Soft Skills FTW

Soft Skills FTW Sorry, FTW was so 2016. Or 2015. Anyway, my point is, soft skills are awesome! The Washington Post has an article titled The surprising thing Google learned about its employees â€" and what it means for today’s students Todays students. I believe we are all students of and in life, so that means us. The premise of the article can be summed up in this: STEM skills are vital to the world we live in today, but technology alone, as Steve Jobs famously insisted, is not enough.   This is pretty big, considering it comes from a company that used to care only about mega-tech abilities. You arent a programmer? Maybe just maybe, that is okay! You arent technical? Perhaps theres a glimmer of hope that you have a place in this world! Ive been looking at a lot of job postings lately there are a lot of desperate recruiters hoping to find technologists. And those jobs pay crazy well. But indeed, non-technical people are needed. Furthermore, technical people with soft skills are really needed even if companies seem to only focus on hard skills. No matter what you want your next gig to be, let me encourage you to improve your soft skills. Surprisingly, one of my top courses on Pluralsight is to help you become a better listener. An active listener. An engaged communicator. Other soft skills might be empathy, outbound communication (writing and talking), presentation, persuasion, patience, perseverance, etc. Some people are naturally good at some of these. But these are skills, and skills can be learned and improved. So learn. And improve. Check out my 29 soft skills courses on Pluralsight here. You can get a free 10 day pass on the site, or if you ask me nicely I might be able to hook you up with a 30 day pass. Watch any of my courses and get upgrades on JibberJobber (win-win!), but the real benefit is that you can learn and improve your soft skills. That sounds like a great personal goal for 2018! Soft Skills FTW Sorry, FTW was so 2016. Or 2015. Anyway, my point is, soft skills are awesome! The Washington Post has an article titled The surprising thing Google learned about its employees â€" and what it means for today’s students Todays students. I believe we are all students of and in life, so that means us. The premise of the article can be summed up in this: STEM skills are vital to the world we live in today, but technology alone, as Steve Jobs famously insisted, is not enough.   This is pretty big, considering it comes from a company that used to care only about mega-tech abilities. You arent a programmer? Maybe just maybe, that is okay! You arent technical? Perhaps theres a glimmer of hope that you have a place in this world! Ive been looking at a lot of job postings lately there are a lot of desperate recruiters hoping to find technologists. And those jobs pay crazy well. But indeed, non-technical people are needed. Furthermore, technical people with soft skills are really needed even if companies seem to only focus on hard skills. No matter what you want your next gig to be, let me encourage you to improve your soft skills. Surprisingly, one of my top courses on Pluralsight is to help you become a better listener. An active listener. An engaged communicator. Other soft skills might be empathy, outbound communication (writing and talking), presentation, persuasion, patience, perseverance, etc. Some people are naturally good at some of these. But these are skills, and skills can be learned and improved. So learn. And improve. Check out my 29 soft skills courses on Pluralsight here. You can get a free 10 day pass on the site, or if you ask me nicely I might be able to hook you up with a 30 day pass. Watch any of my courses and get upgrades on JibberJobber (win-win!), but the real benefit is that you can learn and improve your soft skills. That sounds like a great personal goal for 2018!

Writing a Cover Letter For Acting Resume

Writing a Cover Letter For Acting ResumeWriting a cover letter for acting resume is important in finding the best job. If you are self-employed or just a part-time employee, a cover letter will make the difference between a regular job and a full-time job. The reason is that your cover letter will be sent to dozens of different agencies. As such, you want it to be one of the most convincing letters that you can write.So how do you accomplish this? The first thing you need to do is prepare your letter properly. The following paragraphs outline three of the most important aspects of your letter.One of the most important aspects of a cover letter is the resume. While resumes aren't always needed, they are extremely powerful and should be written well. A letter that is good but poorly written will not provide much information about you.Make sure the letter doesn't sound like a sales pitch. Make sure you don't sound as if you are trying to sell the agency to the person reading the letter. Instead, put a friendly tone. Put yourself in the person's shoes and try to see yourself applying for the job.The next thing you need to think about when writing a cover letter for acting resume is your goal. Your goal should be to find a position. Don't try to sell the position to the agency and they won't buy your product.Be honest about your background. The information you provide about your past history will come back to haunt you. An employer reading your letter will see things they like about you. They will also see things they don't like. Because the employer needs to see the best version of themselves, they will probably wonder whether or not you really do have the skills needed for the job.By providing all of the necessary qualities for the job, you will have already won over the interview. An interviewer will want to know your honest opinion of the company. The last thing they want is a false impression. Give it to them straight. It will make them want to hire you over an y other applicant.All in all, writing a cover letter for acting resume is very easy. Just be honest about yourself and provide all of the information needed. This will get you the job over any other applicant.

