Writing Your Resume, Where To Begin?
April
There are many tips for writing a resume that will help someone get past the first level in the job application process. A good resume can help that person get to the interview process, if all the steps are taken properly. But the list of tips for writing a resume will fill a book, literally. Several books have been written on this subject, most of them containing excellent advice. One of them is the one I wrote called “Pro Resume Writing Secrets.”
But it may be more productive to concentrate on a few of the basic tips for writing a resume, leaving some of the finer points to the experts who work face to face with an individual. So, where do we begin?
- Perhaps the first decision to make is this: Should they try a full resume of several pages or stick with what has become known as a qualifications brief? Committing to one or the other will help eliminate doubts and allow the applicant to put together an organized and focused document.
- After deciding which type of resume or brief to commit to, the next step is usually the gathering of information. While this may seem simple, it is a critical step in the resume process. Many experts and job application advisers put significant emphasis on advance preparation. Just because you have a good memory and think you can put all of your education, experience and activities on paper does not mean you will do that when the time comes. Take plenty of time to make notes, gather certificates and other documents. Put together a well-organized file of all the information you need to build a good resume.
- Open any guidebook on tips for writing a resume and you will find some version of the two ideas above, as well as this tip: Try to focus on what the company needs, not just on showing the personnel manager or company supervisor how great your background is. One of the keys to a successful resume process (and one of the most difficult) is to blend personal experience and education with the needs of the company or person doing the hiring. Sometimes these needs are plainly stated in an advertisement or other information provided to the applicant. Sometimes this is only available when the applicant does some research or asks a few specific questions.
- Another key item on the list of tips for writing a resume: Do not start the resume process thinking that you have no work experience. This will only make for a weak resume or qualifications brief. In fact, every individual has something to offer. The key is to find out what you alone can do well and find the position in which to use those skills.
High Salary Equals High Happiness?
April
With all of the thought that people put into choosing the right job, too few of them actually do the research to back it up. A lot of people, for example, rate average yearly income as one of the primary motivating factors for the job field that they got into. The bottom line is that people want to make money, so average salary is important in determining what job they should get. In spite of all this, however, many of these same folks never bother to look up good statistics on average salaries. They trust any source that they find, even relying on the recommendations of friends or family member with no experience in the field.
I have always believed that there is never such a thing as too much information. The more information that you have, after all, the better job you can do in evaluating your situation and making the right decision. Average salaries are only one of the many factors that go into job happiness, but they are an important part. Let’s face it: no matter how happy you are with your job duties, if you are not able to make any money, you just will not enjoy the job. It is as simple as that. No one wants to go to one of the best universities, get good grades, spend hours and hours working on improving themselves, only to make little to no money
Still, it is easy to fall into the trap of looking at average salary and nothing else. You have to keep one thing in mind when you are calculating average yearly income: net income is dependent on you being able to do the job right. If you are unmotivated in your current profession, it doesn’t matter how lucrative it is. No matter what, you will not be able to do a very good job at it. You will either burn out quickly, get fired, or burn out slowly. Either way, you will lose time and money and never live up to your dreams. This is why it is so important to choose a job that you like, and not just one with a high average salary. The bottom line is that average salary is only one of many complicated factors that go into finding the right job for you. The perks and benefits of a career, the schedule and workload, and whether the skills and interests used match your own, can help you to decide on the right career.
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