Why Are We Online?

We're on all of these platforms, won't you join us?

by Megan Elliott, Social Media Developer

When I first started working for ERS, I will be the first to admit that I had a lot of doubts about how good of a tool social media was for connecting with our customer base, but I also had hopes. I had hopes that people would see how active we are on Twitter and Facebook, and later LinkedIn and Google+, and appreciate my efforts to open conversations about employment issues facing people with disabilities. I could see the potential for people with hearing impairments, and I have learned a little about how to address some of the unique challenges that people with sight impairments face.

The rare times that I get to interact with people online give me hope that what I am doing is not in vain – all my research and monitoring are not in vain. There are times when I have been at home long after clocking out, and see someone has posted a question on our Facebook Wall that I must answer, or have found something on our Twitter feed that I just had to share at that same moment across every medium. I am always “on” for you and for this program, not just for this company. I might not have the answer right then, or I might have to give you answers that you don’t like because of the restrictions of what we as a company can do or the restrictions of the program, but that’s part of the job.

I do my best with what I have available to me – I research latest hiring trends, the newest resume and cover letter advice, what job openings are more plentiful than others, and condense what I’ve learned and put it out there for you to read in a blog, or just create a post and link. If there are changes that affect you, I try to let you know about it as soon as I learn about it. Oh, and I also spend quite a bit of my “off” time learning about how to bring that to you in the most engaging way possible! I estimate I spend another 15 or 20 hours a week just doing that, and it's all for you.

I like to think that I create value by always being “on,” but I’m not sure that’s the case. Then I read stories about how social media is changing how those with hearing impairments navigate a world not built for them; I read the Twitter feed of an advocate who has low vision and is praising the newest smartphone apps that are accessible for the blind; I get an e-mail that the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is addressing changes in how the American’s with Disabilities Act is applied in the workplace; and I can’t help but be encouraged by all of this!

So why is ERS online, and why do I put forth the effort that I do for relatively little engagement?

• As far as we’re aware, we’re the only employment network in the Ticket to Work program that helps our clients solely over the phone. We don’t meet with anyone in person to discuss their particular issues, and we conduct the bulk of our business through e-mail or on the phone.
• This is the digital age. We must stay up-to-date with our online presence or we lose opportunities to help people to get back on their feet.
• Our business relies on the power of the internet and our ability to speak to our clients and meet their needs, no matter whether we use the phone, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, comments here on our blog, our website, or plain old e-mail.

We can only get better with the more feedback we receive, so I encourage (beg!) you to please let us know what we’re doing right, what we’re doing wrong, or what you’d like to see more of in the future. Your input is important to me, and all the career coaches, to provide the best service possible. So let us know – are we doing it right?

Job Application Perfection is Unrealistic

As beautiful as this flower is, it is not perfect.
Neither is your application, nor your resume / cover letter.
Make sure you proofread and check for errors twice though!

by Megan Elliott, Social Media Developer

You know that nagging little voice inside your head that tells you that your application could be that much better if you just tweaked this a little bit and that wording a hair? There are those of us who hear that nonstop, no matter what we do. We’re perfectionists. Raise your hand if you’re a perfectionist. Great, you’re in good company!

The thing is, you have to let your baby go eventually, otherwise you’re going to miss out on so many great opportunities for you. That’s part of the curse of being a perfectionist. You have to let go of your resume and cover letter and let someone look at it and say, “This person is a great applicant! Let’s give them a call!”

But you’re also picky enough to realize that you can’t just apply to any and every job posting out there. You have to be selective in those openings; even if you’re not a perfectionist, this needs to be how you apply for jobs too! You have to be selective about what your skills qualify you for, and sometimes, no matter what you would like to do, you’re not qualified for that position… yet.

Even though screening softwares are looking for the unrealistically “perfect” candidate, there are things you can do to make yourself stand out after you submit your application. If you’ve done your research on the position, you know who you addressed your cover letter to, and you can use that to your advantage. E-mail them if you haven’t heard about your application in a week. Call them if you haven’t heard back from your e-mail in a couple of business days.

I’m not saying that you need to be super-aggressive, but sometimes you have to make yourself rise above the rest of the pack. Does your network have connections in the industry or in the area? Check with them and see if there’s something you can do to make yourself stand out.

So scale back your expectations for yourself, I.M. Perfectionist, and don’t obsess over every detail of your resume for days on end. Send that application in, and then focus your attention on the rest of the process, because getting yourself noticed after you hit the submit button is important too.

