Justifying a promotion
The best way to justify a promotion and, hopefully, a raise, is to focus on your value. If you are to meet specific goals as part of your last performance evaluation, achieving those should be first on your agenda. Once you have established momentum there, you can...
10 ways to improve your resume
Use a functional or position title rather than an objective statement. Avoid using a functional approach if at all possible, because recruiters want to know where you were when, and that is often what they look for first. If dates are hard or impossible to find, your...
Resume length: 1 page, 2 pages, 6 pages (yikes!)
How long should your resume be? It is a myth that your entire work history must be confined to a single page. Making everything fit often results in tiny, unreadable blocks of text that no recruiter will willingly navigate. One-page resumes are fine for recent college...
Content or format more important?
Compelling content is invariably king, especially if you are applying online and are not in what is traditionally considered to be a creative field, e.g. photography or graphic design. A portfolio accessible through your online networking profile (LinkedIn) or...
How to make the phone ring
Most recruiters have too little time (and too heavy a workload) to read your resume to figure out what you want to do. So instead of using a meaningless objective, use a title that shows you understand the employer's needs, e.g.: Administrative Assistant, Project...
Finding that “perfect job”
Most job seekers spend more time researching their next car than their next job. Making an unwise employment decision often results in underemployment, stress, poor cultural fit, dissatisfaction and even termination. Considering your investment in time and energy,...
Resume strategy
You've found the ideal job and now you're editing your resume to reflect that you are ideally suited for the position. This may require more effort than adding "excellent communication and interpersonal skills, and 8+ years' proven sales leadership," per the keywords...
To thank . . . or not
Job candidates these days have plenty to say about how they've been treated by recruiters, and much of what they say relates to the impersonal nature of the online search process. Recruiters are often inundated with resumes that have no relevance to the jobs they're...
Everything including the kitchen sink
Focus is important, no, critical in resume development. A resume is not an autobiography or affidavit, particularly for career changers at middle age or beyond. Include what is essential for the position you are targeting. By all means address potential concerns an...