01/06/2023
Job search and resumes
Its a new year, and at this point many people start wondering about making changes - particularly in their working lives. However, even if you aren't looking to leave your current role, it may still be a great time to refresh and update your professional career documents. Ask yourself these questions to see if your resume is ready to go should that perfect opportunity come along.
1. Does it describe me well in the summary section - does it tell people who I am and what I do in a clear and concise way?
2. Does it really showcase my areas of skills and expertise - both job related hard skills and those softer skills that are so important?
3. Does it show outdated information? Remember any work experience that is older than 10 years ago may not be seen as relevant today.
4. Do you include achievements for each of your roles? if not you should. If you have and they are a little jaded then update them with some more modern ones. Recruiters look for what you can deliver not just your skills so brag about what you bring to the table - if you don't who will!?
5. Finally, does your resume include the key words from your industry and the ones that are shown in the job ad? if not then it should as Applicant Tracking Systems are set up to look for them. If your resume doesn't include them, then the recruiter won't include you!
if you need some help and guidance for updates, or rewrites, take a look at my website and see how I can help.
Quality Professional Resume Services & Interview preparation
Let me help you take your resume to the next level!
01/05/2023
Do you need help with recruiting for your business?
Many organizations don't have a formal HR department or team, and recruitment is left very much up to the line managers, who in many cases don't have the time, or experience to plan and organize recruitment, or carry out effective interviews. This is sometimes where things fall down and you find yourselves in the recruitment cycle where you hire someone and they leave, then repeat... This is costly and time consuming.
I usually post about resumes but the other side of the coin is managers who need support in reviewing resumes and recruiting the right person effectively. This is the only way to step out of the recruitment cycle and trap. If you need some help with this, take a look at a new recruitment course I have put together on Udemy with my good colleague and friend Russell Stratton of Blue Gem Learning. Between us we have over 30 years experience in recruiting at all levels so felt we should share our knowledge. Take a look at the course overview. Simply follow this URL and take a peek.
https://lnkd.in/gwEdRV8V
We'd love to know what you think!!
Online Courses - Learn Anything, On Your Schedule | Udemy
Udemy is an online learning and teaching marketplace with over 213,000 courses and 57 million students. Learn programming, marketing, data science and more.
01/07/2022
FAQ's About Resumes
Here are some common questions I get asked about resumes and my answers - hope you find them useful!
1. Why do I need a resume?
The purpose of any resume is to gain the interest of a potential employer and get that interview! They provide a BRIEF overview of your skills, experience, knowledge, and expertise and should, if put together properly, show you are worth talking to and have potential to do the job being advertised. You can also use resumes at job fairs and networking events - I have used them at both with success.
2. Do I need an objective on my resume?
The short answer is no. This is now put into a summary paragraph at the start of your resume that should describe you - e.g. flexible qualified etc.
3. Ideal length of a resume
I always recommend 2 pages as the ideal, I have done resumes that are 3 pages long but it depends on the level of the client. One page won't sell your skills and experience in enough depth to be considered fully - however if you are applying for a job early on in your career this may be the right length for you.
Other hints and tips for you to consider are
Try to avoid including too many unrelated job roles unless they demonstrate transferable skills. Always include volunteer experience - great way of showing skills in different environments as well as your initiative and community leadership. Don't include hobbies and interests, they are seen as space fillers and are irrelevant to a job. Finally, with GPA scores - leave them off unless you are a new graduate, in which case if they are good scores most definitely include them!
Above all, remember that your resume if the first thing a potential employer will see, it is an investment. You can buy a new suit etc. for a potential interview, but you won't get that interview unless your resume and LinkedIn profile sell you properly.
Your skills are what you will apply to a job, my skills of resume writing are what I apply to mine for my clients. If you would like to chat about having your resume done, take a look at my website at https://lnkd.in/gta9DfB or connect with me through my LinkedIn profile for an initial free review of your current documents.
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Quality Professional Resume Services & Interview preparation
Let me help you take your resume to the next level!
08/10/2021
Having achievements in your resume is one of the most important things you can do to help put your documents and application at the top of the pile.
I often get asked by clients what the benefits are of including achievements in a resume. There are some pretty straight forward answers I give.
Firstly, They show what you can deliver as opposed to what you do.
Secondly, achievements will show the difference you can make - e.g. how much you can increase sales, reduce costs, or satisfy customers.
