Cover Letter Misconception

Cover Letter Misconception Job seekers that assume cover letters are not required as part of a  job application are making a massive mistake. Although some employers claim not to read cover letters, how are you going to know who does and does not? Avoid the risk and include one just in case. BUT.be thoughtful with your cover letter and take full advantage of the opportunity to further position yourself as a top candidate. Slapping a hastily written or generic letter on top of your resume is not going to help your job search. Honestly, if you are going to invest good time and energy writing a compelling resume but skip creating a matching cover letter to go on top of it you are automatically diminishing the impact of your application. A poorly compiled cover letter on top of a brilliantly written resume could blow your chances at an interview, especially if an employer only reads the cover letter before tossing your application into the trash. Treat the cover letter with the same respect as the resume and ensure it is professionally formatted, properly addressed, and targeted in content. Even better, ditch the old-fashioned dense paragraph cover letter approach and write something that stands out with easily digestible and well-tailored bullet points and succinct sell points. Basically, dont blow your chances at your dream job by ignoring an important piece of the job application. Remember that the job search involves investment on all levels.with the resume and cover letter being just one part of the process.  Get a full list of job search success steps here.

You Need Not Sell to Get the Sale - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

You Need Not Sell to Get the Sale - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Frequently I hear questions of, How can I get the sale without being overly aggressive? If you believe being pushy or aggressive is required, stop to read now: Sales techniques focused on building relationships first will remove the pain of having to ask your potential client for the sale. It is the relaxed conversation that sells. Selling is nothing more than problem solving. Purchases are made upon needs, wants, and deep rooted desires. Speaking to these will enhance your ability to sell without appearing aggressive. Sales techniques used properly will support your case. To begin, your odds for any request are 50/50 with the answer either being “Yes” or “No”. Using the following suggestions, you will decrease the less desirable result and increase the favorable odds for getting to Yes! Avoiding the negative on your end is paramount when making a request. This includes making a demand, sounding negative, or becoming confrontational. Instead, proceed with a smile on your face and in your heart. Think ahead of what you wish to convey when you are to finally make your request. First find quiet time to review previous experiences where you took on challenges to provide a solution, and one where your solution was met with great enthusiasm. Prior to making the next opportunity, review current circumstances leading up to the reasoning for your believing you deserve action on your behalf. One of the best techniques found in successful selling is to be a storyteller. In the telling of your story, model your being a problem solver by conveying how you previously overcame difficulty to rise to an excellent outcome. Stories are best kept to 1-2 minutes. Practice makes perfect. Stand in front of a mirror as you tell your story to your reflection in order to improve your delivery. Check for a smile on your face, erect posture and that you look and sound confident. Be careful to NOT attempt to memorize as memorization will detract from the natural state of storytelling. Your delivery should look unrehearsed. After all, you will be having a conversation about the matter so the story will need to be conversational too. Your next step is to create a list of current problems and a list of benefits that will come about by granting your request. Ask yourself, will the problem versus the solution become reason enough to provide you with a granted request or sale? Finding commonality is key too. It is a known fact people buy from people they know, like and trust. Common experiences help to build trust. Toward the end of the conversation, you will be in a position to bridge their information to your request or the sale. Bridging refers to making the connection between their terms with what you are after. As you present your information, do so as it relates to the needs, wants and deep down desires that were just conveyed to you. To the other party, it appears as if you are a mind reader and that you are on the same page. Your willingness to take the time to understand their situation first to provide a solution is usually met with great appreciation. This conversational approach distinguishes you from everyone else serving to build your personal brand. You now have a much greater likelihood of being told “Yes” and enjoying the Smooth Sale! Author: Elinor Stutz, CEO of Smooth Sale, LLC authored the International Best-Selling book, “Nice Girls DO Get the Sale: Relationship Building That Gets Results”, Sourcebooks and the best selling career book, “HIRED! How to Use Sales Techniques to Sell Yourself On Interviews”, Career Press. She provides team sales training, private coaching and highly acclaimed inspirational keynotes for conferences. Elinor is available upon request for consultation.

