This week, I thought about my first day at new jobs as I watched the President and Vice President be sworn in for their new roles. The purpose of creating a resume and a LinkedIn profile, then going to interviews is, after all, to reach the first day of work in a new position.
My career has encompassed three distinct kinds of first day experiences. They included:
1. The Federal Government,
2. A position at a corporate New York City Contractor,
3. Roles in not-for-profit organizations.
The first day of work at a public agency with structured “onboarding” processes was the most memorable because new employees took an Oath of Office followed by a bewildering ream of paperwork. Less structured organizations “threw me in” after having me sign payroll forms.
4 Thoughts on Organizing Your Post-pandemic Resume: Should You “Go Functional?”
Last week, while I was writing my weekly post, a job seeker posed an interesting problem. He has an accounting degree, and worked in accounting for years. Then he started an event promotion business shortly before the Pandemic. His business dropped 95%, so now he is considering a return to an accounting career. Should he build a functional resume?
3 Strategies to Get a Job Faster in 2021: Can we Turn 2020’s Problems into Opportunities?
. Strategies that I think will be helpful in 2021 include:
1. Featuring your Pandemic-related career pivot,
2. Dealing honestly and creatively with a COVID-19 related employment gap, and
3. Taking advantage of virtual opportunities to grow and maintain your industry and professional contacts.
10 Words or Phrases You May Easily Get Wrong in Job Search Correspondence: Let’s Write it Right to Get Jobs Sooner in 2021!
Virtually everyone I have spoken with agrees 2020 was a terrible year. We all want to make certain 2021 is better. The problem is that a lot of things are out of our control.
A small thing we can control during 2021 is to use the correct words and phrases when we prepare resumes and job search correspondence. Grammar checkers and spellcheckers miss things. Even worse, they are sometimes wrong.
Here are 10 examples of words and phrases that I’ve seen job seekers get wrong, or that have been discussed in blog posts about incorrect usage.
6 Ways to Make Your Resume and LinkedIn Profile Clear to Hiring Managers: Get Job Interviews Faster in 2021.
A few steps you can take during the holiday break include:
1. Filling your resume and profile with facts and figures,
2. Providing context for your accomplishments,
3. Creating a narrative hiring teams will read or skim quickly,
4. Making it “easy for the customer to buy,”
5. Concentrating on text instead of graphics, and
6. Using text sizes that help recruiters read your resume.
5 Ways You Can Disqualify Yourself Before Someone Reads Your Resume. How to Avoid These Problems.