Freeing Yourself From Blaming Your Parents - Babara Sher's Take

1Freeing Yourself From Blaming Your Parents - Babara Sher's Take Resume writing is not among most people's favorite activities. You need an updated, state-of-the art resume to quickly communicate why you're the best match for a specific position or company. The reason that professional resume writers (such as myself) exist - the ones that invest in continuing education and belong to professional organizations and uphold stellar certification, is that creating a strong resume for yourself is not an easy task. (Make that the understatement of the year.)And whether you believe the resume is a dying breed (hint: it's not as long as employers want to find out about you without having to spend minutes perusing your information) - you'll always have to be able to present yourself and your abilities.Now imagine having talents and interests that go in multiple directions, such as the multi-talented Renaissance Personalities. And let's say you want to actively pursue several of these directions simultaneously. I know this is not an exceptional situation for many of you.In reality, this means you'll need to create as many versions of your resume as there are positions that you want to pursue.See the nightmare emerge?No wonder I often get the question "How do I create a resume that makes sense to employers if I've been all over the place?"If you are a multi-talented RP with interests in all different directions, here's what you need to do:• For starters; forget the idea that a "generic" resume will do the trick for you. It won't. Not even close. Haven't you noticed?: ) (Note to all non-RPs: it doesn't work for you either...)• Decide which 2 or 3 directions/fields you want to pursue now, and which later. Focus on the now. Chasing more areas of interest at once will leave you exhausted and frustrated.• Adopt the idea of creating 2 different kinds of resumes; one for yourself and one you send out into the world. This means you'll end up with multiple versions of the one you'll use to send to employers, and one for you. Make sense?So here's what I want you to do:1 - Create a resume that will forever stay in your files. This resume can be as long as you want it to be. Include all the jobs you've ever held. Yes, even the 3-month stints from back in the days. List all the courses you took, finished or unfinished. All the volunteer work, the projects you were involved in. And, don't forget; your skills.These are examples of headings you can use:• Work experience• Volunteer experience• Education (formal and courses taken)• Special projects (for anything that honed a skill but that doesn't fall under one of the other categories)• Skills (such as foreign languages, etc.)• Publications• Presentations/speaking engagements• Inventions/patents• HobbiesThe list goes on...you get the idea, right?Note that these are not necessarily the same headings you'd use on a resume you'd send out to an employer. Some are, some aren't.This resume is more of a life story than a resume. Never mind resume styles and formatting and other resume "rules." That's not what this one is about. This is also not a project you'll do in one afternoon. You'll start remembering experiences and jobs you had forgotten about once you start the process of writing it all down.• Once your listing is complete, take a step back for a few days and revisit your list with fresh eyes. See if you can spot themes. And transferrable skills. Write these down on a new piece of paper.• Now start working on the version of your resume you will be using to send out to employers and contacts.• Work on one resume at a time. Begin with the position or field you're most interest in or want to pursue first. Find out as much as you can about the requirements. Now peruse your list of transferable skills and themes and see what you have to work with. That is, besides directly applicable experience you may have.The point is; you want to make sure you highlight anything that's relevant to this position/company/industry. But not more than that.Remember this: it is totally ok to omit experiences from your resume that are not relevant to the position you're pursuing. Of course, you'll need to account for your time so if this were to create gaps, you'll have to be creative.The key to a successful resume for Renaissance Personalities is to focus, focus, focus. As counter-intuitive as that may sound. You don't want to confuse people with all sorts of unrelated information. They need to very quickly be able to grasp how you'd be a great fit for this position.As you may begin to see, research and networking are vital for RPs. The more you know about the requirements, and the more of an "in" you have with a company, the better you can position yourself. And thus the better your odds are of landing an interview - and the job!Of course, there may be positions that specifically ask for cross-disciplinary experience. Right up the RP's alley! This is where you get to play up your multiple talents and diverse experience.However, always keep the reader in mind. Put yourself in their shoes. If you were hiring for this position; what would you want to know? What's truly important and what is more of a distraction?Pick and choose from your diverse background.Then, repeat the last step for the next position you want to pursue. Depending on how different it is from the first, you may have to either completely rewrite your resume, or maybe just tweak it here and there.The bottom line is that you want to be aware of the wealth of knowledge and skills and experience you have. We often take for granted what comes easy and what we've done only for a brief period. But all these pieces may come in handy.The other thing I want you to remember is to then focus your resume and always keep it relevant. Work on one at a time and you'll make your life a little easier.No, I'm not pretending that creating resumes for RPs - or anyone! - is easy and that you can do it in less than 2 hours. This process will likely take several days, if not longer. Chip away at it. Let it sit for a while. Sleep on it.Of course, I'm available if you want to hire me to work on your resume together and have me create it from scratch. But in case you want to do it yourself, these tips will get you off at the right track.Good luck! Let me know what has worked for you so far, ok?

