How to Create a Lasting Impression With Your CV

How to Create a Lasting Impression With Your CV If you are looking to land that dream job then your CV needs to make a big impression on everyone who sees it. You need a CV that quickly demonstrates your value to employers and creates a sense of urgency that will have recruiters queuing up to interview you. Create a flawlessly professional image With recruiters receiving an average of 118 CVs per job vacancy, a professional appearance is essential if you want to stand out from the crowd. Your CV is your marketing material for your services, so if looks sloppy or untidy, it’s unlikely to get you shortlisted for interview. Take the time to make sure your CV looks immaculate by using a clean and simple font, a professional title heading and clear section headings and dividers. Build an easy-to-read structure Recruiters and hiring managers tend to be very busy and often review hundreds of CVs every week. For this reason, it’s very important to make your CV easy to skim read and pick out the key information they need. Keep your CV to around 2 pages in length and break the information up using short paragraphs and plenty of bullet points. Avoid writing big long chunks of text as they will make your CV very unappealing to read and difficult for readers to find the requirements that they are looking for. Start your CV with a punchy profile to draw readers in, then list your roles in a well-structured manner and be sure to show the impact you have made on previous employers. Optimise your CV’s top quarter The top quarter of your CV, is the part that is first visible upon opening, so it needs to make a big impact if you want to ensure that your CV is read in full. Some busy recruiters may shut your CV down without reading any further if they don’t see what they need. This may seem pretty cut-throat, but it’s a reality you have to prepare for in times of tough competition. In order to optimise the top quarter of your CV, start by researching your target roles and making a list of the most important candidate requirements. Then ensure that you add as many of the candidate requirements as possible to the top of your CV in order to instantly show recruiters that you are a good fit for their role. Add proof of your value When a business employs a member of staff, they are making an investment in that person. And as with any investment that a business makes; they will expect to see a return. Not always a financial return, but they will expect to see some value delivered to their organisation. So when writing your CV, you should always try to provide examples of the value you have added to previous employers. Good examples of value include revenue generated, time saved and processes improved. Remember to use a cover letter To make sure that your CV is opened in the first instance, you need to write a persuasive cover letter that shows recruiters just enough information to suggest that you are the ideal candidate for the job. Keep it short and sharp to hold the reader’s attention and focus on demonstrating what you have to offer employers â€" as opposed to what you want from them. Use a friendly yet professional tone and proof read your letter before sending to ensure there are no typos or spelling errors.

Find an Extra Sixty Minutes a Day Schedule Meetings Quickly and Efficiently

Find an Extra Sixty Minutes a Day Schedule Meetings Quickly and Efficiently If you’re never able to clear your to-do list by the end of the day (and feeling stressed about it) this is part of the continuing series on how to gain a few minutes every day. Scheduling meetings with a number of participants can be maddening. Someone proposes several dates and participants chime in as the email correspondence multiplies with “reply all.” Emails cross, people change their availability, and it turns into a logistical nightmare for the hapless organizer. Fortunately, there’s a simple online solution that lets you schedule a meeting and get consensus with just a few clicks and no back and forth. Doodle is a free online app that radically simplifies the process of scheduling events. The free version just requires a simple registration. Premium versions allow you to customize the look and feel of your surveys, which might be nice for a sales professional or someone who manages a busy appointment schedule. Individuals pay $39 per year and the business version is $69 annually. At Doodle, you set up a survey with the name of the event (Planning meeting for Ten Year Anniversary) and add a location (Google maps is connected) and event description If you want. On the calendar, click the dates you’re considering for the event, then add time options (or duplicate the time for all possible dates.) The end result is a poll with a link you can email to your attendees. As the administrator, you’ll receive an email every time an attendee logs in to state her preferences. Participants can choose “yes,” “no,” or “if need be” for the available dates. You can set options that allow just one choice of dates or close off scheduling options once a certain number of people have chosen that date. You just paste the link into an email and send it off to the group. When you log in, you can see how many have replied and what the best date and time will be for the most participants. Then you can inform the group of the consensus and set up an Outlook meeting. Done. Timetrade is a business scheduling software solution that offers a free personal version. A single user can schedule up to five events a month using a similar polling technology to Doodle. Timetrade emphasizes its mobile-friendly setup and sets appointments on Outlook, iCal and Google calendars with just one click. If someone asked you to schedule 10 busy people for one of five available dates six weeks from now, you’d probably quit the committee. Now you can just doodle your way to calendar nirvana.

