Saturday, September 21, 2013

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.

If you want more help in finding jobs with your resume, please contact us.

Friday, September 13, 2013

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.

If you want help in finding more of these job listings, please contact us.

Thursday, September 5, 2013

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

Saturday, August 31, 2013

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!

Thursday, August 22, 2013

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.

Friday, August 16, 2013

Top Three Jobs with the Fastest Growing Work Opportunities

An important factor in choosing a career path is to find one that will need workers after your training period is over. These three jobs offer that advantage, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, because they have the fastest-growing work opportunities. Percentages show the increases from 2010 to 2020.

Personal Care and Home Health Aides
Personal care and home health aides look after individuals who are too sick, disabled or elderly to perform daily tasks on their own, such as bathing, grooming and visiting the doctor. Both positions are trained on the job and require no prerequisites. Home health aides usually work for agencies that receive government funding while personal care aides do not and may work for themselves. The opportunities for both positions are expected to increase by 70 percent because of the country’s growing elderly population.

Biomedical Engineers
Biomedical engineers find practical solutions to problems in biology and medicine. They design, create and test artificial organs, diagnostic tools or medical software. They may also typical train medical personal in the use of biomedical equipment. The positions require at least a bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering from an accredited university. Jobs for the field are predicted to grow by 61 percent because aging baby boomers require more medical treatment.

Construction Helpers
Construction helpers assist journey-level trades workers by supplying and moving materials, holding tools, cleaning work areas and performing building jobs that require less skill. No previous training is needed. Helpers typically learn their skills on the job. Two particular types will experience the fastest job growth. Those who help brick, block and stone masons work will see work opportunities increase by 60 percent. Those who help carpenters will show job growth of 55 percent. The increases are due to a growing population that will require structures in which to live, work, study and play.
For more information on other jobs with good opportunities, or to locate such jobs, contact us.

Monday, August 12, 2013

Getting the Most Out of Your Resume

A resume does much more than simply list your employers and responsibilities in chronological order. Realistically, a prospective employer just as easily gets this information through the actual application or an interview. So what, then, does a resume do?

Through choices made of what you include or exclude and how you organize that information, a resume reveals a lot about you as an individual. By implementing a few simple tips, you can put the art and science of resume writing to use in capturing the attention of employers.

  • Keywords are for more than just blogs. In this day and age, just about everything is subject to examination by a computer, including resumes. A company's computers can scan an applicant's resume for the presence of specific keywords, tagging them for further advancement in the hiring process. You can get an idea of potential keywords by examining job descriptions and hiring advertisements. Then, incorporate those words naturally into the body of your resume.

  • Flexibility is vital in a number of career areas, beginning with the format of your resume. For example, if a job seeker has a poor or spotty employment history, then organizing a resume chronologically by employer would probably not be the best choice. Feel free to individualize your format. If you would benefit from organizing your information by specific skills, then do it.  Play on your strengths.

  • Use the flexibility of the English language to your benefit. "Retail cashiers" become "sales associates",  "pumping gas" transforms into "ensuring the safe and profitable transfer of petroleum products to a mobile demographic". This is not time to be shy. It's always important to be honest. However, a resume is where you let your light shine, in the best way that it possibly can.

  • There's an old saying that states that "the devil is in the details". From the perspective of a resume, that principle definitely holds true. Spelling and grammatical errors could easily lead a potential employer to dismiss a given resume all together. Taking time and effort smoothing out the details now will more than pay off in the future. That applies in the other direction as well. Investing a few more dollars in using high quality materials such as a lightly tinted, heavy bond paper and matching envelopes will add a professional and classy touch to your resume and cover letter.

  • Have your goal or objective firmly in mind, and stick with it. Tailoring a resume to the restaurant industry, and then attempting to use it for a corporate executive position would not be the most successful approach. Take the initiative to specify your resume as often as needed in order to speak most effectively to your target audience.
A resume is not strictly about transmitting information. Rather, a resume is a reflection of your individual personality and character. A resume is your opportunity to show why you stand apart for a given job. For more information on how you can put your resume to the best use, please contact us.