Before You Post Your Resume, Make Sure It's Ship-Shape With These Tips

If you're looking for a job, it's a good idea to find a site where you can post your resume for free. One such site is Jobvertise.

Before you do that, though, take a moment to make sure your resume is in good shape.
A lot of ink gets spilled talking about ways you can add refinement and sophistiation to your resume. Finding ways to make your resume look elegant, professional and modern is a good use of your time, but only if the fundamentals of a great resume are taken care of.

So, let's talk about some of the most vital resume basics. It never hurts to have a refresher.
First, your resume should have absolutely no typos whatsoever. We know that typos happen, but even a small mistake can catch a recruiter's eye and knock you down a peg, perhaps costing you the job. In this economy, that's a risk no one can afford to take.

A good way to ensure that you don't have any typos (besides using spellcheck, of course) is to read your resume from the bottom up. Reading it out-of-order means your mind won't fall into seeing what it wants or expects to see. It's also a good idea to ask a friend to read it over, just in case he or she catches something you don't.

Second, make sure the information on your resume flows in a logical order. A reverse-chronological work history makes sense in many situations, but for some people, it makes more sense to group positions by industry (i.e. "customer service") rather than by the order in which you held them.

Lastly, don't fall into the routine of using the same resume for every single position. A one-size-fits-all resume works in theory, but in practice, it almost always makes sense to tweak a section or two or change a phrase based on the organization to which you're applying.

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When You Search Jobs, Employers Look at Your Credit Report

Don't assume that when you search jobs and find a promising listing, a good resume and cover letter is all you need to get an interview. With the cost of training forming a major expense of hiring new employees, many companies investigate other sources of information to find out everything about you.
One of the tools they use is a credit report. It reveals everything about your financial history including your current and previous employers and addresses, your bank accounts, charge cards, mortgages, and what else you owe. The following are just some of the red flags they don't want to see on your report.

• Foreclosures/bankruptcies. This may show that you can't manage long-term obligations, such as projects or work responsibilities, and cannot deal with problems except by going through last resorts. This is a particular problem if you're looking for a job in the real estate industry.
  
• Late payments. This indicates that you have a problem with time management, even though you eventually meet your obligations. It makes employers wonder if your work submissions will similarly be tardy.
  
• Too much financial activity. Your reports may show a surge of activity related to opening charge cards as credit card companies close your existing accounts. This shows that you have trouble with budgeting and managing money. You may like to live beyond your means and finance immediate rewards with future profits.
  

You can at least find out what employers will see in your reports by ordering them from AnnualCreditReports.com. You're entitled to one free report per year from each of the major credit bureaus: Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. If any of the information is wrong, get it corrected immediately by contacting both the merchant who entered the data and the credit bureau reporting it. If any of the above problems are part of your report, be prepared to come up with good explanations for them during the interview.
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When You Respond to Job Listings, Watch Out for These Resume Traps

You have the skills, the experience, and the educational background that makes you perfect for an upcoming job listing. But you may be competing with hundreds or thousands of other applicants for the same position. You want your resume to stand out from the crowd by avoiding these common traps.

Sending the same resume for all jobs. This tells your potential employer that you don't care enough about working there to research specifics about the company. With inexpensive word-processing software readily available, there's no excuse for not tailoring each resume for the job you want.

Being general. Saying that you're a “hard worker,” “good with people,” or “quick learner” reveals nothing about you because they don't provide specific information. Talk about numbers, dates and tasks when describing your accomplishments. Examples include “increased sales by 25 percent over one year,” “added 30 new customers per week through cold calling by telephone” or “completed one-year training program in only six months.”

Not checking for grammar and spelling. A resume that are full of erors says that your careless. Would you want somebody who writes like that working for you? Run your resume through a spelling and grammar checker. And then have someone else look at it. A fresh pair of eyes can spot errors that you've missed several times.

Listing old jobs. You don't have to put down every job you've had since you graduated from high school 25 years ago. Employers are only interested in your current skills and knowledge, and only if this information is relevant to their needs. Stick to the past ten years but prepared to explain jobs previous to that in your interview.

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Where to Find the Best-Paying and Most Office Job Listings

Office and administrative support occupations form the largest employment category in the United States, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, as of May 2012. There are over 21.3 million workers in this category, comprising over 16 percent of the total workforce, with average earnings of $34,410 per year, or $16.54 per hour. Their jobs include office clerks, tellers, secretaries, and word processors.

• The highest-paying jobs belong to the supervisors responsible for making sure their subordinates finish their tasks on time. They average $52,830 per year, or $25.40 per hour.
• The most jobs belong to the 2.8 million general office clerks who perform miscellaneous tasks in a business. They make a mean $29,270 yearly, or 14.07 hourly.

The industry offering the most jobs for office workers are banks and credit unions with 1.04 million positions averaging an annual $32,360, or $15.56 per hour. The Postal Service shows the highest pay at $51,570 per year, or $24.79 per hour, for 538,840 employees.

Among states, California, the most populous one, boasts the most office jobs at 2.4 million. Workers here average $38,210 yearly, or $18.37 hourly. The District of Columbia, which the BLS considers a state, has the highest pay at $46,510 per year, or 22.36 per hour, for 82,140 positions.