Why Am I NOT Getting Interviewed?!

What your file may look like in a
human resources management database.

by Megan Elliott, Social Media Developer

I know I’ve said this a million times when I’ve been on the desperate job hunt, and I probably will a million more times throughout my working lifetime. The job search is frustrating, it’s tiresome, and it is intensely hard to keep a positive outlook. The advice out there all seems to be the same, and unfortunately, you start just tuning out what other people are saying about what you should be doing.

What are you doing wrong, and how can you fix it?

It may not have anything to do with you. See, everyone has different strengths and weaknesses, so everyone has a different career path. Not everyone graduates from high school and goes straight to college – not everyone who goes to college from high school knows what they want to major in and takes four years to do it – not everyone has been able to start working in their field of choice right away.

I’ve mentioned screening software in earlier blog posts, but not gone into any sort of depth. Well, here’s why: I don’t agree with the use of it because, like this author, I think it is a limiting device for human resources to say “Well, we didn’t find anyone who matched our exact requirements, so we’re just not going to fill that open position this time around.” The software takes the terms that a human hasplugged into it and scans each application and resume for those specific terms. It doesn’t know that “communications specialist” as a job title has the same weight and similar responsibilities as “media specialist,” as I pull examples from my own resume, unless the human plugging terms in has specified them as valid terms for the software.

And the questionnaires! You have to answer the questions SPECIFICALLY according to the human who selected those questions wanted them answered or, again, your resume gets tossed into the virtual trash bin before anyone human can lay eyes on it. You have to be aware of the keywords that they’re searching for – combing the job description for clues to the specific ones they want to see.

All of this ends up being the bulk of your effort when filling out job applications, and is probably why networking is still your best chance of getting an offer of an interview. If you don’t use the precise keywords for your resume and/or cover letter and the questionnaire, you don’t get the call. A human with the knowlege of what you can do and the quiet endorsement of just making sure your resume gets into the appropriate hands makes the difference.

We can help with the keyword identification in the job description, but as one of my coworkers put it, “In other words, when the job description says ‘communications,’ you put communications down. When they say ‘media,’ you put media down.” Make sure you use the same words that they use, and you’ll be much better off.

Disability Friendly Employers are Looking for You to Fill Their Openings!



Employers are searching for you,
are you ready for them?

by Megan Elliott, Social Media Developer

Slowly but surely, we’re starting to see national chains pick up on the fact that there are plenty of people out there who are willing and want to work, and have a skill set that makes them perfect for their businesses. These people are our clients, our Ticket Holders, the people with disabilities (PWD), and the value is showing every time one of you gets employed!

Walgreens was one of the earliest businesses who recognized the value of hiring PWD, and has launched an educational initiative to help other businesses recognize opportunities to hire PWD. Walgreens launched a pilot program in Anderson, S.C., which just so happens to be in the same state that ERS operates in, that hired PWD to sort bulk shipments from their suppliers into the stock shipment orders from their stores.

Now, Lowe’s home improvement stores are jumping on board and learning from Walgreens on how to launch their own program for hiring PWD, and they’re not the only ones. OfficeMax, an office supply retail store chain, has won awards for their inclusion efforts from a national association of state vocational rehabilitation agencies. And more can be found here, on DisabilityInc’s list of top 50 companies for diversity.

So what does this mean for Ticket Holders, people who want to work and want to find the jobs out there? Well, make sure that you add your resume to the databases of www.jobaccess.org or www.gettinghired.com. We can help you with that if you are uncomfortable doing it yourself. Bookmark the career pages of the companies you want to work for, and check those postings regularly for positions you think you are qualified to apply for, and then submit your resume!

Alternatively, you can send a prospecting letter to the human resources department head. Here’s a great guide for writing a prospecting letter that will get you noticed. Don’t know the name of the human resources head? Well, here’s how to find that name! Your letter will get noticed more readily if you use a name, rather than a generic “Dear Sir or Madam,” in your cover letter anyway. Just make sure to keep it professional and on-point as to how you’re the perfect person for a job that they don’t have open right now, but may in the future.

Don’t you feel better knowing that companies are searching for you to fill that position that they know only you can fill? Now it’s up to you to let them know that you’re ready to go to work! Make sure to call or e-mail us and let us know if there’s any way we can help you prepare your cover letter, resume, or fill out an application. That’s what we’re here for!

