Expert Resume Writing Strategies Tip #2 -

Expert Resume Writing Strategies Tip 2 -Expert Resume Writing Strategies Tip 2Resume writing is a whole other form of writing. There are separate rules, standards, grammar and spelling expectations. This is the second tip in a series of 10 resume writing strategies.Tip Number Two Objective votums are out. Introductory Statements and Career Summaries are inI cannot begin to tell you how many clients come to me with an old objective on their resume. I can honestly only think of one situation where this is ever appropriate and that would be if youre 16 and applying for your first job and have no experience or skills. Then it would be okay to use an objective. If youre not 16 and if you have had some form of employment over your lifespan DO NOT USE AN OBJECTIVE.A career summary and introductory statement would work for you so much better. The main reason I say this is because as a Hiring Manager Im not interested in what you want. Im interested in what I need. Are you what I need? How am I going to find that out from an objective? I wont be able to do that. Now if you have a powerful opening statement that conveys your achievements and what I can expect from you as an employee that is so much more appealing to me. I want you to sell your knowledge, skills, and abilities in that opening paragraph.Think of it as a movie trailer. We watch those movie previews to decide whether we want to invest the time in watching the actual movie. It has to grab our attention, captivate us, and make us WANT to invest our time in watching it. An opening statement is that saatkorn way. It needs to grad the employers attention, captivate them, and make them want to invest their time reading the rest of your resume.If you need help creating a powerful opening statement, dont know what to say or how to say it. It may be time to consider hiring a professional resume writer. Check out our blog at http//www.greatresumesfast.wordpress.com for tips on how to choose a professional resume write r and stay tuned for more resume writing tips.Dedicated to teaching you how to transform your job search.Improve your resume Improve your lifeJessica Holbrook is a former Hiring Manager and a professional resume writer with Great Resumes Fast. She creates powerful, customized, and targeted resumes that are guaranteed to get her clients interviews. For a free resume analysis visit http//www.greatresumesfast.com or for a free phone consultation call 1.800.991.5187.