Overall, including achievements will set you apart from others with similar experience and qualifications and also allow the recruiter the great things you can bring that will benefit their clients.
So, how do you put together achievements for your resume. Well it will require some thinking about what you have done, how you have used your skills, and also what you delivered as a result. Here are a couple of questions you can think about that may help you do this:
1. If you carried out any responsibilities above and beyond your job role - what were the benefits to the company for doing this?
2. Have you suggested or implemented any new processes - if so did they deliver efficiencies, changes or improvements you can include?
3. What projects have you been involved in? - what did the project achieve?
Above all always remember that your achievements need to be measurable - so ensure you include factors such as $, numbers or % where possible. This shows bottom line impact and return on investment for employing you.
Just think about it in a different way - would you buy a car that was inefficient with fuel consumption, or a dishwasher that took hours and was noisy? I expect not, so never forget that your resume is your personal sales pitch so make it good!
Quality Professional Resume Services & Interview preparation
Let me help you take your resume to the next level!
07/27/2021
Ok so many people connect with me wondering why their resume isn't working. In many cases it is because it doesn't include the right information to get over that first hurdle - getting you that interview!
You need to remember that a resume is an initial sales pitch - YOUR initial sales pitch so you need to sell yourself in the best way possible. This means a resume that gets people interested. So here are some hints and tips.
Always be concise - keep your resume to 2 to 3 pages at the most. Remember however, to include those key industry words, and even key words from the job ad that you are applying to.
In addition to this you need to be organized and logical with how you put the information together- recruiters don't want to search for information you need to make it easy for them to find.
Your resume needs to really showcase your experience and skills, so include a summary section and some skills areas/ areas of expertise.
Most of all though a resume needs to show what you bring to the table, so that means achievements! What results have you delivered and what benefits did those results bring to the table.
Finally, don't include unnecessary information such as hobbies and interests, job history that is over 10 years old, or details of references. Also, try to avoid including jobs that are not relevant to your current career aims.
My next post will be about how to put those achievements together!
Quality Professional Resume Services & Interview preparation
Let me help you take your resume to the next level!
03/24/2021
In 2016 I started what was then a small adventure into the world of resume writing, believing at the time it was something to tide me over. What I discovered was that I am really passionate about this and what started small has become a large part of what I now do. I work with clients all over the world helping them with their personal marketing documents and preparing them for that critical interview.
So often in life, people searching for that next career step are too close to what they do to sell themselves well are are in need of a skilled objective outsider to help to pick out their skills, knowledge, expertise, and yes, those achievements!
If you need help and support to sell yourself well, shout about what you bring to the table, and move your career forward, please take a look at my new website (www.blueskyviewconsulting.com) and get in touch. I would love to hear from you.
Quality Professional Resume Services & Interview preparation
Let me help you take your resume to the next level!
03/08/2021
Proudly presenting blueskyviewconsulting.com. Check it out and let me know what you think! builder via
Quality Professional Resume Services & Interview preparation
Let me help you take your resume to the next level!
08/29/2015
Check this out - Mindset and Attitude of a Successful Business Owner
Date:
Tuesday, September 22, 2015
Location:
Nan Booth Memorial Library
405 Railway St. W., Cochrane, AB, T4C 2E2
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/mindset-and-attitude-of-a-successful-business-owner-tickets-17958408082?aff=eiosprexshremail&ref=eiosprexshremail
Mindset and Attitude of a Successful Business Owner
Challenge your thinking about what it takes to succeed at business. Do you have the mojo needed to be successful? Embrace the elements of a mindset to be a successful business owner. Start on your path to experiencing greater results. Discover why some businesses succeed and others don't Expand y…
11/12/2014
Done another article for Trifecta magazine on mentoring. Take a look... http://www.trifectamagazine.ca/
Trifecta Magazine Calgary - Mind | Body | Soul
Trifecta Magazine inspires well-being and mindful living through community connection while focusing on three aspects of health; Mind Body and Soul.
11/01/2014
One of my clients has a seasonal store with Halloween being huge here.... read this and see how much us north Americans spend on this. This is my clients store. http://www.ffwdweekly.com/api/content/cb032878-5fa5-11e4-913e-22000a4f82a6/ .cPbcR9af
Spending... like hell
Halloween is big. A 2012 Retail Council of Canada poll found spending for Halloween is topped only by Christmas and back-to-school shopping.
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