12 Resume Phrases That Need to Go

12 Resume Phrases That Need to Go Resumes can seem like a constantly-changing beast. Sometimes, you go several years without writing a resume. When you need one again, you need to dust your resume off and freshen it up, again!  Youll likely  find the conventions for what’s acceptable format-wise has changed. (By the way, it’s always worth taking the  time to update your resume even when you aren’t looking for a job  but I digress). It’s hard to keep up. Buzzwords roll in, become stale and then meaningless. However, the fundamentals of a great resume haven’t changed in years: they  need to tell a story. They need to be full of accomplishments; quantifiable ones. What they shouldn’t be is boring, boilerplate or full of outdated terminology. With resumes often receiving only about 6 seconds of scrutiny by recruiters and managers, you can’t afford to have useless jargon in there. You definitely cant afford terminology that sends the opposite message to what you’re going for. Weve put together  a list (from a 30-year recruitment expert) of terms that still show up all the time on resumes that simply need to go. I mean the terms that should be wipe-your-hands, never-see-them-again gone, but still manage to worm their way onto live resumes coming into my recruitment practice every day. Phrases that are meaningless These words have become meaningless by their repetition. The words that recruiters and hiring managers just glance past that are taking up your precious resume real estate. “Highly motivated” Everyone is “highly motivated” on a resume, yet anyone who’s held down a job knows that not everyone is highly motivated. Something doesn’t add up â€" and it’s the fact that this buzzword doesn’t actually describe anything. “Dynamic self-starter” See above. “Ability to accomplish objectives” Show your objectives and accomplishments rather than describing your ability to complete them. “Thought leader” A list of publications, speaking engagements, board memberships or other extra-curriculars speaks louder than this buzzword. “Timely fashion” This phrase just sounds old-timely. “Results-driven” Again, show the results and let them speak for themselves. “Effective communicator” Your resume itself is a document attesting to your communications skills, so using this word is like ending an essay with the phrase “this is a very good essay.” Phrases that send the opposite message to what you’re trying to convey “Responsible for” or “Duties include” This is the death-knell of resume effectiveness. When one of our candidates sends across a resume with this kind of language, we almost always help them extensively revise. The reason? You want to send the message that you’re able to handle a multitude of responsibilities, but this kind of phrasing makes it sound like you’re filling a seat rather than contributing in a meaningful way. “Visionary” You want to seem as though you take a creative, personal approach to your job, which is great, but this actually ends up sounding a bit arrogant. No one can credibly call themselves a visionary. “Seasoned professional” You’re trying to send the message that you’ve been around the block and dealt with a variety of situations, but it tends to make you sound a bit outdated. It also makes you sound like a Sunday roast. “Able to meet deadlines” You want to send a message that you have great time management skills and can work under pressure, but this phrasing actually sends the message that you’re sort of happy with the status quo. You’re “able” to meet deadlines, rather than going above and beyond. Bonus: Other outdated resume practices Using an email with an old-school domain like AOL or Hotmail. This is a surprising one to a lot of people, but it sends the message that you’re not up to date with technology. Saying “references available upon request.” This can be assumed. Including your date of birth and/or marital status. Including a list of skills, or a profile summary at the beginning of a resume. These are recently out the door, but they’re out of date nevertheless. We totally get that resumes are hard, and you have to fill them with something. They’re even harder without being able to use the common terminology that we often see. But trust us that working without these kinds of words is a worthy exercise. And stay tuned for our next article where we’ll dive into how to use action words, metrics and accomplishments to show your excellence as a candidate, rather than relying on buzzwords. About the author: Bronwen Hann is President and Senior Partner of Argentus.com, a boutique recruitment firm that specializes in recruitment for Supply Chain Management and its related functions including Procurement, Logistics, Operations and Planning.

Can Resume Writing Services Help You With Your Job Search?