Developing the Right Resume and Attitude For an Uncertain Economy

1Developing the Right Resume and Attitude For an Uncertain Economy There is no doubt that our current economy is a little scary to say the least. Companies are laying off in mass numbers while gas, food, and energy costs are reaching record highs. It can be very difficult to maintain sanity in the midst of such uncertainty, let alone think about finding a job. But with responsibilities like bills and family always present, one must learn to keep pushing forward.If you're trying to find a job in our unsettling job market, you may feel less than excited about your prospects. However, you can find a job...and a good one at that. You just have to develop the right attitude, and an even better resume.Make Yourself More MarketableWith layoffs on the rise, more people are competing for the same job. So in order to make yourself more marketable, you'll need to perfect your resume. This means, no spelling or grammatical errors. You'll also need to make sure your skills stand out above the rest.One way you can do this is by conducting thorough research on the company and position to illustrate how you can enhance their goals. When describing your skills, try using action-oriented words like designed, marketed and researched, instead of phrases like "responsibilities included." And also focus on specific achievements, like how much money you made at your previous company, and on which projects, to help employers assess your skill level.Consider Economic Growths, Declines, and Specific RegionsBefore you even apply for a job, it's good to look at which business areas are growing, which are declining, and how your region is fairing economically. For example, a May 2008 Newsweek article reported that finance and accounting, engineering, technology and science are seeing growth, while construction, manufacturing, and automotive seem to be declining. In the same article, it noted that Midwest jobs may be on the decline due to its strong construction focus, while cities like New York, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, and Dallas may see a rise due to their professional focus.After you conduct your research, if you find your field isn't negatively impacted by the economy, you may still want to conduct more research to learn details such as whether managers and administrators, or hourly employees, are keeping or losing jobs. And if things aren't going so well in your industry, you might consider a slight career shift, such as moving from software development to hardware networking, or even switching cities. That is if the prospects for long-term employment seem more promising.Maintain the Right AttitudeIn this economy, it is important to keep a positive attitude about your career prospects. Because the fact of the matter is, if there is a job available, someone must eventually fill the role. So why couldn't it be you? You are just as qualified for the job as you were before the economy worsened. So try not to let the economy's current state negatively affect your job search.Under stable conditions, getting on track career-wise requires strong determination. But in a weak economy, it takes more. So take time to perfect your resume, conduct extensive research on your field, and keep a positive attitude. You will see that despite the economy, you'll be able to thrive.

CV Writing & Resume Advice - The Job Advert Resemblance Dilemma

1CV Writing & Resume Advice - The Job Advert Resemblance Dilemma A golden CV Writing Secret: Everywhere online you would find resources and comments talking about drafting a winning Job application, CV writing techniques, resume secrets that work and all other important career advise. The CV Writing topic is always in demand in forums, on job boards among CV and Resume writers and those still comfortable in current employment.Is all the available advice valuable? Certainly, does the advice given always work, no.The reason I say this is because many times after all the advice tips and tricks are followed to the latter, six months down the line the Job seeker is still on the market without a single interview offer.OK, how then should a discerning job seeker approach the Job market in today competitive market? My advice is simple, it has been for years, if you are looking to compose a winning interview generating CV, start with your industry sectors Job Adverts and Job criteria assessment.What do I mean? Follow these simple yet highly effective CV Writing Rules:Copy 10 Industry sector Job adverts related to your targeted Job titles, cut and paste the 10 job adverts suited to what you want to do next and analyse them in details.If the Job titles are the same as your past Job titles analyse the 10 job adverts content and responsibilities against the content and work responsibilities of your most recent CV. For example if some of your sample adverts are vacancies for a "Sales Customer Services Executive" and you were once employed as a Sales Customer Services Officer. Assess your current CV or Resume and compare its content with the content of the sample Job adverts you have.Hopefully you should see some STRONG similarities in the job adverts duties with your our own past responsibilities.Do not rush the previous step because what this is telling you is for that Job title, companies will not employ anyone who can not convince them beyond a strong reason of doubt that they can deliver on those duties.Do they look different? if they do, there is a high possibility that you may not be shortlisted for an interview for these Job adverts.What is the remedy?, revisit your work responsibilities that you have genuinely undertaken in the last few years perhaps the last 1-3 years, compare the details to the sample Job adverts you have.If there is not some similarities, re-write your CV application using words and phrases related to those you have in your sample Job adverts.The main point is the stronger your sentence structure and expressions are to your Job adverts sample, the higher the chance of getting shortlisted for the role.Recruiters and HR Managers favour CV and Resumes that match the jobs they are short listing for, your CV will be compared against an advert, so provided you have the experience, you want it to shine forth. This is not encouraging you to write sentences and responsibilities that you have not genuinely undertaken, do not do that as you will get caught, but if you have undertaken the roles and work responsibilities let it be very obvious within your CV.For example if a particular roles wants a candidates that has worked and liaised with clients in New York, if within a past role, you have spoken to clients in New York through emails, conference calls and even face-to-face meetings let this point speak for you upfront and very clear.You may think CV writing and Resume success depends on selling personal qualities, career ambition, CV layout and up-front profiles, all these are the minor elements of getting an interview offer. The major element is "the closeness to the Job Specification factor" what is in the employers mind is can you deliver on the daily Job responsibilities", from my recruitment experience 90% of hiring managers will not bend on this single criteria. If a solid candidate can prove themselves against the Job daily responsibilities they are in. Other supporting job criteria are secondary.Focus on key industry skills, terminology and keywords related to your Job Titles, let that shine through your sentences within your CV or Resume. For example if you are an IT programmer in Java, let your technical Java competencies be clear within your CV above everything else, that is what will matter at the end of the day, and will count for 70% of the final decision to see you face-to-face.Get your CV as close to job adverts as possible in line with your truthful 100% honest career experience.This is one of the golden secrets to effective CV Writing that enhances a job seekers career prospects.

