Category Archives: Job Tips

The Scoop on Resumes and Cover Letters

By: Capiz Greene

Resume

People spend way too much time worrying, fretting about and re-doing resumes during a job
search. Here are some basic rules and tips for resumes and cover letters that allow you to
showcase yourself in the best light, and be as time efficient as possible in your job search.
REMEMBER: When you are looking for a job, it IS a full time job! Here is a way to look at the whole process:

1. In a job search, the product is YOU.

2. YOU must be promoted in the best light, to the most people possible who will BUY YOU.

3. The cover letter and resume are the two initial promotional tools you use to get the attention of
your target market: the potential employer.

4. The Cover Letter is the “teaser” – it is the preview of what is to come. (Much like the news
teasers – “100 car pile up on interstate 94 – details at 10”)

5. The Resume then becomes the “Ad” for your product. It includes just enough information to
raise the potential employers’ curiosity and get them to call you in for an interview.
a. Many people make the mistake of putting EVERYTHING about themselves in the
resume – enough information to land them in the circular file (the trash can).

6. It is important to keep in mind that simple, direct and easy to scan is the rule to live by in
writing resumes and cover letters.

7. Know your top three (3) areas of strengths and prime story examples that show evidence and support of those strengths.

8. Include a line in your cover letter that states you will follow up on a particular day…then do it!

9. Structure your resume beginning with a summary (not an objective), and then follow with
your accomplishments.

10. Write in active voice: eliminate the phrases “Duties Included” and “Responsible for”.
a. Employers want to know what you actually DID, not a copy of your job description.

11. Omit a “job objective”. In this fast paced, impatient I-Want-It-NOW world of scanning, a job objective limits you to that one objective and is the quickest way to weed you out!

12. You do not have to list your work experience all the way back to the time of Moses. The last 10 years is all that is needed.

13. But I had some really good jobs further back than 10 years! How can I not include them?!
a. We’ll cover that in the “Accomplishments” section. Really. It’s not hard to look good
on paper!

Once you have the template for writing these two documents, it is a simple matter to move them around and rearrange to accommodate different jobs for which you are applying.
Capiz (pronounced “copy”) Greene is based in Omaha, Nebraska. She is an international speaker and author who works with organizations that want to create environments where people can achieve and perform at their best and individuals who want careers that reflect their passion and purpose.

For more information on outplacement/job transition services, please contact Capiz at
capizg@greenelight.com.

How to gain access to many “blocked” LinkedIn profiles completely free- www.linkedin.com

We are excited to provide you with some of the best and free internet researching tools available. Carol Martin, a member of our core team, provides excellent tools for researching companies and individuals within these organizations, to help in your job search. She also shares why new grads are in a very good position in the current economy, due to the baby boomers reaching retirement age. She also shares tips on accessing Linkedin profiles completely free.

Powerful site for your job search- www.Glassdoor.com

In this video Carol shows viewers how to use a tremendous resource, “Glassdoor”, which allows you to find key company information, current openings, salary ranges, employee reviews of organizations, and even interview questions that are frequently asked by these companies. This is critical information that you need to know going into your next interview.

The two essential ingredients for making your goals a reality

Exposure and Desire

by Zina Cooper

The act of mentoring and motivating young African American professionals requires the ability to tap into their desires and then to help them realistically determine the probability (or improbability) of obtaining them.
One of the most common factors I have found with young people, in general, but particularly African American youth, are lofty goals with lack of preparation or exposure. The very key to helping this demographic to tap into their strengths is to first assess their experiences. I have held many conversations with young professionals who aspire to greatness but have no baseline experiences to support it.
For example, I held a conversation with a college student working as a material handler, who is by the way a very bright young man. He was somewhat frustrated with the way his company was operating. He clearly identified productivity inefficiencies, safety hazards, morale issues and areas of waste in the business. I then asked him what his ultimate goal was and he stated to be a General Manager. “In fact”, he stated emphatically, “I could run this place today”. As our conversation continued, I was able to convince him if he were placed in the position today the probability of his success would be quite low. He was able to understand that he had no exposure to key elements of business management that needed to be developed in him first. By the time we discussed profit & loss statements, business & sales taxes, supply chain, scheduling and human resource management (which the General Manager ultimately has responsibility) he conceded he was only at the beginning stages of his development as a professional. It’s like wanting to play in the NBA and never having seen a game from the inside. It looks easy enough but when you try to place the ball in the hoop with 9 other people around you, from a distance, that takes lots of exposure and practice.
Let’s tap into your desires, understand your exposure (experiences), and then create opportunities for you to develop the skills that will lead you to success.

Nomophobia: Are you making this interview mistake?

interview mistakes

Cell phones have made it virtually possible to do almost anything at the palm of our hands. People are constantly on their cell phones and are either communicating or flinging tiny, furious birds in an attempt to take down pyramids of pigs. I will be fair and say that I do understand the compulsion to reach for your cell phone, and admit that I find myself on my cell phone quite often during the day in order to connect with clients and candidates.

As helpful as cell phones can be, we need to realize there is a time and place for them. There has been a lot written about the cell phone being “the new cigarette.” In 2008, British researchers coined a new term “nomophobia”—short for “no-mobile-phone phobia”—to describe the fear of being without a cell phone. At this point, I must remind you that the interviewer is the most important person on the face of the planet. Who is more important: your buddy on the line or the person who impacts your livelihood?

While writing my second book, I hesitated about whether to tell my readers never to answer their cell phones during a job interview. Should I tell you never to whip out a skewered corn on the cob during an interview and start eating it? Of course not! It’s glaringly obvious and ridiculous to fathom that anyone could do that. But because I have heard of many instances of job applicants sabotaging themselves by picking up their cell phones during interviews, I decided I had to address this problem.

If you suffer from nomophobia, the solution is simple: Turn off your cell phone before an interview…or better yet, leave it in the car! Don’t set it on vibrate and think you’ll be safe because let’s face it, vibrate is as loud as a fat cat purring. Even if you do not give in to your instinct to answer the call or read the text message, you will get distracted and lose focus. I can assure you that your text messages and Facebook notifications will still be available EVEN when you get out of the interview!