5 Questions About Resume Writing Job Seekers Often Ask

5 Questions About Resume Writing Job Seekers Often Ask5 Questions About Resume Writing Job Seekers Often AskIf you are embarking on a job search and gearing up to write your resume, you likely have lots of questions about what it should look like and what content it should contain. Professional resume writers are constantly bombarded by such queries, and here are some of the most common questions and answers to make your task more fruitful.See Tips for Surviving a Career Transition.Is there a right length for a resume? Theres no one right answer. If you are a recent college graduate or have only had a brief career, its best to keep it to one page. If you are a mid-career professional, with multiple jobs and accomplishments, a two-page resume is a good rule of thumb. Senior-level executives, academics with many publications to list and other special cases often merit an additional page or even two.That said, throughout years in recruiting and later in the resume-writing world, this au thor has never heard of a hiring authority who said, I wont consider so-and-so because his or her resume is too long or too short. Rather, whats of key importance is using the resume to highlight your education, skills, the professional challenges you faced in your work and how you turned them into accomplishments.How can I write my resume to avoid age discrimination? Age discrimination is rampant in America. However, there are three things that you can do on your resume to mitigate it, at least to a degree.First, dont lead at the top of your resume by claiming how long youve been doing something. For example, Salesman with 32 years of experience, clearly labels you as being in your 50s or beyond.Second, remember there is a big difference between a resume and a job application. Absolute honesty is required in both, but in a resume, there is no obligation on your parte to list employment history for more than 10 to 15 years, or so wherever there may be a natural break due to a job t ransition. You can always conclude your professional experience section with a line like, Details of prior experience are available upon request.Third, you can omit the years you received college and advanced degrees, and many resume writers encourage people in their 50s and older to do so.There is some debate on this, however. Rarely do younger workers ever omit their graduation dates, and you therefore give the unspoken message, Im an older worker. This might work against you if you are in your early 50s and the employer jumps to the conclusion that you are in your late 50s or 60s, making you even more likely a target of early stage elimination due to age discrimination.See 25 Best Business Jobs for 2017.What are the unbreakable rules of writing a resume? Your resume must look professional. That means there can be no typographical or spelling errors. Your grammar should be impeccable. And your sentences must make sense. Generally speaking, the font for the body of the resume shoul d be between 9 and 12 points in size. Avoid the word I at all costs, and never include a picture.These days, functional resumes are out of style, and you should have a clear chronological order of your professional history.Save a line for something meaningful by leaving off References available upon request. Everyone knows that theyll be requested at some point in the hiring process and that youll comply.There is a plethora of self-help resume writing books available from reputable professionals. Each author provides their own best advice, and it is worth getting two or three highly rated books to compare and evaluate the advice from different experts.Anyone who knows my field will know exactly what Ive done. Why isnt it enough to just list my job titles and responsibilities? Certain job titles imply consistent sets of responsibilities and expectations among a wide variety of companies, but most dont. You might be a director at a small or mid-size company with far less responsibilit y than someone with a lesser title at a larger company.More important, however, is to explain to a fhigkeit employer how you specifically dealt with your responsibilities. Each worker is unique, and each person will go about a job somewhat differently and achieve different results. Dont ask to be lumped in with everyone else. Rather, provide the factual detail necessary to convey how and why you are heads above your competition.See 7 Excellent Sales and Marketing Jobs for 2017.Writing a resume seems like an insurmountable task. What should I do? If the task of writing your own resume seems daunting, think seriously about developing a collaborative relationship with a professional resume writer. Look for someone who is affiliated with professional organizations such as The National Resume Writers Association, Career Thought Leaders or Career Directors International.Each of these organizations offers professional development courses for career coaches and resume writers, as well as va rious certifications. With or without a certification, you can rest assured that these are the kinds of professionals who take their work seriously and are likely to be up to date with todays best practices.Happy hunting10 Ways to Perfect Your Personal Brand

