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17
Jul

Where Do I Go From Here?

By RedStarResume No comments yet

guest-blogging-1The summer after I completed a year-long national service program, I attended a leadership and career development workshop at my alma mater. The goal of the workshop was to evaluate our experiences thus far and the skills we had learned in order to figure out the next step in our careers. One of the most valuable exercises we did that week was a prioritization activity used to evaluate the tasks we performed in the past, the things we liked doing the most, and to figure out which things we’d like to do more of in our next job. It’s one of the most useful activities

I’ve found for providing insight into what you’re currently looking for in a position. The activity goes like this:
1. Write down a list of action, –ing words that you’ve done in your previous positions or that relate to the work you do in a job. List as many words as possible. Words such as planning, organizing, creating, researching, calling, directing, counseling and so on.

2. Evaluate your list of words and choose the top ten activities that you enjoy doing the most in a job, and want to continue doing more of in your next position.

3. Next, you’ll compare each of the activities individually with the other nine, choosing the activity that you’d like to do most in a job. Keep track of how many times you choose each activity.

4. Once you’ve gone through comparing each of your ten activities with one another, count up the number of times you chose each one.

5. Order your list of activities according to the amount of times you chose them.

Your new ordered list of ten activities should show the priority of activities you want to do in future positions. This can help you to tailor your job search for positions that will allow you to do the things that matter most to you in your job and give you a better idea of where you want to end up in your career.

1. _________________________

2. _________________________

3. _________________________

4. _________________________

5. _________________________

6. _________________________

Amanda Ryan is a Program Development Associate & Senior Resume Writer at RedStarResume. Amanda is a highly skilled resume writing expert and career expert who also specialises in creating, writing and developing career content, working alongside student and graduate job seekers and developing career content for newsletters, partners and career websites.

Need the help of a professional resume writer with expert resume writing skills? Contact the team at RedStarResume!

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07
May

Student And Graduate Resume Writing

By RedStarResume No comments yet


6 Things to Include on your Resume as a Current Student or Recent Gradratuate

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One of the first steps in making the transition from student to job seeker is to create a professional resume. At first glance it may seem like you don’t have much to put on your resume as a student or recent grad, however if you assess your past experiences you’ll realize you have more relevant experience to highlight on your resume than you think. Employers look to your past performance to predict your success in the future. As a student or recent graduate, jobs aren’t the only way you can demonstrate your prior success. Remember that resume writing is all about highlighting your achievements. Don’t forget to include examples and evidence to further promote your value added skills to hiring managers.

Relevant Coursework:

As a student or recent graduate, employers realize that so far most of your life has been spent in the classroom, learning and studying. It’s beneficial to highlight coursework that is related to the field you’re applying for. This can show employers that you’ve learned relevant material from your studies and that you have thorough knowledge that can be an asset to their company.

Internships:

Of course you’ll want to include any and all student internships you’ve had in the past. It’s always better if you’ve participated in an internship related to the jobs you’re applying for; however having any type of internship can show a level of maturity and responsibility. It also shows that you’ve been exposed to a real working environment and are better prepared to enter the workforce.

Part-time/ Summer Jobs:

Don’t belittle your part-time or seasonal work experience. A job in retail or summer camp may not seem relevant to the field you’re going into, however you learn a great deal of foundational skills by having a part-time job that prepares you for having a full-time position. Employers like to see that you’re mature enough to hold a job and learn some basic skills and work ethic.

Volunteer Work:

Volunteering can also provide valuable skills and promote leadership and cooperation. It’s good to include any volunteering you’ve been part of in the past, as it can also demonstrate maturity, responsibility, team work and cooperation.

Extra-curricular Activities:

Feel free to list relevant extra-curricular activities on your resume. Anything you do on your free time that shows commitment, leadership, team work, etc. You can demonstrate skills you’ve acquired through your extra-curricular activities. For example if you’ve played on a sports team while in school, this can show you’re a team player and able to successfully handle multiple tasks.

