5 Job Seekers Who Struggle to Land Interviews (and How to Help)

5 Job Seekers Who Struggle to Land Interviews (and How to Help) Job hunt not going according to plan? Can’t figure out why you aren’t getting called in for interviews?  Perhaps you’re one of five types of job seekers whose resumes just seem to tank with hiring managers. Think about it. Maybe you change jobs a lot? Or have gaps in your career history?  Some very commonplace things can raise red flags for employers. The good news is that there are a few easy solutions that can get your resume back on track. Whether it’s learning how to write a resume summary  or figuring out where to explain a layoff, the hardest part is simply knowing where weaknesses in your resume lie. Find out if you’re one of the five types of job seekers that have a harder time writing resumes and what you can do to fix it. 1. The Job Hopper There is an ongoing debate about whether the stigma attached to job hopping is disappearing.  That’s because Millennials (those of us born between 1982 and 2004) don’t see a problem changing our jobs frequently. A recent Gallup poll shows that 21% os millennials reported changing their jobs in the past year;  a figure that is three times higher than non-millennials who did the same.  If everyone is doing it, then it must be okay, right? Well, we all know the logic behind that kind of statement. While job hopping trends, companies are companies. They will always want a return on their investments.  And even if that weren’t true which it is frequently changing your job means you’re less likely to stick around, resulting in a repeat recruitment process for your hiring manager. So, what can you do? You’ve got to assure the hiring manager that you’re worth the risk. And you can do that by adding achievements to your resume. Follow the X,Y, Z approach when you add an achievement:  In situation X, I did Y, which resulted in Z.  To increase company-wide participation in CSR initiatives, I created an internal marketing campaign that boosted employee turnout by 50% at the next in-house event.  You’ve gone from “risky, average member of a marketing team” to an individual who can increase company-wide participation by half. That’s real value.  Place your achievements next to the corresponding responsibilities in your experience section. Pro Tip: Some experts will tell you that you can alter dates by removing months. One month of work becomes a year. But tampering with dates is a no-no. You may think you’re tricksey, but hiring managers are in the know.   2. Mr. Complicated Career Progression Mr. Complicated Career Progression starts out as a manager and gets demoted. Perhaps it was a voluntary downgrade, perhaps not.  Getting demoted isn’t lethal, but you do have to consider how to present it on your resume without deterring hiring managers. So, what can you do? If it’s a simple case of voluntary progression reversal, all you need to do is provide a brief explanation. The best place to do that is in your cover letter, resume summary, or as a side note in your experience section.  But let’s say you were straight up demoted. In that case, you’ll need to sacrifice the emphasis you’d typically place on your management skills. You can try to omit the job from your resume as long as it won’t create a black hole in your experience section. If that’s not feasible, draw attention to the transferable skills from that job and your accomplishments instead of featuring your managerial skills and responsibilities. Overall, try redirecting attention to your current role and skill set and place your managerial skills in less prominent places on your resume. In the end, the best thing to do is to remain positive when you talk about the situation. Don’t use the word “demotion” and don’t badmouth your past employer. 3. The Chronically Unemployed Candidate Currently, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics says there are over 7 million unemployed Americans. And four million of them are involuntarily stuck on the unemployment merry-go-round.  There are endless scenarios that result in chronic unemployment. Perhaps you were laid-off and can’t find work. Maybe you are a stay-at-home parent who wants to rejoin the workforce.  Either way, your resume has to tackle the gaps in your job history.   So, what can you do?   Resist the temptation to use a functional or skills-based resume format. The format takes the pressure off your job history while showcasing your skills, but these skills aren’t backed by proof.  You may need to get creative with the layout, but it’s best not to kill the experience section altogether. Instead, kick off your resume with an introduction to yourself and lead with an activity in your experience section be it non-profit work, freelance work, or volunteer work notice how all of those things are still called “work.” Finish with your education or your previous work experience even if you gained it years ago. Pro Tip: Try to keep your hands busy. If you’re chronically unemployed, staying busy is healthy both for your mind and your resume. Occupy yourself with freelance or volunteer work. 4. Miss Overqualified Professional Voluntarily opting for underemployment is a bit suspicious. Upon seeing an overqualified resume, hiring managers may begin to make a whole bunch of assumptions. So, what can you do? You have to convince a hiring manager that you’re volunteering for underemployment for whatever reason, e.g., you want to go back to doing creative work, or you want a better work-life balance. But first, understand the assumptions they may make: They may think that you’ll (justifiably) want a lot of money. You don’t fully understand the job, and you will ultimately leave. That the 15+ years you spent at your last job has left your skill set stagnant. You won’t be happy working under people less experienced than you. The solution? Address these issues as you update your resume. Write a cover letter that will quell all possible fears or assumptions. And write a stellar resume summary that will explain where you are, where you’re going, and how that’s going to benefit your new employer. Tell the hiring manager right away that you’re not in the wrong place. 5. The Non-specialized Job Seeker Are you skilled in sales, marketing, and administration simultaneously? Then you are an Unspecialized Job Seeker.  Not to worry. You just have to focus your resume so that it doesn’t turn into a hot mess of random skills. So, what can you do?   One trick for unspecialized candidates is to choose a combination resume format. The format allows you to emphasize your skills by grouping the bullet points in your experience section under skill-based subheadings. All you have to do is  tailor your resume  to reflect the skills  listed in the job description. Administrative Assistant at XYZ Organization Reduced response time for client inquiries by 20% through the implementation of an innovative filing system. Marketing Manager at Company ABC Leadership Spearheaded a team of 10+ employees to implement rebranding of all marketing materials company-wide. Pro Tip: Cut the fluff. If you’re applying for an Office Management position, avoid long descriptions of your marketing position and related achievements. You want to show transferable skills and achievements that demonstrate your ability to do the work at hand. Key Takeaway Even if you are one of the five types of job seekers listed above, you can easily overcome the stigmas attached to each. If you take a little extra time and effort to address these issues in your resumes, you’ll find that you will start getting the interviews you deserve. About the author: Natalie Severt is a writer for Uptowork, the  resume builders.