Marathons and Job Searches Have a Lot in Common!

Running shoes are kind of like resumes -
they adapt to the person wearing them, so they're a customized fit!

by Megan Elliott, Social Media Developer

Running a marathon is hard work – it requires dedication to a goal, sacrifice of one’s time and energy, and a payout that is not guaranteed. Sounds a lot like a job search, come to think of it! Compare the two…

Making the decision to run a marathon for the first time is just like making the decision to do something about your present job situation. First, you have to figure out how to change what you’re currently doing – are you watching TV shows instead of walking around the block? Are you eating a bag of potato chips rather than half a baked potato and steamed broccoli? The right shoes make all the difference to your new routine too – there’s a reason why basketball players don’t wear flip flops on the court!

The first steps to your job search are similar; you need to make time to figure out what you’re interested in applying for before you start writing your resume. You need to make time to go to the public library or a career center to search for jobs, or buy a newspaper and search the classifieds for job descriptions that interest you. Filling out an interest survey can point you in the right direction too!

Once you start walking around the block, don’t stop there! You’re going to run the marathon, so you’ve got to start jogging. Slowly at first, like jogging a quarter mile and then walking a quarter mile, and working it up to a half mile, then a mile, building up to the 5K and the 10K, the half-marathon. But wait – a marathon is 26.2 miles! How are you ever going to get to that point? Look up other marathoners for inspiration, and all of a sudden you’re inspired again.

Your interest is flagging and you’re possibly feeling a little discouraged about your job search around this time too. You keep finding all these jobs that you can do, and that you want to do, but you keep getting rejection letters, or even worse, no response at all. So call those hiring managers and ask what it was that caused them to reject you! Was it the wording on your resume or cover letter? Easily fixed for the next application, all you have to do is rewrite it. Call your career coach for pointers and encouragement, and you'll start feeling better about your own abilities.

One day you’re in your groove, and all of a sudden, you realize that you’ve run further than you’ve ever run before, and you feel great about your progress, so you sign up for that marathon. This is your goal, this is the result of all your hard work! You run in the marathon, not caring that people are passing you, because this is your moment for you; you changed yourself and the result is a wonderful sense of pride as you cross that finish line. Now… celebrate, turn around, and start training for that next marathon, and beat your personal best!

You’ve finally gotten through the interview, which went so well you went home with a broad smile on your face and patting yourself on the back, and it showed in your thank-you note. They call and give you an offer, and after considering and perhaps a little negotiation and a discussion of benefits – you’ve accepted! Now you’re working, and you keep showing your boss just how good of a worker you are, which is nothing that can be adequately put on a resume. This is what all those hours spent sending applications were for, and now you have to keep proving yourself. Take on those work challenges with a smile on your face, because you did it! Who knows what you can accomplish next?

*Dedicated to the victims of the Boston Marathon bombing.

Dressing for an Interview on a Budget



Can you believe how many results this search returned?

by Megan Elliott, Social Media Developer

There are well over 35 million articles on the internet giving you advice on how to dress for a job interview. They are written by job coaches, by hiring managers, by professionals, by hired freelance bloggers, and by people who just have no clue. It’s a really popular topic!

Chances are, you’ve read at least a good dozen of them.  Most suggest a basic black or charcoal grey suit, with a neutral colored shirt, with low heels and the barest of jewelry. If you’re going for professionalism, to carry a portfolio with you with copies of your resume in hand. Some go so far as to advise that you get your suit professionally tailored to make sure that it fits properly.

Now, this blogger states that at the very least you should wear neat, clean, and pressed clothing for an interview. She’s as upset as I am at the inordinate number of articles suggesting that you should wear a tailored suit to an interview with a fast food chain manager, which I find a ridiculous suggestion. Of course, if you have a suit, wear it. If you have a friend or relative who will let you borrow one of theirs, wear it. But please, don’t go running out and spending money you don’t have on a suit!

One method is to do your research on the company (have I mentioned before how much you need to research the company?) and figure out what their dress code is for their employees, and then step it up a couple of notches. For instance, let’s say that you’ve been called in for an interview at the McDonald’s around the corner. Every employee is wearing chinos and the company uniform polo shirt and hat. What’s two steps up from chinos and a polo?

The other method is to actually call the person who called you in for the interview and ask. Saying something along the lines of “I want to make sure that I understand the dress code,” indicates before your interview that you’ve been doing your homework on the company. Just be sure to err on the side of caution, as the advisers in that article suggest.

