Advice from a hiring manager -

Advice from a hiring manager - Looking for a job isnt rocket science, but there are definitely best practices youll want to employ and mistakes youll want to avoid to make sure you arent attracting the wrong kind of attention from the hiring managers you are trying to attract. Before launching Amplify Talent, an employer branding and recruiting optimization consultancy based in Washington D.C., Lars Schmidt spent 15 years in recruiting roles, including the last 10 years running recruiting at NPR and Ticketmaster. Hes seen firsthand how the job search process has evolved. Schmidt addresses some key answers job seekers need to know to apply for opportunities successfully. 1. Whats the best way to apply to a company? Most companies still require you to apply online. Schmidt explains, Many candidates follow that step and wait and wait. Savvy candidates also invest their time networking to try and find contacts within their target companies. These relationships provide an edge in your job search. If someone inside the organization youre targeting passes your résumé along to the hiring team, it will be noticed. You still need the skills and experience to move forward in the process, but your chances increase substantially if youre referred. 2. Whats the best résumé format? This is a subjective process; you never know whos going to be reading your résumé. However, one thing is certain, as Schmidt notes, Most companies use recruiting software, so your top priority should be having a clean Word or PDF version that will be parsed properly by their systems. In some lines of work, having a more dynamic version with links and more aesthetic qualities can be valuable in situations where youre emailing or presenting your résumé directly to a reviewer. He advises you to consider maintaining two versions of your résumé: one for applying online and one for more direct résumé submissions and networking. Schmidt reminds candidates to keep in mind that their LinkedIn profile is a key tool in their job arsenal, too. 3. How damaging are grammatical errors? Schmidt says, In short, very. Typos demonstrate lack of attention to detail, or worse, laziness. Proof your résumé twice, then share it with a few friends for additional sets of eyeballs to help make sure youre sending a clean version. 4. Do keywords matter? Since your résumé is likely to pass through an applicant tracking system, keywords do matter. Schmidt cautions that content is important, too. Some companies use keyword-matching software to rank candidates. Some candidates try to overcome this by artificially loading their résumé with keywords from the job description. I wouldnt recommend this. It may get you past the robots, but eventually a human will review your résumé, and if they encounter obvious keyword inflation they may pass, he says. 5. Whats the best cover letter format? Its a controversial question: Some employers read cover letters and others ignore them. Schmidt notes, The good news for job seekers is that cover letters are a dying breed. The bad news: If companies request them, you may be ruled out if you dont include one. If youre asked to include a cover letter in your application, be sure to address why youre qualified, why youre interested (in the role/company/industry) and how you can solve the organizations problems. He explains, Youd be surprised how many candidates submit stock cover letters and forget to change the company name. Dont be that candidate. 6. When should I follow up after an interview? Be sure one of your questions during the interview is about next steps and the hiring timeline. If the company didnt set an expectation, Schmidt recommends following up if you dont hear back within one week. Great recruiters will keep high-value candidates informed throughout the process. If you follow up and dont hear back within a few days, chances are they may not be high on your candidacy. 7. Whats the best way to learn about a companys culture? Sometimes, the difference between a candidate whos competitive for the job and one who lands the opportunity is his or her ability to demonstrate an ability to fit in at the organization. Schmidt says, To really understand an organizations culture, you need to dig beyond the career site. Company or employee blogs and sites like glassdoor.com and Quora can provide interesting insights. A lesser-used, but likely more valuable resource, is social media â€" particularly Twitter. You can follow employees and build lists of companies youre interested in to get a feel for their day-to-day. 8. I was perfect for the job but didnt get it. Why? This is one of the frustrating aspects of the job search. Schmidt says, There could be a variety of reasons â€" a more perfect candidate, the position is put on hold, negative feedback on references (formal or informal), hiring indecision, shifting business priorities, etc. You generally will never fully know why, and unfortunately most recruiters wont provide specifics due to potential exposure. 9. Whats a personal brand, and do I need to worry about it? Hiring managers and recruiters are Googling your name. What will they find? Your personal brand is your reputation and it does matter. Schmidt explains, Your personal brand, from a digital perspective, is really the sum of information that can be found about you on the Web. If theres nothing out there about you, take action now. Blogs, social media, online portfolios and other platforms allow you to carve out your place online. This originally appeared on U.S. News World Report.