Can Resume Writing Services Help You With Your Job Search?There are many of these resume writing services out there that specialize in helping individuals create, send and receive resumes. However, they also have the ability to write and approve your resume as well.You may be wondering whether or not you can benefit from using such a service. If you are in the process of looking for a new job, you want to make sure that you get one that has the experience and skills necessary to get you that new job.This is the main reason why many individuals use resume writing services. They know the process and they know how it works. Therefore, they are able to help you create a resume that will get you the job of your dreams.One of the great benefits of using resume writing services is that you can receive them before you send off your resume. This way you will know what kind of work you will need to submit to a particular employer. It is an added advantage because you will be able to choose the type of job that you would like to apply for.You will be able to choose the type of work you are applying for and you will be able to know if you will be able to find future employers who will be interested in what you have to offer. You may wonder what kind of information you will receive. Here is a list of the most common:Resume writing services send your resume to a number of employers. Many of these employers will review your resume before they make a decision on your application. By taking the time to get this information, you will be able to narrow down your search significantly.In addition to having all of this information about you ready, resume writing services also make sure that your resume is submitted properly. If your resume is submitted incorrectly, you will not only lose the opportunity for you to get a job but you will also be paying for this mistake.Finally, it is a good idea to get an experienced resume writing service. There are many people out there who claim t o be experts but who may not know much about resumes. It is important to use a service that is capable of writing resumes for companies of any size and of any industry.

How to Get a Job With a Disability [INFOGRAPHIC] - Classy Career Girl

How to Get a Job With a Disability [INFOGRAPHIC] Some working environments can place considerable physical and mental burden on people who are of perfect health in body and mind. If those people find a job difficult to perform, think of how hard it would be for someone with a physical or mental disability: the type of person for whom everyday situations can be tough. While many people with disabilities often demonstrate extraordinary resilience and courage, seeing the positives from their situation while others readily focus on negatives, some jobs are so demanding that they inevitably take their toll on the people entrusted with them. Thankfully, there are plenty of jobs that require minimal physical exertion and stress is relatively low. For example, working as an accountant or a career guidance counselor doesn’t require you to be on your feet all day or to exercise your body vigorously. Also, the increasing prevalence of flexible working arrangements makes it very possible to perform jobs like these without needing to leave the house. [RELATED: 42 Highest-Paying Work from Home Jobs] Likewise, if youre disabled and you have job interview approaching, youre perfectly entitled to ask about the possibility of conducting the interview virtually, through Skype, for instance. Even if the employer can’t make these arrangements, they could agree to hold the interview in an accessible ground floor location. Once at the interview stage, you should then emphasize how they can overcome the challenges you face instead of stressing the burden that the job could entail. If an employer sees someone who is determined in the face of adversity, they are likely to see the person as a valuable asset to the company. This infographic from Burning Nights is a great resource for job seekers with disabilities, advising them on how to approach the search for employment and how to talk up their attributes rather than feeling inhibited by difficult situations. How to Get a Job With a Disability [INFOGRAPHIC] How to Get a Job With a Disability [INFOGRAPHIC]