Crime and delinquency

1Crime and delinquency According to the formal definition , any action that is legally prohibited by the law can constitute a crime. At present, crime has become an integral part of our lives in the sense that we are all so much used to it simply because we hear or face crime every other day. In a society that we live in today the mass media has so much influence and sway that it is not a big deal when we wake up in the morning get a hold of a newspaper and read about some brutal murder the story of which is intentionally put in the paper for the sole reason of getting the readerเน�โ�ฌย�s attention. Then later in the day we might as well turn on the television and see the official footage where the police apprehend a serial killer who has murdered 15 people up to that point in different areas across the country. And finally in the evening we find some time to relax and watch a movie with a criminal content, which give a vivid thrilling story of an enraged sadistic murderer who kills innocent people left and right in order to accomplish his sinister and mysterious scheme. This is a typical day that a person spends in todayเน�โ�ฌย�s world and it cannot but influence his or her social attitudes and perceptions. Living in a society like this, people get desensitized and when a new brutal murder is reported on television or in the tabloids not many people pay attention. Violence and aggression expressed in the movies do their job and the real-life situations do not startle people any more. However, there is one field in criminology that always draws my utmost attention and that is delinquency and crimes committed by children and adolescents. One simply cannot ignore such a disturbing phenomenon simply because crimes committed by children range from petty theft and shop-lifting to brutal clearly planned murders that make people stop and think about the world and about its future. It also makes me wonder where this world is going given the fact that we have twelve year old murderers whose transgressions surpass the crimes committed by their older counterparts in terms of brutality and sophistication. Juvenile crime and delinquency has become a very vital issue in the society at this point in time. Officially a juvenile crime is any offense committed by children or adolescents under the age of 18 years. These crimes are legally referred to as delinquency and would be considered serious offenses, if they were they committed by adults. There are also minor transgressions that are termed status offenses. Those include some minor misconduct such as acts of social disobedience. Status offenses are not usually punished by serving term in prison and delinquency offenses along with the status crimes are all handled by the Juvenile court. (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2001) Nevertheless, there are more serious offenses such as murders, rapes committed by minors and those can also be brought to the criminal court and involve more serious punishment. There was a social debate that caused a great deal of controversy concerning the age that children can be actually held accountable for their personal actions. According to Anglo-American law, the definition of crime implies any action that is prohibited by the law with a criminal intent. The proponents of the theory that children cannot be responsible for the offenses that they commit maintained that children under the age of 14 cannot theoretically have a criminal intent due to a variety of factors. This infancy defense that was argued to be very theoretically consistent was eventually disregarded by most juvenile courts as people realized more and more that acts of delinquency can be committed by children of virtually any age. All crimes are committed with a criminal intent otherwise it is not a crime. Therefore the age factor is now discarded as something totally inconsistent with most psychology and criminology doctrines. (A. Bandura, 1973, pp. 134-137) Juvenile crime is so overwhelming today that the importance of this issue cannot be overestimated. Delinquency acts and crimes committed by children range from petty shoplifting to smoking marijuana to more serious offenses such as rapes and murders. According to the statistical data reported by the bureau of statistics, the level of crime among children has been steadily decreasing since the middle of 1970s . Nevertheless the public seems to be more aware of this problem because of the thorough coverage by the media and press. During the 1980s the reports showed that every fifth person that was arrested for some public violation or more serious offenses was under the age of 18 years. In other words 20% of all crimes are committed by children and adolescent. Like I have already mentioned in the 70s reports portray a much grimmer reality where all statistical indicators almost in all possible categories of serious offenses were much higher. Furthermore the crimes committed by under-aged females constituted a much greater portion. At present the juvenile crime reportedly has been slightly going down for more than 5 consecutive years but nevertheless some experts assert that the data reflected in those reports is slightly underestimated and the overall level of juvenile crime and delinquency has been significantly underreported. The activities that are deemed to have been underreported include mostly street crime such as gangs, shoplifting, marijuana smoking, drugs and also acts of vandalism. Therefore, it is believed that the actual crime level is virtually higher than it was in the 1980s (Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia 2002 edition). The essential component of juvenile crime is said to be a group or a gang activity (A. Bandura, 1973, pp 263). Children most of whom have run away from homes live on the street and consequently form and gang. The activity of such a group usually involves acts of vandalism and petty shop-lifting, and theft. They also engage in acts of violence when two or more gangs compete for the right to exist in a particular city district. That oftentimes involves use of lethal weapons such as knives, sticks, or sometimes even guns. When there is a collision between two gangs there is a very high possibility of violence and sadism. Children brutally fight with one another as though those were two armies that went to war. The objective of such gang activity is material gain. The social gang is a relatively permanent group of youths who generally exist in accord with society. Besides the shoplifting and vandalism gangs also engage in drugs distribution. Gangs may attack a person on the street with a purpose of steeling his or her money (Encyclopedia Britannica 2001). There are several theories that make an attempt to explain why criminals act the way they do and essentially why they display aggression, hostility and eventually commit something outrageous and atrocious. One of theories of psychology that tries to analyze peopleเน�โ�ฌย�s