Is Your Resume Doing All It Can (Nope!)

Is Your Resume Doing All It Can (Nope)Is Your Resume Doing All It Can (Nope)Your resume is a tool, and like any device, you want to know that youre using it in a way that makes the most impact. But, how can you tell if your resume is doing all it can? Theres one easy test Did you get the interview that you really wanted?If bedrngnis, theres probably mora your resume can do for you. A resume cant get you the job, but it can get you an invitation to peek into the door of the job if its optimized, that is.The Power of Your ResumeA very real misconception that exists in the minds of many job seekers is that a resume is meant to be biographical, or worse, encyclopedic. But it takes a lot mora than just regurgitating names and dates to make an impression in todays job market. Writing a professional resume means selling yourself, and no matter how dirty the thought of sales makes you feel, thats the world we live in. So, next time youre considering applying for a job, look at your resume w ith fresh eyes and ask yourself these questionsWould I Hire Me? Its as important to be personable as it is to be skilled, after all, no one wants to hire the most talented jerk in the room. Instead of coming off as a lot of swagger wrapped in a degree (or not), tune your resume to make yourself seem approachable and experienced. Youll win a heck of a lot more friends that way and when you make it to the short list, you wont be cut for appearing intolerable.Is My Resume Tailored to the Job I Want? Instead of sending out a bunch of resumes willy-nilly, carefully choose the companies and job titles you want to be considered for and take your time to craft a resume that fits that specific job title at that specific place. Use your resume to show how you can solve the problems that employer faces instead of throwing it to the wind and hoping it catches air.Does My Cover Letter Highlight My Resume? Professional resume writers the world over know that your cover letter is as vital, if not more so, than your resume itself. Instead of just repeating whats on your resume, use your cover letter to point out specific experience useful to the company you hope to work for you can, and should, flesh out the story of your resume in your cover letter for an added punch.Before you send off one more resume, make sure its doing all it can for you. The time you spend building the right resume is time invested in your future, not time wasted on another job you might not land.

How to Self-Onboard to Maximize Success

How to Self-Onboard to Maximize SuccessHow to Self-Onboard to Maximize Success In todays transient job market, its not uncommon for people, especially ones just beginning their career, to want to switch jobs. In 2016, employee turnover was as high as 50 percent for employees 24 and under. Job switchers have an incentive to leave one job for another, as they increased their wages by an average of 5.2 percent according to Q1 2017 data from the ADP Workforce Vitality Report . Changing jobs frequently puts pressure on HR to onboard new employees successfully and efficiently. Though HR professionals are certainly invested in crafting onboarding into the best experience for you, there are also clear ways you can self-onboard to distinguish yourself when entering a new job. Self-onboarding, or taking initiative from the outset of entering a new company and a new position, can help you make an immediate difference and create a lasting impression that will serve you well into the future. It starts with the interview and continues months after beginning the job. Heres how to proactively take charge of your success.Self-onboarding can really begin in the interview process . Your resume is already vetted and youve already talked to a member of HR, so now your potential future boss and gruppe are interviewing you to see if youre a culture fit, and confirm whether you can successfully perform the job requirements. You can be proactive before each interview by coming with in-depth, intelligent questions showing you know about and are genuinely interested in the company. For example, you can ask, Congratulations on receiving new funding How do you plan to use the money? or I saw that you won a big award recently. How did your team come up with the concept? Make an effort to meet everyone on the team, even requesting an opportunity to meet those you havent interviewed with before a decision is made. If thats not a possibility, or you gauge that such a request would be too forward, reaching out via email is a good alternative. emaille everyone on the team to express your excitement about the possibility of meeting them and working with them in the future. Such proactivity may seem unnerving, but it could set you apart as a top candidate . Whats more, when you do land the position, youll be that much more prepared to hit the ground running. What can you do to ensure your team members feel they hired the right person? Provide value right away. Fulfill your assignments in a timely manner, deliver accurate work and give more than expected. Find ways to rally around a shared vision of the company with your coworkers and help solve problems. Ask your team lead what the main vision and goal is of the specific team and the company, write it down on a sticky note next to your computer and refer to that note to make sure your work leads to that goal. Delivering meaningful work from the start will set you apart and establish a positive re putation . Self-onboarding is deciding to immediately engage in your team, your work and your company, rather than coasting the first few weeks on the job. And those who deliberately engage are much more productive and add much more value, according to O.C. Tanner Institute research .After HR has delivered its onboarding orientation, and you have taken care of the typical orientation essentials, continue your self-onboarding by organizing your own two- to three-week contextual tour of the company. This self-curated tour means creating a schedule to meet the people outside of your team that will impact or receive your work. You will also want to build in a few minutes to get to know other influencers in your organization to help you better understand context and how work is done. Moving past your team circle is critical to putting you in a position to do your best work from the start and distinguishing yourself at any organization, regardless of your job title or level of experien ce. Make it easy for people to meet with you by asking them out for coffee, a quick lunch or even a quick dive into a meeting room for a 15-minute discussion. Use this time to put names to faces, learn the nuances of the business and put your job into a big-picture perspective. Taking the extra time and effort to self-onboard, from the very outset of the interview process, is a powerful way to take personal control of your success. Regardless of how informative, helpful and detailed your formal onboarding experience is, or perhaps how poorly organized it is, you can ensure your own success from day one by taking proactive steps to add value and make a difference others notice and appreciate.Gary Beckstrand is a vice president at O.C. Tanner , the worlds leading employee recognition and engagement company. There, he helps oversee the O.C. Tanner Institute , a global forum that researches and shares insights to help organizations inspire and appreciate great work. He has consulted wit h numerous Fortune 100 companies to assess recognition cultures, develop strategic solutions and measure results.

Aggressive shoeless feet on airplane traumatize fellow travelers

Aggressive shoeless feet on airplane traumatize fellow travelersAggressive shoeless feet on airplane traumatize fellow travelersBeing trapped on a plane with strangers can lead to culture clashes.For peasants like us who fly in predetermined seats, you cant choose who youll sit next to. It can be a game of roulette whether youll get an overly talkative seat mate, an overly neurotic seat mate, or in the case of Twitter user Jessie Char, your seat mate can go beyond a human being bound by morality and laws- it can be a foot.On Wednesday, Char shared what started out as a happy story.JackpotBut then, uninvited guests for the flight arrived across the aisle.Hold on. The story gets better.A disembodied foot with a mind of its own? This is where most of us would draw the line.The moral quandary of bare feet on airplanesI let out an audible gasp when I read this. Many of us rest our heads on those window shades when we sleep on planes Where has this foot been?On the one hand, there is nothi ng pressingly wrong with what this passenger is doing. You shouldnt call the flight attendant over for this. These feet arent harassing anyone. There is no one sitting in the chairs that the feet have occupied. Whats one persons grossed-out reaction is another persons paradise, as the abridged saying goes.But putting your uncovered feet in spaces that other people touch touches a visceral nerve of nope. It may not cross a legal boundary, but showing off your bare feet on public transportation does cross a traditional social boundary.The story could be worse, however. Char spotted the rogue feet across the aisle. Unsightly to look at, but a safe distance away.Twitter user Brittany Prime had an unwanted, peeling and calloused foot on top of her arm rest.Wow is that horrifying.Of course, foot etiquette is a consistent subject of discussion for flyers. Yet people never seem to learn. Heres hoping your next geschftliches miteinander trip is less funky.