Does Your Resume Pass the Five-Minute Test

Does Your Resume Pass the Five-Minute TestDoes Your Resume Pass the Five-Minute TestDoes Your Resume Pass the Five-Minute Test?Recently we received some feedback from a Human Resources person who was selecting resumes for a Senior Executive Service (SES) position. Her job was to make the second cut and find the 25 best applicants out of 125. The amount of time she spent on each 15+ page SES application package was no mora than five minutes.The HR person said that the 25 applications she picked were easily identified by their outstanding accomplishments, easy-to-read documentation, and obvious matches between past experience and this position.Can your resume pass the five-minute test? Can the reader very quickly see how you are one of the best candidates for the position? Do you demonstrate your qualification for the job in the first glance?Here are some top tips to help your resume make the cutKnock Down the Big BlocksThe big block resume- with a single long paragraph for each work e xperience section- originated with Resumix, which was a computer-read resume system. But Resumix is GONE, and the big blocks should be too, because they are unfriendly to humans. Read this article to see why big blocks are an ineffective format.Avoid Death by BulletsBullets are admittedly better than big blocks, but the reader still has to try to find the skills in your resume, and this is to be avoided at all cost. Read this article to find out why the Outline Format is an even better format to use.Dont Revisit Ancient HistoryNot sure which jobs to include in your resume? Follow this rule of thumb recent and relevant. Recent means within the brde 10 years. Relevant means that there is some connection to the skills and competencies required by the vacancy announcement. Any jobs that are too old or irrelevant will only slow the reviewer down.Do Show OffI personally love to read the accomplishments in a resume. Most resumes just have a boring list of duties, which is necessary, but te ll me how much money you saved, or how you overcame difficult communications with a particularly demanding supervisor, and I will keep reading with interest. I will also determine that you are more qualified than the next person who didnt list any accomplishments in his or her resume. So, brag away.Do Match the Keywords Every TimeThis tip is perhaps the hardest to convince the federal jobseeker to do, because it is time consuming. However, it is absolutely critical to the success of your job search. Find five to seven keywords in the vacancy announcement, and USE THESE in your resume as headers in the outline format and use the paragraphs to support the headers (see a sample outline format resume).Still Not aya How to Improve Your Resume?Take the next five minutes and contact us for a free estimate. We would be happy to look at your resume and give you a quote for our world-class services.You can also view some outstanding resume samples in the Federal Resume Guidebook to help you g et started on improving your resume today.

