Rock Your Resume

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Update Your Resume Month

Welcome to September 2019!! It’s officially “Update You Resume Month". In honor of this, I am offering 50% off on all my services. I’ve also wanted to make you aware that I have uploaded some samples of past resumes. Please reach out to me for a free consultation.

Thanks,

Karen Walcott

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5 Ways to Rock Your Resume Today (Part 5)

Hi All,

Sorry for the delay in part 5. It’s been a hectic few days. Anyways, today we will discuss the “Education” section of your resume. Here are some general guidelines:

Do not include a lackluster G.P.A.-If you’re G.P.A was less than 3.5 on a 4.0 scale, you should leave it off of your resume.

Do not include a graduation date if it was over 10 years ago- you don’t want to make it easy for a recruiter to disregard your resume because of your age. if you include that you graduated from college in 1993, the recruiter will know that you are nearing 50 and might decide not to hire you.

Do Not include Middle School and Elementary School Information- the only education that employers are interested in are your HS Diploma and post secondary courses, and college degrees.

Below is an example of how your resume’s education section should be formatted.

Thanks for reading this series. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by all this information, you can always leave me a question in the comment section. If you would like to discuss your resume with a professional writer you can book your free resume writing strategy session today.

[rockyourresume]

How to Use the S.O.A.R or S.T.A.R Method to Answer Questions in Interviews

Good Morning All,

I came across this great article about how to use the the S.O.A.R or S.T.A.R method to answer interview questions. You can read the post here. It was written by my colleague, Thea Kelley at Thea Kelley Career Services. Read it and let me know what you thought in the comments below.

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Some Core Competencies for Nursing Resumes (Infographic)

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Some Core Competencies for Educators

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What is ATS? (Infographic)

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Hello,

I hope everyone had a great holiday weekend. Today we are going to discuss the 3rd way to Rock Your Resume and that is by optimizing your Core Competencies section. This section is also called “Key Skills,” or “Areas of Expertise.” It is a section of words directly beneath your executive summary.

The Core Competency section is important because it’s where ATS systems look to see if your resume contains keywords that match job descriptions.

Here is an example from a teacher resume.

Now, the words in the Core Competencies section should be pulled from the description of the job you’re interested in. Altering the Core Competencies section is also a good way to tailor a resume to match a specific job. You can simply add or subtract key words.

Make sure your keywords are as specific as possible. For example, use “Middle School Language Arts” instead of just “Language Arts.”

Don’t just stuff your resume with buzzwords or keywords. ATS systems are trained to detect that. If a Core Competency appears on your list then it should appear in more detail in the professional experience section.

Forget overused buzzwords like “problem solving” or “goal-oriented”.

You only need 9-12 core competencies.

Don’t use full sentences

if this all feels overwhelming to you or if you would like to hire a professional to write your resume. please contact me for a free resume strategy session.

Thanks for reading and come back tomorrow to learn how to rock the professional experience section of your resume.

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5 Ways to Rock Your Resume Today (Part 2)

Welcome to part 2. Today we will discuss what sections your resume should include. Your resume should include an executive summary, a core competencies section, a professional experience section, and an education section. In today’s post we will explore the executive summary.

In a nutshell, executive summaries are 3-5 lines at the top of your resume that explain why you’re the best possible candidate for the job.

Writing an Effective Executive Summary

Read the job description to discover what skills are most important to the employer. Once you have done that, go through your resume and see if you have those skills. For example if the position requires leadership abilities, do you have experience managing others? if the position requires exceptional communication skills, do you have experience delivering training or presentations?

Make sure that your executive summary is specific to you. Ask yourself, “Can this summary describe anyone?” If the answer to that question is, yes, then you need to revise. Avoid general statements like the following:

Highly motivated team player with exceptional customer service skills and strong work ethic.

That sentence could describe a million job applicants. You want to emphasize the skills and experiences that only you possess.

A Guideline for Writing Your Executive Summary

Sentence 1 - The Pitch: Summarize yourself in a sentence (e.g., “Senior-Level instructor and administrative manager, enhancing training through leadership and program development.”)

Sentences 2-3 – The Skills: Emphasize the most relevant skills, which you have gleaned from reading the job description (e.g. “More than 10 years’ experience in training and administrative management. Extensive background in planning and implementing projects and classes. Talent for developing young leaders.”)

Sentences 4-5 – The Fit: Highlight soft skills and any other impressive qualifications (e.g., “Persuasive communication and negotiation skills, leading to productive relationships with executives and colleagues. Continuous selection for positions of higher responsibility.”)

A Word About Objective Statements

I’m often surprised at how often clients ask me if they need some sort of objective statement at the top of their resumes. No, you do not need an objective statement. You don’t need to tell the hiring manager or recruiter that you’re looking for a job. They already know that. You also want the statement at the top of your resume to focus on how you can benefit the company and not on what they can do for you.

Come back tomorrow to learn about Core Competencies.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed or if you just want a professional to write your resume for you, please don’t hesitate to reach out to schedule your free resume strategy session with me.