Time to reflect make sense of what youve done University of Manchester Careers Blog

Time to reflect make sense of what youve done University of Manchester Careers Blog Reflection isnt always easy to do, but you have a real advantage in the job market if you are able to take a dispassionate look at yourself and understand how you appear to potential employers it will help you tell your story more effectively. By really thinking about what you want, and critically assessing information you pick up along the way about careers, it can also help you avoid falling into a career which doesnt satisfy you. So how can you do this? I suggest you cover four areas: What have you done this year? What have you learnt about yourself? So what? ie. What would all this stuff you know about yourself mean to an employer? What have you learnt about careers? Why? Because writing CVs and explaining yourself at interviews will be so much easier if youve done this groundwork first. Heres some tips for how to do it. What have you done this year? Its often easiest to start from something concrete. What have been your achievements, your successes? What have been your disappointments? What feedback have you been given (good and bad)? Who has asked for your help? If someone has asked for your help, its likely that they think youre good at something! Try and record some of your successes. Youll need to remember them when it comes to job applications and interviews having a few notes to jog your memory will really help. When things get tough, it can help to flick through your file of things Ive done to remind yourself just how much progress youve made. How? Any way you want! On paper try a box file, a diary, a shoe-box stuffed with scraps of paper whatever works for you. Digitally you can simply use a text file or you can experiment with more versatile formats, such as Evernote, and capture text notes, web pages or even audio or video notes from your phone. What have you learnt about yourself? Are you clear about your strengths and weaknesses? You may underestimate your strengths. After all, if something comes easily to you, you probably think whats the big deal? However, other people may look at you in awe as you: effortlessly get difficult people to do what you want talk to 10 year olds about your subject and keep them enthralled turn an unwieldy mass of data into an elegant graph If youre not sure what your natural talents are, try describing your recent successes to someone else and get them to pick out the strengths you must have been using. If you want a list of strengths and skills often required by employers, try our Masters/PhD skills evidence form. NB. Not all skills on this list are needed for all jobs! Want more? University of Manchester students and recent graduates also have access to an online personality questionnaire, the Type Dynamics Indicator. By answering a number of online questions, you will receive a computer generated report by email, interpreting your preferences, including the impact on your relationships with others, your performance in groups, and some suggestions for possible career areas (this doesnt take any account of your postgraduate degree though). So what? What would this mean to an employer? Think of your achievements as raw data. You now need to interpret them, turn them into useful information and present your argument. From your own point of view What does your reaction to each of your successes and disappointments tell you about what you want out of life? Try simply noting down any observations in two columns Want / Dont Want. Theyll probably change over time, but you can add to and change your list as you extend your skills or try new experiences which youd rather not repeat. Want a ready-made career checklist and self assessment process? Download our document What do you want out of a career? (pdf) from our website, An Academic Career. From an employers point of view You need concrete examples of what youve done in order to populate your CV, but you also need to help employers understand why these examples might be relevant. Rather than simply list scientific techniques you have used, you could point out that you have used technique X in context Y to achieve outcome Z. If youre a researcher going for non-academic jobs, dont just list titles of conference presentations. Make sense of it to a non-academic eg. invited to present latest research findings to 250 leading international academics, resulting in a new collaboration with a research group in Germany. What have you learnt about careers? Information about jobs What new jobs have you heard of in the last year? Who have you talked to about their work? What insights have you gained into their work and whether that would appeal to you? If youve found a type of work in which you are interested, what do they look for in applicants? How well does that match what you currently have to offer? Information about job hunting If you are a researcher who attended Pathways, what insights did you glean about how PhDs find work which satisfies them? What have you learnt about the job market in your preferred field? How is it changing, what are future trends? Finding the right job for you How well do the jobs youve heard of match your Want / Dont Want lists? Could you start (or add to) a Yes / No / Maybe list of jobs you have considered? Do you need to revise your view of some jobs, given new information or the way you have changed in the last year? For example, its not unusual for researchers to fall in and out of love with becoming an academic where are you in this cycle? (And yes, this is another preview of whats going on to be appearing on our postgrad website this could keep me going for months!) All Postgrad-highlighted Postgraduate employability