Resume Writing Services in Las Vegas NV

Resume Writing Services in Las Vegas NVResume writing services in Las Vegas NV can provide you with the right content for your resume. Whether you are a new college graduate or an experienced business professional looking to expand your marketing efforts, you will need to create a resume that will get you noticed. You may not have the time to write your own resume, or it may be a copy job that someone else has done for you.There are several online services that can help you create a resume that will impress the hiring manager. They can customize the resume and create a background for you that will help you stand out from the crowd. They can also review your resume for accuracy and make changes as needed.If you are new to the field, you will need to build a resume that will show the hiring manager that you are the best candidate for the position. It should be comprehensive in its contents, and it should include all of the information that you want to tell them about yourself. You can get an idea of what the job entails from reading your resume, and it will help you get a better idea of what will be required.The hiring manager is always looking for a change in direction for a job market. A resume that tells of a person's abilities will take some of the pressure off the hiring manager. They will see that you have changed and moved on with your life, and they will feel more comfortable hiring you over another candidate.When you take the time to do the necessary research to get your resume in shape, it will reflect that you are eager to learn about the industry and to improve your skills. Your resume should not be a black and white document that includes your education and experience. There are plenty of resume examples that you can use in order to see how the content should be presented.A good resume will not only have information about your education and experience, but also about the specific job. You should have some kind of a biography of your previous job in o rder to show the hiring manager why you are the best choice for the job. This will make the resume stand out, and it will help you show your future employer why you deserve the job.When you know what to put on your resume, you will find that creating one yourself will not be so difficult. It will take some time to collect the relevant documents and to arrange them properly. You should not rush to do this; you should spend the time needed to ensure that the information is correct.Resume writing services in Las Vegas NV can also help you out if you are looking for editing and proofreading services. They can handle the editing process and make sure that the resume is all ready for the hiring manager. With this type of service, you can rest assured that your resume will be an excellent first impression for the hiring manager, and it will boost your career prospects.

Video Resume Mistakes

Video Resume Mistakes Video is the new Black. Right? I mean when you see that play button triangle, arent you just compelled to click it?Video is the highest online activity, according to Pew Internationals recent report. No wonder we are seeing so many video résumés these days.In fact, I did a search for video résumé on Youtube and got 14,600 results!Most of them SUCK!Lets think about this for a second. If a résumé   does a horrible job communicating personality, why would you think reading your résumé on camera would be any better?Most video résumés are bland, and have no narrative quality, no drama, and zero entertainment factor.The sad part is, all the tutorials on how to do an online résumé want you to read your paper résumé looking at the camera, with a suit and tie in monotone voice.Its like we forgot what makes good film interesting; factors like drama, narrative, characters and visual effects. The film industry has it down to a formula havent you noticed that most of the movies th at came out last year were all identical? (just kidding, there were actually some really great films this year but still.)Why do we think being professional means having no personality?The following are the top 3 mistakes video résumés make and what you can do differently.Video Résumé Mistake 1: Read Your Résumé to the CameraThis is the most common video résumé mistake boring. Remember in your creative writing class, when they told you, Show it, dont tell it?Video gives you so much opportunity to show and demonstrate who you are. I mean, you may or may not be handsome or pretty and all that, but people want to see and experience when they watch a video. If you wear your suit and begin rattling off your past experiences, dont expect people to watch longer than 10 or 20 seconds. HR professionals are busy people.Antidote:Use drama to hook them right away. This one is funny not very professional but full of drama, Rays RésuméUse video testimonials from past bosses or old co -workers for social proofShow footage of your old companys offices, websites or products to visually represent your experiencesDont just tell them about it be creative and find a way to demonstrate what you do well. One of my favorite examples of this:   Pizza Hut Résumé Want to Read More Articles Like This One?Sign up here to receive weekly updates from Career Enlightenment, and never miss another powerful job searching tip! SUBSCRIBE! You have Successfully Subscribed!We hate spam too. Unsubscribe any time. Video Résumé Mistake 2: Ignore Your PersonalityYour personality is going to be one of the ONLY things that differentiate you in todays employers market. Believe me, there will always be someone more experienced, more educated, and more qualified than you. But there will never be another you.Stare at the camera and rattle on about your education and youll be shut down FAST.AntidoteFocus on character development, Bens Résumé focuses on personality up frontHow does your video image tie into your brand? Guatams Résumé is in black white, and remains professional,   yet manages to communicate why he is different from everyone else.Heres a perfect example of PERSONALITY:   How Geeks Look for WorkVideo Résumé Mistake 3: Single ShotMost video résumés are single shot and single take, even though most computers these days come with free video editing software (yes, even Windows comes with this stuff these days).Film is supposed to be visually interesting, so even if you dont want to use a soundtrack, you should at least use a B-Roll. B-roll is when you cut away to another image to create a sense of transition, and more practically to cover up a bad take.Antidote:Film your résumé in at least two locations and cut between both on the final productDont be afraid to use headlines and subtitles in the film to create context and transitionVary your costume and setting to create an illusion of the passing of timeJust Do ItChances are you are not going to get it right the first time. Most people take the easy way out, put on a suit and tie, stare at the camera, and read. This is a cop-out. Put some effort into your video presentation.Your first results may be terrible. But keep trying.My friend and fellow Social Media Trainer Laura Roeder is fond of saying that if you are comfortable on film, then practice getting better. If you are not comfortable, then practice getting comfortable.If you are inspired to start your video résumé, Id love to see! Please send me the link in the comments below.