behavior is referred to as social learning. This doctrine asserts that human behavior is essentially shaped by the society and by parents starting from the infancy stage. Social learning is based on the premise that people are very likely to link certain behavior to some particular emotions or feelings that they associate with it (A. Bandura, 1973, pp 74-77). For example aggression might be linked to some incidents that make person feel angry, aggravated or nervous. These emotions in turn trigger that behavior that is the direct consequence. This model can also be applied the other way around. When a positive emotion is stimulated in a personเน�โ�ฌย�s mind it is very likely that it will trigger a good behavior. By contrast, when a person is overwhelmed with aggression and anxiety, that most likely will trigger a negative response and consequently will make a person display hostility and destructive behavior. The social learning theory asserts that a personเน�โ�ฌย�s behavior can be interpreted and the actual cause or the stimulator can be identified in all possible situations. It also maintains that human behavior can be controlled and indeed modified. Of course it is not always so easy to modify behavior among the adults because they already have shaped their mind and perceptions of the world but sometimes it can be done. The theory further explains that a human brain is very sensitive to outside stimulation and a proper behavior can actually be reinforced by eliciting proper emotions and feelings that are very like to trigger certain behavior in a person. Most motivation techniques are built on these premises and they postulate how the proper behavior can be invoked among the employees in the workplace. One such technique suggests that a manager must reinforce good behavior through sincere appraisal. That implies that whenever a person does a good job a manager acknowledges his or her professionalism that elevates a personเน�โ�ฌย�s self-esteem. Or there can be a specific reward that will do the job whenever employees fulfill their task the proper way. In psychology this is called reinforcing the good behavior (R. Baron, 89, pp 234). A person is very likely to repeat the good behavior. By the same token, an employee will be more motivated to do a good job because it is known that diligent work will eventually get him or her that reward. In a similar fashion, negative behavior can be reprimanded. Whenever a worker does a bad job he will be properly punished by the management and that will develop sort of an instinct or rather a habit in his consciousness that will prevent that sort of behavior from ever happening again. Punishment of course can vary but the idea here is to make a person understand that bad performance will not be tolerated. It is vitally important to make it clear that bad performance will prevent the employee from achieving his or her personal objectives that may include promotion, high salary, certain benefits etc. All these techniques are built upon this doctrine of social learning. Definitely, it does not hold true for all possible situations because the human brain is for sure one of the most complicated and sophisticated things possible. Therefore there may be cases where these assumptions fail to explain what is really going on and why that particular behavior is trigger by that particular emotional stimulation. There are incidents where the behavior of a human-being simply cannot be understood neither can it be interpreted by any psychological theory. Nevertheless, the theory of social learning proved to be very effective in understanding criminal conduct. It also gives us an insight into why normal people become criminals in the first place and then how criminals are motivated to do what they do and what makes them commit crime. Criminals are people too and they also have emotions and feelings and even though some people maintain that their actions are most of the time irrational and make absolutely no sense, I think that there is a deep psychological trauma or an emotional incident that made a person make that very first step towards self-destruction and gradual personal degradation (R. Baron, 1989, 256-268). There are various theories that try to explain the psychological nature of juvenile crime and how personality traits and psychological peculiarity may be linked to it. Others may attempt to view juvenile crime as a purely social phenomenon that is virtually brought about by the society (A. Bandura, 1973, pp 45). There is some truth to all of them even though most of these theories are subject to criticism. One of the reasons that children engage in crime is because society dictates them to do so. Violence that is constantly portrayed in the movies definitely has some impact on children with vulnerable not-yet-shaped moral values and standards. Also, another big factor that I think is very important is they way parents bring up their children. That plays a crucial role. That explains why juvenile crime is at such a high level in the US as compared to other European countries. Parents do not have time to spend with their children and do not pay adequate attention to them. Also, domestic abuse definitely affects childเน�โ�ฌย�s psychology. Home and family is associated with something essentially bad and evil in the minds of children who are physically abused by the parents. Therefore the only way for them is to go on the street where they think they are independent of their parents and do not have to put up with that attitude any longer. Some children might as well be unsatisfied with their current status in a society and they view crime as self-actualization. Even though all these theories are true it is difficult to explain each particular case using just one approach. This problem is multifaceted and therefore a thorough psychological analysis must be conducted before we understand the nature of the dilemma. Juvenile crime is a serious issue and we have to pay our utmost attention to this issue and attempt to alleviate the situation by any means possible. Bibliography Bandura, A. (1973). Aggression: A social learning analysis. N.J.: Prentice Hall. Burton, J. (Ed.) (1993). Conflict: Human Needs Theory. Macmillan Press. Encyclopedia Britannica, Deluxe Edition, 2001. Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia, 2002 Edition. White, Robert (1989). Psychology: the essential science. New York: Random House. Tim Johnson Junior is a freelance writer, CRWA certified resume writer and career coach. Has written over 2000 articles and essays on the subject of Social Issues. Has worked for Essaymart's custom writing department from 2003 to 2005. Currently, Tim is busy helping professionals and executives optimize their careers at a certified Resume Writing firm, ResumeAid Related Articles - kids, teens, delinquent, delinquency, crime, kids crime, street gang, Email this Article to a Friend! Receive Articles like this one direct to your email box!Subscribe for free today!