3 Tips to Get a Recruiters Attention - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

3 Tips to Get a Recruiters Attention - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Finding a job is a job in itself and to succeed at finding work, one thing I would HIGHLY suggest is that you release any sense of entitlement. One very hard truth that some have not learned is that recruiters do NOT work for you. They are looking out for themselves and are not being selfish in doing so. Why? If a recruiter consistently recommends unqualified people to the hiring managers they support, they will be out of a job. Such being the case, every time they receive a resume it is evaluated through the following lens (consciously and/or subconsciously), “Based on what I see on this resume, do I think they will make me look good?” Such being the case, it is in your best interest to position yourself as someone who is the best at what they do (or, among the best) and when all possible, constantly staying current with the industry. That latter point becomes increasingly relevant, the longer you are out of work. Just fyi… So, how do you give the aforementioned impression? Moreover, how do you give it when you have been out of work for a significant period of time? There are a number of strategies, but there are three I especially like: Bear gifts and hope to be appreciated. Become a lightning rod for controversy. Be a spreader of good cheer. Okay, let me clarify things. When I say, “bear gifts and hope to be appreciated,” I am suggesting that you create compelling content with the hope that it will be shared to your target audience. For example, let’s say that you have a background in aerospace technology. You could produce a whitepaper that focused on umm… “10 Things You Didn’t Know about Aerospace.” Once done, upload it to DropBox, Scribd, or a similar service and cite it on social media. You can also include a link to it in your email signature and/or post a synopsis on your blog. Oh! You could also make it a guest post on a blog focused on your topic. The end result (hopefully) is that people recognize your talent and share your content with other people in your industry. If people are buzzing about you, congratulations, you have achieved relevance which helps when recruiters are researching your background online. Secondly… what? Oh! (Sorry) I was reading someone’s mind just then and they asked me how to find guest post opportunities. This is one way to do it. intext:submit.guest.post intitle:software “cloud computing” In the search above, I am asking Google to look for the phrase “submit guest post” in the text of a webpage, the word “engineering” in the title of a webpage and the word “mechanical” mentioned somewhere on the page as mechanical engineering is my interest. (For demo purposes.) Check out some of the search results below. Here are a few more searches you can try: intitle:blog intitle:keyword “submit an article” “want to write for us” keyword “bloggers wanted” keyword “to submit a guest blog post” keyword Where was I? (Let me scroll up a bit… Oh! Yeah.) The second thing I suggested was to “Become a lightning rod for controversy” and what I mean by that is that you should strive to become Oprah or, some variation thereof. Think about this, one reason why Oprah is so famous is because she surrounds herself with celebrities and newsmakers. By shining the light on others, there is a halo effect on her personally. Make sense? You could do the same thing! No, I am not suggesting that you start a career in broadcast journalism. I am saying that it would be worth it to reach out to VIPs in your space and interview them for your blog or (better yet) your new podcast series. So, how would you proceed? One way to move forward is to reach out to the PR teams at various companies and tell them that you are a blogger (or podcaster) and would like to a) schedule a time to interview (some VIP) in your company or b) submit a series of questions to some VIP that I can quote on my blog. Make sense? If you like this strategy, you need to find press contacts at various companies. Here are a couple of  google searches for you. “press release” “for more information contact” “company name” “press release” “for more information contact” “keyword or phrase” My third strategy was to “Be a spreader of good cheer” which is a sly way of generating buzz around some content you have produced online. Let’s say that you produced a great PowerPoint presentation on building bridges in major cities. It would be great if your work was validated by other experts in the field because such validation helps to highlight you as a leader in your field. (Remember, recruiters will research your background. Give them something good to find!) It also would be great if you used your PPT as a means to attract recruiters to your work and passively pitch your talents to them. But how to accomplish both? What else? Do a search. To passively pitch your content to recruiters, 1) find recruiters online and 2) ask them to refer technical people to your work in order to get their professional opinion. How do you find recruiters? Check out the screenshot below and take note that the results have been refined to the past year. Once you have their name and the company name, give them a call. Make sense? Another way to find recruiters is a search along these lines… intitle:recruiter (intitle:job OR intitle:jobs OR intitle:careers) (apply OR submit OR eoe) email.me.at ” keyword intitle:recruiter (intitle:job OR intitle:jobs OR intitle:careers) (apply OR submit OR eoe) calll.me.at ” keyword intitle:recruiter (intitle:job OR intitle:jobs OR intitle:careers) (apply OR submit OR eoe) contact.me.at ” keyword Once you find them, here is an email template you might want to consider: Recruiter’s name, I found you online and thought you might be someone to help me out. I posted (title of your compelling content) recently and wanted to get some feedback from other professionals in my space. As you are a recruiter, I thought you might be able to refer someone who might have an interest in my work. If so, please do pass it on? Title of your compelling content (Link to your compelling content) Thank you in advance! Your name Link to your blog or online profile Other relevant contact info (ie. phone, email) Okay, I’ve rambled on enough. What do you think of the strategies outlined herein? Leave me a comment and let me know! Author: Jim Stroud is an author from Glassdoor.com

