Tag: resume tips
Q: What do you think are the best attributes to include on a resume? Bonnie
A: Most employers have a small window of time to review the numerous resumes they receive, therefore, some of the more appealing information to include is:
- Career objective
- Problem-solving and decision-making skills
- Oral and written communications
- Leadership skills
- Team-building skills
- Bilingual skills
- Performance and productivity improvement
- Project management skills
- Prior employment that is relevant to the position being applied for
The goal is to set yourself apart from other applicants by highlighting your skills, experience and qualifications.
February 16, 2010
In addition to not bringing family members with you to a job fair, you should take extra care to avoid this job fair mistake as well:
Mistake #2: Attending without (or with too few) printed resumes
The resume is essential to a job seeker’s success at a job fair. It is the introduction their credentials, their work experience, attributes and qualifications. (For more on resumes, click here.) A job seeker attending a job fair without copies of a resume to hand to prospective employers is equivalent to a baseball player stepping up to home plate and facing a pitcher to hit a ball without a bat. Don’t hurt your chances at a home run by making this mistake!
My advice: don’t leave home without plenty of copies of your resume! It is better to have more copies than you think you’ll need than not enough. Bring a folder or briefcase with you to the job fair to keep your printed copies organized and looking neat. (More on this here.) You don’t want to miss a single opportunity.
December 10, 2009
These days, many people begin their job search by browsing available positions online, or flipping through the classifieds section of the newspaper, but long before you start applying for jobs or contacting companies, you need to prepare yourself for making a good impression on a potential employer and getting the job that you really want.
Start the process with some soul searching. Consider what type of job would be a good fit for you. What type of work would make you happy? What job would you not consider ‘work’ or a place where ‘you earn a living’? What type of job would you be passionate about? What personal traits do you have that qualify you for the job or the career that you want? Do you like to work with people? Do you like to work behind the scenes? Do you like to work with your hands, or with children? Do you like to work in an office environment, or work outdoors? Do you like to do paperwork? When you answer these questions for yourself, then you can proceed to look for a job in the field that will make you happy. Be honest with yourself, because your work will be a big part of your life.
Take a close look at your resume. Is it in order? Does it represent you? If you were the reader of your resume…would it impress you? Do you like what it says about you, the way it describes your experience, your accomplishments and your personal attributes? (For more on resume writing, read Resume Tips: Writing a Resume that Showcases Your Bilingual Skills and Resume Tips: How to Write a Resume That is Memorable.)
Ready to start your job search? Browse the bilingual job openings updated daily at www.bilingualjobfair.com!
October 20, 2009
Yesterday we discussed tips for writing a memorable cover letter.
After reading a candidate’s cover letter, a prospective employer will review a candidate’s resume next, which should offer more details on the credentials of the applicant. Most resumes are chronological and offer the work experience, education, and attributes of the candidate pertinent to the job opening, and offer to provide the company references upon request.
It is very important to set yourself apart from other candidates by highlighting your accomplishments at previous jobs, like ‘exceeded sales goals by 15% each year’, or ‘achievements include…’, or ‘Was awarded employee of the year five consecutive years’. In my opinion, another way to set yourself apart is by providing the reader of your resume with more details about who you are after work. The resumes that I remember the most are those that include experiences such as internships or volunteer work. I also like to see the candidate’s involvement in clubs or organizations, especially if they don’t have much work experience yet.
Please remember that no personal data (such as age or marital status) is required for resumes. Initially, job candidates should not provide the prospective employer with references or salary history. The company will ask the job candidate for references and salary history when they are more interested in hiring the particular candidate.
A candidate needs to show the company his/her specific leadership skills and abilities in both the cover letter and in the resume. Also, as I mention here and here, it is important to target and customize the resume and cover letter to a specific employer, rather than sending a ‘generic’ cover letter and resume. It’s the job of the candidate to impress the company, and a well-written cover letter and resume can create that exceptional and essential first impression.
October 16, 2009
You can showcase your bilingual skills in your resume by stating your job-related experiences or by your non-related experiences, as I mentioned in yesterday’s post, but you can also demonstrate it by including how you acquired your language skills as part of the education section, or describe a scenario where your language skills were an asset in the experience section of your resume. Here are some examples:
Under the Education section, you can say:
- Studied English and Spanish from first grade through college; for 18 years.
- Spoke both languages at home for 20 years.