Six Effective Ways To Boost Your Employability - CareerAlley

Six Effective Ways To Boost Your Employability - CareerAlley We may receive compensation when you click on links to products from our partners. In todays competitive job market, theres a fight for every vacancy. Since desirable positions are few, its become essential to get noticed by prospective employers fast. Employability has also overcome its boundaries, which were earlier defined by skills alone. Now, employers look at a much bigger picture that consists of attitude and behavior too. Apart from building on core skills, there are many ways to stand out. With that in mind, here are six ideas to boost employability. 1. Learn A New Language Being fluent in English is a requirement of most vacancies in English-speaking countries. However, knowing a second language is incredibly useful too. Not only would it allow you to stand out from other candidates, but studies suggest that multilingual employees typically earn around 2% more than others. This is because multilingual workers can interact with more customers. Additional qualifications are a brilliant way to put you ahead of other candidates. This is especially true when the qualifications are related to the industry you intend to work in. Tweet This 2. Travel Around The World A weekend break to Amsterdam wont directly make you more employable, but travel does offer various benefits. Speaking to locals of other cultures will improve your communication skills and confidence. Whats more, a person willing to travel is a person willing to try new things and get out of their comfort zone. Showing this side of yourself would make you a better candidate. Sometimes it is a great idea to take time out of your personal life to broaden your skills and experience with a course or a new skill. And not all of these skills have to be expressly business-related, you could even take more rounded ones to improve your life skills- and these will still be looked up favorably by employers. 3. Gain An Extra Qualification Additional qualifications are a brilliant way to put you ahead of other candidates. This is especially true when the qualifications are related to the industry you intend to work in. If you were applying for a vacancy in the legal sector, for example, you could take an MA in American Legal Studies at Hofstra University. Whether you work online or on-campus, the degree you earn is the same. 4. Write Your Own Blog Most employers these days will Google candidates before offering them a job. This means that your employability will skyrocket if that employer were to discover how youre shaping their field. Make yourself easily discoverable and showcase your views by starting your own blog. While building an online audience takes time, delivering quality content regularly will certainly help. 5. Get Involved In Clubs Joining a club, although unrelated to your employment, can improve your job prospects. The reason for this is that it showcases your many soft skills, including good communication, drive, leadership, and teamwork capability. Whats more, it proves that youre willing to take on extra work and that you manage your time well when you do. This is very important to employers. 6. Volunteer For Good Causes Volunteering for a good cause will benefit yourself as much as the charity youve chosen to help. Any volunteer work you take part in, whether its a one-off fundraising event or regular work, will make your resume stand out. This work demonstrates countless transferable skills that can be applied to various industries. Volunteering would also open up career opportunities in the charity sector. Employability is essential in todays competitive employment market. Hopefully, with the advice above, you can make your resume stand out and secure any vacancy you apply for. 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 identify and land your dream job. 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

Grown Up Gigs Founders of Yoga + Chicago (and sisters!) Andrea and Natalie Pavela - When I Grow Up

