Working as a writer can be a very demanding career. If you work freelance or mostly freelance, it can also be a stressful career. This is because you don’t always know where the next dollar is coming from or how a project will pan out. This uncertainty adds a great deal of pressure that can  Read More →

The Research Study: How Does Your Résumé Compare? Competitive Career Intelligence for 6-Figure Canadians * found that the introductory piece — the top third — within most résumés assessed could be enhanced further. WHAT EMPLOYERS WANT : Readers initially scan a résumé to determine if the candidate may be appropriate for their requirements. Therefore, the first section of a six-figure candidate’s résumé is the most important... 

Asked what method job-seekers should deploy to explain gaps in their employment history, respondents to the the 2010 Orange County Resume Survey* offered no strong preferences. About 40.4 percent advise including a statement in the resume’s Work Experience section describing reasons for the gap(s), while 8.3 percent felt this statement should appear at the bottom of the resume. Almost 26.2 percent suggested including a statement in the cover... 

Almost half (49.4 percent) of surveyed employers said they prefer chronological resumes, according to results from the 2010 Orange County Resume Survey.* Almost 39 percent preferred a combination of a chronological and functional resume format, while just under 6 percent preferred a purely functional format, 3.5 percent had no preference, 2.4 percent preferred a portfolio. Given strong sentiment against any type of functional format reported by... 

Article Contributed By: Jessica Holbrook Hernandez, an expert resume writer (http://www.greatresumesfast.com), career and personal branding strategist, author, and presenter. Last week I had lunch with a colleague who had recently hired someone for a part-time position for her office. My colleague was interested to observe the wide variety of people who applied for a  Read More →

A cover letter is supposed to be brief, readable, and professional. A fax cover sheet or a handwritten note should preferably never be used, especially when you want an employer to view you as a serious potential employee. The ideal cover letter is four to five paragraphs long, with each paragraph consisting of maybe three or four sentences. Keep in mind, too, that “less is more.” Your letter should preferably be no more than one... 

Checking my email one day this week, I found one that started in a way destined to make my heart sink: “I know we finalized this resume a while ago, but I showed it to a friend and he had some comments …” My heart doesn’t sink because of the extra work – I don’t mind that if the comments are helpful – but because I know that they probably won’t be. So I now have two choices. 1) Make changes that... 

Are you moving forward in your career? Or, are you spinning your wheels wondering when the spinning will stop? Do you feel at times that you are working hard, but not seeing the results you want? That you are trying to push your way past a brick wall that won’t budge?  Rather than pushing forward  Read More →

Close to two-thirds (62.7 percent) of employer respondents in the 2010 Orange County Resume Survey* said that when receiving resumes electronically (the most common delivery mode these days), they prefer them as a Word .doc. More than a third (36.1 percent) surveyed prefer PDF files, while 1.2 percent favor Rich Text (.rtf). Text-only (.txt) and online resumes in .html format received no support in the survey. Although a Wod .doc is usually a safe... 

You can find many books, websites, and other guides with hundreds of sample cover letters. Use them as a starting point to help you get ideas for format and content, but don’t copy them. Write your cover letter in your own words so it has your voice and style. Take the time to research the company and convey your own enthusiasm for the job. A bland, generic cover letter says that you didn’t care enough about the position or the employer... 

Because internal promotions and lateral moves involve individuals that are already known entities, the key is to come prepared with proof of past job performance and answers to any objections that might be made. Of course, this process of rating one’s worth should begin the very first day on a new job and continue until a promotion is offered or a lateral move requested. 1. Keep Detailed Records of Your Job Performance to Justify a Promotion:... 

Article Contributed by: Ron Cottick, CPC, CHRM, http://jobsearch-rsc@blogspot.com Much has been said about resumes and cover letters, from how they should look to what they should contain. The OBJECTIVE has not always been covered as thoroughly in what has been said. Check a previous BLOG entitled; RESUME; Candidate, Do you “KIS” your resume to your “Audience”?  Read More →

Like any career be sure that is really want you want to do before registering for horse training course, you must answer the following questions truthfully. 1. Is horse training your passion? 2. Have you participated in horse shows and watched horse races before? 3. Are you willing to gain new information about the kinds of horse feeds  Read More →

More than half (53.6 percent) of surveyed employers in the 2010 Orange County Resume Survey* said they have no preference for the type of paper resume are printed on when they are sent by postal mail, hand-delivered, or brought to an interview. Almost a third (31 percent) preferred white paper of the type found in most printers and copy machines. Almost 11 percent preferred heavy gray or cream paper. Paper choice is thus one less decision job…  Read More →

Can narrowing down your job search focus actually get you more interviews than trying for a wide range of jobs? That’s been my experience. First let me give you a business example, and then I’ll tell you about a client of mine who got amazing results just by narrowing her sights. When we worked with the amazing Squared Eye to redesign our website earlier this year, we made a big decision: we would clearly define our target audience...