What Is the First Step in the Job Search Process?

What Is the First Step in the Job Search Process?The first step in the job-search process is writing your resume. As stated before, writing a resume is the first step in the job-search process. This article will go over some of the tips and tricks to making your resume stand out from the competition.One thing you need to realize when you are writing your resume is that your goal should be career development, not just income growth. Often times, people will spend the majority of their time on the 'income' part of their resume and forget that the career development part is also very important. By spending less time on the salary and more time on the career, you can make a more compelling statement.The other thing to keep in mind when you are writing your resume is that it is for your future career. Rather than looking for a job right away, focus on what you will have to do when you get to that job. It may seem easy to choose a particular company, but it is not necessarily. You will hav e to choose a job because you would like to do it, not just because a company has told you it was an attractive option.It is possible to do searches on similar companies or even apply for jobs on those sites. However, you can save yourself a lot of time by performing the job-search online. There are countless resources to help you find and apply for these jobs. When applying, make sure that you match your requirements with the positions that will fit your career goals.Remember that the first step in the job-search process is writing your resume. There are many different types of resumes. Make sure that the one you choose matches your goals and personality.A great tip to follow for your resume is to select the best items from each section. This will help it flow well and make it easier to read. For example, if you are applying for a marketing position, you would want to put a marketer section on your resume, but not include all of the 'marketing' terms that you want to make your titl e sound as professional as possible.Finally, the best tip for writing your resume is that there is no formula to write your resume. You are free to customize it however you see fit. The most important thing is that you have a resume to send in for the employer to see, so make sure that you get it right the first time!

A Deadly Mistake Uncovered on Seven Tips for Effective Resume Writing and How to Avoid It

A Deadly Mistake Uncovered on Seven Tips for Effective Resume Writing and How to Avoid It The Fundamentals of Seven Tips for Effective Resume Writing Revealed Even if your computer comes with a spell-checker, it will not have the capacity to fully evaluate your sentences. As soon as you have written and organized your information according to the kind of resume you've chosen, make sure to format it according to typical professional standards. Resume writing formats incorporate whole collection of categories of profession to opt for the most suitable format. Therefore, using resume writing templates offering sequential writing format will enable you to get noticed. New Ideas Into Seven Tips for Effective Resume Writing Never Before Revealed Of the numerous essay writing assignments here are some suggestions about how to compose an essay that will assist you to enhance your writing skills. When you start writing the resume, select the resume in accordance with your profession. The focus is going to be on the invention of a substantial bit of writing for a last rit. Therefore, many students and employees decide to purchase affordable essay rather than writing it themselves. Well-designed visual aids are frequently the best. Designing a resume should not start from scratch, you are able to take advantage of free resume templates that you are able to find on the web. You may even make the most of on-line custom writing services! Very top of assistance you just. Volunteer experience is also a wonderful add-on to healthcare resumes since it shows the hiring manager you have compassion off the work also. Focus on what you bring to the employer, not what you would like from the job-This is a chance for you to advertise yourself and stick out from the other candidates. When you make an application for a job there are quite a few other candidates who want to find the exact same job and submit resume for the exact same. There are a lot of standard kind s of resumes used to make an application for job openings. Reader should understand just what you have done in past. Social media or internet resumes may include HTML and societal media resumes, which are key elements of your own personal brand. First off, you should realize that the best words for usage in a resume vary in accordance with the work description. Customer service is a critical element in many jobs and it's imperative that you concentrate on that in your resume. The Foolproof Tips for Effective Resume Writing Strategy If you have a look in the sample's career objective you will see that the candidate provides some very important information from the get-go. The career goal is the very first bit of information your possible employer will find, so it's important to come from the gate swinging. For example, a candidate who wants to apply for work in IT will have a different resume to an individual who is applying for employment in music field. Writing Many ind ividuals really like to write, however they fail to follow specific tasks. Resumes formatted for electronic submission provide a great chance to make the most of your exposure. You may also Book Writing Template. Notice how the example resumes are extremely specific when it has to do with technical skills.