Being rejected for the job you really wanted can be difficult. You worked hard on crafting a great cover letter and updating your resume. No matter where you were in the interview process—just finished a third interview or didn’t even make it to the first round of interviewing—getting that rejection letter can be difficult. However, there is a right way to handle job rejection.
Writing Your Cover Letter
Filling out a job application isn’t as simple as just checking a few boxes on a form. In today’s job market, you need to set yourself above the competition. Stand out from other job applicants. One of the best ways to do that is by crafting an amazing cover letter. You can’t use the same generic cover letter for every application you submit. Rather, you need to be creating content that is specific to every job you are applying to.
Resume Best Practices: Writing Your Objective for Resumes
When you begin applying for jobs, there is one crucial thing you need to be thinking about: your objective statement. In order to set yourself apart from other applicants, your objective needs to be detailed, tailored to your career goals, and tailored to the job you are applying for. If your overall career goals don’t align with the company or position you are applying for, then you need to rethink applying. Crafting the perfect objective for resumes can be difficult, but with a few questions in mind, you have a great statement sure to capture and engage your future employer.
Writing an objective for your resume is actually more important than just putting a sentence at the top of your resume. It’s a process that needs time and consideration. Ultimately, this statement needs to reflect who you are and what your career goals are. Here are a few questions to help you get started:
What type of work environment do you thrive in?
While it may not be the most important question, you still need to know what type of work environment and culture you want to work in and be a part of. When you know these things, you can seek out companies that offer these settings. Accepting a position at a job in which you don’t fit with the environment can lead to unhappiness and eventually leaving the job. Be upfront with potential employers about the type of environment you work best in.
What skills do you hope to cultivate and develop?
Your job isn’t just about getting work done. It’s about advancing your role and your career. By telling a potential employer about the skills you want to develop and the skills you want to utilize, they get a better understanding of who you are as an employee. As an employee, you should always be looking for ways to be better at your job, gain valuable skills that transfer from company to company and increase your knowledge in special areas.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
Looking to the future can be intimidating sometimes, but having some sort of career plan can help land you your dream job. By having a career plan, you set goals for yourself. Potential employers want to see that you’re motivated and dedicated when it comes to your professional life because that more than likely means you are motivated and dedicated to doing a fantastic job.
What type of work are you seeking out?
Your objective statement needs to have one overall theme: what type of work do you do better than anyone else? By answering that question you are establishing your personal differentiator. You’re telling potential employers what you do and why you do it so well. Maybe it’s your analytical mind or your own creative process. Whatever it is, be sure you explain what type of work you do well and the type of work you want to be doing.
Do you have any recommendations for writing objectives for resumes? Leave your tips and suggestions in the comments section below!
Resume Best Practices: Things to Avoid on Your Resume Template
Writing your resume can be tricky. From things to avoid to things you have to include, there are several things to keep in mind. The ultimate goal of your resume is to convey to an employer you’re the best candidate. You want that phone call for an interview. You want that dream job. But you won’t get your foot in the door without a solid resume template.
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Choosing Your References
When you’re applying for jobs, filling out applications, sending out resumes, and even interviewing, one thing you need to have in mind is a list of references. Choosing your references is a crucial step in finding your next job or career. It might seem like no big deal to throw a few names and numbers down on a piece of paper and call it a day, but you need to put real consideration into who you choose to list as a reference.
10 Common Resume Mistakes
Writing the perfect resume is nearly impossible, but if you spend the time and put in the effort, you can craft a great resume. The real trick is avoiding common resume mistakes that will cause someone to just dismiss you as a serious candidate. When a recruiter or hiring manager sees a resume with mistakes all over it, they will more than likely throw it away and move on to the next candidate. Simply applying for a job and sending in a resume isn’t enough to get you the job.
Even the best laid out resume with all the bells and whistles can be pushed aside if there are simple mistakes on it. Before you start sending your resume out, you should look it over and make sure you aren’t a victim of these 10 common resume mistakes:
1. Typos and Poor Grammar
One of the biggest mistakes your resume can have is typos or poor grammar. When the person reviewing a resume sees these mistakes, your resume is dismissed right away. In order to avoid these mistakes, you need to use a spellcheck tool, read, reread, and reread your resume. You also need to consider having someone review your resume for these simple mistakes that are often over looked.
2. Duties Rather Than Accomplishments
It’s easy to simply list the duties of your current job and any past jobs you’ve had. However, not only is this lazy, it doesn’t really tell a future employer anything. Instead, you need to list accomplishments, projects, and tasks that you undertook in those positions. By doing this, you show what you have done, what you are capable of, and the results of those actions.
3. Lack of Dates
You may think that dates just aren’t that important, but if someone reviewing your resume sees a lack of dates or an inaccurate account of dates, then a red flag will go off. Don’t try to hide career gaps. If there are gaps in your resume, then you need explain them in your cover letter. Remember, career gaps can be a positive thing on your resume and in your career.
4. Missing Contact Information
As you are reviewing your resume, double check your phone number, address, and email address. It might seem like a stupid mistake, but if you do happen to put in the wrong number or street name, then how is someone supposed to contact you? Be sure this information is accurate at all times.
5. Bad Formatting
You might think formatting isn’t an important part of your resume, but if you submit a resume that lacks flow in the format, then the person reading it might just end up tossing it aside. While adding boxes and using certain types of fonts can make your resume look great on screen, you need to keep in mind that you will be sending your resume in an email (more than likely) and someone will probably be printing it out. Keep it as simple as possible because in most cases, an employer just wants the information and nothing else.