Cover Letter Generator - Do Resume Writing

1Cover Letter Generator - Do Resume Writing Resume writing ought to be carried out professionally because your career depends on it. When beginning the writing it is suitable to 1st read some efficient tips simply because composing a resume wants a bit far more effort than writing a school essay. There are actually thousands of guidelines you'll be able to browse through like books, resume writing for beginners and certainly the web. Even if an individual is writing the resume for the very first time but reading and memorizing suggestions of writing, he/she can craft a qualified and great resume.In resume the first heading or column we incorporate is the objective or career objective. This column is normally employed by fresh starters because they do not have any expertise of work therefore they write an successful career object so as to create an excellent impression on the employer. However experienced candidates do not have to consist of this section in their resumes.The resume's objective column is followed by the work expertise column. This column is only added by the experienced candidates who've relevant or other prior knowledge. Considering that this section of the resume bears really importance as a result, the writer (candidate) have to put extra focus when composing it. It should be taken into concern that the composing resume is not for what happened within the past but to create the future which is why don't put anxiety on the prior encounter just mention your previous post, main work and responsibilities. It would be quite fortunate if you have received any award within the prior job due to the fact it adds additional points to your resume writing.Subsequently we now incorporate education facts. Have you ever heard about inverted pyramid method? You should mention your academic education in that strategy by 1st presenting your most existing or highest education and then the lowest education like school details. Moreover, you are able to also add extra qualifications like courses in any laptop or computer program or languages but only if those qualifications are relevant to the post for which you're applying.Afterwards employ the personal particulars within the resume writing. These particulars consist of your name, age, sex and also number of languages you are able to use. Even if you don't mention the languages the other particulars are sufficient for the resume. It has observed that many people also add their religion and father's name inside the resume, maintain in mind that you need to in no way add such particulars as it is actually very immature and irrelevant.Within the end we add extracurricular activities and hobbies in the resume writing. It is up to the candidate no matter if to contain this section or not as it bears no significance just before the employer. An excellently composed resume only functions the section of experience, achievement (if any), academic history and the individual info Resume Cover Letter.Couple of crucial recommendations: prior to you compose the resume first read some job advertisements either on the net or newspapers and utilize those advertised keywords inside your resume. For headings in the resume use the Serif fonts sort and san serif for regular content, whereas the font size remains leave it default, i.e. 12.

