How NOT to Write Job Descriptions

How NOT to Write Job Descriptions Do you find yourself reading buzzwords, fluff and jargon on both resumes and job adverts? Then this little study by Monster UK is for you, they have compiled some of the recurring blunders both recruiters and jobseekers make when writing up documents. Recruiters love jargon and cliches, you may have come across gems such as: Hit the ground running Laser-focused Penetrate the market Viral learnings Need an idea with legs Some jobseekers actually put stuff like this on their resumes: A claim to have experience in arctic warfare Explaining the knowledge of origami at length Listing nice to children, animals and old people as a skill Writing a full resume in texting language Including ones ear size measurement Achievement: successfully putting daughter to bed over 100 times Related: 7 Resume Mistakes You Probably Didn’t Realize

Resume Writing Plus Interviewing

Resume Writing Plus InterviewingResume writing plus an effective interview is all it takes to get you the job. Interviewing is an important part of the job application process. Your resume should not only spell out your qualifications and skills, but it should also demonstrate that you're a good communicator, a thoughtful listener, and knowledgeable in your field.A professional resume writing service can help you craft a stellar resume. The professional can turn your resume from simple to impressive in a very short period of time. Some tips for hiring a professional resume writing service are outlined below. Here are some pointers to follow.Determine the type of writer you want for your prospective employer. A resume that includes five pages does not necessarily equate to five hours of work. Hiring a professional will ensure that they put your resume through its paces in order to properly assess your skills and abilities. Furthermore, they can highlight the areas of weakness or stren gth you may have, which is one of the most important parts of any resume. A professionally written resume means a higher chance of being hired.You should begin by researching the professional before you hire them to compose your resume. Make sure they use a format that's appropriate for your job search. A professional will use specific and comprehensive formatting guidelines. They should highlight your accomplishments and relay your experiences through a variety of different formats. Resumes that have been professionally constructed are highly effective.Include details about the company you are applying to. This can be accomplished through job opportunities, a background on the company, or recommendations of other current employees. Include a summary of your expertise. This is critical to the goal of getting the attention of the employer.Professional resume writers utilize several methods of presentation. This will provide the best impression possible. Being brief and to the point i s key to making an impression. If the potential employer is reading a long list of accomplishments, they will likely lose interest if they weren't impressed when you were called in for an interview.People who are looking for employment will likely to hear about you from the potential employer. This is how you reach the decision makers in your company. This is why you must engage this is a very crucial aspect of a resume and it is also essential to the employer.In summary, keep in mind that if you do not include a job interview, you will not receive an interview for a job. Having a professional to write your resume will make a world of difference. Every step is taken to make your resume as powerful as possible. Utilizing a professional resume writing service for the purpose of writing your resume will lead to a better employment opportunity for you.

Working from Home Get the Designer Office

Working from Home Get the Designer Office For many entrepreneurs and start-ups, the perks of working from home are many. Flexible hours, access to your own comfortable living and dining space, the freedom to have breaks whenever needed, zero commute time and reduced gas costs; these are just a few of the benefits of having a home office. But just as there are perks, there are also many downfalls. If you don’t have the right working space, working from home can be distracting and work hours can become indistinguishable as you juggle homelife and worklife with no structure. So having an attractive and comfortable office room in your home (one which is organized and won’t leave you distracted) is extremely important. Here are some great tips of getting that designer office feel for your home based business. Find a Quiet and Spacious Location Many people will find that working on the dining room table or in a cramped desk space in the living room, simply doesn’t work. If you have a busy family life, it’s important to have a quiet area or a room where you can shut off from the rest of the household. Having a dedicated office area will give you a sense of purpose and you can start to make this space your own with practical yet stylish furniture and inspiring decor. Creative Use of Space Not every house has a spare room for you to work your magic on. But there are other ways you can transform your home into an office by choosing some ergonomic solutions. Loft conversions, under stair office rooms (see amazing examples), pool houses or summer houses all make fantastic places for running your start-up business. Choose Stylish Yet Practical Furniture You will spend many hours a day, every single day in the same room/area of your home, so it really is important to make the interior design as comfortable, inspiring, relaxing and practical as possible. The furniture you choose should be to your taste and make it easy for you to concentrate. A Vitra Eames red leather lobby chair sure does make a great stand-out feature, and a Sophie Kirkpatrick desk sure gives your office that quirky, creative edge. But don’t forget the essentials; bookcases for storage , filing cabinets for paperwork (upcycling ideas here), and drawers for keeping your desk free of junk at all times.   Put Your Stamp On It Working as a freelancer or as a solo self-employed business owner can be lonely and it’s not always easy when you don’t have someone else to bounce ideas off. So putting your own personal stamp on your office and making the space feel as a creative and exciting as possible is a great way of staying motivated. Get that designer office look with some unique and quirky décor. Test your DIY skills with some upcycling, add some interesting pieces of art to your wall or invest in some inspiring sculptures, or feature your eclectic book collection so you can make your office not just a desirable place to work, but a desirable place to do some Sunday afternoon reading.

