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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:

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20
Dec

Pimp My Resume

By RedStarResume No comments yet

Is your resume not getting you the job interviews you had hoped for? Are you applying for hundreds of jobs online but not receiving a single phone call? If you have the skills and experience to perform a certain job, but you can’t seem to get yourself an interview, it could be time to “pimp my resume!”

Just like the TV show aims at taking old, worn out and run down cars and turning them into new, modern “pimped” out cars, it could be time to give your old resume the boot and upgrade to a new and fancier model. We all want to be driving around in the newest and best looking car, and the same goes for your resume. However, the biggest difference between driving an old car and using your old resume is that the car will still get you from point A to point B, but an old resume will only end up in the deleted folder!

Find below 5 easy tips you can implement that will help you pimp your resume!

Strategic Key Words:

A great way to pimp your resume and ensure that it stands out and gets noticed by software programs is to use strategic keywords throughout your resume. Recruiters or hiring managers will often skim over resumes and look for keywords or they may use software programs to find keywords. These can be changed depending on the job you are applying for.

Remove all unnecessary information:

The best looking resume contains only relevant information that adds value to your job application. If your existing resume has the title “curriculum vitae” or “Professional CV”, remove this immediately. It goes without saying that if you are applying for a job, your application is obviously your curriculum vitae – there is no need to include this irrelevant information. Take a read through your resume and ensure that only value added information is included.

Achievements and Recognition:

An achievements and recognition area on your resume can really make your application stand out over the competition. Rather than boring the reader with all the daily duties you perform, inspire the reader with achievement statements that show off all the wonderful skills and achievements you have performed. Remember, the best way to present your achievements is to back them up with examples. Qualitative examples are even better!

Friendly Font:

When you sit down to read a book, do you ever stop to think about the font? Of course you don’t because typically all books are written with an easy to read font. Could you imagine reading through a novel that used hard to read fonts? You would put the book down before you completed the first chapter! The same goes for your professional resume. Use an easy to read, modern font (I like the font “Calibri”) and make it as easy as possible for the reader.

 Modernise

Give your resume a new modern look. Do not use old and outdated resume templates that are floating around the internet. Although these templates may be free, they are a free for a reason! When you open up your resume ask yourself the question – “If I were a hiring manager, would I be impressed with this resume?” If the answer is no, then it’s time for a change and a makeover is needed.

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

The #1 student and graduate Professional Resume Service

 

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23
Feb

Do I Really Need to Use a Professional Resume Writer?

By RedStarResume No comments yet

People look at me strangely when they ask, “Do I really need to use a professional resume writer?”

“Come on,” they say, “I can easily just write my own resume – what are you going to do that I cannot just do myself?”

Of course it’s true that anybody can write their own resume. The same is true that anyone can attempt to build a house or change the plumbing or paint some artwork, however in each of these examples you’d prefer to call on an expert because of their specific skills, knowledge and experience in their particular trades. The same can be said of a professional resume writer.

How long should a resume be? Should I include a qualifications profile or a career summary? How many duties and responsibilities should I include for my current role? Do I include the same amount of information for all my previous roles and how far back should my resume go?

How about questions relating to “soft skills” – should you include information like “volunteered for the Red Cross”? Is this relevant on your resume? How about the fact that you were the football captain at school – is this relevant?

Have a look at your resume and see if you have words such as “hard working”, “dedicated”, “team player”, or “loyal” – do these type of words enhance or actually detract from your resume? If you are using these types of words do you think your competitors are as well?

And what about achievements – do you have any on your resume? Is a hiring manager going to take one look at your resume and be impressed with your past experiences, skills and success? Have you mentioned initiatives you introduced to the business or awards you have won?

This is what a professional resume writer can do for you. They can open doors to get that interview. Remember – resume writing is not about reinventing the wheel, it is about ensuring that you adequately highlight everything that is required to make sure that your resume is selected and you are given the chance to present yourself in the interview. Once you make it to the interview you have the opportunity to prove to the hiring manager how good you really are. Without a professional resume you may never get this chance.

Find your dream job today – It all starts with a brand new resume.

© RedStarResume Publications – www.redstarresume.com

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24
Oct

When Is The Best Time to Apply For Online Jobs?

