Creating Your Cover Letter When Feeling Overqualified
Are you highly skilled in your profession, yet seeking a job that for which you are probably overqualified? It is never bad to come into a position already encompassing a boatload of skills. However, some employers are intimidated by applicants who they feel are overqualified, which means you may have your work cut out for you. If you know you have high qualifications, but think this could sta...

Optional Resume Sections: Deciding When (and Which) to Include
Writing a resume can be complicated if you’re not sure how to convey the message that you’re the right person for the job. A good way to get this accomplished, however, is by choosing the right sections to include in your resume. Choosing the standard sections (contact information, objective, work experience/skills, and education) is typically a breeze. But optional sections like career highlig...

How to Create Your Cover Letter When Switching Careers
You have recently made the decision to exit one career and enter a new one, which can be both exciting and a little bit scary. But while the choice to make the career switch was probably a grueling one, the prospect of explaining your lack of job experience to potential employers is probably downright terrifying. Though you may be concerned about drawing attention to this missing portion of you...

Building Your Presence in a Virtual Workplace by Jo Miller on www.workitmom.com
Ingrid was senior manager of a marketing communications team. She and her team had been wellknown as the "goto people" for the support services they provided to other groups within her company. After a reorg, Ingrid’s team was moved into a different business unit, reporting in to a new leader. As a result, nobody knew who she was, or what she was responsible for. Ingrid’s new manager quickly ...

Here’s the Real Barrier to Your Career Happiness by Penelope Trunk on www.workitmom.com
Happiness in your career is not as elusive as it might seem. In fact, there is plenty of research to tell you exactly how to find happiness, yet most people ignore the advice. Most people think they are the exception to the rule, but the truth is, you are no different than everyone else, and the research does apply to you. Here is a short list of things people should do to find happiness in a c...

Negotiating a Higher Salary by Barbara Safani on www.workitmom.com
During my coaching sessions, the topic that generates the most questions and the liveliest discussion is salary negotiation. While most jobseekers are intensely interested in how to negotiate the best package, few realize the importance of creating their own style and developing a set of best practices for their negotiations. The mechanics of the negotiation are the same for men and women, ...

Enhance Your LinkedIn Profile for Job Seeking by Miriam Salpeter-Keppie Careers on www.workitmom.com
In light of the fact that the social networking site, LinkedIn has become a source of choice for people who love to hire passive job seekers (those who may not actually be seeking a new job), I thought it would be a good idea to remind readers to pay attention to your LinkedIn profile. First, a note on visibility: If you use LinkedIn, you know that your visibility goes up the more links you hav...

Writing a Cover Letter: Research Tips Worth Exploring
The process of applying for a job can be taxing to say the least. But the process of writing a cover letter can be downright exhausting especially when you’re unsure of how to express your interest in that job you’re applying for. The good news is that expressing your interest can be as simple as taking the initiative to do some deep digging. That is, digging for information on how the posit...

Creating Resumes for Contract and Temporary Positions
Looking to apply for a new contract or temporary position but are unsure of how to create the right resume? You’ll be happy to know that writing resumes for these types of positions is not as difficult as you think. The major difference between resumes for temporary or contract work and those for permanent positions is the need to more specifically focus on your accomplishments and personality...

Fake It 'Till You Make It: Creating a Passionate Cover Letter
Are you applying for a new job but are not thrilled about the work it might entail? You may be seeking an entrylevel position and don’t want to be someone’s assistant, yet you know it’s a necessary step to getting your foot in the door. If you feel this way, don’t be discouraged as you are not the first to experience this sentiment. However, in order to avoid expressing disinterest in the job...

How to Avoid Laundry List Resumes
The process of writing a resume can be very tedious. There are often so many jobs and responsibilities to include that many people find themselves wanting to create the simplest one possible just to avoid the grunt work. But while creating a resume that resembles a laundry list of previous jobs and duties can be tempting, it is strongly discouraged. This is because it only offers prospective em...

Using Your Cover Letter to Turn Weaknesses into Strengths
When applying for a new job, it can sometimes be difficult to explain a huge gap in employment, or lack of relevant employment, when all you have is your resume to do the talking. This is why it is recommended that you include a cover letter with your resume. But what can a cover letter do for you? It can give the prospective employer insight into who you are as a person, as well as why you w...

Creating the Right Resume for the Right Job
Creating the Right Resume for the Right Job So you’ve recently started searching for jobs in your field and have discovered an opening that matches your qualifications and career goals to a tee. The only problem is that you’re not sure how to create a specific resume for this job. Don’t be discouraged if you feel this way. In all honesty, you are probably already one step ahead of those who ...

Resume Tips for Career Fairs and Online Job Banks
If you’re all set to attend a career fair – or are looking to post your resume on an online job bank – and are concerned about how to create a resume for companies you have yet to meet, you are not alone. Fortunately, there are ways to create great resumes capable of catching the eyes of potential recruiters no matter what venue you’re working with. Here are a few ideas to get you started. ...

Resume Tips for Those Lacking Job Experience
Are you looking to acquire your first job in many years – or your first job ever – and have heard that without experience you have no chance of finding employment? Well rest assured that this couldn’t be more wrong. Employers understand that good employees are not solely created from skills gained on previous jobs; they are also created from skills acquired through life experience. The trick, ...

