How to See Through Misleading Resumes

How to See Through Misleading Resumes An averaged sized company can receive up to a million resumes each year and this can be the ‘Never Ending Story’ for a recruiter or HR department. But after  hours of skimming and sifting though all the possible-employer-clutter you come to  find one particular candidate that is going to greatly help fulfill your company’s ever-changing needs. Your journey does not stop here however! Just because someone  looks good on paper, does not mean that they are going to be an accurate reflection  of that in the work place. You do your searches, trying to find anything and  everything you can about the seemingly perfect candidate, and after some time and  effort, you find what you need to get a good idea of who this possible employer is as  a person. But what happens after all that time and effort is spent researching  someone, and they don’t follow through because they lied on their resume? I’ll tell  you what happens the employee gets fired, and the repercussions land on your lap. Better run for cover! This happens all the time to companies and their hiring teams. Sometimes it  just can’t be prevented, most of the time it can. Wording your resume, to make it  look a little better than what it is, is not uncommon. In fact it might be the norm. According to StatisticsBrain.com some 53% of resumes contain falsifications, and  nearly 78% are at least misleading (wow, employers really want that job!). So how  do you see through to the truth of a resume to reduce the risk of choosing the wrong  hire? 1) Take your time: Look at each particular statement of a resume, and take  the time to add up the total picture of what the piece of paper is saying. What specific wording are they using? Are they stating specific numbers,  or generalizing their work history? What facts are they bringing to your  attention more than others? This will pay off in the long run for you, and  allow you to better evaluate each possible hire. 2) Compare and contrast: Make sure that the things that they are showing off  add up, and can be verified. Nothing should come across as contradicting.  Gaps in the resume are usually a good indicator that something is fishy. Remember; if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is! 3) Fact check: If something is easily quantifiable, take the time to make sure it  checks out. Most projects that someone lists on a resume can be found with  the right search tools. If not, take it a step further and verify the specifics  with a past employer if the success is as good as the resume says, the recent  employer will have no problem talking about it with you. $80,000 in sales is a  lot different than $8,00.00 in sales. There is a difference between wording a resume so that you stand out to an  employer, and stretching the truth so much that the candidate fails to follow  through with what your company needs. Using tools in order to get a better  understanding of a candidate and what they are going to do for you, will ensure  their success within the company, as well as yours. I leave the recruiters with one  final word of advice: wouldn’t you rather take your time, and really make sure you  know what your getting, than have to do it all over again? Author:  Colten Oliver is a  Marketing/Content Writer at  HiringSolved.

Why You Should Always Send a Follow Up Thank You Letter

Why You Should Always Send a Follow Up Thank You Letter When applying for a new job the devil can certainly be in the detail. Two simple words can make a world of difference and they are “thank you”. We all want to be thanked for the effort we put in to our jobs and that goes for any interviewer, be they HR or hiring managers. Be sure to follow up your cover letter that got you the interview with a post-interview thank you note that will put you firmly back on the map for the employer. Why send it? Sincere statements like “Thank you for meeting me today”, “I appreciated meeting you”, “I very much look forward to speaking to you later today” should perk up any hiring manager’s mood after another day of sifting the wheat from the chaff. The idea is to stand out from other candidates and leave a favorable impression with the other person by going the extra mile. The follow up letter is more than only saying thank you, it also allows you to reiterate the points you made in the meeting and to bring up any new points that you forgot to put across. Examples of this could be “great to see that we both like ice hockey, I should have mentioned that I did play semi-professionally back in the 90’s”. Make the decision today to follow up your meetings with a thank you note sent straight to the interviewer. The note says a lot about you, that you care about others and not just about this particular job. It will also indicate that you will make a great team player willing to go out of your way for others. How to send it? Does the not have to be sent by post? Not at all, a phone call or an email will do just as well. Although traditionalists would argue that nothing beats a hand written letter, especially if you want to stand out from the crowd. In any event, what’s important is that you express your appreciation and leave a lasting good impression. If you really like the idea of thank you notes, you could even send one to the employers that didn’t ask you to interview. Again, you will get noticed and although you won’t be put back in the running for that position, you will be at the forefront of that employer’s mind for the next one. Sample follow up thank you  letter: Dear Employer, Thank you so much for taking the time to see me today. It was a pleasure discussing our mutual passion for philately and ornithology. I enjoyed meeting you and going through your job opening and to have the chance to state the reasons I am convinced I would be an ideal fit. The team seems like a lovely bunch of people, the office is very conveniently located and I can really see myself having a long career with your company. Looking forward to hearing from you soon and hopefully another meeting in the near future. Thank you once again. Kind Regards, Applicant Conclusion Make it a rule to follow up your interviews with another cover letter, including the magic words “thank you” and you will be surprised how people will react positively. Now go on and Make Dale Carnegie himself proud by unleashing the power of good manners on your job search! And now turn to your resume at Why Your CV is Boring and Ineffective.