If you have nice things in your closet that fit well and don’t show threadbare spots, by all means, make sure they’re well-pressed (if you can’t iron or don’t own the equipment, like me, take your outfit to a dry cleaner at least a couple of days in advance).  If you feel that a suit or even business separates are essential, I’ll let you in on one of my secrets. I have had great success in finding gently-used to tags-still-on clothes from consignment shops, and even in thrift shops like Goodwill and Salvation Army. You might also want to ask around and see if there are any consignment shops that provide outfits to lower income individuals, like Career Closet.

Ultimately, the decision on what to wear to your interview is up to you. This is your chance to show who that person is behind that smashing resume, and we want you to shine! Good luck, and happy interviewing!

Interview Nervousness is Normal!

Does this image make your palms start to sweat?

by Megan Elliott, Social Media Developer

It can be absolutely nerve-wracking to get called in for an interview with a company - and if you don't know what kind of preparations you're expected to make, the more nervous you get! So, we're going to provide you with five little tips to get you started.

1) Do research on the company.
Figure out how large the company is, what its culture is like, ask friends of friends what the company is like (if they work there), and so on. If the company is pretty large and has been around for a while, it will probably have a lot of reviews online from current and former employees, and even customers. Read those to get a good feel for the company. Don't just rely on their website to tell you what you need.

2) Along the same lines, do research on how well they treat their employees.
Usually, if you applied to a position online, you were introduced to some of the benefits that the company you're interested in offers employees. What sorts of benefits are you interested in - medical, dental, 401(k) matching? Some companies list an ability to provide flexible schedules or occasional working from home opportunities, which is a great opening for a question for YOU to ask in the interview, if that's important to you.

3) Practice interview questions. Practice, practice, practice!
There are practically thousands of different lists of practice interview questions online. Here's one, and another, and another. There are lots of ways to practice as well! My favorite way is to get a friend to pretend that she's my interviewer, and she'll ask me questions from those lists. We then hash out the best way to word a response, if she feels that I haven't done well on that question. Using my research on the company, I also practice asking her questions for the interviewer. This interview is a two-way conversation, and the responses you get from your questions will tell you whether or not you actually want to work for that company.

4) Believe in yourself!
I know this sounds so cliche, but so many people start to wonder if they're truly up to the task of interviewing for the job - or they've been out of the workforce for so long, they don't think they're going to be valuable team members if they do interview and get the job. You are valuable! You are important! And most of all, you bring experiences that no one else has had to the interview and to the job!

5) Relax.
While you're picking out what you're going to wear to the interview (which we'll tackle in another blog post), breathe deeply, and focus on how you're feeling inside. Take a deep breath, hold it, and let it out slowly. Repeat ten times. This will calm those butterflies in the pit of your stomach. Being nervous is normal, and chances are, the interviewer will be as nervous as you!

If you need help practicing your interview, we're here for you. We'll be the friend who pretends to be the interviewer, if you wish, and we'll give you pointers on how to answer those tough questions like a pro!

Using LinkedIn for Your Job Search

LinkedIn is a lot like chocolate -
more useful than it seems, and healthy too!
(image source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/31/Linkedin_Chocolates.jpg)

by Megan Elliott, Social Media Developer

Chances are if you’re reading this, you have at least one social networking profile. You’re connected to tons of people on Facebook and Google+, get yourself into a whirlpool of crafty things to do on Pintrest, or hang out and chat with people on Twitter all day long. Have you made yourself a LinkedIn profile yet?

LinkedIn is probably the most useful tool in your online job search toolbox. This is where your professional life is on display for anyone to see, from recruiters to human resources at that company you would give your eyeteeth to go to work for – if you have a profile.

You don’t have to be an especially tech savvy person to create a LinkedIn profile. If you figured out Facebook, you’ve figured out how to fill in all the boxes on LinkedIn. Plus, they walk you through the weak spots in your profile and can give you suggestions on how to improve it. It is a good idea to get someone to read behind you and make sure that you didn’t make any spelling or grammatical errors. Following the link above should give you some really good pointers to make your profile stand out from the crowd.

The search box in the top right is the most useful part of LinkedIn, after making that profile so that you can be found and seen and possibly contacted about a job. Your connections are awesome, that’s true, because their networks are a good way to get you in contact with jobs, but you can also follow the specific companies who might have jobs available.