Changing Careers The Real Story of a Career Changer and Renaissance Woman

1Changing Careers The Real Story of a Career Changer and Renaissance Woman Career changers and renaissance folks alike always ask me: "How do I change paths without having to begin at the bottom all over again?"Annoyingly, as with most things careers related; it depends.Clearly, if you want to become a doctor, you'll have to go to med school and start from scratch. A lawyer: back to law school, my friend.But in most fields, there isn't just one ticket to enter. Even though your preferred field asks for a specific educational background, chances are you may be able to bypass that. Meet Maria Last week I spoke with Maria, who is also a "renaissance woman," meaning she loves variety and is one of those people trying to fit a million passions into one lifetime.She majored in computer science and started her career in technology; coding, programming, etc.Several years into her first job, her employer facilitated a lunch hour volunteer program through which Maria got to teach career-related workshops to young adults.It wasn't long before working with people had become Maria's main interest.Maria also volunteered trough Chicago Cares, which connects volunteers to 200+ opportunities in various areas. They offer one-time volunteer opportunities. No weekly or monthly commitment. She joined field trips with seniors, did art activities with children, helped create resumes for homeless adults, tutored in the lab, helped prepare food that was being donated to an event, and helped serve meals at a Salvation's Army.Tip: Chicago Cares is a great way to test out non-profit or social services work for anyone living in the Chicago area. Some other cities have similar programs (i.e.:www.NewYorkCares.com). From Science to Social Services When the company she worked for folded two years later, she saw it as an opportunity to pursue her new passion.Her goal: moving into social services - without the 'right' academic background. Make that: without a 'remotely related' academic background!Maria was very organized about her transition. She even leveraged her analytical abilities that she used in her technology career (in which, btw, she flourished) to plan the next chapter.She considered her options, talked to people, and saved up her money.A few months later, she landed a training position at a for-profit university that specializes in technology. Maria trained homeless and at-risk adults (18 - 60+ yrs old) in soft skills and hard skills needed in the workplace.Here, she leveraged her technology background and volunteer experience with young adults.How did she get this job?Networking without realizing she was doing it! She sort of sheepishly mentioned her plans to a college friend over dinner. His wife happened to know someone who was looking for a trainer.Within two years, she had become the director of training; she managed the entire career development department and she even created a new workforce center. Another Change of Direction After another few years, Maria was getting restless again and shifted to a non-profit function in higher education - working with college students and alumni on career development.Here are some pointers you can take away from Maria's story if you want to pull off a similar transition:Put It Out There•Share your story, ask for help, and do some soul searching to make sure your desire for change comes from positive motivation to want to do something new, not from wanting to escape something old.It's important to talk with others about your dreams. Not just to get the mental and moral support, but also because when you do, you're apt to receive valuable input. People may have ideas you hadn't thought of, or connections you weren't aware of - just as in Maria's example. And, as Barbara Sher says "isolation is a dream killer." So get it out into the world - even if it seems an unattainable goal to you right now! Others can help you realize your dream.Use a Phased Approach•If your new field or position is quite a stretch and you're sure you can't enter it directly, do a phased approach - just like Maria did.Look at your transition as a multi-step plan. First into the area that offers you the easiest entry. Once you're in; get some experience under your belt, acquire some new skills along the way, and then move on to the area you really want to be in.Volunteering or doing an internship is often a successful entryway into a new field. This may require a financial step back, so plan ahead, or do this on a part-time basis, if at all possible.Zigzag Into New Territory•Not keen on starting all over again? You don't have to! As Maria put it; renaissance folks should take a "zig-zag" approach to their career. Each time you move on to the next field, you may have to take a small step back, but not all the way to entry level the way someone fresh out of college would. Then you'll work your way up again, zig-zagging your way through different careers.How do you do this? By leveraging your experience and skill set and quickly acquiring new abilities. Figuring out how to promote your transferable skills and experience (on your resume, in conversations and interviews) will take some effort. If needed, work with a career coach.Then there's this nice side effect of being a renaissance person; you're probably very passionate about your new professional focus and you're quick to learn new skills. Don't underestimate your passion; people notice it and are drawn to it.More often than not, the combination of transferable skills, the ability to quickly learn new ones, and noticeable passion for this new field will get you there.

Can You Afford to Write Your Own Resume

1Can You Afford to Write Your Own Resume Why would someone pay a professional resume writer to write their resume when they have a computer, can use resume templates, and can find resume samples online and in books to get ideas on setting up and composing their own resume?The answer lies in what type of position they are targeting and their level of resume writing skills. Whether basic or complex, a resume must be attractive, focused, and interesting to read. Failing to achieve these objectives means failing to make a good first impression. Many things need to be taken into consideration in order to accomplish these goals. Here are five things to consider:1. You must understand the technical aspects of resume development. This includes resume design (what fonts to use and spacing), use of industry specific key words, career synopsis and company profiles, appropriate resume style and formats (reverse chronological, functional and combination), and page length.2. You must have good word processing skills!3. You must understand what the hiring manager is looking for and what you've done so you can make a match between their needs and your qualifications.4. You must have grammatically correct, creative writing skills to communicate what you have done in the positions you have held using a reasonable amount of detail.5. You must avoid wasting the reader's time by listing too much irrelevant information or going back too far if the position does not warrant it.Some positions such as waitress, car wash attendant, and cashier might not require a resume. If they do, it would be a general resume with a traditional objective statement and chronological listing of jobs held with a sentence or two under each to indicate responsibilities, along with job-specific skills, and education. In a word: simple. However, sometimes a resume needs to be strategically developed to emphasize the value you offer a company, especially if the position is very competitive and you need to stand out from the rest of the potential candidates.Often, a job seeker finds himself or herself in a pickle because they have held many different positions over the years and do not know how to keep the resume focused for a particular position. Maybe you are returning to the workplace after raising your children and are concerned the gap will put you at a disadvantage. Maybe you are just starting out in your career and do not think you have enough to offer a company. Or, maybe you are ready for a career change and do not know how to create a presentation that will position you for a new field.If you have done your homework (which we believe you have since you are reading this article!), you know that a resume is often referred to as a "marketing tool." No different than a commercial advertisement, your resume needs to entice the reader to buy the product (you) by grabbing their attention, listing the product's benefits (your qualifications), and compel the reader to make a move - in this case, to invite you to an interview. As you know, time is money. The more time that passes after sending your resume out, the more money you lose if it is not generating responses. If you cannot afford to be out of work for several months, you should make the decision to have your resume professionally prepared. Here is a quick quiz to help you put things into perspective:Client A: wanted to save money, so she prepared her own resume. She faxed and mailed her resume to over 50 companies over a period of six weeks, but nothing happened. While she kept her fingers crossed, she depleted half of her savings. She eventually landed an interview in the seventh week through someone she knew.Client B: understood that having her resume professionally developed was a good investment. Without one, she knew she could not launch her career in the right direction. She faxed and mailed her professionally prepared resume out to ten companies over a two-week period. By the end of week two, she landed a great interview that resulted in a fabulous job.Quick Quiz: who came out financially ahead in the long run? If you answered the job seeker that invested wisely in consulting with a professional resume writer, you are 100% correct! So, in summary, the question is not whether or not you can afford to write your own resume. The question is whether or not you can afford not to have it done properly.

