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.

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!

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!

Community Service & Getting Employed

by Megan Elliott, Social Media Developer

What is one of the biggest hurdles you face when you’re filling out job applications?  If you’re like a good number of our clients, it’s that you don’t have relevant job experience, or what you think is relevant job experience.  Have you thought about volunteering in your community?

Volunteering can be a scary thing to some of us.  We have our routines and the people we know, and we don’t want to step outside of them.  We’re scared of rejection by people we don’t know.

Here are some points to think about though:

·         You expand your network of individuals who may know about jobs in your community.  By showing your dedication to a community service project, they may feel motivated to help you find those jobs, or even to give you a recommendation!

 

·         Volunteering in your community allows you to learn job skills, like clerical work, food preparation, or even some construction skills.

·         By volunteering, you’re actually making yourself healthier!  According to the Corporation for National and Community Service, the health benefits include increasing your ability to fight off heart disease and lowering the possibility of becoming depressed.

According to the Office of Disability Employment Policy, over twelve percent of people with disabilities were unemployed, and only 20.7 percent of people with disabilities participated in the labor force, versus 69.2 percent of people without disabilities, in November 2012.  In other words, more people with disabilities were out of a job and fewer people with disabilities who did have a job were actually a part of the labor force. 

If you are having trouble putting your resume together, we have a team of career coaches ready to take your call.  We can help you word your experience so that it presents you in the best way possible.  We want you to succeed!

To help you get started, why don’t you check out these organizations:

http://www.voa.org/ - Volunteers of America is a national program with opportunities in your area. Check out the website to see what they’ve got for you.

http://www.unitedway.org/ - Almost every community has a United Way office, why don’t you give them a call and ask what you can do to help out?

http://www.iparticipate.org/ - This is a great resource full of ideas contributed all over the nation, but localized for you.