- Fluency – High (You can then explain whether you can speak, write and read in both languages).
Under the Experience section, you can describe a scenario, such as this one:
“While working at ____ (name of a retail store), I understood that the Hispanic population spends more on apparel than the general population. I provided a personal connection with the market and helped the manager to develop a loyalty program. Developed advertising in Spanish as well as in English.”
You can also bring up in your career objective how you can help _____ (name of the company) to achieve a more personal connection with their clients by speaking in their customers’ language. This is also showcasing your bilingual skills.
Why do companies need bilingual employees? Because they want to connect with customers who feel more comfortable speaking in their native language to provide better information and service to those customers. Plus, some of their customers may not be at a stage in which they feel totally comfortable speaking English yet (as I described in this post) and bilingual employees can be the link to those customers.
Your resume can help a prospective employer understand that you bring additional skills to the table and that you bring more value to their company. Don’t ever take this value lightly, and make certain to include your bilingual skills in your resume. Es muy importante.
October 14, 2009
Your resume should be a one-page synopsis and easy-to-read description of who you are. It should contain your career objective, your experience, education, and your skills and attributes. One of your significant personal skills happens to be that you are bilingual. So how do you showcase your bilingual skills in your resume? Here’s how:
If you have work experience:
You can demonstrate your bilingual skills with job related experiences. For example: “Fluent in English and Spanish. Developed the Hispanic market in Los Angeles and in Chicago, and helped the company to double sales in those markets.” Another example would be, “Assisted the hospital in the collections department, by helping the Spanish-speaking callers with inquiries.”
If you do not have work experience yet:
Demonstrate your bilingual skills with non-related work experience, such as your community involvement in special projects, clubs, groups, or local associations. You can discuss how your bilingual skills helped you when you worked with your local library on a community project; or how you were able to help the Rotary club when their exchange program visitors came from Peru and Colombia. For example: “Can write, speak and read Spanish and English. Was able to assist the local realtor association with the distribution of material to local Hispanic-owned businesses.” Another example would be: “Bilingual. English & Spanish. Did an internship at a local retailer in the summer of 2009. Helped the store with the translation of their materials into Spanish. Assisted them with the development of the Hispanic Market.”
Remember, being bilingual sets you apart from other job applicants and makes you more competitive in the workforce. Competition is tough out there, but your bilingual skills can give you an edge in the hiring process, and can help you rise to the top. Highlight all of your assets – and good luck!
(Don’t forget to read about writing a cover letter that showcases your bilingual skills.)
Remember, employers are searching for candidates with your bilingual skills! Start your job search today at BilingualJobFair.com!
October 13, 2009
It seems like every week you hear: “The business world is becoming more competitive. The world needs educated people who are experts in different fields.” However, in the US, there are many high school students who do not want to, or feel they can’t attend college. This article is for you.
Probably one of the biggest fears my friends with kids have is to hear the words, ‘I am not going to college. I want to work instead, and buy a car, or get an apartment with my friends.’ Those words bring anguish to some parents, because they think that their children’s future might not be as bright as they had hoped. But once parents realize that their kids are serious about not pursuing college, they accept it and decide to help them succeed.
If you are one of the young adults who decided that college was not for you, you still need to put a resume together and sell your abilities to prospective employers. Like any other resume, you’ll have to include your work experience, attributes and qualifications.
Here are some quick resume tips for you:
• List high school classes you excelled in. For example, ‘Excelled in math classes throughout high school, including geometry and algebra.’ This comment can help you, especially if you want to work in a field in which a lot of math is required.
• Mention your volunteer work, or other accomplishments, like your Eagle Scout, Gold award, or any other impressive volunteer award.
• Describe your attributes, such as if you consider yourself to be a hard working person, if you are disciplined and stick to it until you get the work done, if you’re team oriented, or if you are a positive person with great determination.
• Discuss your computer knowledge of Excel, Word, or your web site design experience.
• Be sure to mention if you are bilingual. This could be very important to the employer because they might have a lot of customers who speak the two languages that you do. Tell them if you are fluent in two languages, and also if you can write in two languages. Being bilingual may give you an edge, and may mean higher pay.