BREAK THE LOSING STREAK!

1BREAK THE LOSING STREAK! How do you get a job without a job? It may seem like a strange question, but those who have been out of work for several months have a hard time finding a job precisely because they have been out of work for several months.This quote from the New York Times sums up the dilemma: "For many of these [unemployed] workers, the longer they stay out of work the worse their chances of finding work become - either because their skills become stale and dated, or because they are stigmatized by the giant hole in their resumes." ("The Long-Term Unemployed," The New York Times, April 2, 2010)So what is a job seeker to do? I advise job seekers to do contract or temporary work so that they can stay current with their fields and be able to show employers that they have not been idle since their last permanent, full-time job. Performing contract or temporary work makes it easy to explain what the job seeker has been doing on the resume and cover letter as well as in the interview. This type of work also has the added benefit of giving the job seeker some income. And another advantage is that it puts the job seeker in a better position to find out about openings. If a full-time position becomes available in the company where the job seeker is doing contract work, it is very likely that the job seeker will be offered the position since he or she is already a known entity to the company.Temporary work covers virtually every field-from day laborers to chief executive officers. Quintessential Careers has some valuable resources for those considering temporary work on its website: http://www.quintcareers.com/temping_resources.html. In addition to contract/temporary work, job hunters can highlight volunteer work on the resume. This is also considered experience. And again, it has the potential to turn into a full-time, paid position. But you have to be strategic when you volunteer in order to make it pay off. If you want a position as an HR manager, you don't want to volunteer to just stuff envelopes. You want a volunteer position that will give you an opportunity to demonstrate your ability to a potential employer. That means that you need to research the company and be clear on what you are signing up for. Although you can sign up for advertised volunteer opportunities on sites like volunteermatch.org, you can also make a proposal to an organization to perform volunteer work based on your skill set and availability.Yet another option is to participate in a professional association. By doing this you accomplish two purposes simultaneously. 1) You gain additional experience to put on your resume. 2) You open yourself up to networking opportunities that would otherwise not be available to you. Most professional associations are begging for people to participate in committees. By joining a committee you raise your visibility amongst the membership. And you are able to demonstrate your work ethic as well as your abilities in your volunteer role. Other members will refer you to positions that they hear about if they are impressed by your work. These are some practical steps to help you break out of the long-term unemployment cycle. The losing streak doesn't have to continue.*If you would like a complimentary session with a certified executive coach to discuss your situation, please send an email to admin@calltocareer.com.