Why Being The Work Weirdo is a Good Thing

Why Being The Work Weirdo is a Good Thing Uber is one of the biggest companies in the world right now its worth an estimated $50 billion; but less than 15 years ago Uber was just another crazy idea that no one thought could ever be a real possibility. So  next time youre in a meeting and you have something to say that you worry might be too crazy, weird or differentjust say it!  You could make a real difference. Your idea could be the new Uber..! Every office has a weirdo. And if you cant think of one, then its probably you. Authentic The key to getting it right at work is striking the perfect balance between personality and professionalism. Taking steps to be an authentic person at work can be difficult often people feel they need to choose between their professional self and having a personality . But this shouldnt be the case you can be professional and have a personality at the same time. This will help others see that your authentic side of you which will boost others trust and assurance in you. https://twitter.com/GladAutumnRain/status/703702492039741442 Interesting Being yourself makes things interesting. For example, imagine interviewing a selection of candidates for a role. If there were 2 with the right experience and one had some awesome anecdotes and stories to tell, that may be a bit off-the-wall and strangeI know who I would choose! Being yourself sets you apart from the competition. Enjoyable to work with Following on from the last point, being professional and having a personality can make you much more interesting to work with. No one wants to work with a robot! Keep being fun and weird. Im going to embrace work/life integration ?? https://t.co/ICzfMi7fPL Liz Schmidt (@lizign) February 12, 2016 Cultivate creativity Working in a fun and interesting environment means your creativity will go wild. Youll inspire others to think creatively in turn changing the working environment as a whole. Why not collaborate with someone youve never worked with before? Or plan a team outing to somewhere interesting? Sometimes the simplest things can have the  biggest effect. relieved that im the work weirdo U mean the puns twice as big as ME (@undreamed) July 9, 2014 Push boundaries Creating your best possible work comes from pushing boundaries and trying new things. Some things will work, others wont. You never know when you will strike gold on a great idea. What do you think are the best traits in the workplace? let us know in the comments below! Main image credit: Shutterstock

Avoiding Generic Resume Design Ideas

Avoiding Generic Resume Design IdeasWhat do you think about when you think of resume design ideas? Usually, we think of generic, flat designs that are mostly composed of a picture or two. But the majority of these designs have actually nothing to do with your job. What do you think is more relevant for your career?Of course, if you don't have any career information, you're probably not going to bother about these design ideas. However, there are so many resumes out there and if you don't stand out from the crowd, you could be sending them out on a daily basis. So, why bother making a great resume design if no one is going to notice it? You may even be surprised when you see just how many people are using some of these resume design ideas in their own resumes.When you go out and look for resume design ideas, you should keep in mind the purpose of the resume itself. Obviously, you want your resume to tell them something about you - who you are, where you work, and what you do. If your resume is your door opener, then this must be conveyed to the reader by all means necessary.There are a lot of different types of resume design ideas. However, your goal will be to find a specific focus that matches up with the needs of the reader. A common theme to remember is that the eye can easily take in information that relates to the form of the words used in the resume.This can be a very easy way to create a resume that is effective. A good way to do this is to make the header section the main body of the document. However, you should not use the header as the only piece of information. It should come as a supplement to your resume's content.It doesn't have to be as huge as the material around it, but at least try to create a little bit of a visual punch to the header section. The basic idea is to make the reader feel a sense of urgency and catch his or her attention at a quick moment.One of the most common ideas for a header is to use a good picture that really reflects the interests of the reader. For example, if you are a business person, you might think of placing a picture of your business on the top of your resume. If you are a self-made individual, then you might think of placing a picture of your self-made products on the top of your resume. The idea is to create a sense of urgency, draw the reader's attention, and make him or her curious about what you have to say.So don't stop searching for innovative resume design ideas. You can always use pictures and flash animations, but you have to take a step beyond that when it comes to creativity.