• In the ‘objective’ section of your resume, (usually at the top of your resume) explain why you’ve chosen a specific field and how you plan to excel at it. For example, ‘Goal is to prove myself as an auto mechanic, to go through the necessary training, and to excel at Smith Motors for years to come’. Write a specific objective for each individual employer. This will set you apart, and the company will know that you go the extra mile, rather than just having a ‘generic objective’ for all companies. For example, ‘to work at a company where I can build upon my career’ is too generic.
• List part-time jobs you had during high school, such as ‘worked at the city parks during the summers of 2008 and 2009’ or ‘free-lanced as a sports or news-writer at my local newspaper’. You can then list the managers you worked for, as references. If they will attest to your attributes, your sense of responsibility, and your desire to be a part of a team, then you have better employment possibilities with the prospective company.
• Please make certain that you do not have anything offensive in your Facebook or in My Space pages. Employers do check these sites to learn more about you, and some feel like your aptitudes are like the people/friends you associate yourself with at these sites.
• Once you have written your resume, let two or three other people read it and critique it, so you can make certain that you have the best possible resume. Allow a professional resume writer to help you. Keep in mind that you are creating your first impression on your hoped-for (intended) employer.
• Apply at places where you can create a career; at companies where you would feel passionate and proud to work, for years to come. If you don’t feel the passion and or the drive to do it, perhaps you should re-consider applying at that company. Remember that you might be spending numerous hours, days, weeks and years of your life at that company, and you should get a certain degree of happiness, pride, and stability by working there.
• Most of all – make certain that this is the path or field you want to follow with your life. Your career building has to start somewhere. Be aware that not going to college might limit your options, so you need to consider your choices more carefully and demonstrate your work ethic. This can build upon your work experience and can make your resume better, for the next employment opportunity.
My personal belief is that you should train at something. If you don’t want to pursue a four-year college degree, or can not, then try to go to your local two-year community college. Seek out a Career Counselor at that college and speak to them about your likes and dislikes about certain vocations, and see if they can help you find the right field; a job that can accommodate your interests, and a field that can fulfill your dreams. We all have to pay our bills when we grow up, and I think that you would rather be happy in a job that you love. That’s why your decisions and seeking advice from professional career counselors is so important.
However, if in the end, you decide not to go to college, I wish you the best. I truly hope that you will do your best at whatever you choose to do with your life, and that you make yourself irreplaceable at your chosen vocation.
August 11, 2009
The feeling that you can accomplish anything you want to, along with the desire to get a job that pays your college loans is all the motivation you need to get an exceptional first job after college. To get a great first job, you need to write a resume that makes a great first great impression on the employer. That impression needs to last until the day you call the company or interview with the company. The employer needs to say: ‘that’s the young man or young woman whose resume said this or that’… from the hundreds they read. Your job is to make your resume as memorable as you possibly can and to set yourself apart.
Below are some quick tips that will make your resume be more memorable, when you don’t have much work experience:
- Tell the company about any internship you completed and what tasks you executed. Describe what you learned, and what your main accomplishments were.
- Mention the different part-time jobs you held while going to college, and what your responsibilities were at those jobs. (This shows the company that you offset your college expenses with your own work and sweat).
- Tell the company about the clubs and or organizations you have been a part of, such as the ‘youth council group’ or the ‘president of the Spanish or French club’ in high school and or in college.
- List any volunteer work you have done, such as ‘served as a volunteer at the homeless shelter each Saturday morning for three years’ or ‘helped organize the Rotary Club’s International food festival’, ‘assisted with raising funds for the local Lion’s Cub’.
- If you studied abroad, tell the prospective employer. This will add a star to your resume, since you can show that you got out of your comfort zone, that you traveled abroad, and possibly even lived with a hosting family. If you learned the specific language of the country where you did your internship, put this on your resume as well. For example, ‘Learned Spanish while studying abroad in Ecuador.’
- If you are bilingual, make certain that you include your knowledge and experience in the resume. For instance, ‘Fluent in English and Russian, and understand Italian and Spanish.’ This will set you apart from many job candidates, especially if the company has branches in countries that speak any of those languages.
- Show your leadership abilities, your willingness to learn, your cooperative efforts, your team orientation, and your great ‘can do’ attitude.
The examples mentioned above serve to show that ‘experience’ comes in many forms. Your ‘work experience’ might be a little short, so concentrate on other accomplishments and experiences. Show the employer who you have been as a student and as a productive citizen, and that you have already made contributions to your community.
July 28, 2009