Executive Job Search How Executives Find Jobs - Jobscan Blog

Executive Job Search How Executives Find Jobs - Jobscan BlogPosted on January 10, 2018October 23, 2018 by Jon Shields Traditional job search techniques lose some of their pertinence the higher you get on the corporate ladder. Promotions have moved you into new roles. Recruiters have lured you to new companies.The number of jobs youre interested in has been culled to a handful of hyper-competitive executive positions.Its been a few years since youve browsed the classifieds or handed out your resume.Its time to start a new executive job search. So where do you begin?Executive Job Boards10% or fewer of jobs at the executive level are landed through job boards, writes Executive Job Search Strategist Meg Guisseppi. So why start here?Its true that most companies would rather not hire executives that come in via a job board application. Given the level of corporate responsibility entrusted to executives, unknown online applicants will rarely be valued as highly as referrals or all-star cand idates targeted by a corporate recruiter. fruchtwein of these positions are never even posted to job boards.That said, job boards are still a good starting point. If anything, its the most direct tip-off as to where opportunity exists. Even if you opt not to submit an application through the job board, seeing a job listing can show you where to direct your networking efforts. Who do you know at the company? What mutual connections do you share with key decision makers?Here are a few job boards catered to executivesThe LaddersIvy ExecsExecuNetExperteerThese are paid services that offer job boards curated with high-paying executive positions, plus other features. For instance, the Ladders has a great resume builder. Ivy Execs and ExecuNet offer career consultations over the phone. Experteer lets you see when headhunters look at your candidate profile. All claim that resumes uploaded to their sites get special attention from a network of executive recruiters.However, high paying execut ive-level job postings arent limited to those sites. They can turn up on LinkedIn, Indeed, or other job sites youve never heard of. The most efficient way to search all of these sites at once is through Google for Jobs.To access Google for Jobs, just googleJob Title jobs Location. For example, chief operating officer jobs denver.ExecThreadThe hidden job market affects all job seekers, but it takes on new meaning at the executive level.This is why Joe Meyer started ExecThread.The reality is, finding great opportunities at the executive-level meant searching for something unlisted, since the best jobs arent publicly-posted. To find the right openings you had to either be approached by an executive recruiter, or hear through word-of-mouth, Meyer welches quoted at HuffPost. Both scenarios are out of your direct control, and its a very time consuming and highly inefficient process to find these hidden jobs.One way that executives find out about open positions is by being contacted throug h recruiters. With ExecThread, these recruiter interactions and other information are crowdsourced and shared with its members. Jobs can be searched like other job boards, but additional details (such as the name of the hiring manager) are only unlocked when a user redeems points earned by contributing other unlisted jobs and data to the board.Admission to ExecThread isnt a given. Executives must apply and be approved.Attract Executive Recruiters on LinkedInWhen it comes to important executive positions, incoming job applications arent a priority for headhunters and corporate recruiters. Theyre searching online and making calls looking for the best possible candidate, period.To land a top level job, it must be easy for executive recruiters to find you This starts by having a strong web presence andwriting a great LinkedIn profile. For startersTake a professional profile photoMake sure all sections are filled out and up to dateUtilize the summary section to tell your story and demons trate your expertiseFill out each of your experience sections to describe your key duties and accomplishmentsEnsure that your education section is complete and up to dateFor in-depth tips and examples tailored to your profile, check out Jobscans LinkedIn Optimization tool. An optimized LinkedIn profile helps youAvoid recruiter filters by setting your location and industryAppear in more recruiter searches by using targeted skills and keywords in critical sectionsCommunicate your worth by highlighting unique skills and expertise in your headlineDemonstrate your impact to the bottom line through measurable resultsTake advantage of every opportunity by using all the characters available in your headline, summary, and other sectionsA complete LinkedIn profile shows recruiters that youre serious about your work.A search optimized profile ensures that youre easy to find.Put Yourself Out ThereEffective networking is always going to be one of the best ways to find executive jobs. Schedule ph one calls, lunches, and outings with past associates to catch up and learn whats happening with the leadership at various companies. Attend industry conferences, conventions, and meetups. Get facetime with as many people as possible.Here are some other ways to network and position yourself for an opportunityFacilitate and Give BackWe want to help those who have helped us. Open up opportunities for yourself by creating opportunities for others.Introduce people in your network who could benefit from knowing each other. Use your influence to refer a talented associate for an open position outside of your skillset. Mentor a junior executive or up-and-comer in your industry.These conversations will help you stay in the loop with different companies, attract other networking opportunities, and establish goodwill.Be a Thought Leader on LinkedInAfter writing a profile full of experience, results, and accomplishments, start establishing yourself as an industry thought leader on LinkedIn. Thi s will help you grow your network and prove to employers that you are still on the cutting edge of industry news and arent a technophobe.Start by sharing articles related to your industry or position and add your take. There are even tools like Scoop.it that makes it easier to find and distribute relevant articles to your network. Share stories from your past work and leadership experiences and the lessons you learned from each. Engage with other users.Become an Executive or Management ConsultantConsulting gigs are a great way to bridge an employment gap. These engagements demonstrate your drive and executive skills while continuing to build your experience.Create opportunities by being generous with your experience while networking. Giving advice and sharing ideas on specific business issues proves to others in your professional network that you have a deep well of knowledge to draw from and are an effective problem solver. When your network needs to bring in some executive muscle on an interim or contract basis, theyll know who to call. Those opportunities can turn into permanent positions in some cases.On your LinkedIn profile, addend your headlinewith Consultant to turn up in search results.Emphasize keywords like strategy, change management, and industry-specific skills relevant to your skillset throughout your profile.There is an old rule of thumb that a job search should take one month for every $10,000 you hope to earn. That really adds up once you get to the executive level. The scarcity of positions can lead to a long executive job search thats only drawn out by ineffective practices or sitting around waiting for something to happen. Diversify your tactics and get yourself out there.Read moreExecutive Job Search GuideFacebook Commentswpdevar_comment_1 span,wpdevar_comment_1 iframewidth100% important