Memberships/ Affiliations:

Including relevant memberships and affiliations can help demonstrate your commitment to a particular field of study, issue, or show your success in a certain area if membership is merit-based.

© RedStarResume Publications – http://www.bestresponseresume.com

Amanda Ryan is a Program Development Associate & Senior Resume Writer at RedStarResume. Amanda is a highly skilled resume writing expert and career expert who also specialises in creating, writing and developing career content, working alongside student and graduate job seekers and developing career content for newsletters, partners and career websites.

Need the help of a professional resume writer with expert resume writing skills? Contact the team at RedStarResume!

Click_Here_

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27
Feb

Student And Graduate Resume Writing

By RedStarResume No comments yet


6 Things to Include on your Resume as a Current Student or Recent Gradratuate

stand

One of the first steps in making the transition from student to job seeker is to create a professional resume. At first glance it may seem like you don’t have much to put on your resume as a student or recent grad, however if you assess your past experiences you’ll realize you have more relevant experience to highlight on your resume than you think. Employers look to your past performance to predict your success in the future. As a student or recent graduate, jobs aren’t the only way you can demonstrate your prior success. Remember that resume writing is all about highlighting your achievements. Don’t forget to include examples and evidence to further promote your value added skills to hiring managers.

Relevant Coursework:

As a student or recent graduate, employers realize that so far most of your life has been spent in the classroom, learning and studying. It’s beneficial to highlight coursework that is related to the field you’re applying for. This can show employers that you’ve learned relevant material from your studies and that you have thorough knowledge that can be an asset to their company.

Internships:

Of course you’ll want to include any and all student internships you’ve had in the past. It’s always better if you’ve participated in an internship related to the jobs you’re applying for; however having any type of internship can show a level of maturity and responsibility. It also shows that you’ve been exposed to a real working environment and are better prepared to enter the workforce.

Part-time/ Summer Jobs:

Don’t belittle your part-time or seasonal work experience. A job in retail or summer camp may not seem relevant to the field you’re going into, however you learn a great deal of foundational skills by having a part-time job that prepares you for having a full-time position. Employers like to see that you’re mature enough to hold a job and learn some basic skills and work ethic.

Volunteer Work:

Volunteering can also provide valuable skills and promote leadership and cooperation. It’s good to include any volunteering you’ve been part of in the past, as it can also demonstrate maturity, responsibility, team work and cooperation.

Extra-curricular Activities:

Feel free to list relevant extra-curricular activities on your resume. Anything you do on your free time that shows commitment, leadership, team work, etc. You can demonstrate skills you’ve acquired through your extra-curricular activities. For example if you’ve played on a sports team while in school, this can show you’re a team player and able to successfully handle multiple tasks.

Memberships/ Affiliations:

Including relevant memberships and affiliations can help demonstrate your commitment to a particular field of study, issue, or show your success in a certain area if membership is merit-based.

© RedStarResume Publications – http://www.bestresponseresume.com

Amanda Ryan is a Program Development Associate & Senior Resume Writer at RedStarResume. Amanda is a highly skilled resume writing expert and career expert who also specialises in creating, writing and developing career content, working alongside student and graduate job seekers and developing career content for newsletters, partners and career websites.

Need the help of a professional resume writer with expert resume writing skills? Contact the team at RedStarResume!

Click_Here_

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28
Oct

Information Technology Resume Writing For Students and Graduates

By RedStarResume No comments yet

An IT specific resume is different to a regular resume for a number reasons and ensuring that your IT resume is written, formatted and presented correctly is fundamental to standing out from your competition. As a current student or graduate, you probably have limited relevant work experience which is why it’s important to focus your resume on your technical IT skills as opposed to focusing on other areas of your resume which may have little relevance to the job you are applying for.  The most important part of the resume is the opening page and you need to ensure that a hiring manager can easily find your IT skills within the first 10 seconds of reading the resume. Remember that your resume is your marketing document, so don’t be shy in listing and emphasising the value-added skills that will make an employer want to hire you.