2017 Career Pivot Annual Reader Survey - Career Pivot

2017 Career Pivot Annual Reader Survey - Career Pivot 1st Annual Career Pivot Reader Survey Copyright: andreypopov / 123RF Stock Photo As the Career Pivot brand and website approaches its 5th anniversary, I thought it would be a good time to run our very first reader survey. The website traffic continues to grow and we should soon be crossing the 25,000 visitors per month threshold. The e-mail list will soon crossing the 4,000 subscriber threshold and is growing rapidly. Reader Survey Sections Demographics I want to know who you are: Gender Age range Employment status Location by continent In my career, where I have traveled the world, the one thing I can honestly say I have learned, is no matter who I think the audience is … it is always different. How You Use the Website I want to know: How frequently do you come to the website? Are you asubscriber via e-mail? What are your favorite topics? How do you reach the website? LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, E-mail…. Do you read the BoomerJobTips post which comes out on Saturday, and how often? What doyou like best about the website? Is there anythingyou would like tome to address? What can be eliminated? My big question for you is â€" Should I continue to produce the BoomerJobTips post and maintain the BoomerJobTips page?The source material for BoomerJobTips has changed over the last year. It has moved from mostly curated content from around the web, to 30-40% is curated content but over half comes from the archives of the Career Pivot blog. The archive contains over 400 posts which never go out of date. Career Pivot Futures I plan to launch a membership section of the Career Pivot website in the 2nd half of 2017. I have not figured out how to clone myself and probably never will. (Boy would that be scary if I could.) I would like to know: Would a monthly membership be of interest? I want to keep the membership price modest. Would you be interested in helping me define what is included? I would guarantee a very low monthly membership fee for life in exchange for your participation in the development and launch. My goal is to build an online community where those in the 2nd half of life can come for career support from both the community and myself. I have served on the board of directors of Launch Pad Job Club for 10 years. The organization has served over 15,000 job seekers, most in the 2nd half of life, over the last 15+ years. Many have returned multiple times because of the community it has created. I want to do the same with the Career Pivot website. The goal is to create a supportive community. Take the Survey Please take a moment and take the survey. If you respond affirmatively to the question about your willingness to participate in building this community, you will be asked for your e-mail address. Marc Miller Like what you just read? Share it with your friends using the buttons above. Like What You Read? Get Career Pivot Insights! Check out the Repurpose Your Career Podcast Do You Need Help With ...