5 Ways to Keep Employee Morale Up - Spark Hire

5 Ways to Keep Employee Morale Up - Spark HireIts important that your employees get their work done and that productivity is high, true. However its also important that our employees are happy and content while they get that work done. Its impossible to make everyone happy at all times, but a general positive morale among your employees is very important. If your company is rampant with a negative, pessimistic morale then productivity levels soon decrease. Employees group together and discuss how unhappy they are and the morale falls even mora. This is something you want to avoid, and you can do that by taking small actions to keep up or boost your employee morale.Investing in your employees happiness doesnt always have to equal out to dollar signs. In fact, an infographic Spark Hire published back in July maps out what employees really want. What was surprising to some, and common knowledge to others, was that employees want more to be appreciated than an increase in pay. Second on the list was feeling in on things. So you see, boosting morale and keeping your employees happy doesnt have to cost you money. It can simply be the way you treat your employees and interact with them. Take a look at some of the things you can start doing now to boost your employee morale, and keep it high.Appreciate Their WorkWhen an employee first comes on to work for you, its likely they will come out guns blazing. They want to do an awesome job and show you what they are capable of. This should be expected. However, when an employees hard work goes unappreciated chances are their morale will fall, along with their productivity. A while back Spark Hire discussed how important employee appreciation is. If one of your employees is doing a great job each and every day, dont let it go unbedrngnisiced. If your team is constantly meeting their goals and surpassing them, let them know how great they are. Take them out to lunch. If thats too hard on the budget then even a simple card sayi ng, Hey youre doing a great job can make an employees day- and boost their overall morale.Be HonestWhen you lie to your employees, and they find out, all trust is gone. In order to have high productivity and a positive workplace there needs to be trust. Of course, you cant tell your employees everything that is going on all the time, but you also cant lie. This extends to the promises you make to your employees as well. If you say you are going to do something and never do it, employee morale is sure to decrease because you cant be trusted. You make promises, but now everyone knows they are empty. This is a sure fire way to bring your employee morale way down.CommunicateHaving regular communication with your employees is important in keeping their moral up and positive. If you are the type that comes into your office and stays there all day not conversing with your employees ever, then there is likely no rapport or real relationship between you. Have open and real communication with your employees and you will see their morale increase.Dont MicromanageMany will agree that nothing kills employee morale more than micromanaging your employees. True, you are passionate about your work, your department or your company, but when you micromanage your employees you are offhandedly telling them you do not trust them. When you have your hand in all of the pots no one can do their job adequately. Take a step back to minimize micromanagement and you may see a large change in the attitude your employee base exudes. On top of that, their productivity levels will likely increase because they now know you are giving them a chance to show you they can be trusted.Make Your Goals ClearWhen your employees know what they are working towards, and it is clear, then the path to success is much easier. If your goals or instructions are vague on the other hand, then the path is not so easy. As a manager or employer you need to know for yourself what goals you are setting for your emplo yees. If you dont know what to expect out of them, how will they? Be clear with what you want and avoid fuzziness in goals and your employees attitude and happiness is sure to increase in positivity.So often employers or managers think that they need to spend money in order to keep their employees happy and content. That may be true for some companies, but for the most part employees just want to feel as though they are working towards something good and that their efforts are appreciated- and noticed. Start implementing the above tips and your employee moral is sure to increase.IMAGE Courtesy of Flickr by seanbjack