Create a Qualifications Profile:

A great way to begin the resume is by creating a 2-3 sentence qualifications profile. Rather than an objective statement (telling the reader what type of job you want), focus on creating a powerful profile that highlights your value-added skills and qualifications. A hiring manager is interested in the skills and qualifications you are able to bring to this particular role, as opposed to being told about the type of job you want.

Highlight your IT Skills:

As an IT student, you probably have a list of various technologies that you are an expert in using. This can include programming languages, desktop operating systems, computer hardware and software etc. This information needs to be on the front page of the resume and right in the reader’s eye line.  A great way to further emphasise your IT skills is by providing examples of how you have used these specific skills. Remember that a large majority of other students will share similar skills to you. By providing examples of how you have used these skills, will help you stand out against the crowd.

Strategic IT Keywords:

Recruiters or hiring managers will often skim over the resume looking for specific IT keywords or use software programs to find key words.  These key words need to be included in your resume and can be easily changed depending on the requirements of the job.  Before you begin to stress out about what keywords to use, all you need to do is simply read the job description, see what the company is looking for and make sure your resume is full of these keywords!

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27
Sep

Tips On How To Make Your Accounting Resume Stand Out

By RedStarResume No comments yet

How to make your accounting resume stand out from the crowd:

The most common questions I receive from accounting students and graduates are “what do I do if my accounting grades are not fantastic?” and “what can I include in my resume that will make it stand out?” The first thing to remember is that most organisations are looking for students and graduates who are willing to learn, are able to be innovative and who work well in a team environment.

My advice for students that don’t have distinction average marks is to focus on highlighting other areas where you can add value to an organisation. Just like the major accounting firms are instant recognisable brands, as a graduate you need to think of yourself as a brand that you are trying to sell to a hiring manager. Think about what makes you unique and how you can sell yourself to that particular organisation. When a hiring manager reads an accounting resume, he or she presumes that all candidates share relatively the same type of skills. In order to stand out, you need to market yourself effectively.

How To Make Your Accounting Resume Stand Out:
Include Accounting Keywords:

With the demand for accounting internships and graduate jobs so high, graduate hiring managers can often receive upwards of 500 – 1000 resumes. As such, many firms now use software programs as a way of performing “first round interviews”. Using selected accounting keywords will ensure that your resume passes the first stage of selection and will not be deleted before a hiring manager has even had a chance to read your application. The best way to find these keywords is by simply reading the job positions. See what the company is looking for and make sure your resume is full of these keywords!

Provide Specific Accounting Examples:

Hiring managers hate to read clichéd resumes. It’s boring and adds no value to your resume. Use examples as much as possible to highlight your examples and the value-added skills that you can bring to the job.

Target the Position that you are applying for:

As a graduate (or soon to be graduate), everything you include in your resume needs to reinforce the message to the reader that you are the right candidate for the position. Don’t waste time on information that doesn’t reflect your suitability for this particular position. Being a good skier and having an interest in tennis is not relevant to an accounting job. Although you may not have relevant job experience, you can still highlight relevant skills that you have acquired throughout your university career and target these skills toward the role you are applying for.

© RedStarResume Publications – http://www.bestresponseresume.com

Stand Out From The Crowd With A Brand New Professional Resume, Cover Letter and LinkedIn Profile From RedStarResume:

Specializing In Over 35 Industries! – Turn your resume into an achievement based marketing documents in just 48-72 hours

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26
Jun

Find Success with a Keyword Rich LinkedIn Profile

By RedStarResume No comments yet

It goes without saying that networking is an effective way to build your business, or to get yourself seen when looking for a new career. Back in the day, that meant pressing the flesh and exchanging business cards, but the internet era has made that something of a thing of the past. Social networking is now the way that most people connect online, but it’s hard to think of Facebook or Twitter as places where you could advance your career. That is why LinkedIn has become the social networking site for those that are serious about building their business and making connections.