By RedStarResume No comments yet

The job application process is no doubt tedious and tiring for everyone. We’ve all been there – sifting through the various job ad postings, sending through resume after resume, and all we want to do is get the application process over with as fast as possible. Everyone tells you to at least take a few minutes to tailor your resume and cover letter to each job you apply for.

Personalizing your application materials no doubt increases your chances of getting a call back, but I’m also going to let you know that there is another way to increase your chances at getting that interview call, and it has absolutely nothing to do with who you are or with the quality of your resume and cover letter – it simply has to do with when you send through your materials.

I recently had a friend complain to me about getting no call backs at all. She had sent through personalized resumes and cover letters dozens of times and had not received one interview invitation. Sure, the job market is extremely tough in some areas at the moment, but to receive zero phone calls out of dozens was a bit alarming to me.

I asked her to show me her resume, and everything looked great. She told me about the sites she was applying through, and I saw no problem with that either. But she then told me about the application process itself, and this is where an important detail stood out – the time she was sending through her resumes.

Many job seekers, especially the already employed, use nights and weekends to send out the bulk of their applications, and this can sometimes put them at an immediate disadvantage. Anyone who’s worked in an office environment knows that Mondays are usually extremely hectic. Everyone’s trying to catch up on their emails and phone calls, and there usually isn’t a lot of time to spare, especially on things that are not urgent, like reading resumes. The first thing most people do when reading emails is prioritize and figure out what needs to get done sooner rather than later – resumes, especially ones sent days ago, usually fall into the “later” pile.

The point is that you want to be sure that your resume and cover letter are noticed. Sending them through on the weekend not only puts your email toward the back of the line chronologically, but it also puts it among the spam messages that have filled up the inbox, and you don’t want to accidentally get deleted.

Ideally, try to respond to job advertisements during the day, when someone is most likely to see it, let alone read it. If your only time to apply for jobs is on the weekend, at least try to send through your cover letters and resumes toward the later part of the weekend, preferably on Sunday evenings. You want your resume and cover letter to be one of the first things the hiring manager sees, not something that they see toward the bottom of their inbox that they will “get to later.”

© RedStarResume Publications – www.redstarresume.com

Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/RedStarResume

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18
Aug

Tips to help you through your Job Interview

By RedStarResume No comments yet

 

 Brett Duncan, managing partner of Duncan & Associates shares his tips on the job interview 

Job Interview Tips

Details:

Make sure you have full details of the interview, ie- number of people in the interview, their titles, time, date and address.

Time keeping:

Make sure you get there on time. Aim to be 15 minutes early. Plot your route, and be aware of heavy traffic times.

Research:

Do as much research on the company as possible. This is very important as it shows that you are interested in the organisation, and will enable you to ask relevant questions. Research the news- has the company been in the news? Have a look at the company’s stock- have there been any drastic movements? Perhaps a new CEO/ CFO etc.

Examples:

Always try use workable examples when asked questions. For example: Q: Are you a team player? A: “Yes I believe I am. In fact, just the other day I stayed behind to help a colleague finish an important document.” Using examples will give credibility to your answers. Try think of work situations before the interview, as they may not come to you during the interview.

Strengths and weaknesses:

So clichéd- 98% of recruitment companies will tell you “You want to describe

your weaknesses as strengths.” I would ask- why are you applying for a job that highlights your weaknesses? Be confident, you have been successful so far, this is due to your strengths, not your weaknesses. Everyone has weaknesses, but not necessarily relating to your job.

Questions:

Use your research and prepare a list of relevant questions.

Career:

Don’t be afraid to ask about career progression. Companies will look for candidates who want to learn and grow.

Rapport:

Rapport is essential and needs to be established from the outset. Smile; be positive and confident in your ability. Use interviewers names- make sure you get them right (keep business cards in front of you).

Conclusion:

Most importantly be yourself. You will not get every interview that you attend, however you want to make a good impression and give it your best shot.

Get in touch by sending us an update CV, as well as your plans and commitments. We are more than happy to help.