Are You Unemployed Ways to Apply for Unemployment Compensation

1Are You Unemployed Ways to Apply for Unemployment Compensation Losing a job can hurt a lot, especially if you have been working with the company for many years. However, this should not be the end of everything for you. In fact, a lot of unemployed people now enjoy financial freedom from discovering a new passion or choosing to shift to an entirely different career path. Among the numerous factors that allow you to do this is unemployment insurance. For a remarkable period of time, this type of insurance can actually cover half of your living costs. If you just lost your job, it is important that you learn how you can apply for unemployment benefits as soon as possible.What are the Unemployment Qualifications?First off, you need to know if you are eligible to apply for unemployment compensation. Requirements vary in every state, so you need to go to the local Unemployment Office in your area or check out its website, if available. Basically, unemployment insurance is granted to workers who have lost their jobs without a fault of their own. The support lasts for a certain time period or until you find a new job, whichever comes sooner. The phrase "without a fault of their own" is very important, as this will justify whether you qualify for the insurance or not. Also, its meaning varies on each state. Here are the factors that can disqualify you from the insurance grant: * Leaving your job with no acceptable cause. * Getting dismissed due to misconduct. * Quitting your job because of illness. * Quitting to get married. * To become self-employed. * Being part of a labor dispute. * Attending an educational institution.In addition to the above-mentioned circumstances, there are also requirements for salary and employment time during a certain period. These factors significantly vary, depending on the state you live in. As such, there is no definite amount on how much you earned or for how long you worked to become an eligible applicant for UI. You need to verify with your state's local Unemployment Office to determine the requirements and qualifications. Generally, the unemployment benefits you are entitled to receive should be half of your earnings, a standard maximum possible amount, whichever is lower. These last for about 60 to 70 weeks.How to Apply for UnemploymentApplying for unemployment benefits is fast and easy as long as you know the essential key points of the process. As mentioned earlier, the first thing you need to do is visit your State Unemployment Office or State Department of Labor Office. If you have Internet access at home, you may also apply for unemployment benefits online. Some states even allow applications via telephone. Ready all the information you need to provide such as your Social Security Number, Alien Registration Card (for non US citizen), phone number, mailing address, and the names, dates, and addresses of the companies or organizations you have worked for in the last couple of years.Take note though that regardless of the method of application you choose, it may take weeks before your application gets approved. In New York, for instance, the waiting usually takes a week, with a possibility of delays. Once you claim your insurance, you need to continue your job hunt and file for your benefits weekly via phone or email until you find a new job.In most state laws, applicants are required to actively look for work to become eligible for continuous unemployment benefits. It is also helpful on your part to register for work at your state's local employment office, where you can find excellent resources available that can help you with your job hunting. Such resources include career counseling, resume writing, and training.

A Good Business Opportunity in Difficult Economic Times

1A Good Business Opportunity in Difficult Economic Times When the economy is bad, what can you do?People are losing jobs or having their hours cut - and losing their benefits.In many parts of the world, there are few jobs to be had and many applying for those limited spots.How many hours a week are you spending on job hunting? Resume writing? Worrying? I bet it's a lot.Instead of buying into the doom and gloom of the economy why not take this opportunity to think about having your own business? I know - you already have your list of why-you-can'ts ready to fling back at that suggestion :)I need the moneyI need the health insurance. I need the security. I need the structure. It costs too much. It takes too much time.What these translate to in my head are:I'm afraid. I'm afraid. I'm afraid.Sure it can be scary - but look where you are now - no job, no benefits or declining benefits, all the things you said you needed are gone! Working for someone else is no longer a secure thing. I've known people in very secure jobs like teaching to be released, workers in the auto industry - once a lifetime employment guarantee - oops they are out of jobs.Too many corporations have moved jobs overseas where someone earning a fraction of what you were paid now has your old position and that person is dispensable as soon as a cheaper employee comes along.So what's left for you? Fast food, Wally World or standing in line for the better paying jobs along with the 1000s of others. Or - maybe rethinking having your own business?What is a good business opportunity in difficult economic times? What business model works well in this economy? You might be surprised to learn that network marketing does! Yes the old used-to-make-fun-of kind of business! This can work well if you actually use and believe in the products, have a desire to help others and have or are willing to learn marketing skills and find a solid company with a good compensation plan. Look around - there is one that might be a fit for you.And I have one more firm criteria for anything I do - it must be fun too! That's why I do network marketing as one of my income streams [as I also don't believe in putting all my income eggs in one basket ☺]And now I would like to invite you to claim a free consultation about YOUR business when you visit Gray Wolf Productions

What is the Top Beauty School in the Country

1What is the Top Beauty School in the Country If you want to become an expert in the beauty field, and particularly if you want a career in the beauty industry, of course you are going to want to find the top beauty school to attend. This will not only ensure that you are educated as best as possible but as well will help you get a job afterwards. After all, you are going to be listing the school you attended on your resume and the better the school, the better you are going to look.If you want to find the top beauty school, you should know that there is actually more than one option available to you here. Here are a few examples to help get you started and at least show you what you should be looking for in a top beauty school.Aveda InstituteLocated in California, the Aveda Institute Los Angeles is definitely a top beauty school. Here they mentor and train cosmetology students regarding overall performance in order to assure the highest level of education. They provide technical support to the cosmetology students to ensure a well-trained and motivated student.The work environment here is excellent and there are just a few minimum requirements that you are going to need to meet in order to apply, which includes high school diploma valid with cosmetology license, must maintain current instructors license, minimum of two years continuous cosmetology experience in a salon, willing to work flexible schedule, excellent interpersonal and communication skills and commitment to company mission to vision.New York Beauty School Another top beauty school that you may want to consider is the New York Beauty School. Here you can make your dreams of becoming a professional in the cosmetology field come true, and if you are curious about attending you should contact one of their representatives for more information.All of the students that attend this school will become proficiently educated in skincare, makeup, waxing, body treatments, marketing and retailing, resume writing and interviewing and more.Before you decide to apply to any school, you want to make sure that you have everything in good standing. More than anything you are going to need to ensure that your resume looks as professional as possible. You can do it on your own but you also have the option of going to a professional resume writer if this would be easier for you. Your resume is going to be what schools are looking at and seriously going to consider.