The first time people arrive at the site, the most common question that they ask is, “how do I use LinkedIn?” The answer really depends on what you want to get out of the site. This may be anything from getting your resume out to potential employers, to simply connecting with other people that share your profession. The best way to jump right in and get started is by filling out your LinkedIn profile and utilizing all the different sections to ensure that you promote yourself in the best way.

Your LinkedIn profile will actually look somewhat like a resume by the time you are finished with it, and it’s the information contained within that will help people find you. Try to keep that information as up to date as possible, just in case you are looking for work and an employer decides to come calling. Keeping your profile up to date will help you look a little more attractive than others in your industry who don’t.  Remember that as this is a business network for professionals, your profile should reflect that, so try to keep your LinkedIn writing as professional as possible.

A great way to connect with people and start networking is to join groups. Based on the information that you provide in your profile, LinkedIn will suggest a number of groups that you may be interested in. You will find that most will be based around your profession, but some will also match categories that you have listed as skills and interests. This is a great way to meet like-minded people and to get your network up and running quickly.

Groups are a fantastic way to keep up with everything that is happening within your industry, as well as a way to help others who have questions about the profession. If you are using LinkedIn to find employment, then you may be able to find out which companies are hiring, which in turn could save you a ton of time in your job search process. There are many different ways to use LinkedIn, and the layout is so familiar to other social networks, you will quickly be able to get the hang of how to navigate and will start reaping the benefits quickly.

Final Reminder: Don’t forget to use strategic keywords throughout your LinkedIn profile. The more keywords you can incorporate into your profile the greater the chance that your profile will be found by potential recruiters and hiring managers. Give yourself the greatest opportunity of finding success with a keyword rich LinkedIn profile.

© RedStarResume Publications – http://www.bestresponseresume.com

Stand Out From The Crowd With A Brand New Professional Resume, Cover Letter and LinkedIn Profile From RedStarResume:

Specializing In Over 35 Industries! – Turn your resume into an achievement based marketing documents in just 48-72 hours

Did you know?

The RedStarResume resume layout and design presentation has been highly praised by recruiters, hiring managers and career experts from across globe!

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21
Jun

Top 5 Rules for Writing a Targeted Student Resume

By RedStarResume No comments yet

Check out our post on GradConnection – The #1 employment website for students and graduates.

With student internships right around the corner, now is as good a time as any to ensure that your resume is updated and ready to be sent off to hiring managers and future employers. With competition for internships so demanding, it is critical that your resume is not only written, formatted and presented correctly, but is able to capture the reader’s attention instantly. Statistics suggest that a hiring manager will spend no longer than 20 seconds reading your professional resume. No matter how good your grades or your experience, your resume will be discarded if it does not stand out.

Create the right first impression

First impressions are so important when it comes to your resume and cover letter. Resume writing is more of an art form as opposed to an exact science, and while there are no exact rules to follow that will ensure your resume gets noticed, there are many things you can do that won’t help the situation. Firstly, ensure that your resume is reader friendly. Use headings and bullet points to emphasise important information and remove any unnecessary information that does not enhance your application. Does your resume say “Resume” or “Curriculum Vitae” at the top of the page? Remove this! A hiring manager knows that this is your resume and does need to be reminded of this.

Use Correct Spelling and Grammar

It seems so obvious, but incorrect spelling or bad grammar is a huge turnoff to the reader. It immediately reduces your professionalism and creates a negative impression on the reader. Another good tip is to convert your resume from a word document into a PDF. Not only does it look more professional, but it also eliminates any chance of those green or red lines appearing underneath certain words or sentences!

Focus on Achievements

A hiring manager wants to know how you can add value to their business. Ensure that your resume is full of achievement-based examples. Rather than listing all of your subjects in school, for example, emphasise certain subjects that you excelled in and provide examples. If you received a distinction or high distinction, make sure this is included on the resume. If you completed extra-curricular activities, community service or volunteer work, don’t merely list the organisations. Instead, focus on your achievements within those areas or provide examples of where you made a positive difference.