Issues and Debates with CEO Compensation

Issues and Debates with CEO CompensationIssues and Debates with CEO CompensationThe topic of CEO compensation is popular in the business press and the subject of significant media coverage as the annual studies are released to the market. Few tears are shed for the earning power of the top executives of major publicly-traded corporations the firms where data is visible and reliably reported in shareholder and related documentation. In many cases, the scale of the largesse received by these visible executives is difficult for the typical worker to relate to. In one study, it was reported that the then-CEO of Walmart, Michael Duke, earned by 830 a.m. on the first of January as much as the average worker in his company earned for the entire year.Reports of some of the cosmically large compensation packages of top executives are met with outrage by groups, who view this income inequality issue as one of societys ailments. The purpose of this article is to look at the issue from multiple perspectives you are free to draw your own conclusion on whether CEO compensation is appropriate or excessive. What the Reports Say About CEO Compensation As reported in Bloomberg BusinessWeek, the average CEO of a major corporation made 42 times the average hourly workers pay in 1980. By 1990, that had almost doubled to 85 times. In 2000, the average CEO salary reached an unbelievable 531 times that of the average hourly worker. Another group that studies this topic the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) regularly tracks the ratio of CEO compensation to median worker pay. Their data suggests the following In 1965, CEOs earned on average 20-times the average employee.By 1978, CEOs earned just less than 30 times the average worker.In 1989, the divergence grew to 59 times and by 1995 it was almost 72 times.By 2014, the EPI suggested that the ratio was 313 times the average worker compensation. Of course, data and metrics have the fhigkeit to paint the picture you want to paint. In an alternative view, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics defines the role of top executive much more broadly and reports a ratio of just 3.8 times the average workers compensation in their much larger reporting sample. Regardless of source and definition, there is little doubt those who occupy the top role in our largest organizations are highly compensated, often at levels unimaginable to the rest of us. A key question is, of course, why? How CEOs are Compensated Salary is one measure of CEO compensation, however, other variables are involved. These include Bonuses paid for achieving targets in growth, revenues, earnings and other measures as established by the board of directors.Restricted stock grants or stock option grants that become valuable if and when the firms share price rises to a targeted level.Deferred compensation, retirement benefits, and the contingent golden parachute should the individual be terminated.Expense accounts, the use of corporate assets including a cor porate jet for travel. What CEOs Do for Their Money The top executive of any organization is ultimately accountable for ensuring the development and deployment of a strategy intended to achieve stakeholder objectives. Shareholders want profitable growth and an ever-increasing share price and possibly an ongoing and growing stream of dividend payments. Employees want an environment that offers rewarding work, some security and the ability to gain new skills and grow in their careers. Other stakeholders are concerned about fair and ethical practices in trade, foreign sourcing, and all other business dealings. The top executive is accountable to the board of directors for creating and sustaining a healthy, growing business. From top talent selection to strategy to ensuring the coordination and accountability of strategy execution, the internal work of the CEO is never-ending. From an external perspective, the CEO is the public face of the firm on a grand scale, representing the co mpany in all of the media and mediums in use in our world. Much like star athletes, boards, shareholders, and employees put a premium on the potential impact of a visible executive they believe can promote and realize success. The star power can have a positive impact on the share price at the time of hiring and it may buy some time and acceptance of less than stellar results as the new CEO works to change the direction and strategy of the firm. The Effectiveness is One Person Of course, the value question in CEO compensation is, are they worth all of that money? The answer is, maybe. Or maybe not. Given the visibility of CEO compensation to the external world, boards of directors are increasingly vigilant about protecting themselves and their firms from any aspersions of dereliction of duty. In many cases, CEO compensation is explicitly tied to results, especially growth in the share price. If the shareholders win, the CEO wins and, in theory, everyone is happy. In reality, the hard work of creating shareholder value is carried out by the hundreds, thousands or hundreds of thousands of workers in our largest organizations. One person, even the CEO, has little impact on the work performed. What she or he does is own the issue of what work will be performed. The setting of direction, selection of markets, approval of investments and work to ensure that the entire strategy execution process takes place with the synchronicity of a well-tuned symphony orchestra. The CEO does not do the work, however, she/he directly or indirectly impacts it based on decisions around talent, direction, and investment. When and Where the Issue of CEO Compensation Becomes Contentious During periods of poor performance and layoffs across the organization, and in the absence of a diligent board, high top executive compensation is deemed as outrageous by those impacted by the results. Shareholders appropriately rankle at high CEO compensation when? the share price is sinking, a nd both the employees who lose their jobs and the employees who fear losing their jobs view high top executive compensation as offensive. Even mnznominal or more than nominal concessions by the board and top executives leave these individuals with compensation that seems laughably large to someone who lost their job. The Bottom Line As mentioned above, you are free to draw your own conclusion on this topic. In some countries, the ratio of top executive compensation to median worker pay is constrained by culture and a sense of duty. In others, it is viewed as a free market scenario and the price of a star CEO matches the pricing of star athletes. If you believe the practices are unfair, find ways as a shareholder to let your concerns be heard. Support the election of activist board members who will work on your behalf. Make noise at annual shareholder meetings or via your right to free speech. Ultimately, you can choose to vote with your purchasing dollars and your feet by goin g elsewhere. This is a challenging and controversial issue with no easy resolution for many situations.

How to Deduct Job Search Expenses on Your Tax Return

How to Deduct Job Search Expenses on Your Tax ReturnHow to Deduct Job Search Expenses on Your Tax ReturnIf it didnt hurt enough to be on the hunt for a new job, then you realize youre on the hook for all of the expenses that come with the process traveling to the job, picking up copies of your resume and even new clothesso you give your best impression.We have some good news some of these expenses can be deducted on next years taxes Or, if you are preparing your tax return for last year and you were on the job hunt then, you might be able to slip in some extra deductions to help you get a bigger return. Heres how to approach your own deductions1. If you want to deduct your job search expenses you have to itemize your deductions on a Schedule A, and they must meet a extremum threshold. Since your job hunt expenses are considered a miscellaneous expense, they are deductible when they (and all your other allowable expenses) exceed 2 percent of your adjusted gross income. For example, if your adjusted gross income is $60,000 you must have miscellaneous expenses that add up to more than $1,200. If you have $1,300 worth of expenses you can only deduct $100. 2. You can only deduct expenses if youre looking for a consecutive placement at a job in the same occupation.If youre switching jobs in the same field from one company to another, youre covered, but if youre switching careers from one thing to an unrelated thing (such as electrician to writer), youre not. The switch must also be consecutive, which means youre moving from one job to another. If you took an extended leave of absence or stayed home with children for several years you cant deduct expenses for re-entry into the job market. You also are not covered for expenses when looking for your first job.3. If you hire an employment or outplacement agency, you can deduct those fees.If youre later reimbursed for those fees, you file it as income. 4. If you travel to look for a new job, you might be able to deduct th ose expenses. It will depend on what percentage of the trip was personal and whether or not the primary reason was to consider a new position in your current occupation.5. If you dont get the job you can still take the deduction.As long as youre trying to move from one job to another in the same field, you can take the deductions even if you didnt receive an offer or take the job. 6. If you land the job make sure you keep your receipts for your moving expenses, too.If youre moving more than 50 milesaway from your current home, you can deduct those expenses.As with any discussion about taxes, youll want to check with your tax professional before acting on any of the tips below. However, now you have a good sense of when and how it would be appropriate to deduct job search expenses on your tax return based on the IRSs instructions.