Topping the opportunity list among metro regions is New York, the most populous urban area, with 929,640 jobs making a mean annual $40,300, or $19.38 hourly. Ranking first for pay is San Francisco, California, averaging $45,540 per year, or $21.89 per hour, for 156,590 workers.

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Get Your Keywords Ready and Search Jobs Free

When you search jobs free online, you have plenty of competition. Using the right keywords will help your application rise to the top. Learn how to choose the words that will make you stand out and get more interviews.

Understand how application tracking software affects your search. Companies use this kind of software to whittle down the huge volume of resumes they receive. Even smaller businesses are starting to adopt this practice, and the programs are becoming more sophisticated. In addition to looking at job requirements, they may be ranking you according to what school you attended and how long you stayed in your last job.

Find the right keywords for you. There are plenty of resources for discovering the best terminology to use. Study the job description and company website to get an idea of what your potential employer is looking for. Read industry publications and attend association events to stay up to date on the latest jargon. Take a look at your colleague’s resumes to see what they’re saying. If you’re working with a recruiter, ask them for suggestions about what words hiring managers are looking for now.

Incorporate keywords into your application. Use your keywords early and often but not too often. Ten times is typically the maximum to avoid looking overstuffed. Work your keywords into your cover letter as well as your resume. State them in different forms and contexts so you don’t sound repetitive. Even if you didn’t graduate from an Ivy League university, you may be able to legitimately reference a prestigious name if you take online courses there. Keep your formatting simple to avoid confusing the software. Use separate lines to distinguish between your job title and the name of the company.

Jobvertise is the world’s largest free job and resume database. Post your resume and search more than 250,000 jobs worldwide at absolutely no charge. Contact us to learn more.

The Jobvertise Team

Showing Passion for a Job Will Go a Long Way in Being Hired

The attempts to find a job in a shaky economy can easily be a frustrating process that might reflect in the way you approach looking for employment. Employers can usually scope out in interviews whether a person is really interested in working for the company or just there because they have no choice. And even if that's true for you while looking for a job, what should you do to make looking for a job less of a laborious process and more seeking out something that inspires you?

Gearing Your Resume Toward What You Really Want

You many need to get a job as quickly as possible under certain circumstances. This doesn't mean you shouldn't fix your resume to hone in on skills that are specific to a company. Listing every skill you've ever acquired can hide many of the individual skills that could be used in one particular place you have in mind.

Play up the skills that truly matter and show how you were able to use those skills to do something successful in your previous jobs. Doing this shows real interest in the job you applied for and not just the next one on your checklist.

Show Your Commitment to the Company

All companies want to hire people that will work for the company and not have a self-centered attitude. The purpose of hiring is to hire employees that help solve specific company problems and nothing more. It should never be all about you and always about showing passion toward solving the company problems.

This attitude will easily be discernable in an interview. It helps even more if you cite specific skills that could help the company be more proficient or become more profitable with your abilities.

The Same Attitude Applies to Lesser Jobs

Even if you find closed doors to the jobs you really want, gearing up your application, resume and interview in a way that shows purpose will always help. Employers are sometimes astute to body language and can tell if you're truly interested in the job or applying only because you have to. If it's a survival job, do some online research on what the skills are and promote the skills you've acquired that could connect. During the interview, show how knowledgeable you are about the job so you won't look like a complete neophyte who needs entry-level training.

If you're someone currently looking for a good job, consider showing that passion for employment by using the convenient services of Jobvertise. Job seekers can post their resumes and receive job alerts in the process. As well, employers are given the ability to seek out those resumes based on the skills they want.

Contact us so we can help you set up an employer or job-seeker account. Our basic services are 100% free!

Pick These Jobs for the Most Work Opportunities

Two big trends are defining the jobs that will show the most work opportunities from 2010 to 2020, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The first is population growth. More persons mean more potential customers who will require the services of more workers. The second is the aging of the baby-boomers, who form one of the largest segments of the U.S. population. As they become more elderly, they will need more medical treatment and help with activities, providing opportunities for those in the healthcare and helping professions.

Registered Nurses

The profession that will benefit most from these trends belongs to registered nurses, whose numbers are expected to increase by 711,000 to a total 3.5 million. They assist doctors in providing medical care but also have the training to provide some diagnosis and treatment on their own. The job requires one of three types of education: a diploma, associate degree or bachelor’s degree.

Retail Salesperson

Jobs for retail salespersons are expected to increase by 706,000 to a total 4.9 million. These workers sell goods, such as furniture, toys and cars, in retail stores. They help answer customer questions, locate items for purchase, and in some cases, tally the bought goods and accept payment. In general, salespeople do not need training to enter their profession. Most learn on the job although some employers provide formal classes. The job can be a stepping-stone to management or other careers, particularly in retail chains.

Home Health Aides

Home health aides assist the chronically sick, disabled or elderly with such tasks as dressing, housework and doctors’ appointments. Work opportunities will grow by 706,300 to a total 1.7 million. Aides usually work for certified agencies that receive government funding and so must meet standards of competence. No advanced education is necessary because they receive training from their employers. Many can provide basic medical services such as checking vital signs or changing dressings.

For information on finding jobs that have excellent work opportunities, contact us.