Duncan & Associates

Specialist in international recruitment. Are you looking to return to South Africa, and want access to exciting job opportunities? For contact details please visit

 Brett Duncan – Managing Partner : Tel: 011 301 0905/ Cell: 0823841953/ Fax: 011 301 0944

www.duncanassociates.co.za

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09
Aug

How to handle your boss

By RedStarResume No comments yet

Source: www.cosmopolitan.co.uk

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25
Jul

Instant Resume Killers

By RedStarResume No comments yet

Want to cause a recruiter to toss your resume instantly? When an employer is faced with several – possibly hundreds – of applications, he or she will try to narrow this list down quickly. Making one of the following mistakes can get your resume tossed in just a matter of seconds.

1. No cover letter attached

This is not a good start to any job application. Failing to include a cover letter instantly means that you have failed to put in that extra 10 minutes of effort, and this is never a good thing. A lot of recruiters delete their first round of applicants simply because they have not included a cover letter.

2. Applying for the wrong job

It happens all the time – candidates get so caught up in applying to as many jobs as possible that they accidentally send their resume sand cover letters to the wrong people. When a recruiter sees that a cover letter has been accidentally addressed to the wrong company, it will get tossed immediately.

3. A bad picture on a resume (especially an inappropriate one)

It’s true that different resume standards apply to different countries. That being said, some countries are more accepting (and encouraging) of pictures on resumes than others, however please stick to professional-looking photos only – you are applying for a job after all. There is no need to include a picture of yourself posing in a tank top or drinking with friends. Better to stick to no picture at all.

4. Providing little to no details about your work experience

Employers want you to be as specific as possible with regards to your qualifications, and therefore you should provide an adequate amount of information. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen people list their job titles ONLY under “work experience”, and that will just not cut it. Once an employer sees that you’ve provided little to no detail on your experience, they will immediately delete your resume.

© RedStarResume Publications – www.redstarresume.com

Laura is the Marketing Coordinator for RedStarResume, a business that provides resume and cover letter writing services for students, graduates and young professionals.

http://www.bestresponseresume.com
Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/RedStarResume

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06
Jul

Your Cover Letter is just as important as Your Resume!

By RedStarResume No comments yet

Unless you are being recruited by a family member, friend, or close acquaintance, every single hiring manager will want to look at your resume before they call you in for an interview.

I cannot stress enough how important it is to have a cover letter accompany your resume EVERY SINGLE TIME you send it in and to make sure that it’s tailored specifically to the job you’re applying for.

Think about it from a hiring manager’s point of view. They can receive hundreds of applications for a single job position that they need to fill in just a short amount of time. On top of their regular job duties, they need to sift through all of the applications and find the top 5% to call in for an interview. It’s just not possible for them to look at every single person’s application. So what do they do? They narrow down the field by using the easiest and fastest tool they have – first impressions.

Let’s relate this to a different topic – sports. You’re a coach and need to “recruit” the best players possible for your team…

You’re coaching a soccer team and need to pick 15 members for your squad out of a potential 100 and you only have 2 hours to do so. It’s impossible to take a good look at every single player’s skills in only 2 hours, so you need to quickly narrow your search before you can study the players further. In order to do so, and without knowing anything about the players, you’re going to rely on your first impressions to make the first cut.

Take a look at the players standing before you – are they all wearing proper soccer attire and equipment? Do they look excited and enthusiastic about being here? Think about it – if there’s someone dressed in a soccer uniform and cleats and another one wearing jeans, a t-shirt, and sandals, one of them definitely appears to be more interested in joining your team than the other. Building on that, and only considering first impressions, one looks a lot more capable than the other. While there may be a hundred explanations for this difference, it really doesn’t matter when you have a limited amount of time – the ones who don’t look interested are not going to make the first cut.

Consider the above situation and think about it from a hiring manager’s point of view. You have 50 applications before you and you need to call 5 people in for an interview. You have a limited amount of time to decide, so you need to eliminate some applications quickly. What can we see without even reading the details of each application? Some have cover letters along with the resume and some do not. The applications without cover letters are a little bit like the people showing up to soccer tryouts with jeans and no equipment. They make a terrible first impression – they don’t appear as interested as the other ones, so why should anyone bother with them?

Applications without cover letters are always the first ones discarded. The presence of a cover letter shows a genuine interest in a job position because you actually took the time to write it. The current economic climate is not exactly one that is overflowing with jobs; it’s not like companies are hiring for the sake of it. Make sure you show a hiring manager that you have taken the time to merely write a letter to show your interest in their job position. If you don’t bother showing an interest in them, the hiring manager will have no interest in you.