Using the Banking Backlash to Your Advantage

Using the Banking Backlash to Your AdvantageUsing the Banking Backlash to Your AdvantageFinance firms will care as much about your character as the skills and performance on your resume.In financial services, reputation matters. So does character. That welchesnt always the case, but in the wake of the recession that decimated the publics regard for the industry, financial services firms are more concerned than ever in building a reputation for trustworthiness and that starts with new hires, said one recruiter who works in the industry.Recruiters are now being asked to qualify a candidates character as well as their funtional skills and performance, said Kevin Collins, co-director of Financial Services practice at Koren Rogers Executive Search in White Plains, N.Y.Collins said his clients cant afford to make mistakes in hiring candidates who may be unethical. Those individuals carry the companys brand. The demand is even greater for customer-facing roles, he said.More than seven out o f 10 adults claim to have lost trust in the finance profession, according to a February survey by Mintel Comperemedia, a global consumer, product and market research firm. The only way to beat the public perception of mistrust is to make hires that strengthen relationships and repair the industrys tarnished image, said Susan Menke, a behavioral economist who contributed to the report.Companies need to regain peoples trust, but they need to do it on the peoples terms, Menke wrote in the report. By trusting a financial institution, customers are in essence allowing that brand to make decisions for them. In order to get to that point, companies need to look at trust from the individuals perspective, focusing on values like honesty, fairness and consistency. They need to make the customer feel safe and secure.Rebuilding that trust, said Collins, begins with hiring executives with impeccable credentials and experience.Thats a significant shift, said Collins, from the last two years of hi ring when many firms considered the poor economy and high unemployment meant they could simply pull people off the street.The firms that were left standing thought they could get ahead of the game and save money by poaching all the available talent that was now pounding the pavement without having to use recruiting and executive search firms, he said. Thats not the case. For a variety of reasons, the best talent has been reluctant to leave current roles and the available talent isnt just ready to be picked up, he said.Regardless of how easy it is to hire, he said, candidates scooped up without regard to their cultural fit or their character can be harmful hires.

This Language Will Help You Land (More) IT Jobs

This Language Will Help You Land (More) IT JobsThis Language Will Help You Land (More) IT Jobs If youre a programmer, youre probably always looking to improve your skillset and beef up your resume. IT recruiters certainly see programmers who inadvertently limit their job search options by focusing on the same languages, year after year. If youre thinking about learning a new language soon, a good bet would be Python.Heres why Python would be the best investment in your career right now.Learning Python widens your job search options because its a language that many companies want to use across various industries.This might be at least partially because its free and lowers overhead costs.Python isnt just big in the tech space (which is, of course, huge in itself), though.Its also used in hot job sectors like Science, Medicine, Finance (Fintech), Retail, and Entertainment.Python works for so many of the trends employers want to participate in right now.Its a language that works for Scrum and Agile development, which is much more popular than Waterfall.Its also a language that works better for open-source technologies, which many innovative, progressive employers want to use.Lastly, Python is a trendy language among employers because it gets frequent updates.Employers never see it as a stale, archaic language.Employers, especially in the tech space where its a job seekers market, want to pick languages that attract top talent.Make yourself a more viable job candidate by playing into this trend and adding Python to your arsenal. Python attracts programmers right now for a few reasons.Firstly, its easy to learn (partially because its so readable it includes English words). Its also being taught more and more frequently in universities and colleges.Secondly, its popular among programmers who want an alternative to the highly corporate, controlled .NET, as its open source.Lastly, IT staffing companies find that Python appeals to programmers beca use its a craftsmens language.It allows programmers to really show off their skills and demonstrate a deep mastery that other, less flexible languages dont allow.Samantha Keefe is an Interactive Marketing Managerat AVID Technical Resources .AVID Technical Resources is a leading information technology recruiting company with offices around the country.