by careertipper | | Blog
Are you reviewing your resume and know that you are missing a few great bullet points about your skills? At the same time, you are not exactly sure which merit worthy skills you are missing. Try the pre-writing exercise of clustering to determine what additional skills or professional experience you forgot to originally list on your resume. Clustering can be an alternative to completing a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) Analysis that can help you determine where you need to expand your industry knowledge and your professional know how to advance your career.
A clustering exercise can be a leisurely activity that can be journaled at one of your favorite locations or in your office on a whiteboard. Use colorful writing tools to categorize each segment of your resume. Segment options could be your professional summary key points, industry skills, interpersonal skills, or professional experience outcomes.
Best wishes to you for a productive clustering exercise that will result in bringing to mind success traits and accomplishments that employers will respect and find value in.
by careertipper | | Blog
Phone interviews should not to be disregarded or taken lightly during the interview process. If your first phone interview is not viewed as successful by the interviewer; the face to face or Skype interview you are aiming for will most likely not be scheduled. Phone interviews can sometimes result in you being viewed as a qualified candidate for more than one employment opportunity pending the company’s hiring needs. Be yourself and be certain in your skills. Your confidence will be projected through the phone.
Below are a few phone interview do’s and don’ts for your review and consideration.
- Do declare to yourself that you are going to have a great phone interview with the potential employer.
- Don’t take your phone interview while driving. It’s ideal for you to complete the phone interview in a space where your call cannot be interrupted with back noise, music, or other audible distractions.
- Do smile during your phone interview. A smile can always be felt through the phone. If possible, keep a mirror in front of you as a reminder to smile.
- Don’t speak negatively or be disrespectful to the interviewer. During your phone interview they are the gatekeeper to you moving forward in the interview process.
- Do stand up during your phone interview. Standing up keeps you energized and assists in projecting your voice well during the call.
- Don’t be late for your phone interview. Be completely set up in your interview space and ready to take the call on time with the interviewer.
- Do have your resume in front of you and your preferred technical device near by that you may need to use to research something quickly during your interview.
At the end of your phone interview; journalize your outcomes, your follow-up action items, and your lessons learned if applicable.
by careertipper | | Blog
“As for the future, your task is not to foresee it, but to enable it.” Antoine de Saint Exupery
The time a dedicated career search requires can equate to the hours of a full-time or part-time job pending your current employment status. To have a successful career search; it is essential for you to plan your daily career search action items. Executing your daily career search plan will shift you closer to your desired professional role. Strategic planning is much more effective than random planning. It is important that you remain focused, encouraged, and dedicated to accomplishing your career search goals daily.
Suggested Daily Career Search Action Items:
- Set an alarm on your phone to repeat your career search affirmation goals three times a day.
- Review online job postings alerts that you have emailed to yourself from different online job boards.
- Identify a time block to specifically craft your application for postings that interests you. The same resume, cover letter, or email verbiage will not always apply for each position you submit to for consideration.
- Study your chosen industry. Read about current events, industry operations, training opportunities, and the latest insight tips from industry leaders. Researching your industry daily empowers you and builds your confidence in being viewed as a qualified candidate.
- Journal your career search lessons, goals, outcomes, wins, and challenges daily. Journalizing promotes personal growth and assists you in keeping your career search focus points in perspective.