© RedStarResume Publications – www.redstarresume.com

The Job search market can be a tricky place to navigate. Whether you are just starting out, moving up the ladder or changing your current situation, RedStarResume have all the resources to help improve your chances of success. http://www.bestresponseresume.com/

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26
May

10 Tips to staying positive while looking for a job

By RedStarResume 1 comment

Don’t let the media and the news put you down. No matter how bad they say it is companies are always looking to hire the best available staff. If you have the right skills and passion, there will be a job waiting for right around the corner. You just need to remain upbeat and positive. Below is a list of things you need to do in order to help you through the job search process…

Keep a routine: Don’t get into the bad habits of waking up late, sleeping in the afternoons or procrastinating around the house. Get up at your normal time, eat properly and get some exercise (walking is free)!

Volunteering at a church, hospital, homeless shelter or non-profit organization will open your eyes to people who are less off than you and give you a sense of contribution. There is no greater reward than helping people who are less fortunate than us.

Stay up to date with what’s happening in your industry: Don’t let yourself fall behind just because you’re not working. The best approach is to learn more about your particular industry. This way you will be ahead of your competition when it comes time to interview.

Explore potential new careers: It’s never too late to try to learn a foreign language or a new piece of computer software. I remember working with a senior archaeologist of 10 years experience who came to me wanting a change in his life direction. After 6 months of learning Spanish and then travelling through Spain for another 6 months, the senior archaeologist is now a junior English/Spanish translator!

Positive Thinking: Do not focus on the negatives – you need to be able to bounce back. Concentrate on the skills and knowledge you have. Sitting around saying “what if” all the time is only going to further depress you.

Support Group: You may feel as though you’re the only person in your situation without a job, but guess what – you’re not. Reach out to people for support. There are many groups that provide excellent assistance in the areas of resume writing, interviewing, and job hunting. Aside from the secular groups, there are also many faith groups ready to offer you a supporting hand. Don’t feel ashamed or embarrassed to ask for help. Let people help you change your life.

Avoid negative people! Negative thinking is of no value to you. You need to be around positive people and people who can have a positive impact on your life.

Network: maintain contacts and stay in touch with people. Make sure you network with positive people!! Again, avoid negativity. Negative thinking does nothing to help your situation.

Last but not least – manage your expectations. Not every job you apply for will be a success. Don’t be put off by this. Instead, concentrate on the positives and look at what you achieve each day. For example, you could have applied to 3 great jobs, connected with 2 people who are great resources or maybe you found a course or book that will help to improve your skills.

Don’t give up! Jobs don’t find you, you find them!

© RedStarResume Publications

Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/RedStarResume

To view all “Tips from the Pros” Check out our website www.redstarresume.com

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04
Apr

Work History – Don’t Trivialize Your Past Experiences!

By RedStarResume No comments yet

After writing numerous resumes for students and recent graduates, I found that the vast majority of them tend to omit part-time or temporary jobs from their resumes. A lot of students have experience working in either the retail or hospitality sector, and because these jobs are not “real jobs” or full-time positions, a lot of students do not feel the need to include them. “Why would I write that I worked there on my resume?” a student recently asked me, referring to a retail store.

The answer is – a lot of part-time and temporary jobs that students tend to hold actually provide valuable skills and experience that employers are looking for on resumes. Employers are aware that you probably have little to no work experience, so any experience is usually viewed as a positive.

The important thing is to demonstrate this in an effective way on your resume. Don’t just write “folded clothes” or “processed transactions” when referring to a retail position. Instead, include that you built and maintained relationships with customers or that you regularly met or exceeded your sales targets. There are tons of other skills you could have acquired, but it all depends on the way you present yourself. Sell yourself and make your position stand out amongst similar positions from other candidates.

Just remember – don’t trivialize your work experience. There are skills to be learned from every job, and it’s important to show on your resume that you’ve acquired skills that are relevant to jobs you’re applying for, especially when you have little to no work experience.

Laura is the Marketing Coordinator for RedStarResume, a business that provides resume and cover letter writing services for students, graduates and young professionals.

© RedStarResume Publications – www.redstarresume.com

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