The Importance of Body Language in the World of Work - Classy Career Girl

The Importance of Body Language in the World of Work Too many people underestimate the value of body language in business. This is a big mistake. First impressions absolutely matter, and by being mindful of the right body language, you can make the right gestures and movements that will help you get any meeting or interview off to a positive start. Although verbal communication helps to get things done in the world of work, you should not forget the importance of nonverbal communication and the way body language can help lay the foundation for you to deliver a specific message or statement of intent. Whenever you meet potential customers or employers for the first time, it can be all too easy to focus firmly on what’s coming out of your mouth. It’s not uncommon to use all your mental energy to concentrate on adequately conveying your words, but what’s also really important is to think simultaneously about what your body is doing. [RELATED:  What a Job Interview and a Date Have in Common] If you’re an aspiring entrepreneur looking to learn from some of the masters of body language, look no further than professional poker players and top-level sports stars. These guys have a tremendous will to win and relish in the mental game that poker and professional sports can bring; look no further than some of the best players in the world. Let’s look at some of the simple, yet highly effective body language techniques you can adopt to build immediate rapport with individuals and groups of people without even having to open your mouth: Focus on your posture: Before you sit down to talk business or your future career with an individual or group of people, the first thing they will recognize is the way you carry yourself. Your posture is very important in terms of demonstrating confidence. Make sure you stand up straightâ€"no slouching!â€"with your shoulders back and chest out. A forthright, positive posture will also put you in the right frame of mind when it comes to what you say. All smiles: Your facial expression can also help to set the tone of any business meeting. If you’re looking to make a counterpart or colleague feel at ease and establish an immediate rapport, it’s always a good idea to smile, gain the respect of your peers, and create that positive environment for discussion. Another useful body language tip is to mirror your counterpart’s facial expressions. If they are laid-back and jovial, behave likewise and you’ll feel able to relax and enjoy your meeting. At the other end of the spectrum, if they are serious and want to focus on the matter at hand, it’s never a good idea to behave jovially with all smiles and be silly in such a serious environmentâ€"it takes time to understand where your boundaries are! The value of eye contact: Once you’ve perfected your posture and a welcoming smile, it’s then important to keep a keen eye on what your counterparts or colleagues are saying verbally. Always look a fellow professional in the eye when you talk to him or her as this suggests you’re giving them your full attention and that you care. [RELATED: 7 Weird Psychological Tricks to Help Nail Your Next Job Interview] Business is globalâ€"consider regional traditions: If you work within an industry that requires you to regularly venture overseas, it’s highly recommended that you brush up on the role body language plays in business traditions around the globe. For instance, you may not be aware that while regular eye contact is viewed positively in North America and Canada, further east into the Middle East, eye contact is only viewed as a symbol of sincerity and trust between those of the same gender. Initial greetings and handshakes also differ by region. Business meetings in Italy tend to begin with a kiss on the cheek, while in Asia, Japanese meetings will begin with a bow to one anotherâ€"a sign of mutual respect. As with any other skill in business, body language is incredibly important. And although it is something that you’re unlikely to master overnight, with time and experience, you’ll be able to use this skill to your advantage. In doing so, you’ll also be a much better judge of any professional situation and be well-placed to make better decisions on how to act in the boardroom.