6. Non-Functional
In attempts to hide resume gaps and make your resume stylish, you may end up turning out a non-functional resume. Instead, you should be creating a resume that is chronological and focuses on your accomplishments rather than anything else.
7. Long Form Resumes
For some, when creating a resume, they want to cram everything they have ever done or accomplished onto the sheet. However, when your resume spreads beyond one or two pages, you lose the interest of those reading it. If you are already working with a long resume, consider trimming it down. You have limited time to get to the point, so get there early.
8. Paragraphs
Your resume should tell a story, but it should tell it in short sentences, highlights, and bullet points. Paragraphs should be used on cover letters and career objectives, but your job summaries and skills sections should utilize short sentences and bullet points. By setting your resume up this way, you can get your main points across and answer initial questions. You will also have a better chance at intriguing someone and get that much anticipated call for an interview.
9. No Real Qualifications
It’s tempting to go after our dream jobs and we should always be working towards them, but you can’t apply for them unless you are ready. Your resume needs to reflect the proper qualifications when applying for a job, so make sure you have real qualifications that match the job you are applying for.
10. Unrelated Personal Information
You may want to include personal information to your resume to help someone learn more about you, but no matter how fascinating it is, unless it pertains to the job, you should leave it off. Some are tempted to include hobbies, interests, and age on their resume, but it’s just not needed and often not welcomed.
As you review your resume, make sure the information is accurate, readable, and relevant to the job to which you are applying. Avoid common resume mistakes by double and triple checking what you’ve included and having someone else review it.
What resume questions do you have? Leave your questions and suggestions in the comments section below!
Image Credit: freedigitalphotos.net
7 Things That Lead to Career Development
Whether you have a job or are currently looking for a job, you as the employee are in charge of your career development. If you already have a job, you might think you don’t need to develop anymore, but that attitude is a sure fire way to find yourself without a job. As an employee, you constantly have to be learning and seeking to be a better employee.
Do You Fit with the Company Culture?
Finding that perfect job is, well, overwhelming. From interviews to job offers, there is a lot of work that goes into finding a job. If you’re seriously looking for a job, then you’ll probably find that the job search is basically a full-time job in its own right. But even finding a job that you think sounds great, offers you the right compensation, and comes with incredible benefits may not end up being the dream job you’ve been looking for.
10 Ways to Make Career Gaps Positive
When you apply for a new job, potential employers are going to look at your resume and they may notice a few career gaps. These gaps occur when you go through a period of unemployment. While this happens to almost everyone, it’s what you do with those gaps that matters.
Employers are going to ask you about career gaps and how you spent your time. You want to project that you working towards improving yourself during those times you were out of work. Did you spend your time learning? Traveling? Volunteering? Moping around? Turning these career gaps into a positive experience will not only help you personally, but will increase your chances of landing your next job. Below, you’ll find 10 ways to turn your career gaps into something positive:
Take a Class
More than likely, your field of work is constantly changing; using this gap period to enhance your knowledge or learn new things can give you a competitive advantage when it comes to finding your next job.
Volunteer
Whether you decide to help out at a local animal shelter or tutor kids, being able to place volunteer experiences on your resume is a real differentiator. Potential employers will see this and recognize you as having empathy and a strong work ethic.
Join a Professional Organization
Go beyond being a “member” of a professional organization. Be engaged in activities and take initiative to be a leader. Not only with this help you branch out and expand your network, it will give you valuable skills for your future job.
Network
Mentioned above, your career gap can be a great time to meet new people and expand your professional network. By doing this, you can make great connections that could end up helping you both personally and professionally.
Become an Intern
No matter where you are at in your career, an internship can be a great experience. This could be your chance to learn a new skill, humble yourself, or just ensure that you are building your resume experiences.
Teach
Do you have a lot of experience in your field? Take this opportunity to teach others about what you do. Maybe you just want to share one of your hobbies with others- no matter what, a teaching experience can help you become a better communicator, establish yourself as a leader, and allow you to meet new people.
Start a Business
Have you always dreamed of owning your own business? Do you have an original idea or innovation? This gap period could be exactly what you need to start your business. Take a chance and see what happens. Just make sure you think everything through first.
Freelance
If you don’t want to start a business, but need to keep working, then you should consider freelancing or consulting. As an expert in your field, businesses may be looking for your expertise. Start small and build your way up. Be sure to use your professional network to get a few accounts.
Travel
If you have money saved up, you can use this time to travel to a new place. Doing this may not seem like it has much impact on your career, but when you travel somewhere new you are stepping outside of your comfort zone, being independent, and being detail-oriented.
Relax and Refresh
Sometimes, these resume gaps are the perfect opportunities to relax and refresh. Maybe you feel a little burnt out and you need to recover. Take this time to do that. Rediscover why you love your field of work and get your passion back.
Remember, career gaps don’t have to be a negative thing on your resume. In fact, you can make career gaps into a positive and rewarding situation. Instead of moping around because you don’t have a job, you can do something to better yourself, your community, and your career.
What have you done to fill in your career gaps? Leave your stories and advice in the comments section below!
Image Credit: freedigitalphotos.net
Using Facebook to Find a Job
Over the last few weeks, we’ve talked about using social media to find a job. We’ve talked about building a personal brand, sharing content on Twitter, and keeping it professional on LinkedIn, but there’s one more network you need to know about. Using Facebook to find a job may seem like a strange concept, but it works. You just need to know how to go about using the site to your advantage.