Executive & Professional Resume Writing Services

What Are You Grateful for This Thanksgiving?

Surely we are all concerned about…let’s see…the economy, job searching, our savings, children, elderly  parents (and more)— BUT—let’s take some time this holiday season to focus on what we do have and on what is working in our lives. As we sit for dinner with our family and friends (or with a Lean Cuisine and TV), we should guide our attention to the things that bring us joy and fills our heart with the warm fuzzies; I bet those are the things that matter most!

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!

Rosa E. Vargas
Certified Resume Writer

Don't Miss Out on Job Opportunities. Prepare Network Cards!

WHAT IS A NETWORK CARD?

A network card is a small business card. This card works like a mini resume. It contains your most vital career information, it is easy to carry, and it makes a great impression!  (You never know when an opportunity will present itself.) To prepare your network card, you can copy portions of your resume's Profile. What can you include in your network card? The number of years' experience in your industry; listing of your strongest qualifications; your contact information, including addresses to online portfolios, bios, social networks (such as Linked-in, and Facebook) or your online Visual-CV.

DON’T BE AFRAID TO ASK FOR HELP DURING THIS ECONOMIC CRISIS --YOU WOULD HELP !?

You know all those jobs that are filled by the time you call? Friends of friends of people in the company filled them! Email your extended family and let them know you are job searching. Mail them your network card. People really do like to help, and they strike up conversations in unexpected places. So, also start meeting new people. Attend meetings, join organizations, go to job fairs, seminars, anything that promotes job hunting. Where do you find this information? Newspapers, employment circulars, Internet, magazines, call the unemployment agency in your city, and career centers/resources. They have plenty of useful information.

The idea is to capitalize on every job lead. Position yourself to succeed and capture opportunities by being prepared and calling on those close to you and those close to them. Know that people will always try and help; by extending your network you are expanding your reach and increasing your career opportunities (also making new friends).

Side Note: Take a look at The Riley Guide it is an incredibly extensive and valuable online source.

 

For more information contact Rosa Elizabeth Vargas, a certified executive resume writer

 

Self Marketing and Career Opportunity Optimization!

What can you do to empower yourself during unstable economic times? Begin to evaluate your career, skills, contributions, and explore the tough job market now! Don’t wait until you are terminated or downsized! Even if all goes well and you know you will remain with your current employer—it will feel great to see your career progression down on paper, confirm you are an asset, and recongize that your skills are marketable!

I often tell friends that even if things are going great and they are not planning to leave their company they should still invest and "insure" (yes, I meant to use insure not ensure) their career with a new resume and by studying  job announcements! (What skills are required for your ideal position? How do you measure up?)Think about it; companies spend millions on hiring experts to analyze company marketing tactics, study the market and competitors,  evaluate revenue growth, optimize staff performance, compare actual cost vs. forecasted budget, and strategize for increased business growth. So, I ask you, why aren’t you developing a strong marketing and promotion campaign for your career?

We protect everything else; but often, not until we are in urgent need of a resume do we actually seek assistance or take inventory of what we have accomplished throughout our careers! People, let’s take inventory while we have time to do so. Here is my advice (in the process, we will be creating a completely new list of buzzwords!):

Self -performance Analysis: Pay close attention to the task you perform on a daily basis  and compare what you actually do at work, how much you are accountable for, what will not get done if you are not around, with what you were hired to execute. Hopefully, by reflecting on your performance, you will identify that you have gone above and beyond what you were hired to do! Do you voluntarily wear more hats than you were hired to wear? If you don’t remember look over the job description. Don’t just look to the past, keeping a work journal in which you jot down major accomplishments, keep thank you letters, make notes of promotions, pay increases, and remarkable comments (no venting in this ). This type of research, analysis, and documentation will be incredibly valuable to you when you are ready to write a biography or a resume and equip yourself with a pricesless job search tool!  Add this blog to your feed so that you follow up on all ten tips.

Rosa E. Vargas
Certified Resume Writer
Visit www.careersteering.com

Maximize The Responses to Your Online Resume Post

As you peruse job postings, pay even closer attention the Requirements section. If you don’t meet the Requirements section, move on to the next posting—even if you meet the qualifications or job description section. Please understand that the Requirement section is exactly that a requirement.

Strategically emailing your resume for job opportunities you perfectly match will help you keep a more positive spirit during your job search as the amount of no call backs will decrease. Some believe the more you send out—the higher your chances. Yet, I advise you to be selective and study those job announcements with scrutiny, intelligently pair your qualifications with the requirements; this way, you will be doing less legwork, earning more callbacks, and you will lessen your disappointment.

For example, if you answer 100 job postings and you are only perfectly qualified for half, you will be highly disappointed with the responses. Yet, if you had focused on those 50 announcements you were perfectly qualified for, you would have spent less energy following leads to nowhere and you would have utilized that time to create very targeted, sincere, and original cover letters that convince your new employer to call you for an interview.

Employers want to see you understand the position and you have sought it out because you are a good match. Also keep in mind that as unemployment increases, more job seekers will be responding to any ads. Therefore, employers will be bombarded with non-qualified applicants. Set yourself apart by managing a strategic and positive job search campaign! : - )

Good luck!

Rosa E. Vargas
NCRW - Nationally Certified Resume Writer
MRW - Master Resume Writer

www.careersteering.com packages