5 Best Resume Writing Services in Sydney

5 Best Resume Writing Services in Sydney Are you about to make your next career leap in Sydney? The Sydney job market is insanely competitive, but there are also heaps of golden opportunities out there. Job hunting doesn’t even have to be stressful if you have the right partner in place.Your trusted professional resume writer, that is.Using a pro for your CV/resume will give you the confidence of knowing you have the optimum career marketing tool in your hands. You will use it to get interviews faster and get settled in your dream job more quickly.To make your search for a resume ninja more efficient, we’ve scoured reviews, pricing, and writer qualifications to come up with this list of the 5 best resume writing services in Sydney.Best Resume Services in SydneyIf you are in a hurry and don't want to read our detailed reviews below, here is a list of the Best Resume Writers in Sydney:Find My Profession (that's us!) Client Centric Katie Roberts Career Consulting Successful Resumes Career EssentialsAnd now for the detailed reviews...1. Find My ProfessionFind My Profession is not just a top-notch resume service available in Sydney. We are a global company headquartered in the US on a mission to master effective, ATS compatible resumes that convert into offers.A major perk of Find My Profession is that we are not a one-person shop.Collectively, our team of elite resume writers has experience in 85+ unique industries/professions. This allows us to assign you a professional writer (in the United States) based on your unique background and experience.We are also not a resume factory. We will never use “ghostwriters”. You will have your resume writer’s name, email, and phone number for direct communication.With 100+ 5-star reviews and a 60-day interview guarantee thatspeaks for itself, you can sleep easy knowing that your satisfaction is our #1 priority.Pros:Find My Profession commits to working with each client until they are completely satisfied. Don’t worry about having a limited number of edits , or a set amount of time with your writer.Cons:Find My Profession is a virtual/online company. While we provide services in your city, we don’t have a physical office.Also, with a focus on more senior positions, our entry-level resume service may be a bit pricey for recent graduates.Turnaround: 3-5 business days. Can expedite to 2 business days.Cost: $395-$895 USDPhone: +1(831) 888-0967 or help@findmyprofession.comDon't take our word for it, check out some of our 5-star reviews.Trustpilot2. Client CentricClient Centric has the motto, “You’ve worked hard to get where you are. Let’s make that count.” While they describe themselves as an “executive employment solutions” company, you don’t need to be an executive to use their CV/resume writing services. In fact, you will see lots of positive testimonials from job seekers at all stages of their careers on their website. You can use Client Centric for your resume, LinkedIn, selection criteria, and interview prep.Pros: Cli ent Centric has lots of samples on their website, including some cool infographic CV examples if you are interested in that. We love it when companies proudly show off how great they can make you look on paperâ€"before you buy.Cons: This company has no reviews on third-party sites (i.e., the kind it is possible to leave negative reviews on). They do however have lots of great testimonials and we’ve included one below.Turnaround: 3â€"4 working days.Cost: $285â€"745.Phone: 0415 559 2333. Katie Roberts Career ConsultingKatie Roberts Career Consulting isn’t just for career counseling. The company also provides entry-level to executive resume writing for job seekers in Sydney and throughout Australia. Reviewers describe the resume creation process as highly collaborative and value the expert guidance they receive from their writers along the way. In addition to resumes, the Katie Roberts team can help you with LinkedIn profiles, biographies, selection criteria, interview preparation, and of course, counseling.Pros: They have several offices in the Sydney area you can visit, including the CBD, North Sydney, and West Sydney.Cons: We weren’t able to find out much about the individual writers working for this resume writing service.Turnaround: 5â€"7 days.Cost: $295â€"595.Phone: 1300 644 8904. Successful ResumesSuccessful Resumes is a large national resume writing company with several locations in New South Wales including Sydney CBD. The company has been in business for over 25 years and has written more than 100,000 resumes. They can also help you with LinkedIn, selection criteria, interview preparation, and coaching. The entire resume creation process is made crystal clear on their easy-to-use website.Pros: Although the company is big, you can find out all about the writer who serves your part of Sydney through their Locations menu. We liked that personal touch.Cons: When it comes to pricing, they keep their cards close to their chests. You will have to call to find out more.Turnaround: Within 5 days.Cost: Not stated.Phone: Contact through the website.5. Career EssentialsCareer Essentials is a respected group of HR professionals headed by Sabina Newson. She promises that your Career Essentials CV/resume will do justice to your skills and will be able to withstand both robotic and human vetting. The company is based locally but is an online service rather than a brick-and-mortar establishment. Reviewers of Career Essentials resumes say that they were pleasantly agog once they saw their on-paper transformations.Pros: Career Essentials has been in business for over 20 years and its staff have strong exposure to the recruitment process.Cons: We noticed that compared to other resume writing services, these resume prices are fairly low. The selection criteria costs are on the high end, however. So keep that in mind as you plan your investment.Turnaround: Within 5 days.Cost: $190â€"480.Phone: 0431 873 171The companies on this list service the fo llowing areas in Sydney, New South Wales:Newcastle, Central Coast, Wollongong, Maitland, Tweed Heads, Wagga Wagga, Albury - Wodonga, Coffs Harbour, Port Macquarie, Tamworth, Canberra - Queanbeyan, Orange, Dubbo, Bathurst, Blue Mountains, Nowra - Bomaderry, Lismore, Goulburn, Cessnock, Armidale, Bowral - Mittagong, Forster - Tuncurry, Broken Hill, TareeBest Resume Service in AustraliaNot worried about finding a local writer? Are you looking for the best resume writers in all of Australia? Check out this article on the10 Best Resume Services in Australia.