The True Cost of Going to University [INFOGRAPHIC]

The True Cost of Going to University [INFOGRAPHIC] Should I go to University or not? What is the true cost of going to university? These are vital questions for prospective students these days. Well, now there is at least one set of statistics provided by moneysupermarket.com that we can share with you on the topic. The infographic presents some interesting statistics across university areas, for example highest accommodation costs are at Edinburgh University at £231/week, whilst the lowest are at Cardiff University £55/week. Have a look and if you like it, please share on Facebook or Twitter guys! Image source: MoneySupermarket; 7

The argument for paying moms less

The argument for paying moms less This is a guest post from Cathy Reisenwitz, who blogs at Birmingham SEO Blog. Time magazine reports that young, childless women are earning more than men. Youd be hard-pressed to find evidence of widespread discrimination against childless women in the workplace. But equally solid data confirms working mothers suspicions that working moms do in fact get paid less than childless women. Heres another article on it from BusinessWeek. Before you get up in arms about gap in pay between childless women and mothers, consider that maybe gap is fair. Maybe moms get paid less because they work less. The majority of mothers work part time. Fully two-thirds of mothers work less than 40 hours per week, and most mothers prefer part-time over full-time. Employers pay part time workers less, whether parents or not, and offer fewer benefits because part-time workers arent as cost-effective for companies to employ as full-time workers. Childless women are also significantly more likely to work overtime. The vast majority of mothers, 92 percent, work less than 50 hours a week. As a result of working less, working mothers are also less qualified than childless women. You dont get the same amount of experience and expertise working 20 hours a week that you do working 40. Should a woman who worked full time for 2 years and then part time for 3 get the same promotion as a woman who worked full time for 5 years? A 1999 study by Klerman and Liebowitz puts it this way: The motherhood penalty is partially explained by differences in human capital. Women with (more) children may have less experience and seniority due to the employment breaks taken to accommodate childcare. Meanwhile, women who get pregnant, or intend to, are more likely to choose careers that pay less. Then theres the issue of productivity. Do working mothers do less work during the hours theyre at work? I havent found any studies comparing productivity of mothers and childless women, but studies have shown female doctors are less productive than male doctors. So if working mothers work less, are less qualified and choose lower-paying careers than childless women, should they really get paid the same? Im thinking no. This is a guest post from Cathy Reisenwitz, who blogs at Birmingham SEO Blog.

Online Resume Writing Service Reviews - Make Sure You Get Quality

Online Resume Writing Service Reviews - Make Sure You Get QualityOnline resume writing service reviews can help you make an informed decision when hiring someone to write your resume. A service is always a good idea, but sometimes it is important to know what kind of service you are signing up for. Making the right choice when it comes to choosing an online resume writing service can mean the difference between having a great resume and a poor one.I had a very popular online resume written for me a few years ago. I was working with a college in my area and needed to send in my application. There were no online resume writing service reviews available at the time, so I did not know if they were going to be good or not.I had heard a lot about the company from my friends, but I did not know much more than that until I started looking at the job opportunity. They seemed pretty legit, and I figured I would give them a try. I filled out all of the necessary information on their site and wa s surprised when I received my email.Not only did they already have the basic materials set up for me, but they also offered samples of my resume. I was quite excited about this! It looked like they were providing me with everything I needed to get the job. All I had to do was check into the company and check my email!The problem with these service reviews is that it is very hard to know which ones are the good ones and which ones are the bad ones. You can't just search online to find out if a company is legitimate or not. Because of this, many people end up choosing the wrong companies or not finding the ones that are truly right for them.Another problem with these reviews is that many of them are written by people who are not experienced with online resumes. Some people will write their experiences on how much they love to give writing reviews. These people are the ones who should stay away from these types of services.Because writing reviews are not on the up, there are some thin gs you can do to prevent them from happening. You can check out sites like Glassdoor.com to see if there are any current or past employees or customers that have posted any negative feedback about the company. This is a great way to find out if the people who are reviewing other companies are telling the truth.A good online resume writing service review can help you make the right choice when hiring someone to write your resume. Make sure you find a site that is unbiased, because there are a lot of sites out there that offer unbiased reviews. You can find the best company out there when you take the time to read a few reviews to find out which ones you should avoid.

Quadruple-Dog-Dare You!