Why is Clutter Better than a Clean Desk - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Why is Clutter Better than a Clean Desk - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career We all love sunny weather. And yet, at least here, in the Pacific Northwest, when the clouds part and the sun appears, people start squinting and reaching for sunglasses. We can obviously see clearer in cloudy weather. That got me thinking. I always aimed for a clean desk, organized papers, emptied Inbox, and scheduled appointments with people. The idea was to create space for creative thinking, for focusing on big items, and for replacing reactivity with proactivity. One week I cleared it all and couldn’t wait for the new levels of efficiency. But I got super disappointed. After everything was neat and organized, for a couple of hours I felt free to think and focus, but then I started feeling super bored. Nothing inspired me. I was craving that sound of a new e-mail and was ready to jump on anything that people would want me to be a part of. I was missing the clutter. This cleanliness was way too sterile for me. Clutter actually helps me develop skills that are important for my professional success. Here are some of them: Innovation I have a basket full of printouts of stuff I want to read at some point, my mailbox is full of e-mails that are not crucial to react on, but can be interesting. So, once in a while I randomly pick one, read it and ask myself, “What does this inspire me to do?” Flexibility Getting comfortable with clutter teaches you flexibility and ability to avoid feeling overwhelmed. Prioritization If you had a clean desk you would react to everything that comes your way. Only when you are surrounded by a lot of e-mails, random papers, tasks or people coming and going, can you develop a sense of what’s important and what’s not. Don’t spend your days organizing and de-cluttering. If your goal is to create space to do something you always wanted to do, then just do it. You may realize that you’ve been using the de-cluttering as an excuse to delay taking action. Embrace the clutter! Get comfy in the cloudy weather â€" get used to the discomfort of the messy desk and the clutter in your Inbox. Trust your ability to know what’s the most important at any moment.  Don’t wait for the sunny weather. Get an umbrella instead. Author: Henrieta Riesco  is a founder of  Intentional Career. She is all about meaningful conversation to empower professionals on their career journey. After experiences of being a teacher and a corporate trainer in Slovakia, a customer advocate and a training consultant for  10+ years at Microsoft, she is comfortable with calling herself a Career Coach. You can follow Henrieta via  Twitter, or via  her blog.

Im Giving Away a Year of Free Leadership Training

Im Giving Away a Year of Free Leadership Training Hello to Ms. Career Girl readers everywhere! It has been quite a while since Ive written a post on my very own blog.   Time for an update! Ever since I got my Kindle several months ago, Ive been in a personal and career growth spurt of sorts.   Ive been totally hooked on books like The Tipping Point, The 4 Hour Work Week and A Womans Guide to Successful Negotiating.   In addition to reading career development books, Ive given several presentations to college students about online marketing   and personal branding.   And it is perhaps because of getting out of my comfort zone and utilizing the tips Ive been reading about that Ive had two VERY awesome career opportunities presented to me (neither of which are remotely related to my college degree). More on that stuff later though. Why am I telling you this? If youve been reading this blog for a while, you know that I believe that the more one puts into their own career and personal development, the more they get out of it. Ive always believed this, but now Im SEEING it.   Those little seeds eventually bloom into very exciting opportunities. And in an economic environment of selective hiring and easy firing, young professionals need to set themselves apart. Are leaders born or made? Weve all heard this question before.   Each of us would probably answer it differently, but theres no doubt that learning from successful leaders, authors, professors and entrepreneurs can fast track a young professionals ability to lead, think, communicate and make decisions.   If theres ever a time in your life to focus on soaking up as much leadership training as possible, its now.   Your twenties sets the tone for the rest of your life. What are you doing to make yourself a more intelligent, efficient and valued professional? Well, Ive found a fun, cheap and no-travel-required way to get direct access to the worlds best selling authors, professors and Fortune 500 vetrans. And I love this platform so much that I pulled a few strings and negotiated to get you a free YEAR if you sign up by March 31, 2011. Enter G5 Leadership: live, interactive 90 minute webinars taught directly from the source (not by cheesy speakers on their behalf).   Download workbooks, ask live questions and engage live with the professionals you idolize and want to learn from.     If you havent heard about G5 yet, you probably will soon: theyve been praised by Business Week, AOL, Bloomberg and US News.   G5 Leadership is also one of the top leadership training companies to watch in 2011. Check out G5s Upcoming Event Calendar to see what subjects and presenters you could most benefit from. THEN USE COUPON CODE: MSCAREERGIRL UNTIL MARCH 31, 2011 TO ENJOY G5 FOR FREE FOR ONE YEAR, COMPLIMENTS OF MSCAREERGIRL.COM. The price of an annual membership to G5 starts at $129/year or $49 per live event so I hope youll take advantage of getting high quality leadership training for FREE over the next year, because a lot can happen in one year! Tell your friends to check it out too and then let me know what you think! Thanks for reading! Nicole FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT G5S WEBSITE.

