Resume Writing Tips That Work in Today's Market

Here area few quick steps to consider when preparing your resume. In no particular order....

1. You own it. Don't just hand your old resume over to a resume writer or a friend and walk away. Work with them to create the wording and phrasing. Consider your strengths and how they relate to the positions that interest you. Create a list of your accomplishments and select those that meet the criteria of the new position.

2. Your resume reflects your accomplishments. It will make the hiring manager interested in learning more about you. It is not a job description or laundry list of what you did in your last position. If you must think like that, write out what those tasks resulted in (think who, what, when, where, why). 

3. It's not your mother's resume. There are new formats, new wording. A google search can show you some of the new formats.

4.  The resume focuses on the job you want; not the one you have. Again, look at the wording of the position you want, consider your accomplishments that align with those and come up with some meaningful, measurable results. To help you do this, think of the situation(s), the tasks you preformed, your actions and most importantly, your results. 

5. One size does not fit all. If there are ten positions that interest you, then you should have ten different resumes. Each resume is tailored to the open position. Create a resume template and then tailor it to each open position. It may mean changing up your skill set or rearranging your accomplishments.

Finally, think about how you managed through Covid. Did you adapt to change, were you involved in remote meetings? These are the newer skills that employers are looking at. 

Writing a resume takes some thought and of course, some elbow grease. Should you meet with a resume designer, make sure that you are prepared with your strengths, accomplishments and a good idea of the type of position you want. Good luck!

 

Customer Service at JetBlue

Today my husband, dog and I flew from Boston MA to Ft. Myers Fl. It's normally a three or four hour trip but today, due to fog along the east coast, delays, cancellations and our own mistakes, the trip took us over 12 hours. Throughout the day I was getting text messages about delays or updates on the location of my luggage. More importantly, I witnessed some actions by the JetBlue staff that made me hopeful for our next generation of business leaders.

1.They can effortlessly multitask. They  can figure out a solution to your problem while talking to someone on the phone and directing the person next to them to look at their screen.

2. They help one another out. It's Teamwork at it's best. At one point we missed our flight and needed help getting back to Florida. While one customer service rep was looking for flights for us, she was asking her teammate to check for arrival times. They worked seamlessly. They came up with a solution.

3. They care for one another. They are co-workers yet they share a bond. I don't know how many times today I heard them tell one another to be safe, or, "I love you" or "You're the best".

4. They care for the crazy, grumpy hundreds of people who were delayed. They spoke to us like we were friends and they felt for us. They even had snacks at every check in station.

All in all, on a long, drawn out day filled with delays I found some sunshine in that fog and it was in the faces and words of the JetBlue staff.  Kudos JetBlue, you have a great team.

Long Branch High School Through the Years

 On October 8, 2022 the Long Branch High School Class of 1972 Reunion featured a PowerPoint slide show of pictures submitted by alumni. LBHS 50th photo show 2.pptx  To access, go to Slideshow and then, From Beginning.

Showing the Hiring Manager Your Worth

What's in it for me? If you can convince the hiring manager that you can bring value to the department and the organization, you may have a leg up on the competition. How do you do that? First, make sure that your resume is tailored to the open position and then, once you are called to come in for an interview, the following steps may prove to the hiring manager that you are a valuable candidate.

1. Read the job requirements and relate them to your past accomplishments. Be prepared with one or two examples for each requirement and skill set.

2. Come up with STAR (Situation or Task, Actions and Results) stories for all of your accomplishments, especially those that relate to the the job requirements.

3. Ask the hiring manager about the types of work challenges that the department is currently facing. Provide examples of similar situations from your past performance highlighting your results. Again, relate to your STAR stories.

Letting the manager know that you are prepared and have researched the company can only help in showing the hiring manager your valuable skills. These tips will help answer the question, "What's in it for me?"

Job Search Publications

On the side bar of this blog you'll see a listing of the topics I've written about over the years. In addition to these articles, many others have been published in on line and printed publications. Here is a listing of some of those articles.

Networking Tips 

How to Pivot Into a New Career

Beating Interviewing Nerves

How to Keep Your Cool During a Job Search 

Five Things you Need for A Successful Interview

Why Employees Resist Change

Network Like an Expert

Five Tips on Writing an Outstanding Resume

Nail These Four Interviewing Questions to Land the Job 

Common Resume Pitfalls

10 Tips to Write a Successful Resume

Successful Resume Tips

Blackbird Learning Associates

10 Tips to Land the Job When You are Over 50 

Skills Needed in 2023 and Beyond

 According to a recent article from Monster.com, problem solving skills top the list of must have skills needed by new graduates at the workplace. The rest of the skills can be found here. Why problem solving? Employers want employees who are open to learning but also ready to hit the ground running. In today's workplace there's no time for someone who isn't proactive and willing to show innovation, and thought. 

In another article presented by HR Forecast, due to digitalization and automation of work processes, 2/3 of the skills needed by employees will soft. Again, problem solving tops the list here too.

How can a soon to be or recent college graduate sharpen the skills needed for a new position? 

1. Look at job postings for positions that interest you. Come up with behavioral examples of your past behaviors as they relate to the responsibilities listed in the positions. Use the STAR (Situation/Task, Actions, Results) method. Keep in mind your behaviors and actions with past jobs or internships, clubs, class projects, sports activities, volunteering.

2. Google the entry level positions in your field of interest and look at the hard and soft skills needed to succeed.

3. If you find yourself weak in an area, think how you can strengthen that activity through training, mentoring, volunteering, or asking for assistance from an instructor or coach. If there is a class project, volunteer to lead it. (This demonstrates leadership, delegation negotiation, communication and other valuable skills).

4. Visit your college placement office. Ask about learning how to sharpen the skills needed for current and future jobs.

5. Attend career fairs and speak to the company representatives about the skills needed in the positions they are  seeking. Many of team members representing their companies are recent college graduates and are willing to speak about their interpretation of the skills needed in their company's environment.

It's never to early to think about your future. Interning or finding a summer position in your field of interest are important to gain valuable skills and knowledge.It all starts with problem solving but this time it is focused on you.