Thanks,

Karen

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How to Search for a Job in the Digital Age (Tool)

Hey All,

Do you remember my 5 part series of posts, “How to Get a Job in the Digital Age?” Well, I’ve decided to give you even more tools to help you look for a position online. 

As you recall, part 4 said that you should use Linkedin to find contacts at each of the 10-15 companies that you selected in part 1.  

Well, I’ve created a graphic organizer that you can use to organize that information. You can find it here. It’s completely free. 

If you would be willing to participate in a free 5 Day challenge, in which we work together to implement all the advice that I gave you during the series, please leave me a comment below.

Thanks for Reading,

Karen

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5 Ways to Rock Your Resume Today (Part 1)

In a previous post we discussed what resume is and what it isn’t. Now we need to talk about what your resume should look like. In this 5 part series I will explore the sections that every resume should contain. Before we go there, let’s talk about templates.

In a previous post I decried the evils of Microsoft Word Templates and why you should never ever ever use them. Today I want to showcase some alternative templates. Here are 3 great resources for resume templates:

Canva

Below is a simple resume template from Canva. When I look for a resume template, I look for specific criteria: a modern design, with a good use of white space and a format that’s easy for hiring managers and recruiters to quickly skim for information.

Etsy

Etsy is an online marketplace where you can buy handmade goods. It’s also a good resource for innovative and inexpensive resume templates. Here is a list of 5 reputable shops that sell resume templates that meet my criteria.

TemplateCrafts

A1Resume

ResumeCoverPro1

DemeDesign

The Resume Coach

Creative Market

This is an online marketplace where graphic designers can sell their designs directly to the public. Here is a list of 5 reputable shops that sell resume templates that meet my criteria.

Estartshop

UX-group

LucaTheme

KeKe Resume Boutique

ResumeInventor

With all of these available options, there is just no excuse to use the dreaded and hated MS Word Resume Templates. Tune in tomorrow where we discuss what sections you should include in your resume.

If any of this overwhelms you or if you just want to hire a professional resume writer, don’t hesitate to reach out to me for a free resume strategy session.

[rockyourresume]

How to Search for a Job in the Digital Age (Tool)

Hey All,

Do you remember my 5 part series of posts, “How to Get a Job in the Digital Age?” Well, I’ve decided to give you even more tools to help you look for a position online. 

As you recall, part 3 said that you should brainstorm 3 ways that you can add value to those companies.

Well, I’ve created a graphic organizer that you can use to organize that information. You can find it here. It’s completely free. 

If you would be willing to participate in a free 5 Day challenge, in which we work together to implement all the advice that I gave you during the series, please leave me a comment below.

Thanks for Reading,

Karen .

[rockyourresume]

How to Search for a Job in the Digital Age (Graphic Organizer)

Hey All,

Do you remember my 5 part series of posts, “How to Get a Job in the Digital Age?” Well, I’ve decided to give you even more tools to help you look for a position online. 

As you recall, part 1 said that you should choose 10-15 companies that you would like to work for and to research those companies until you know their goals for the next 6-12 months and how they plan to achieve those goals. 

Well, I’ve created a graphic organizer that you can use to organize that information. You can find it here. It’s completely free. 

If you would be willing to participate in a free 5 Day challenge, in which we work together to implement all the advice that I gave you during the series, please leave me a comment below.

Thanks for Reading,

Karen .

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Company Research Log

Here is a log to store those 10 contact names at 10 different companies that are part of the blog series, “How to Get a Job in the Digital Age.”

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Value Add

This is another form that’s part of the “How to Get a Job in the Digital Age” blog series. This form helps you brainstorm 3 ways that you can add value to a company that you’re interested in working for.

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Research Organizer for the Job Search

This form will help you organize your company research during your job search. You can simply print out a copy for each company that you research.

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How to Search for a Job in the Digital Age

Welcome to part 5 of “How to Search for a Job in the Digital Age. Even in the digital age searching for a job can be a frustrating process. You go to a job site like Indeed.com and you spend hours clicking on jobs that look exciting. You upload your resume numerous times. You fill out endless job applications. Then you wait for a reply or to be invited to an interview.

There is a much more effective way to search for a job. During this series of blog posts I’m going to give you some tools that you can use right away. Here is step 9:

Thanks for reading this series. If you would like to learn more, please leave a comment below or feel free to contact me directly.

[rockyourresume]

How to Search for a Job in the Digital Age (Part 4)

Welcome to part 4 of “How to Search for a Job in the Digital Age. Even in the digital age searching for a job can be a frustrating process. You go to a job site like Indeed.com and you spend hours clicking on jobs that look exciting. You upload your resume numerous times. You fill out endless job applications. Then you wait for a reply or to be invited to an interview.

There is a much more effective way to search for a job. During this series of blog posts I’m going to give you some tools that you can use right away. Here are steps 7 & 8:

Tune in tomorrow for the next steps. If you have questions, please leave a comment below.

Thanks