Your Resume’s Design – How Important Is It?
The thought of writing a resume can be intimidating to say the least. There is so much to consider that the process can easily leave you too exhausted to continue – even before you start. What’s worse is if you have no idea how to create the design – or even how important the design actually is to the resume. The design can have a lot of influence on how successful your resume is in procuring y...

IT Resume Services – Your Ticket To High-Tech Success
If you are an IT professional and are looking for a job, then you have lots of competition. That means you can’t leave your job search to chance. You need a professional resume – one written by an IT resume services company. When you work with IT resume services, you’ll get a wellwritten resume targeted specifically to hightech employers. More to the point, your resume will get RESULTS....

Tips for Writing an Effective Cover Letter
Your cover letter is the first thing a prospective employer sees, so it’s crucial that it grab his or her attention and never let go. There are two schools of thought on a cover letter’s opening remark: one being that you should ask a rhetorical question or make a funny remark as an attention grabber. This isn’t a good idea for most people, however, because it can come off wrong. Only consider...

Video Resume Tips
Video Resumes are here to stay! Changing times, better technology and widespread internet access have changed recruiting practices. Paper resumes are passé and video resumes are the next generation of making employee selections by providing better understanding of the prospective candidate before a face to face interview. Video resumes are a great option for candidates to showcase their skills ra...

Military-to-Civilian Resume Tips
When you’re separating from the military after years of service, it can be daunting to look for a civilian job. Sure, you’ve got experience that most other job seekers don’t. (Has any other applicant jumped out of an airplane in the middle of the night? I don’t think so.) But the question is, how do you get potential employers to look past “military” and see how your incredible experiences will be...

Do You Need a New Resume?
Maybe you haven’t updated your resume since your first job out of college—10 years ago. Or perhaps you haven’t been called in for any interviews despite sending out dozens of resumes. Those are just two of the signs that you probably need a new resume, but there are many more. You need a new resume when you: 1. Graduate from college. 2. Change careers. 3. Haven’t gotten a good response from ...

Writing a Successful IT Resume
Information technology jobs are popping up in unheardof numbers all over the world. After all, everyone uses computers today, which means everyone needs help figuring them out and fixing them when things go awry. But just because more IT jobs are available than ever before doesn’t mean that you can slap together a soso resume and assume you’ll be hired. Why not? Because there are also more appli...

Grinning Through the Pain of Your Job Search
Sometimes no matter how much you try you can’t and don’t want to – make your current job work for you. Maybe it’s too many demands coming from too many places; maybe it’s the lack of systems that is driving you crazy. Whatever it is, you’re at your breaking point and you know it’s time to look elsewhere for career fulfillment. If you’re like most job seekers, a new job isn’t going to fall in...

Be a STAR in Your Next Job Interview
Recently, I consulted with a young professional who had completed an initial job interview, and was informed by the company that they were interested in conducting a second interview. The good news: the company was now considering the interviewee for a management position rather than the initial technician position. The bad news: the young professional was unsure what to expect during the second i...

The Cubicle Isn’t Always Bigger on the Other Side
Patience. It’s a difficult trait to possess when you’re in the middle of a job search. This is especially true when you’re miserable in your current job. You think any job would be better than the one you’re in now. Caution: Tread carefully; you don’t want to make any decisions in haste and out of desperation. That can lead to an even less favorable job which will cause you to go through the whole...

It’s Time for the Holidays…and Writing Your Resume?
It’s already Holiday time and you’re sitting there wondering where the year went, right? Perhaps you’re looking at what you’ve accomplished over the last 12 months and where to set your sites on for next year. Part of your big plan could be to get a new job. If that’s the case, how’s your resume looking? Is it ready to live up to the expectations of garnering you interviews? If not, or if you’r...

How To Write a Government Resume
Applying for a federal job may seem a bit intimidating, due to the long list of special requirements regarding your application. One of the requirements is a resume in a certain format, known as a federal resume. What is a Federal Resume? A federal resume is simply a resume that is formatted to meet the needs of federal job openings. When applying for a federal job, more information is r...

How to Write an Executive Level Resume
You already know that having an effective resume is an important part of finding a job. What you may not realize is that the higher the stakes, the more vital it is to have a good resume. Executivelevel jobs are harder to find and generally have more competition, so an attentiongetting executive resume can make the difference between getting the job and getting left behind. A successful exe...

How to Give a Successful Phone Interview
Phone interviews are becoming a common way for employers to screen potential employees during the hiring process. Unlike traditional, inperson job interviews, phone interviews are usually fairly short, require less preparation, and can even be outsourced by the employer if necessary. These features make phone interviewing an effective way to narrow down the list of candidates before scheduling ...

How To Write an Entry Level Resume
Whether you are just entering the workforce after graduation or you have decided to change careers, you need an entrylevel resume that will help you get a job in a new field. Without industry experience, however, many applicants worry that their resume won’t pass muster. Not to worry – when you are applying for an entrylevel job, employers will expect you to have entrylevel experience. How...