Those companies, from big ones to little ones, list their openings all the time on LinkedIn, and sometimes even before they update their jobs portal on their home website! Follow those companies, and you have an inside peek at those job openings, and you don’t have to use another job board to find them.

The latest news from LinkedIn is that they have updated their search engine, so you can actually search by job title (like “administrative assistant”). If you use the advanced search option, you can filter by company and people you know who work at those companies. You can also set LinkedIn to e-mail you results that match your specific search criteria – so you don’t have to do the same search each week.

One final thing to note about the power of a LinkedIn profile – and why you should always keep it updated – lots of hiring managers use it as a reference tool to see if your resume matches up with your work experience. The link above is a how-to guide on using LinkedIn to check up on job applicants.

How have you used social media sites to find jobs? Would you recommend that your friends create a LinkedIn profile after reading this? Let us know in the comments!

Safety Nets and Your Path to Success

A visual to help you keep track of where you are in the program.
Click to enlarge.

by Megan Elliott, Social Media Developer

There are many ways that employment networks, like ERS, do business. Some of them are simple mom and pop organizations, with one or two employees. Some are a bit larger, but they don't just do Ticket to Work – they are a part of a larger business. We're one-of-a-kind; we operate a phone bank where we access our clients entirely over the phone and e-mail.

One of the biggest challenges our coaches face is helping Ticket Holders understand the safety nets of the program.  Our staff also expressed that it's hard to describe the entire process to someone who doesn't have a visual in front of them.  That's understandable, because this is complicated stuff to understand!

So I brainstormed and thought, what if I could create a visual representation of the important details, then you would be better prepared! Presenting our first infographic!

The Social Security Administration has allowed there to be different safety nets for each type of benefit, SSDI and SSI. Each one is treated as a separate check, so the safety nets only affect one or the other, but not both at the same time, if you receive both.

For SSDI, which is paid based upon a temporary or permanent disability claim, the safety nets are designed to help someone try their ability to work without affecting their benefits right away. Your Medicare is covered for a particular amount of time, as is your check, and you can re-enroll for your full check if your disability flares up again. The technical terms for these nets are found on the left side of the poster.

For SSI, which is a need-based benefit (they have an equation that determines this amount), your benefits are affected, but with a variety of ways to ease you back into supporting yourself so that you potentially don't lose your entire check right away. You can also reapply for your benefit check if you find your disability is interfering with your work, your Medicaid is covered, and there are several income equations that Social Security takes into account when you start working. The technical terms for each of these are found on the right side of the page.

Below these charts is the list and definition of the safety nets that SSDI and SSI share. If you receive both SSDI and SSI, you get all of these safety nets. You'll see each one of these safety nets in action.

At the bottom, you’ll see the path to self-sufficiency that we encourage you to stick with when you're a client of ERS. I started it when you first sign up for your benefits with Social Security, understanding that that's usually when you're unemployed. Each step ERS takes is outlined, along with each step you are expected to take.

We have a pretty complex computer system that helps us keep track of where you are, and Maximus keeps track of the rest.

Let us know if this chart helps you understand our job a little better! I'll be giving the career coaches a copy of this infographic so that if you call in asking questions about it, they'll know what you’re talking about and what I have put online for you. Feel free to e-mail or open up a chat with me on Facebook or Twitter about it too. As we say, we're providing the power of knowledge and opportunity to you!

Top Five Fatal Mistakes Job Seekers Make

Image courtesy of: 
http://www.wpclipart.com/sign_language/American_Numbers/5.png.html

by Megan Elliott, Social Media Developer

Searching for a job can be really stressful; you question every move you make, and everywhere you turn, someone has a bit of advice for you.  But there are certain things that you shouldn’t do under any circumstances. These are the top five mistakes that job seekers make, just for you!

1. Not customizing your resume and cover letter for the position that you want.

During your job search, I bet you are finding a lot of really awesome job descriptions. Ones that fit you perfectly, others not so much, but you’re finding ones that you could fill. So why aren’t you customizing your stuff so that you stand out from the crowd?

With more and more employers using software that filter resumes and cover letters by keyword, you don’t want to sabotage yourself by not customizing your resume and cover letter to the job posting. One word of warning to the wise: don’t completely recreate the wheel, just spend five to ten minutes changing some words to fit the post.