Hiring A Resume Writing Service

Hiring A Resume Writing ServiceIf you want to add more value to your resume, one of the best solutions is to hire a Nashville TN resume writing service. A resume is the first thing potential employers will see, and it is vitally important. Employers are only looking for a few things when they are considering hiring someone for a position. They want to be sure that you have all of the relevant experience they are looking for, that you are qualified, and that you can meet their requirements.You don't want to miss any opportunities to make your resume stand out. It's impossible to do this on your own. It takes a professional touch to get the job you want. If you are in need of professional help, consider hiring an experienced resume writer who will go through your complete career history and develop a killer resume that will make an employer sit up and take notice.You will save time, money, and hassle by using a professional service that specializes in delivering a professionally design ed resume. You will be asked to provide some basic information about yourself, and your interest level. You can expect to receive a detailed resume as well as a resume cover letter. The letter and resume will set the stage for what you are about to put on paper.There are many sources that offer resume writing services in Nashville. You can find these services online or in print. You should first determine the level of experience required for the position you are applying for. This is very important, because you need to know what is expected of you before you begin your search for the perfect service.Most of the reputable resume writing services in Nashville take the time to check references of current clients. You should always ask for referrals. If you get the referral directly from the person or company you are considering, you are more likely to get the very best service possible. Since so many people will be competing for the same jobs, your chances of getting a job with a good resume will be greatly increased if you use a reputable company.Since so many services offer resume writing services in Nashville, it is a good idea to choose one that has been recommended by a current client. You can usually contact the customer service department of these companies and ask for feedback. Word of mouth referrals are often more honest than hiring a company without any feedback from the public. Remember, the goal is to find the best resume writing service in Nashville, so ask around.Ensure that you hire a company that has a proven track record. Companies that have been in business for years tend to deliver quality work. Of course, you want to use only the best resume writing services in Nashville, but even the best may not deliver exactly what you want. You should try to determine what you want in a resume and determine how to customize your own writing. If the company cannot meet this criteria, you may want to move on.After you select the right Nashville resume writi ng service, you should look over the job posting guidelines. These guidelines are vital to creating a resume that the employer will like. Be sure to read through the guidelines carefully and follow them exactly as they are laid out.

One in five students regret university choice - Debut

One in five students regret university choice - Debut Most of you students, were sure, made the right university choice. As a result, youre now having a whale of a time. Nevertheless, this news from The Student Room is a tad worrying. They rolled out a survey to 1,805 students at universities up and down the country. It found that 20% of respondents would have made different university choices had they had another chance to visit them beforehand. In addition to this, 18% of students regretted the course they had chosen, while the same number say they wished they pursued other avenues after A-levels. Meanwhile, one in eight students cited being influenced by parents, teachers and friends when making their choices. The same number admitted to choosing a university too far from home. More info? Amongst all of the various reasons people had for regretting their university choice, there was one common theme not enough knowledge. 18% of survey respondents admitted to not doing adequate research before applying. A whopping 45% were unsure of where to voice their concerns when theyre at uni. Which implies that there are a lot of students suffering in silence. Making such a critical (and expensive) decision with lifelong implications at 17 or 18 years old isnt going to get any easier. I myself dont have any regrets about the uni I chose. But I do wonder how my life would have been different if Id taken a gap year and not been so scared of FOMO. Theres a lot going on at that time in your life and things that seem important at the time dont seem as important when youve moved to a whole new town. We hate to see young people make decisions that compromise their happiness. Its so important to make your crucial choice of university and course bearing in mind whats good for you in the long term. Research your course thoroughly, go to open days and visit days and remember to make the decision for you.  Dont be afraid to ask questions or ask for help. University is a big step and were rooting for you all the way. Do you feel you made the right choices before going to uni? Let us know @DebutCareers on Twitter. Connect with Debut on Facebook and Twitter

