Employment

Spring Clean your Resume

Articles, BlogSource, Job Seekers, Veterans / By

Spring breathes new life into the world around us!

Many of us will go through the process of spring cleaning our homes to start the season fresh.

Just as we spring clean our homes, the same applies to our resumes.

The resume is your story, your track record, and your work history.  It constantly evolves. It’s where you begin to tell the employers how valuable you can be to their organization.

Here are a few tips to follow when “spring cleaning” your resume:

  • Target your resume to the job you are after and the company.
  • Make sure it is free of grammatical errors or typographical errors – have someone proofread it for you.
  • If you have a LinkedIn page (and you should!) include it on your resume. It’s a great way to expand on the 1-2 page resume you’ll be submitting.
  • Sell your features and benefits – what skills do you have that will interest the employer?
  • Turn duties into accomplishments and quantify them – tell how much, how many, how often.
  • Provide the last 10 years (15 if relevant) of your work history.
  • Include any professional organizations you belong to which shows potential employers that you are dedicated to your career, have current knowledge on industry information and are affiliated with other professionals in the industry.
  • Spell out terms versus using abbreviations and acronyms.
  • Write your resume in the third person and avoid using the pronoun “I”.

Cleaning up every area of your resume will help recognize the amazing professional that you are!  Once you see your accomplishments on paper, your confidence will boost and you’ll be ready to search for that Hot Job!

You can find this week’s Hot Jobs on our Find a Job webpage.  Let CareerSource Southwest Florida help you with career advice and tips on your job search by following us on Twitter and LinkedIn, and “Like” us on Facebook.

Online Job Search Tools & Southwest Florida’s Hot Jobs

Articles / By

Two business women using laptop

Times have changed when it comes to job searching.  There used to be a few ways to find jobs like answering an ad from the local newspaper or answering a “help wanted” ad at the local grocery store.

Thanks to technology we now have more options for our job search, let’s look at some of these online tools.

EMPLOY FLORIDA

Register in our state-wide job database Employ Florida where you’ll have access to thousands of job opportunities from our preferred employers.

JOB SEARCH ENGINES

Use your search engine to find top companies, top job sites, and industry specific trending jobs.

COMPANY WEBSITE

Most companies today have a website of their own.  Search for the company you would like to work for and check out the careers page for available positions and insightful information on their working environment.

SOCIAL MEDIA

Employers use all types of social media services looking for candidates.  Using social media is a great way to expand your sphere of influence and tap into the hidden job market.  Even though social media is online and in your app phone, it is still about connecting with people!  Therefore you must have an impactful profile that will capture a hiring manager’s attention.  Here are a few of the most popular social media sites with their distinctive purposes:

  • LinkedIn – it is primarily for business and work connections with people you trust and have built a professional relationship with.  You can search for jobs, companies, employers, recruiters, business news and more.  Your LinkedIn profile must include endorsements and recommendations to make an impactful impression.
  • Facebook – join a group that focuses on posting jobs in your area or follow the company you targeted and they will keep you informed when opportunities are available.  Although it is primarily for connecting friends and family, these connections can open the door to the hidden job market.
  • Twitter – a popular ‘micro-blogging’ site limited by 140 characters that notifies you of your follower’s tweets and your tweets to your followers.  Stay consistent in your messages, establish relationships focusing on top ten engaged followers, and use filters to see only the information you are targeting.

CREATE A WEBSITE OR START A BLOG

Build your own online presence with your own website where you can display your creative work.  If you like to write, build a blog and share your thoughts with others with advice or recommendations.  This additional online presence will increase your visibility to employers.

UNIVERSITY OR COLLEGE WEBSITES

If you are in college or just graduated, check out your university website for open positions and use the job hunting services they provide.

These are just a few ideas on where to search online for jobs.  Now let’s look at job openings in Southwest Florida on our Hot Job Opportunities webpage.

Let CareerSource Southwest Florida help you with career advice and tips on your job search by following us on Twitter and LinkedIn, and “Like” us on Facebook.

Prepare yourself for your next career

Hot Jobs / By

Two business women using laptop

By now we have all created a list of resolutions which most have already fallen off our to-do-list. But one area you cannot allow to fall off is your Job Search. Take these few steps to prepare yourself and stay motivated without distractions as you search for your next career.

  • You are now a “Professional in Transition” going from the job you had to the best job you will ever have!
  • Be a highly focused and driven professional with great organizational skills tracking the companies you’ve applied for to avoid duplications which in turn can cause a negative response from employers.
  • Create a “prove-it file” with awards, recognition letters, reference letters, certificates, transcripts, honorable discharge papers, and any other documentation that will make you shine!
  • Prepare your 30-second infomercial for meet and greet others at network events. Know it inside out, make it part of you so whenever you meet someone new and they ask “What do you do?” you’ll be ready to respond with total confidence.

Perhaps the job you seek is here! Click to see this week’s Hot Jobs!

 

Use Keywords for a Powerful Resume & SWFL’s Hot Jobs

Uncategorized / By

Male designer in workplace

Are you using an outdated resume and getting nowhere with an interview?

Writing a strategic resume takes proper planning since its structure changes with the needs of the marketplace.

A powerful resume includes the use of keywords throughout the entire document. Keywords are hot words, buzz words, or jargon associated with a specific profession or job function.

Recruiters and hiring managers use these keywords to identify if your resume meets the criteria for the open position. Many employers also use an ATS System (Applicant Tracking System) to assist the recruiters in searching for these keywords and identify if the resume should be chosen for an interview. The more keywords you have, the greater are your chances in ranking high within the pool of job seekers.

Here are some examples of keywords addressing skills and responsibilities you possess within a specific profession that should be in your resume.

Retail Professional:

  • Inventory planning and control
  • Loss prevention
  • Customer service

Technology Professional

  • Information Systems Management
  • User Training and Support
  • Networking Technology

Human Services Professional

  • Client Advocacy
  • Crisis Intervention
  • Program Planning and Administration

Hospitality Professional

  • Catering and Convention Services
  • Guest Services
  • Occupancy Management

Human Resources Professional

  • Employee Communications
  • Recruitment and Staffing
  • Benefits Design and Administration

Once you’ve identified your profession, use the corresponding keywords in your resume, cover letters, infomercials, thank you letters, and interview responses.

Keywords gets you noticed, not passed over! Now, let’s check out Southwest Florida’s Hot Jobs.

Let CareerSource Southwest Florida help you with career advice and tips on your job search by following us on Twitter and LinkedIn, and “Like” us on Facebook.

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