2. Not researching the company before you go in for the interview.

What research? It’s just a company, right? Wrong. A company’s culture means a lot about your success or failure as an employee of that company. Some companies support your efforts to go back to school, some believe in professional development, and some companies have a really strict dress code. These are all things that you can find out with a little bit of research.

If you can, try to establish a connection within your network who has some experience with the company you’re applying to, or who has a friend who does, and really think about what you want out of an employer. Asking questions like, “What is your typical work day like?” is a great one to open with and listen for clues as to how often their interaction with their supervisor is, what their coworkers are like (even how good the coffee is), which are all good indicators of what the company is like.

3. Not having a solid answer to “Describe your biggest weakness.”

Preparing for the interview is one of the most important things that you can do! There are plenty of websites out there, like here and here, that can give you lists of popular interview questions and how best to answer them. We would also strongly encourage you to think outside the box on these and other questions, and really answer them as yourself, and then tweak those answers to fit the pat answers provided. Practice with someone!

4. Not asking for time to consider an offer before accepting it.

I know that it is exciting to get a job offer, especially if you've been out of work for a while. I’ve been there… out of work for six months and no real prospects on the horizon, and then out of the blue you get a call and an interview! It goes so well that you are so excited and want to accept… STOP. This is the time to consider your options carefully. Review the offer. If they are offering you the bottom of the pay scale for the position, say $12 an hour, but you have 7 years of experience, why not come back with a counteroffer of $17 an hour? They might accept, and they might not.

Consider the math. Twelve dollars an hour is $24,960 a year before taxes. Subtract about a third of that for taxes and FICA… that leaves you with $18,635.36 for yourself. Compare that with $17 an hour: $35,360 before taxes; $25,951.76 after taxes. Which will actually cover your monthly expenses? What about other perks, like medical and dental insurance? Paid time off, possibly to go to the doctor? (Please note that the above calculations were based on an assumption of 40 hours a week, filing as single, no deductions, and exempt, living in South Carolina.)

5. Not knowing when to say “No.”

One of the biggest harms to your job search is you. Your friends and family think that you have all of this time now that you can devote to them – and you really don’t, do you? Your full-time job right now, while you’re unemployed, is looking for a job. That means spending time on job board websites (like this one, this one, and this one) scrubbing for jobs that fit you, writing your resume so that it is customized for the positions you’re applying for, writing your cover letter fifty ways to Sunday, going to networking events… do they pay overtime for this?

I’m not saying don’t do stuff with your friends and family! Just prioritize your job search, just like you would if you did have a job. Don’t give in every time someone calls and asks you to do a huge favor for them, like walk their dog while they're out to lunch. You have priorities, so learn to say no so you can focus on those.

I hope these help you in your job hunt, and if you need any help with any of these tips, don’t hesitate to give us a call and let us know where you need help. That’s what we’re here for!

Goal Setting in 2013 - Closed Captioned

by Megan Elliott, Social Media Developer

In my experiment with new media, I've captioned this video, so that if you can't get audio on your computer or you're hard of hearing, this is an excellent alternative. Please let me know what you think about the videos, and whether I should continue making them in the future!

Goal Setting in 2013 - Narrated

by Megan Elliott, Social Media Developer

As an experiment in new media, I have created a video slideshow. This one was made with a computer-generated voiceover, so you'll have to use headphones or enable your speakers in order to listen to this presentation. Let me know what you think in the comments, Facebook, or Google+!

Combination Resume - Keywords are Essential!

Use this template to start developing your combination resume.

by Megan Elliott, Social Media Developer

OK, so we've discussed the pros and cons of using a chronological resume and a functional resume in previous posts, and how each is good for certain types of job applications and seekers.  I'm sure that you've thought to yourself, “I wish I could combine these two, because this part would be really good to have on my resume, and so would this one.”  Well, you're in luck!

The combination resume is the best of both worlds.  It's really easy to put together (especially if you've been working on the other two formats), and is an adaptable format for many types of job seekers.  We'll get into who would benefit most from this type of resume in a minute.

Begin the combination resume with your name, your address, a working phone number, and an e-mail address you access regularly.  This information will help employers get in contact with you for an interview.

 

To begin the combination resume, you want to list your skills and qualifications, like you did for the functional resume format, but in a paragraph form.  If you have great customer service skills, a proven sales record with numbers to match, and the ability to create complex Microsoft Excel spreadsheets, this is the section to write those skills and qualifications down.