Sorry, I probably wont read your cover letter

Sorry, I probably wont read your cover letter 22 Flares 22 Flares Like many recruiters, I rarely read cover letters.  Most of us zoom right into the resume for a quick scan of the candidate and avoid the cover letter whenever possible.  Why should we read two different documents that are basically trying to say the same thing?  When we have 100 resumes to read, why read 200 documents instead of just 100? When do I read cover letters? Writing intensive position (Technical writing, Marketing Communications, etc) Hiring manager specifically requests them Candidate says something ridiculous or interesting that makes me want to read further Cover letter is sent in the body of the e-mail, NOT as an attachment What do the experts say? Recruiters Recruiters that work in high volume environments will say they are too busy to read them.  Unless their internal or external client is asking for a resume, I doubt it will be read. HR People in HR that have some recruiting duties will most likely say they always read them.  Maybe it is because of their HR blood and a commitment to process, process, process.  Also, HR folks that also recruit sometimes work for companies that arent experiencing volume in hiring, or else their company would hire a recruiter, or another recruiter to handle it.  This may mean they will spend a few more minutes to read each cover letter since it might be the only opening. Professional Resume Writers They will tell you that its absolutely necessary to have a strong cover letter with your resume.  Not only do they make money off of it, but they also do make some great points, or have seen candidates hired simply for having a well-written cover letter. My suggestion You clearly need one.  Everyone has their own opinion, so my suggestion is to write up a quick cover letter that you can easily tweak around for each position.  Also, stop sending your cover letter as an attachment, I hate that.  I dont want to click on more than one thing when I open up your e-mail.  If you write it in the body of the e-mail, I might actually read it, and like it. What do you think?  Tell me Recruiters Do you read the cover letter every time?  What will make you read it?  Why dont you read it? HR What is your take on this?  If your HR duties also include recruiting, do you read the cover letter every time? Resume Writers Why do you think cover letters are important?  Any success stories to share? Job Seekers Do you send in a cover letter for each job?  Ever hired for simply the cover letter alone?

Grown Up Gigs Paula Jenkins, IT Release Manager Life Coach Retreat Leader - When I Grow Up

Grown Up Gigs Paula Jenkins, IT Release Manager Life Coach Retreat Leader - When I Grow Up Yay! Paula Jenkins is my guest for Episode 17 of Grown Up Gigs! Michelle Ward Creative Career Coach whenigrowupcoach.com Paula Jenkins IT Release Manager, Life Coach Retreat Leader paulajenkinsonline.com Religious scholar. Call center associate. Pastoral counselor. Web producer. Project Manager. Mom. Retreat Leader. IT Release Manager. Wife. Newly certified life coach. Paula Jenkins has had all these roles, with the last five being current hats she wears. A former client of mine, I call Paula The Excuse Buster because she didnt let a 12 hour work day, a 3 hour commute, and a toddler at home keep her from doing her homework. She came to each session with it done, and then some! Now, although shes an IT Release Manager full-time, shes being open online about the coaching business shes building and what she aspires to transition to. Paula does work that she finds her heart in, and youll hear all about it on Episode 17 of Grown-Up Gigs by clicking here now! Show Notes: Find Paula on her website, her blog, her podcast, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, and Google Plus (whew!) Get info about the Dream Into Action virtual retreat here  and use the code EB10 for $10 off registration. I dont know when it ends, so do it soon-ish! My Begrudging Life Lessons Courageous Living Coach Certification 8 Ways to Get Through Your Day Job Without Shooting Yourself in the Face My Create Your Dream Career class can be purchased for anytime access right away, but will also be rebroadcast for free on October 31st! This podcast is sponsored by branded.me, a platform for professionals to enhance their personal brand On October 26th, Ill be doing a special QA version on Grown Up Gigs for the season finale. Please send your questions around making a grown-up living doing work you love via my Contact form, Twitter, or at michelle(at)whenigrowupcoach.com. And dont forget to subscribe below so you wont miss a thing!