Cover Letter Writing Perfect the Art

Cover Letter Writing Perfect the ArtCover Letter Writing Perfect the Art16Search, upload, submit, and repeat. This is the new normal when it comes to titel letter writing in the online job application process. For most, the inclusion of a well-crafted cover letter has not only become a lost art, it has gone by the wayside completely.But, like so many other things in this challenging job market, old school is new school when it comes to standing out from your competition. Now more than ever is the time to perfect the cover letter not neglect it.Here are a five reasons why perfecting the art of cover letterwriting is a good idea1. Your Interest LevelThe ease with which you can apply to jobs on-line is the exact reason that a cover letter is paramount. Its a strong indicator that you are serious about your candidacy, not just slinging your resume out there to see where it sticks. Deeds by way of words.2. Template versus BoilerplateHaving a voreingestellt cover letter is a starting poin t, but definitely not something to arbitrarily cut-and-paste each time you apply. Make sure the document reads like it is written for the reader and only the reader. Ask yourself which would be more likely to engage you something speaking solely to your needs or a generic message for the masses? A little personal attention- maybe even some ego stroking- can go a long way when it comes to cover letter writing.3. Its All About Standing Apart from the CrowdUnemployment may be better than it has been, but dissatisfaction amongst those employed is at record high levels. Bottom line competition remains high. This means differentiating is the name of the game, now more than ever. Your cover letter is the perfect platform to do just that.4. The vorstellungsgesprch Before the InterviewEvery C level executive I work with says the same thing. They use the cover letter as a barometer to gauge a candidates ability to effectively communicate. This is an ideal time to showcase your written communi cation skills.5. Do Recruiters Read Them?Some do, some dont. For those who do, it gives them pre-packaged selling points for their clients, should they consider you a candidate. They, after all, are another example of an interview before the interview.Are cover letter sometimes overlooked? Yes. On the other hand, they are quite often a deciding factor as to whether or not you will get an interview. So, take the time to put together a document that reflects you and why you should be considered over the other hundreds of other applicants. This attention to detail could be the first step towards getting you the interview you want and the job you deserve.Readers, have you perfected the art of cover letter writing? Give us your tips in the comments below

Elon Musks Resume of Failures Proves That Your Failures Arent Big Enough

Elon Musks Resume of Failures Proves That Your Failures Arent Big EnoughElon Musks Resume of Failures Proves That Your Failures Arent Big EnoughFailure is frustrating. Failure is something you dont put on your resume. On the contrary One does not simply write a resume of his or her failures (Hint were going to do it). At the same time, if you attempt great things, your failures are probably going to be just as impressive as your accomplishments.Theres probably no other partie alive today who embodies this notion more than Elon Musk.Sure, hes considered a genius who also happens to be worth $14 billion. Certainly, many of his ideas have turned into realities. Arguably, he revolutionised every industry he has ever touched eCommerce (PayPal), automotive industry (Tesla), space flights (SpaceX), and sustainable energy (SolarCity). Still, all of these accomplishments pale in comparison to his ability to fail.Elon Musksstoryproves that you can actually fail your way to success.Elon Musks s toryproves that once youve mastered the art of failing, success becomes the only way you can go. And he had to go through A LOT of failures and difficulties in his life.He got ousted as CEO of the first company he created. The first PayPal product he devised was voted one of the 10 worst business ideas ever. He was forced to step down as CEO of PayPal as well. After he founded SpaceX, he almost went bankrupt after three of his first space rockets exploded at launch. Then he basically led Tesla to bankruptcy before he managed to succeed at last. Few more rocket explosions made him lose several of the facebook inc and NASA satellites. Elon Musks resume of failures is a pretty long read. Check out the infographic below, its truly explosive.Elon Musks story makes me think of something Ive read in a book some time ago Soon you will realizethat the most extraordinary thing most people have ever done in their lives is nothing. When you think about it, it hardly comes as a surprise. After a ll, doing something comes at the risk of failure.No wonder many people prefer to take an easy way out by taking no action at all. Yet, as they say, nothing ventured, nothing gained. And every time Elon Musk succeeds, its awe-inspiring. Still not a fangirl? Go watch those SpaceX videos and then come back to check out our Elon Muskss Resume of Failures infographic.Elon Musks Resume of Failures InfographicEver wondered what wouldHomer Simpsons or James Bonds resume look like? What about Darth Vader? Satisfyyour curiosity and check ourcollection offamous resumesShare Your Feedback or Ideas in the Comments