Make sure to read the job description carefully and match your existing skills to what the employer has written for the description.  This is what is known as keyword matching, and it will help the person reviewing your resume to determine if you have the skills that the employer is looking for and would be a good fit for the position.

The next section is a detailed employment history.  List your former employers, the dates you worked for them, where the employer was located, and a short description of your accomplishments in reverse time order.  If you can show increasing responsibilities or positive career experiences, that's good too.

Finish up with your education and any awards or certifications that you have received.  Include any additional training courses that would be useful in the position that you are interested in.  This is a good ending, because it shows your starting point and that you've considered the job description that you're applying to and have customized your resume to it.

So, who can use this format to their advantage?  Pretty much everyone can benefit from using this format, from entry-level job seekers who have just graduated, to people reentering the job market after a long absence, to older workers.  The emphasis of this format isn't on your employment history as much as it is on the skills that you bring to the table, which is what you're trying to achieve.

If you would like a free resume review to see if the one you've done on your own is good for a position that you're applying for, let us know! We'd love to hear from you!

Functional Resumes - Making a Change

This is a functional resume template.
Feel free to use this to create your functional resume!

by Megan Elliott, Social Media Developer

Every job adds to your skills list, but not every job is a good fit for your resume.  If you have gaps in your work history, or you want to change your career path, then you might want to think about using a functional resume.  This format actually allows you to highlight your skills rather than your work history.

Let’s pretend that you want to apply to an insurance claims adjuster position with a local insurance agency.  You’ve worked as a grocery store stocker and as an administrative assistant for a realty agency.  What skills do you have from those two previous jobs that would be valued in the position that you’re applying for?  Look at the job description – there are skills they are looking for in applicants that could be used as keywords for your skills section (see our previous blog post for a definition of keywords).

Let’s try these: organizational skills, data management, and customer service.  You could write these into your resume and highlight how use used those skills during your previous jobs.

·         Organizational skills – Developed a new canned goods sorting process that increased my efficiency at stocking the shelves by 20%.  Produced a daily agency calendar specifically for the showing of listed properties that allowed agents to plan their day more effectively.

·         Data management – Able to take complex spreadsheets listing inventory and separate them by department and by shipped inventory.  Created weekly reports for real estate agents showing their listed properties, sorted from most shown properties to least shown properties, allowing them to become more effective with their time.

·         Customer service – Assisted customers to find products during stocking shifts.  Received existing and new customers with a smile; created a welcoming environment while the customer waited for their agent.

The key is to demonstrate how your skills were used in the workplace.  Feel free to use percentages and statistics that show how valuable those skills are, just make sure that they’re accurate percentages and statistics. You don’t want to lie on your resume! 

In the section after your skillset, list your work experience with the most recent employer listed first, going backwards in time.  Include any training classes or certifications you received here, because they’ll make sense in context of where you were working at the time.

The last thing to list is your education.  Generally speaking, this is why a functional format for a resume is a good one to use if you are an older worker and are looking for ways to downplay your age. 

Look at the template we’ve added as an image, and let us know if there’s a way we can help you make this resume shine!

Resume Series - Chronological Resumes



A chronological resume template.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 By Megan Elliott, Social Media Developer

If you’ve spent any time applying for jobs online, you’ve discovered just how helpful it is to have a resume written and ready to upload, copy and paste, or otherwise submit to a job posting.  But have you given any thought to the format and content of the resume that you’re submitting?  In the next few posts, we’ll discuss the different types of resumes, what each is good for, and when to use it – starting with the chronological resume.

First off, what is a chronological resume (CR)?  A CR is a document that shows your work history, current or recent employment first, and listing your experience backwards in time from there.  It’s easy to read and understand from a hiring point of view because each position you have held is building up to the one to which you’re applying.

Generally speaking, you will want to start with an objective statement that briefly describes how you imagine yourself filling the position, and then include your work history in a separate section.  Any other skills you have that aren’t listed under your work history can be listed in another section, which is helpful if you have soft skills (like active listening, take direction well, typing 60+ words per minute) that you feel will qualify you for the position, or even hard skills (website development, inventory sorting) that aren’t outlined in your work history.  Any relevant training and/or coursework that you’ve had will also be good for you to list after your skills section.

A chronological resume needs to show you off to your best advantage, so when is it not a good idea to use this format?   If you’ve been out of the workforce for a long time, you don’t want to have your work history as the first thing human resources sees.  This can be a mental black mark that immediately disqualifies you. 