How Long-Term Planning Allows for Smoother Seasonal Transitions at Work

How Long-Term Planning Allows for Smoother Seasonal Transitions at Work As summer comes to an end, many people feel a little drained. This happens during almost every seasonal change. With a new season comes new events and more planning, and every person goes through significant life changes, no matter where they work. As a result, many people in the workplace lose focus. How can you better prepare for seasonal and life transitions without impacting your work? Small Businesses and Burnout Seasonal burnout or employee burnout of any kind can be detrimental to a business, especially if they have a small number of employees. Small businesses need every team player to do their part in order to have success. If one person isn’t focused, it could lead a project to fail and revenue loss. That’s something small businesses simply can’t afford. Burnout typically occurs due to a lack of work-life balance. That’s why it is important for employees and employers alike to keep an eye out for the symptoms of burnout. Symptoms include anger, anxiety, depression, fatigue, insomnia, lack of appetite, and decreased concentration. This isn’t unavoidable, though. There are plenty of methods you can use to prevent burnout for yourself and within your company. How to Prevent Burnout in Small Work Settings Control any aspects of your job that you can. For instance, find new and better ways to organize your everyday tasks. You may even find cleaning up your workspace helps you better focus. You can also prioritize your work so that you can stay on top of deadlines and possibly even get ahead. You should also schedule downtime for yourself. If you’re part of a startup or small business, you likely work more hours each week than regular nine-to-five employees. If you can’t schedule downtime, you should certainly have set working hours and stick to them. When you leave the office or your workspace, don’t continue to think about work. The best thing a small business employee can do, however, is to learn to say no when they simply can’t fit anything else into their schedule. While that may be difficult to do at first, you’ll find creating a clear separation between work and your personal life brings a sense of peace to your job. How You Can Prepare for Seasonal Transitions Sometimes lack of focus doesn’t always stem from burnout. Seasonal change can play a factor in how employees perform at work as well. Right now, everyone is going through the transition from summer to fall. The weather is cooling down and the sun is out less. These changes impact the way people interact with work. If you know seasonal change affects you, you can do some planning to get ahead of it. Similar to dealing with burnout at work, you can take control of your workload and focus on centering yourself â€" especially if you are balancing work, life, and even grad school. First, create a schedule or a plan for your all your responsibilities. By creating a schedule and sticking to it, you will be more consistent, despite any seasonal change. Another important aspect of preparing for seasonal transitions is staying on top of your current workload. Getting behind now will only facilitate further stress in the workplace during any transition. In the age of technology, it is also extremely important that you find time to unplug from electronics and from work itself. The feeling that you need to be plugged in all the time can cause additional stress. While you’re unplugged, focus on self-care. Hit the gym, read a book, or just do something you love. This will help you maintain work-life balance and focus during any transition. Tips to Help Dodge Disruption to Your Career Burnout and seasonal change can certainly cause disruption in the workplace, but they aren’t the only factors. Sometimes those big life changes can have a huge impact on your ability to focus at work too. If you’re planning a wedding, moving, or having any other big life change, plan ahead for how it may impact your job and career. Remind yourself that, although your life is changing in a huge way, you should focus on maintaining balance at work. Having one place or activity that centers you can make all the difference. Making your center your career can help you avoid feeling overwhelmed by other changes in life. As with burnout and seasonal changes, you can refocus on work during a big life change like getting married by better organizing, taking charge of your own schedule, and getting ahead. If you know you’ll need time off to handle your big life change, plan for it. Neglecting to do so will only cause additional stress. Be Patient With Yourself All in all, maintaining a work-life balance can be extremely difficult, especially if there’s something big going on in your life. Consider the tips mentioned here to help you focus. But, above all else, remember that you are human. It is possible that taking some time off or carving out some time for yourself is all you need to do to feel centered again. This guest post was authored by Brooke Faulkner Brooke Faulkner is a writer, mom and adventurer in the Pacific Northwest.  She spends her days pondering what makes a good leader.   And then dreaming up ways to teach these virtues to her sons, without getting groans and eye rolls in response.