Management strategies for effective CEOs - Margaret Buj - Interview Coach

Management strategies for effective CEOs Youve worked long and hard to get where you are in your career. And as your companys CEO, it falls on your shoulders to keep costs low and productivity high. While running any business comes at an expense, it is possible to trim costs with relatively simple strategies and tools. Here are a few that turn excellent CEOs into even better leaders. Take your payroll in-house Larger companies often benefit from outsourcing payroll due to a large volume of employees and overhead or  they in-list the help of a payroll management service. Smaller companies, however, with less can easily trim costs by keeping the role in-house and using the proper  free accounting software. Look for a program offering technical support, and task an employee or manager to become fluent with the system. Use Free Project Management Apps Eliminate the need for a full-time project manager and streamline the organizational process by using management apps.  Podio  offers an online platform that allows your staff access to company calendars, activity streams and organized tasks. Upgrade to an inexpensive app like  Basecamp  and set restrictive filters to keep some projects viewable only by select employees, gain full access to your teams progress on one easy-to-read page, and invite clients to access certain pages for feedback, collaboration, or approval. Basecamp also offers a drag and drop function to make uploading files quick and easy. Share Office Space Shared or co-working office spaces are ideal for emerging businesses that dont require a large space to themselves. Reduce overhead and rental expenses by sharing space in an office co-op with conference rooms, kitchens and high-speed Internet. Resources like SharedDesk.net can help narrow down your search by location and number of employees. It can also help you turn your own office into a shared work space to earn extra money and create another revenue stream for your company. Lease or Buy Used Equipment Save your company up to 60 percent just by purchasing used copiers, refurbished computers and other supplies. Most major electronics retailers, including Apple, offer refurbished options. Another option is to lease your office equipment if buying used isnt practical for your needs. While your company may end up paying more money for the equipment in the long run, leasing allows flexibility to secure the latest technology and trade up for new equipment. Partner with Local Company Combine forces with other businesses to cut costs on promotions and marketing. Identify potential partners with complimentary services that interact with a similar customer base but without being direct competition. If you run a chiropractic office, for example, a licensed masseuse may be a complimentary fit. Pitch the idea by offering a jointly-run event or clinic, send coupons to each others mailing lists or leave flyers in each others office.

What HR wont tell you -

What HR wont tell you - Is HR on your side or public enemy number one? In most cases, human resource professionals are doing the best they can to find and hire the best candidates. What should you know when youre looking for a job? They hope youre the right candidate. People in charge of hiring want to find the best candidate to fill the job in the most efficient way. If you are that candidate, HR is likely rooting for you. Face it, no one wants to have a long, protracted process to fill a role if it isnt necessary. This is the good news for candidates: if youve passed an initial screening, its possible the job is yours to lose. Follow  best practices for interviews  and dont screw up and the job could be yours. They prefer to hire via referrals. This shouldnt be news to job seekers. Job search coaches have long described the hidden job market, which refers to unadvertised positions filled by known candidates. CareerXRoads reported in their  2013 Source of Hire Report  that for every 100,000 external hires, nearly 25,000 were filled in part through the companys Employee Referral Program. CareerXRoads says, We estimate that a candidate who has acquired a referral is 3-4 times more likely to be hired. These data should compel you to spend less time applying for random jobs and more time  cultivating relationships  with people who may potentially refer you to opportunities. A large number of jobs are filled with internal candidates. Weve all heard this story: a job is posted for legal reasons, but everyone knows its a formality, as a candidate is already identified and, for all practical purposes, already has the job. CareerXRoads findings indicate that this scenario may happen more than we think. Their report notes that current employees fill 42% of all the openings. Some companies have preferred pipelines for candidates. If you meet people who work at your target company and everyone seems to have a similar work history â€" perhaps most employees worked at one or two other organizations before landing at this organization â€" its not an accident. Some companies actively recruit and source from their competition or have other preferred companies where they like to find their hires. You may be best off identifying this early in your search and targeting opportunities at the preferred source. They hate when you look desperate. Theres a fine line between appropriately persistent and desperate, and this threshold shifts based on individual personalities. Yes, hiring managers are making  snap judgments about you. Should you follow up after sending an application if you have not heard? It cant hurt to send a friendly note, email or to leave a voice mail a week later. Should you call twice a day to ask about your status? No. Theyre vetting your background. Weve all heard stories about companies who dont screen candidates or who wind up hiring people who faked their credentials. Its much more likely that HR is looking deeply into your background, and that includes tapping into information theyve asked your permission to access, such as your credit history, as well as what is readily available online. Potential employers will Google your name and review your social media profiles, and they will make decisions based on what they find. For example, if your public Twitter stream suggests you have a  volatile temper, expect employers will see it as a red flag and move to the next candidate. More advice: Why you are not getting hired Nine interview mistakes to avoid Four reasons you are still unemployed Originally appeared on AOLJobs.com