Use Strategic Keywords

With the competition for jobs so fierce, hiring managers can receive up to 1000 resumes for a single position. Because of this, many firms are now using software programs as a way of scanning candidate resumes. Using selected keywords will ensure that your resume passes the first stage of selection and will not be deleted before a hiring manager has even had a chance to read your application.

Provide Value-Added Information

Just because you might not have relevant work experience, don’t make the mistake of including irrelevant information just for the sake of it. Listing your hobbies and interests as “skiing, hiking and gym” may be worthwhile if you’re applying for a job in sports, however a hiring manager at an accounting firm, for example, will be less interested in this information. In fact, this type of information can actually detract from the resume. Concentrate on providing information that will only enhance your application.

© RedStarResume Publications – http://www.bestresponseresume.com

Stand Out From The Crowd With A Brand New Resume From RedStarResume:

Specializing In Over 35 Industries! – Turn your resume into an achievement based marketing documents in just 48-72 hours

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04
Apr

Be Careful Of Facebook When You begin Job Seeking

By RedStarResume No comments yet

Facebook And Your Job Application…

It is estimated that over 80% of employers conduct background checks on potential candidates that they are looking to hire, and some of these background checks now include social media checks on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter accounts. Almost everyone is on Facebook these days, and while it’s great for your personal life and for keeping in contact with friends and acquaintances, I am finding that it is becoming more and more detrimental to candidates’ job searches.

Companies conduct background checks in order to try to paint an accurate picture of who you really are and to avoid negligent hiring. They want to hire people they can trust to represent the company, and what better way to find out about “the real you” than through social media sites.

Facebook is an interesting (and free) way for employers to check up on you. Not only can they see your basic information, but they can also see your photos and what you discuss with other people on your wall. They can see what networks you belong to and even where you work. For the most part, companies don’t care about how you spend your free time – as long as it’s legal. What they are looking for are racist remarks (not only by you, but also by people who post on your page), sexually explicit photos or videos, and flagrant displays of illegal activity. Any signs of these will raise red flags to anyone performing your background check, and this can hinder your chances at securing your job.

You don’t need to panic and start deleting all of your photos and wall posts right away… especially if you don’t think you have anything to worry about. To start with, what you can do is check – and frequently recheck – your privacy settings on these sites. You might think that your privacy settings are all turned on, but the truth is that many social media sites update and reset these settings on a regular basis, and you might not even know that yours have accidentally been switched off.

The most important thing you can do is be more aware of what you have on your social media sites and go from there. Go through your photos (yes, even from those college days) as you never know what you might find. Are there “questionable” photos of you? Are there inappropriate remarks somewhere on your page that might be taken the wrong way? If you have to think about it, un-tag yourself or delete it…it’s not worth the risk.

© RedStarResume Publications – http://www.bestresponseresume.com

#1 for Student Resumes and Graduate Resumes

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27
Mar

Graduate Resume Writing

By RedStarResume No comments yet

Resume Writing Skills for Entry Level Candidates

As a current student, recent graduate or entry level job candidate, entering the job market for the very first time, you are probably also getting ready to write your very first professional resume.  As you sit at your desk with an empty looking document staring straight at you, I bet you’re thinking the same thing that millions of other entry level job seekers have all thought at some time. “Where do I start and what do I do first?”

The first thing to understand as a new job seeker is that your resume is a representation of you. If you want to be considered as a professional job candidate, then your resume needs to be presented, structured and submitted in a professional way. First impressions are so important and in a world where a hiring manager can often receive in excess of 500 – 1000 applications for a graduate position. If your resume does not immediately stand out, it will be deleted.

What should I include in my professional resume?

The key to writing an expert resume that will get noticed is to focus on targeting your application to the job that you are applying for. For example, if you are applying for a teacher role than you need to present as much information to the reader that will make you the best possible candidate for the teaching position. This information needs to be highlighted on your CV and backed up with quantitative evidence (where possible).

The best way to shine above your competition is highlighting your achievements as opposed to just including your general work duties and responsibilities. This is a great way to stand out from the pack and provide the reader with all the great value added skills that you have to offer. For example, if at school or college you were involved in extracurricular activities, don’t just mention these activities but highlight how you managed to add value.