3 Attributes of a Championship Employee - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

3 Attributes of a Championship Employee - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career To build championship performance in any environment, whether it be on the athletic field or in business, organizational leaders need to evaluate team members (athletes or employees) for three key attributes: Ability Attitude Aptitude Now, if you read the article two weeks ago Creating Championship Performance in Small Business Workplaces that offered 5 C.H.A.M.P. traits of a championship culture, you may be wondering how these three attributes relate. You may be thinking Im just adding more traits to the list. Heres the difference. The 5 C.H.A.M.P. traits are culture driven by the organizations leadership and how performance and behavior expectations are communicated and managed. These A attributes are driven by what the individual team member brings to the organization. Lets take a look at each: Ability This is the skills an individual brings to their role. What does their present level of ability allow them to do for the organization within the role for which they are hired? How can their ability contribute to the success of the team and organization? Attitude This will determine how well the individual will apply their ability to their role and how they will interact with other members of the team to create collaborative results at the highest level. It will also determine how they will integrate the 5 C.H.A.M.P. traits that are the expectation for a championship caliber team member. Aptitude This attribute speaks to individual team members capability to learn and grow within their role, or other roles that will allow them to grow and develop even further. All team members should strive to continually develop, get better in their role and present abilities, while also building new skills and abilities. A team with individuals with high levels of aptitude provide greater flexibility throughout the organization. Assessing ones ability and attitude is easier than assessing aptitude when looking to bring in team members into the fold. To assess an individuals aptitude should start with their attitude towards learning new skills. Often attitude is 80% of it. Then, a look at the individuals past history regarding how they have evolved in their previous roles and how quickly. If there is a history of positive growth and career acceleration you can delve deeper into the factors that led to development, which would speak to both their attitude and aptitude to learn and grow to become an even more valuable team member. The attributes of ability, attitude, aptitude combined with the 5 C.H.A.M.P. traits will create a team capable of performing at a championship level, however that may be defined, which well address next week.

What to Put on Resume

What to Put on ResumeThere are many things that you need to know about what to put on your resume. You do not want to put the wrong things on it because you may lose out on the opportunities that are waiting for you when applying for different jobs.Information is the most important thing to include in a resume. Make sure you put any information that you have about your career history such as where you studied, the positions you have held and the positions you are looking for. It is also a good idea to include any certifications that you may have received or find it hard to keep track of.When it comes to job searching, resumes are an important thing to include as they can help to show the employer that you are the best candidate for the job. Even if you do not find the job that you are applying for, the fact that you have put the effort into making yourself appear in the search engines can help you to get further in the job search and therefore will help to increase your chances of ge tting the job.Another thing that you should put on your resume is some documentation that may be related to the position that you are applying for. This will help to prove to the employer that you have done all the necessary things to try and obtain the job that you are applying for. Also, the documentation that you put on your resume may help to show that you have the experience needed to do the job that you are applying for.Information on a resume is important but it is also important to be able to make yourself stand out from the crowd of people who apply for the same job as you. You need to be able to make sure that you are the only one applying for the job so that the employer will be more likely to take you on instead of someone else.If you are applying for a job that is a senior position then it is a good idea to ensure that you include all the information on your resume. This includes an academic record and details of any certifications that you have acquired along with work experience that may be relevant to the job. You do not want to waste time on a job that is not suitable for you, after all the best thing to do is show your potential employer that you are capable of doing the job.Having the ability to learn and be able to show that you are good at learning new things is another important thing to include on your resume. It is very important that you show that you are willing to learn more about a new job that you are applying for and it is also good to show that you are willing to adapt to changing jobs. The fact that you are good at adapting will help to get you more jobs over time.Remember, these are the most important things to put on your resume so make sure that you get them right. Remember to use your own expertise to explain to the employer why you are the best person for the job and how your experience and training can benefit them in the long run.

How to Do a Year-End Review and Rev-Up Your Career for the New Year

How to Do a Year-End Review and Rev-Up Your Career for the New Year As we close out the year, I wanted to support you in ending on a high note because good endings make good beginnings. As a friend said, this is a great time re-center and focus on positive energy going into the new year.   So to do that, in this episode youll learn:What to Give Up to Be a Success (from this CNBC article)An Easy and Fun Way to Do a Year-End ReviewThe Benefits of Celebrating YourselfMonthly Career Tip to Help You Separate Fact From FeelingInformation on my Winter Mastermind Program in JanuaryLearn more about my fabulous guest and friend of the show: Lauren Banyar Reich of LBRPR.com.Alls well that ends well. End 2018 and start 2019 well with this thoughtits my take on a quote from Thomas Edison who held over 1000 patents and has been described as Americas greatest inventor: If [WHEN]we all did [DO] the things we are really capable of doing, we would [WILL] literally astound ourselves. A toast to you and the new year ahead!Check out this episode!