How Resume Writing Services For Information Technology Help Those Getting Hired

How Resume Writing Services For Information Technology Help Those Getting HiredIn order to hire the best possible IT professional, it is necessary to prepare a good resume for Information Technology (IT) professionals. These resumes can include skills, qualifications, and educational details. The information provided in these resumes is helpful in the hiring process of the best person for the job.It is not difficult to find and employ the best professionals in this line of business, because these individuals have web marketing skills, which are required in SEO. It is very important that the resume reflects what an applicant knows about his or her chosen field. This will serve as a reference point for the employer who is evaluating applicants to determine whether they should hire someone. A well-written and organized resume, with specific job related details, is the first step towards getting hired for the job.An IT employee's resume makes a big difference on his or her chances of bei ng hired. A poorly designed resume could reflect poor work habits and attitude. For this reason, hiring staff needs to be done professionally. The potential employee may choose to do the resume on his or her own or may need to hire the services of a professional to create the right resume. Resume writing services for Information Technology provide a range of service offerings, including resume editing and online resume templates.Online career guides to help individuals create their own professional looking resume. They provide several sample resumes that you can use as a guide in creating your own resume. Their online tools can also save you time since they automatically populate all the necessary details and relevant keywords to make the resume unique. There are several services available online for resume writing, ranging from one page resumes to customized resumes.These professionals can also provide personalized technical support. Resume writing services for Information Technolo gy also offer resume writing, resume writing assistance, and resume editing services. This helps those individuals who are seeking professional help in creating a good resume. These professionals are specialized in researching, reading, and making the resumes.Resumes are not only written for the purpose of getting a job. A good resume shows a candidate's capability and educational background. If you need a resume writing service for information technology, it would be a good idea to inquire about the type of services they offer and the charges. Some companies do custom works, while others only provide resume editing services.In order to avoid any misunderstanding, you should choose a company that has been in the resume writing business for many years. There are companies that have only recently begun offering resume writing services for Information Technology. So before selecting a company, research of all the resume writing services available in your area. Also, find out if the com pany offers any kind of resume writing assistance. For instance, companies that focus on building professional resumes offer tutorials that show how to write effective resumes and cover letters.Resume writing services for Information Technology are necessary for those who wish to get hired by their prospective employers for a good salary. Making the right decision when searching for a resume writing service provider can help you land a good position. Also, your career is always ahead of you if you are able to hire professionals for your resume writing.

It is Your Move...

It is Your Move... Its Your Move I am told, that in the game of chess, the very best players do not make their first move until they have planned their last.    I cant even imagine the amount of strategic thinking and planning that requires.   I dont think my mind works like that.   Does yours? During job search, the same strategic logic applies. So before you start looking, whats your last move?   If you find your job search is in a stall or not going well, it may be time to call time out and conduct some strategic planning. (I am pretty sure you cant call time out in chess, but do it anyway). Ive listened to job seekers talk about how their searches are frustrating, depressing, or lasting too long.  Perhaps that is because they dont have a strategic plan to guide their moves. Most job seekers leap into job search by adding their last job to their resume and posting it on a job board and waiting for something to happen.  The more savvy job seekers understand that networking is an important component and engage with friends and family.   Yet neither of these actions will work successfully unless there is a plan, goal or vision set up in advance. Its Your Move How do you develop a plan, goal or vision?   Start with your Marketing Plan.   It is a simple document.   It contains 5 sections: Objective: This is a listing of 5  or more job titles you are searching for.   (Use O*Net  to research these) Summary or Bio: Highlight your specific strengths, talents and experiences, but only those that are relevant to the roles you are pursuing. Heres more help: How To Build A Better Bio  and Your Summary, Profile and Pitch USP or Value Proposition: Tell someone what problems you solve, who benefits from your work, and how you do  differently. For more help: Struggling With Your Value Prop?  and  Spiff Up Your Pitch Competencies: A list of work related processes or procedures required of the jobs you want (this is optional) Demographics: Your preferred demographics (where you want to work). The type of industry, company size and geographic location. Target Companies: A listing of target companies that fit those preferred demographics. (These do not need to be companies who are hiring, merely those that might employ those who do what you do). Learn more about how to identify target companies: How To Find Target Companies for Your Job Search  and Find Targets, Not Jobs Make Your Move Today The act of creating your Personal Marketing Plan should force you to think about your strategy.   It will provide you with options and insight beyond what you immediately thought of. It is also an incredibly helpful document to use when you network. Toss aside that tired resume. It really doesnt tell someone what you want to do next. It talks about what you did in the past. The personal marketing plan is a future-oriented document. Use your Personal Marketing Plan to guide your conversations. I have written and spoken about personal marketing plans a lot.   I truly believe  it is  the single best document to have in your job search toolbox  box.   Here are some other posts that show examples and logic: The Best Job Search Tool  Ever Creating Your Personal Marketing Plan Networking Without A Resume

Monday Tip A warm good morning - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

Monday Tip A warm good morning - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog This monday, your mission is really simple: All morning, give everyone you meet an extra warm greeting. Smile broadly. Say Good morning in a cheerful voice. Take time to ask people how they are (really, not the fake how are you greeting). Dont worry if people dont answer or dont smile back its not a slight on you they may just be preoccupied or having a bad day. When that happens smile even more at the next person :o) The Chief Happiness Officers monday tips are simple, easy, fun things you can do to make yourself and others happy at work and get the work-week off to a great start. Something everyone can do in five minutes, tops. When you try it, write a comment here to tell me how it went. Previous monday tips. Thanks for visiting my blog. If you're new here, you should check out this list of my 10 most popular articles. And if you want more great tips and ideas you should check out our newsletter about happiness at work. It's great and it's free :-)Share this:LinkedInFacebookTwitterRedditPinterest Related