I recently sat down with a marketing graduate who worked on campus in arranging, co-ordinating and organising university events. On her original resume she had five bullet points explaining what she did in her role (basic duties). There was nothing wrong with what she had written, however her resume was never going to stand out against all the other marketing graduates she was competing against. In order to upgrade the resume and turn her original resume into a marketing document, we turned the duties and responsibilities into achievement statements. Rather than saying “Developed the newsletter” which tells the reader nothing, we converted this statement into an achievement statement with quantifiable evidence. “Developed the newsletter throughout the entire campus leading to an increase in subscription from 1000 to 5000 people within a 6 month period.”

Target the Job you are applying for

The “one size fits all” strategy does not work for a professional resume and it is not realistic to think that you can send the same document out for every job you apply for. Your resume needs to be tailored towards the specific job and answer the questions that the role is identifying. Do not waste the reader’s time with including information that is not relevant or required in your resume. It will only reduce the professionalism of your resume. Rather than including a section on your hobbies and interests (which is outdated and not required in this day and age) include a “Key Competencies and Skills” section to further highlight to the reader all the great skills that you have to offer.

 Final Thought …

Remember the more value added information you can provide the better your new resume will be – As a hiring manager, I would rather know about your teamwork and communication skills, as opposed to knowing that you like long walks and enjoy watching the football!

© RedStarResume Publications – http://www.bestresponseresume.com

The #1 student and graduate Professional Resume Service

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14
Mar

Essential Criteria To Include In Your Resume

By RedStarResume No comments yet

When it comes time to write your resume, you will find that a lot of people will offer differing advice on what to include and exclude from your resume. Sure, a lot of these thoughts are subjective, but there are 5 vital things that need to be on your resume – no matter what. Hiring managers will be looking for the below information (whether it seems obvious or not), so be sure to include these somewhere in your resume.

Contact Information:

While this may seem more than obvious, it goes without saying that it is beyond important that your name and contact details be included in your resume – and make sure these details are correct! I can’t tell you how many times I have tried calling a candidate, only to find that their number listed on their resume is incorrect. It is also quite common for people to have typos in their email addresses. The important thing here is to double check – you don’t want to miss out on an interview simply because a hiring manager can’t contact you!

Professional Experience (if any):

Potential employers are looking for the best candidate to fill a job position, and your professional experience can give them an insight into your capabilities. Remember – they do not know you! The only information they have to go off is on your resume, so make sure you are detailed in listing your experience, duties and responsibilities.

Achievements:

When you include your professional experience on your resume, do not just merely list your daily tasks. Sure, employers do want to know that you’ve held similar or relevant positions, but they also want to know that you are capable of making a positive difference to the organization. Did you introduce new initiatives into the business that increased revenues? Did you consistently meet your targets? Be sure to include this type of information as it is exactly what they’re looking for.

Educational Qualifications:

Educational qualifications are not always compulsory to some job positions, but listing them will never hurt you. If you don’t have a Degree, this is a section where you can list any other relevant certificates you have earned.

Relevant Skills:

Every job advertisement calls for certain qualifications or skills from a candidate, and it’s always a good idea to incorporate these somewhere on your resume. Relevant skills are either incorporated into the body of the resume (for example, skills can be listed as part of a candidate’s professional experience), or they can be listed as their own section either right before or after professional experience on a resume.

At the end of the day, it’s important to remember that all resumes are different, and you need to write one that sells you. That being said, however, there are still things that hiring managers must see on a resume, so remember to include your own version of our top 5 suggestions.

© RedStarResume Publications – http://www.bestresponseresume.com

RedStarResume is the number one source for expert Resume Writing and Cover Letter Services

During the last decade, RedStarResume has successfully written hundreds of professional resumes for candidates across the globe. From the student or entry level position to the CEO, our unique, custom-made resumes are written specifically to match the goals and desires of our clients and to help them land jobs.

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