How to Make Time to Invest in Yourself

How to Make Time to Invest in Yourself When’s the last time you took time away from the day-to-day to work on something that matters to you? Something meaty that would be an investment in your future. Things like developing the strategy for your business, getting clarity on the next step in your career, or planning out your priorities for the next 6 months? Often, these are the things in the “important but not urgent” category, and we let them get crowded out by urgent tasks… whether or not they’re important. While it’s easy to get trapped on the treadmill of getting tasks done and keeping up with new requests, it’s a mistake if you want to get ahead in your career. The more you’re chained to the desk, the narrower your opportunity set becomes. When you’re constantly in “keep your head down and crank out work” mode, it puts you at risk of being pigeon-holed as the go-to person for those tasks, whether or not you want to do them. You’re also more likely to miss the big picture strategic trends that could move the needle for your business and your career. When you allow the day-to-day tasks to drive your direction, you may be veering way off-course without knowing it. Instead, make sure you’re making the time to think, reflect, and invest in yourself. Make the time to think, reflect, and invest in yourself. If you find it hard to do this, here are five things you can do to create the time and mind space to step away from the daily grind to invest in yourself. Question your assumptions Ask yourself why you can’t take an hour a week, or a day a quarter, or even 15 minutes a morning to think about the important but not urgent. What would need to be true for you to make that time happen? I recently took two days out for a virtual mastermind event with other entrepreneurs to work on our businesses (instead of working in our businesses). Initially, I had been assuming that I’d be losing 10 hours of productive work time. But once I looked at it objectively, I realized that my team would drive our initiatives during my time “off the grid”. In the end, it was totally worth the investment. Not only did my business keep running, I also came away with a key strategic insight that will multiply my results. What assumptions are you making about your commitments and how does that keep you from taking the time to invest in yourself? Schedule it in If there’s something that would make a difference in your career and life, the key is to schedule it in. And to make sure it sticks, enlist people to help you protect that time. According to Suzy Welch, that’s what top CEOs do â€" they schedule in a protected hour once a week and their assistant makes sure it’s sacrosanct. Think about what would happen if you were suddenly ill or had to take care of a family emergency. Wouldn’t you just go and do it? Of course you would. And would the place fall apart when you took that time out? Of course not. So your planned absence from the day-to-day grind would cause even less of a problem. And if your current work setup is so precarious that it relies entirely on your presence to work, then you’ve set things up irresponsibly. It’s time to build in some backup. What do you want to schedule in and who could help you guard that time slot? Set up your systems This brings us to the importance of setting up your systems to run without you and making use of your resources to free you up to invest in yourself. Maybe you have an assistant or team members who would love to do some of those tasks that have become routine for you. Or perhaps you could create a template for the most common emails you tend to send. How could you streamline your processes, perhaps by creating checklists, video instructions and the like so things run more efficiently? Should you be negotiating for an additional team member, or delegating more to the ones you have? Prepare to be laser focused When it comes to working on tasks, I’ve found that every minute I spend on preparation saves me time later. It also helps me get the task done more effectively. Before I sit down to do something, I write down my intention and the specific action steps that I plan to take. Even down to things like “find XYZ file” or “clear my mindset”. That way, I can be laser focused on getting the main task done when I sit down to do it. What kind of preparation would help you be more efficient and effective in doing your work? Eliminate worry Worrying wastes a tremendous amount of time and energy. Personally, I know I spend way too much time feeling anxious about how things are going to turn out, and that keeps me from getting started right away. And it takes me longer to get something done than it should. It’s like having too many apps or tabs open on your laptop, which slows things down. How could you reduce or even eliminate the worry factor? Whether it’s meditation, talking to someone you trust, or getting up and moving, it’s worth finding what works for you and doing it. Conclusion So whether you want to improve your business results, advance your career or learn a new skill, it’s important that you invest in yourself. An investment in yourself is never wasted. It’s time to elevate yourself in your own eyes and make your development a priority. What’s the investment you most want to make, and what’s the next step you can take to make it reality? Leave a comment and let me know.