Grown Up Gigs Founders of Yoga + Chicago (and sisters!) Andrea and Natalie Pavela - When I Grow Up Todays a long episode, but I aint gonna apologize. I just NEEDED to cover all that ground with sisters and co-founders of event series Yoga + Chicago, Andrea Natalie Pavela. Last June was their first event, and this year theyll already be in the black (or as they like to say, in the gold)! Theyre textbook examples of making a Phase One action plan for your business (aka doing the smallest thing you can do that makes the biggest impact) and then building things up as you go. They started by doing yoga class in living rooms and putting up a Tumblr page, and have moved forward to offering multiple events a month in beautiful spaces, having a swoon-worthy site, and consistently selling out. They are such self-starters that its no surprise what theyve made happen in a fairly short amount of time.    They both recognize themselves as having a fairly equal mix of left- and right-brain strengths and interests, and Yoga + Chicago (as well as their other income streams) has really benefitted from that. Tune in to hear about how and why they left traditional jobs behind, frank money talk, separating yourself from what you have to do and moving towards owning what you  want to do, how to enter a new industry when you have the interest/passion but not experience, and more.   Preceding the interview today is a new segment called Get A Job!, which I think has my favorite intro song yet. If you need a new traditional job and want to avoid being a zombie about it, then you have to doubly make sure to listen to this episode. Click here to get taken directly to Episode 5 in iTunes. Links from this episode: This Womans Innovative Resumé Thoroughly Impressed Airbnbs CEO the Yoga + Chicago site, the Meet the Sisters page, their Facebook page and their next event a Yoga + Brass Pendant Metal Stamping Class on Sunday! Forth Chicago Pequods Pizza Larkspur Workshop Chicago Squarespace my Day 1 video on 10 Ways to Find Work That Feels Like Play Next up on the Grown Up Gigs podcast?  Emilie Wapnick, the founder of Puttylike and my partner-in-crime for the 3rd Annual Multi-Passionate Must-Haves Sale, will join me on May 14th! For the 3rd Annual Multi-Passionate Must-Haves Sale, weve gotten 27 experts to contribute 25 products (worth $1,712!) thatll allow you to rock your career as a multi-passionate peep and you can grab it all for just $97 for 72 hours starting May 12th. Make sure you sign up for my VIP List to get the announcement, updates, and reminders about the sale PLUS my 10 Ways to Find Work That Feels Like Play video series.

Why Use a Professional Resume Writer to Create a Professional Resume?

Why Use a Professional Resume Writer to Create a Professional Resume?If you are considering your next move and considering relocating, a well written and customized resume will make the difference between a low-wage job in Australia or a high paying position overseas. The resume is your first and only point of contact when you are getting a job interview and sending it to potential employers can be a very stressful and important part of the job search process.By being prepared ahead of time, you can avoid certain complications that will surely hinder your ability to get a good job in Australia. Firstly, keep your resume concise. This means not including more than two-page bios, photos, resumes and cover letters on your resume.Always make sure that you have clearly defined job description with a short description about the job you are applying for. Don't leave it up to your own imagination to write about your qualifications, experiences and achievements. You should have knowledge of t he industry and job sector, not just about your job title.In addition, by preparing a resume from scratch and eliminating mistakes and omissions, you will be able to demonstrate your ability to perform, organize and use specific key business skills such as managing projects, evaluating performance, designing business strategies, and setting objectives. When applying for jobs and applying for new positions, show potential employers that you possess these special skills.Any one of these skills would be very advantageous when applying for a job such as a sales manager, customer service representative, account manager, manager or director. If you already have a successful job and you want to enhance it even further, using a professionally designed resume is the easiest way to make your chances of landing a job skyrocket.Generally, companies are looking for applicants with broad experience and specific and detailed skills. Because the competition in most industries has become so fierce, companies are looking for applicants who have proven themselves in a lot of different situations. All these circumstances will make your resume stand out among other applicants with similar experiences.Today, there are many online services and employers who will pay to have a resume reviewed by a company professional who will provide them with instant feedback. The review will provide you with a clear understanding of the skills, experience and specific skills you need to acquire in order to land a higher-paying job in Australia. One of the best ways to find a resume review service is through the internet and the website resumereview.com.au.