The same goes for if you have been in a lot of different positions for very short periods of time, known as “job-hopping.”  If you don’t have a good explanation for this in your application or in your cover letter, this can also be a black mark in the eyes of a hiring manager.  The whole point is to make you look good!

Make sure that you include percentages and numbers when you can (like “increased sales of product X by 20%”), because those highlight how valuable you can be to the company.  Don’t just list your job duties – list the things that made you a great coworker or a wonderful employee, like perfect attendance.  Scan the job description that you’re applying for, and use the words and phrases that stand out.  Most organizations are using software that scans resumes for those keywords, so using them will make yours rise to the top of the heap.

Try to keep your resume to a single page.  Most hiring managers and human resources professionals spend less than twenty seconds on reviewing a resume that makes it through all of the pre-screenings online, so keeping it short can really make yours shine.

If you need any help at all in building your resume, or if you would just like for a pair of eyes to look over it for you, give ERS a call.  Your career coach will be more than happy to help you get that job!

What Do You Like To Do?

www.mynextmove.org/explore/ip

by Megan Elliott, Career Coach

The first step to applying for a job isn’t necessarily the cover letter or the resume, or even looking for jobs …It’s figuring out what it is that you would like to do!  This can be tricky and really hard to do on your own.  Luckily, there are many websites dedicated to helping narrow your career interests and find a good fit for you.

Many of our Ticket Holders have never been employed and others have not been able to work for a while.  At ERS, we use the O*Net Interest Profiler to help Ticket Holders find jobs they would like to do.  We want to help you find a job that makes you excited to go to work.

There are other, less involved ways to figure out what you like doing, like this list from CareerBuilder.com.  Career Builder’s list is based on personality types.  While the list doesn't explain the education requirements for a particular career, it does give you a brief description of each personality category and lists the average salary.

Our career coaches prefer using the O*Net profiler, because it lists your interests and what they mean.  Each interest is then broken down into categories like education and training, so you can see what you need in order to obtain that type of work.

These two examples are not supposed to be the end-all-be-all of your job search, because if you find something that you are really interested in, and you meet the qualifications of it, why not apply for the job?  You never know what might happen. 

As always, your Career Coaches are here to help you every step of the way.  Give us a call today!

 

Your Job Search Checklist

by Megan Elliott, Social Media Developer

So you’re finally ready to start working!  Great!  Let’s get started by creating a checklist, to make sure you don’t forget anything while you’re looking for a job.

□       What are you interested in doing?  One of the first steps of becoming a client of EmployReward Solutions is taking an interest profiler.  This helps your career coach determine what jobs to look for, and the results also help you figure out what you’re interested in too!  If you don’t like talking to people, waiting tables is probably not a job you’re going to enjoy.

□       Write that resume!  Take your time with it, customizing it for the job openings you’re finding that you’re interested in applying for.  Read the job description and use the keywords in the description.  

o     For example, the local Rooms to Go is looking for an office assistant.  The description says “This position will assist sales associates, customers, and managers in the processing of payments, finance applications, delivery questions as well as various other office duties as assigned.”  What are the words in that sentence that could make your objective statement stand out?

o     Try “I possess excellent time management and basic math skills, which would make me a great candidate for the position of office assistant with Rooms To Go.”  Using similar keywords will let a hiring manager or recruiter know that you read the description of the position.

 

□       A lot of jobs that are posted online require a cover letter, so it is best to write one of these as well. This will be a chance for you to explain any gaps in your work history as they show up on your resume, so you’ll want to reference your resume for those gaps.  Were you working for a construction company in 2008, and then you went on disability?  If you volunteered somewhere, this is a perfect place to explain your volunteer experience.

□       One of the most overlooked steps in applying for a job is preparing your references!  Who could be a good job reference for you?  Have you asked them to be a reference for you and prepared them?  You don’t have to include the names and contact information about your references on your resume (as a matter of fact, it is recommended that you not do this), but it is just good manners to let someone know they will be used as a reference on an application.

□       Practice your interviewing skills.  You can call your ERS career coach and set up a time to practice with one of us, or get a friend or a family member to practice with you.  By practicing with some common interview questions, you’ll get more comfortable with your responses.

Remember, you’re not going to get a response from every company you send your resume or application to, and that’s OK.  Focus on the next opening, and if you need any help, remember, we’re here for you every step of the way!