Your online image

Your online prestigeYour online imageMake sure your online image helps, bedrngnis hurts, your job search. It used to be that employers only had resumes, cover letters, and interviews to go by when making hiring decisions. That changed with increased use of the Internet and social networking. Many employers check profiles on popular online sites before making interviewing and hiring decisions. And somedeutsche post aged material can leave employers wondering what type of employee you would be. This includes Inappropriate photos, such as photos of you and your friends drinking or wearing inappropriate clothes Inappropriate comments by your friends - remember you can delete comments under your photos Discussions about alcohol or drug use Talking poorly about previous employers Discriminatory comments, for instance, using slang terms for racial or ethnic minorities Lying about qualifications Sharing confidential information about past, current, or prospective em ployers Your online identity can help or hurt you. If an employer is considering you seriously enough to research you online, make sure that your own words or photographs dont come back to haunt you. Do an online search of your name to see what information and/or images of you come up. This will help you catch potential red flags. Clean up your online identity. Dont list personal information or post comments, photos, or videos that you wouldnt want an employer to see. Think of everything you put online as public information. Remove any swear words, gripes about old employers, or discriminatory comments. Create a professional online identity. Join LinkedIn and other online professional groups that are related to your career or industry. Ask someone to recommend you on LinkedIn. Create an online portfolio using work samples to market yourself. Blog about your professional interests. Be choosy about who you friend. Your profile may be squeaky clean, but make sure you dont suffer from guilt by association. Check your grammar, spelling, and writing. Many employers reject job applicants because they show poor communication skills. Consider your online presence as part of your portfolio. Read through any of your postings to catch errors.Improve interviews by preparing answers to common interview questions. Get ready for interviews with common questions, questions to ask the employer, and illegal interview questions. Common interview questions Tell me about yourself. Why are you interested in working for this company? Tell me about your education. Why have you chosen this particular field? Describe your best/worst boss. In a job, what interests you most/least? What is your major weakness? Give an example of how you solved a schwierigkeit in the past. What are your strengths? How do others describe you? What do you consider your best accomplishment in your last job? Where do you see yourself in three years? Think about something you consider a failure in your life, and tell me why you think it happened. How do you think you will fit into this operation? If you were hired, what ideas/talents could you contribute to the fleck or our company? Give an example where you showed leadership and initiative. Give an example of when you were able to contribute to a team project. What have you done to develop or change in the last few years? Do you have any questions for me? Questions to ask the employer What are the responsibilities and accountabilities of this position? How well is the position defined? Can its duties be expanded? Please describe an average day on this job. What is the history of the position? Why is it vacant? What aspects of this job would you like to see performed better? What are the key challenges or problems of this position? Where can I go from here, assuming that I meet/exceed the job responsibilities? How wo uld you describe the ideal candidate? What are the employers short- and long-range objectives? What are some outside influences that affect company growth? Where does the company excel? What are its limitations? When and how will I be evaluated? What are the performance standards? With whom would I be working? Who would be my supervisor? Who would I supervise? What is the departments environment like? When will you make the hiring decision? May I call you for the decision? When is a good time? Illegal questions What is or was your spouses name or line of work? Have you ever filed a Workers Compensation claim or been injured on the job? Do you have any physical conditions that would prevent you from performing the job? Have you ever been arrested? What is your hair/eye color? What is your height/weight? Have you ever been hospitalized? If so, for what condition? Have you ever been treated by a psychiatrist or psychol ogist? If so, for what condition? How many days were you absent from work because of illness last year? Are you taking any prescribed drugs? Have you ever been treated for drug addiction or alcoholism? Source Creative Job Search, a publication of the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development.Why network?Networking is a key part of job hunting. All it means is talking to others- either formally or informally- about your job search and career goals. Networking facts It is not the same as asking for a job. Usually your networking contacts will not be potential employers. It helps you learn inside information about jobs that are being created. It lets you tap into the hidden network- the many jobs that are never advertised. Its helpful for ongoing professional and personal development. An employer who is not hiring today may be looking for someone like you tomorrow. Before you begin networking, be clear about your job search goals . Think about what you want to say to others about yourself, and what you want to know from them. What kind(s) of job(s) are you looking for? What skills and experience prepared you for these jobs? Are you focused on a particular industry? Do you want to find a job at a particular company? Do you want to look for jobs in one local area? Next steps are to develop your elevator speech and make your contact list.

5 Ways to Succeed as a New Boss

5 Ways to Succeed as a New Boss5 Ways to Succeed as a New BossIve been promoted Now what? Set expectationsfor yourself and othersRequest a meeting with your new manager to learn what is expected of you over the first 30, 60 and 90 days on the job. If youre successful during these time periods, what will you have learned or accomplished? Use this information to set goals for yourself over the same time period. groe nachfrage similar meetings with your new direct reports to set your expectations of them.Consider the runners-upThere may be one or more people in your group who were vying for the same role. Look for opportunities where you allow this person to leverage their strengths and areas of expertise. The worst thing you can do is undervalue what your colleague can bring to the table. If a colleague is resentful, their behavior will usually catch up with them. Be friendly and professional, but dont forget to watch your back.Break bread with your teamA leader is only as good as the team behind him or her. Take your direct reports out for lunch and schedule one-on-one meetings to get to know each individuals strengths, weaknesses, skill set and personality. The better you understand each individual, the easier it will be for you to form a strong, high-performing team.Make friends with peersSimilar to a job search, its important to conduct informational interviews with your new colleagues. These conversations will help you understand the unwritten rules of your new role and get up to speed with current projects, and teach you the best ways to work with your new boss.Become a spongeSpend time at the beginning of your tenure absorbing everything you can. Join as many meetings as possible to learn the lay of the land, and be prepared to ask a lot of questions. If you plan on making big changes, you must first earn the teams trust. Win them over by taking the time in the beginning to learn how things are done and why, so that when its time to make changes, you can b uild a strong argument that your colleagues will support.Taking on a new role is bound to have some challenges. Utilize these tips to transition into your new management position as smoothly as possible.