth sharing.

 

You know it’s time to quit when:

 1. You don't fit in. Your values don't match the company's. If your colleagues are "dishonest and focused on getting ahead regardless of legal or moral barriers," Bayer says, it's time to quit before an Enron-style scandal sinks the ship.

 2. Your boss doesn't like you and you don't like him or her. If your boss never asks your opinion, and never wants to chat or have lunch with you, and if you disagree with her agenda and dislike her style, your days are numbered. Adds Bayer: "If you've ever done something that undermined your boss, you might as well get out now."

 3. Your peers don't like you. Feeling isolated, gossiped about, and excluded from the inner workings of the organization is a very bad sign, as is feeling that you're not part of the team and wouldn't socialize with your colleagues even if they asked you.

4. You don't get assignments that demonstrate the full range of your abilities. "Watching all the good assignments go to others, while you're given the ones that play to your weaknesses or are beneath your professional level, should tell you something," says Bayer. Likewise, if it seems the boss doesn't trust your judgment, you're in trouble.

 5. You always get called upon to do the "grunt work." Everybody has to take on a dull or routine task now and then, but if you are constantly being singled out to do the work no one else wants, alarm bells should ring.

 6. You are excluded from meetings your peers are invited to. Sound familiar? If it's painfully clear that your ideas aren't valued, why stick around?

 7. Everyone on your level has an office. You have a cubicle in the hallway. Bayer notes that, whatever your title, your digs can speak volumes about your real status in the organization. If your peers have offices with windows and you're asked to move into a broom closet - no matter what the official explanation - start cleaning out your desk.

 8. You dread going to work and feel like you're developing an ulcer. Ah, here's yet another of your symptoms, and a particularly nasty one at that.

 Richard Bayer, Ph.D. is chief operating officer of The Five O’clock Club (www.fiveoclockclub.com), a national career-counseling network based in New York City .

 

Readers, have you ever quit a job that made you miserable? How did you know it was time to skedaddle? Or have you ever stayed too long and regretted it? Post your thoughts.

 

Margaret Burkholder, owner Advantage Writing Services - Professional Résumés and Interview Coaching. Visit www.advantagewriting.com for a complete list of career services.

I am writing from beautiful Savannah, Georgia where I am attending the National Resume Writers Association Annual Conference. Besides learning about the many ghosts lurking about this historic city, I continue to study the world of professional resume writing and career services. Discussions have included everything from personal branding, federal resumes, resumes for Generation Y (babies of the Baby Boomers), career search strategies and the uses (and misuses) of the resume. I am excited to collect my thoughts and share them with you over the next weeks, no months – I have lots to share! Until then, Margaret Advantage Writing Services www.advantagewritingservices.com

Everyone knows you don’t get a second chance to make a first impression. Your résumé amplifies this fact; with little more than words printed on paper, you introduce yourself to each potential employer. Not only must your résumé make the right impression, it must stand out from the crowd, or should we say stack?

To make the right impression, your résumé must get to the point in the top third of the first page. Simply state your contact information, only include a career objective if it is specific to the position you are applying for, and include a summary of qualifications. In five to seven bullet points, highlight skills and accomplishments (not just prior job descriptions) that target the particular jobs requirements. This is your chance to show you are the person their looking for. 

I am excited to partner with Jobing.com and bring ideas to help you design and improve your résumé.   Look for my weekly blog where I will share hints to create a dynamite résumé that will open the door to the career you seek. Whether you’re a recent college graduate, looking for a promotion, or pursuing a new career path altogether, I will provide some tools to help you get there.

 

First, let’s cover the basics.

 

A résumé is:

• The highlights of your professional achievements
• A valuable first impression
• Your career marketing piece

 

A résumé is not:

• A laundry list of EVERY job you’ve ever had
• A place for typos
• An exaggeration of your talents, skills and experience

 

 

You have only thirty seconds to convince the employer you are the person they should hire. Spend the time to create a quality document. Consult a professional; hire a résumé writer or interview an expert via a book from the library or bookstore. Many excellent resources are available to help you prepare the right résumé for your particular goals.

 

 

Margaret Burkholder is the owner of Advantage Writing Services, offering résumé-writing services, including résumé critiques, cover letters and federal résumé packets & KSA’s. Visit www.advantagewriting.com for more info.