Quadruple-Dog-Dare You! You are your choices. ~Seneca Can you really be objective when you assess your job searchreally?   I   have seldom heard a job seeker say any of these things: I am spending too much time on the job boards I dont think I am doing a good job communicating what I am looking for when I talk to people I think I need to improve how I follow up after I apply for a job I didnt interview as well as I could have and need to improve how I talk about my successes I believe it is how we are hard-wired. Some of us, especially during times of stress, just cant get out of our own way.   We get stuck in the same line of thinking or we are too close to the subject to look at what we could be doing differently. And, doing things differently is scary, hard, uncomfortable! The Dare The other day, on my Career Sherpa Facebook page, I double-dog-dared the folks following that page to complete a job search assessment and show it to me. You know what?   NO ONE, not one single person responded. So I put out a triple-dog-dare yesterday.   Still no response. I even said I would provide my suggestions on how to fix their job search at no cost.   No discussion, no questions, nothing. Whats Wrong? First, I could be my fault.   I am not doing the best job engaging that group and talking with them. They dont know me or understand how and why I can help them (which is all I really want to do.) Second, seldom do people want to admit they need help. Third, some people dont like a challenge. Fourth, accountability is tough stuff.   Who wants to be told what they SHOULD be doing, especially if it is difficult. The Challenge Every year, this time of year, hundreds and thousands of people head for the gym with a New Years resolution to begin exercising.   They pay good money for a gym membership.   They realize that getting healthy is an investment and will take time and hard work. So my challenge to you is this: Are you ready to make your job search healthy? Complete this questionnaire and return it to me.   Job Search Check Up Dont wait.   I am only making this available for the next 2 days (the offer expires end of day Saturday, January 7th) If I can, well talk, but if I get slammed, I will send you my suggestions, comments, and thoughts via email instead. AT NO COST TO YOU! (send it to careersherpa at gmail dot com) I am hoping the response is huge. I came across a great quote yesterday and I hope it strikes a chord with you. You are your choices. ~Seneca

Living the Dream - CareerAlley

Living the Dream - CareerAlley We may receive compensation when you click on links to products from our partners. You can design and create, and build the most wonderful place in the world. But it takes people to make the dream a reality. Walt Disney I caught up with an old friend who had worked for me about 20 years ago. I remember his interview. He was at least 20 minutes late and I remember thinking there is no way this guy is getting the job. Of course I hired him and he wound up being one of the best hires Ive ever made (yes, even 20 years later). To think that he completely changed my mind during the interview from not a chance to being offered the job. That is truly an amazing feat. So, fast forward 20 years and he has decided to leave the corporate life (which can be a real pain at times) and start his own business. A difficult decision, but he is weathering the loss of income hoping to get his business off the ground. Doing something youve always wanted to do is, to me, the true meaning of living the dream. Many of us would love to have the guts to do this, most of us never will. I think Ive heard this term (living the dream) about twenty times in the last few weeks. Of course, everyone uses it to mean the exact opposite of what it implies. So, if you are living the dream (unlike my friend) you are probably in a rotten situation just waiting to move on to better things. This could be anything from a crappy job to no job at all. There are, of course, some people who really are living the dream. You can too. So, what would it take fulfill your living the dream moment? What do you really want to do? I ask myself this question all of the time. In reality, I know that being on the selection committee for Victorias Secret models is probably not realistic, but seriously, if you could do what you really wanted, what would it be? Career Assessment Tools Tests Career assessment for you from Quintcareers.com, these provide assessment tools (split between entry level and established job seekers), sites offering various assessment tools, plus a long list of other assessment links which include Personality Tests, IQ tests and interesting links like WhatHalf.com (as in, what half of your brain). How are You Going to Get There Know what you want to do? How are you going to achieve it? How to Use a Roadmap to Achieve Your Career Plans This article, posted on eHow.com, gives you 8 easy steps to building and implementing your plan. It also provides a list of what you need before you get started. Some of the basics like, desired outcomes, your skills, resources etc. are covered in the article. There are also related links to articles and videos on the right hand side of the screen. Top left hand side are links to additional related articles. Made the decision, now what? Okay, so you know what you want to do, how do you get there? How to Make Sure the New Job is the Right Job This is a great article posted on Dice.com and written in the form of a story. The moment you start reading you will get hooked and want to read it straight through. So what is it about? The tale of someone who falls in love with a company (where they are interviewing) for all of the wrong reasons. Sometimes you need to take that step back and re-evaluate the situation. Definitely worth a read. While you are there, take a look at the latest Tech jobs. Start my own business? -We all think about it. Do you have a specific business in mind? Have you thought about all of the pros and cons? Is Starting Your Own Business the Answer? Great question. So what is the answer? This article was posted on Monster.com and provides many of the issues and topics you should consider before starting your own business. Sometimes things work out and sometimes they dont. Read this article before you start your new business plan. The Dark Side of Being Self Employed Many people, myself included, dream about being their own boss or owning their own business. What could be better? Like everything in life, there are good points and bad points to being self employed. So, before you go out and start your own business, take a look at this article from SteveScottSite.com. Its a great story, and it raised some points that you may not have thought about. Good luck in your search.