Writing a Resume Objective For a Principal

Writing a Resume Objective For a PrincipalWhen you're writing a resume objective for a principal in your company, it's easy to miss the point. Perhaps you will miss the point too, because the purpose of a resume objective is to make the reader understand the specific reason that the company wants to hire you. One mistake that often leads to a poor impression of the company is the omission of this important detail.The employer's perspective is what you should be focusing on, not yours. This is the reason that you see a resume objective for a principal without any reference to the specific reason for the request. This omission of the context could easily result in the potential applicant's feeling that he or she was an afterthought.Here's another example: When you're writing a resume objective for a principal in your company, make sure that the principal's accomplishments are included in your statement of purpose, as it will be a key element to persuade the hiring manager that the pros pective employee will be a valuable addition to the company. If your statement includes the principal's accomplishments, you're doing the applicant a favor, which is to be considered for employment. As a bonus, this assists the hiring manager in assessing your potential as a team player.Don't make the mistake of overlooking the importance of the objective. There are many people who do not read resumes very well, and therefore miss the sense of who the company is looking for and why they're interested in them. Not only does this make it difficult for the individual to even consider them, but it also gets in the way of achieving the objective.Make the employer's perspective an important component of your objective. This will give the potential applicant the advantage of knowing where he or she fits in the hiring process. This will make it easier for him or her to focus on the most important aspects of the position and will help him or her overcome any sort of feeling of being an after thought.Why don't you take this one step further? A great resume objective for a principal should include your desire to work for the company. If you're looking for a new job opportunity, this should be included as well. This information may not be all that clear to the person who will be reading your statement of purpose, but it will be highly relevant to the hiring manager.An additional way to get your objective across is to visit your local college or business association. A number of them will have a small exhibit featuring the items they need employees to possess in order to provide them with the best possible service.The exhibit should contain information about the actual company. For example, you can write a resume objective for a principal in the area of dental services. Or, you could include a picture of the dental office and the staff members that you work with, a display of the company's logo, a map to the location, and other compelling visual elements.

Tips on Writing a Resume For a Federal Work Study

Tips on Writing a Resume For a Federal Work StudyWriting a resume for a federal work study can be difficult, but there are some tips you should remember before putting pen to paper. You have to make sure that you will be able to put in all the needed details in order to stand out among the rest of the resumes on the table.First, find yourself a professional resume writing service that offers free government resume services to help you write your resume. These services will prepare a perfect resume for you at an affordable price.After finding a company that suits your needs, you should be able to explore different services to determine the main reasons why you would need this service. The main reason for writing a resume for a federal work study is that it is the first thing employers will see.If your resume has been properly prepared, you will be more likely to get an interview compared to if your resume is not ready. And most importantly, the chances of getting hired increase when y ou can present your skills.So, your resume must be informative and impressive. Make sure you give the employer enough information to gain an understanding of your past and present skills. This will be very helpful if you apply for a job in a government field.When you are writing a resume for a federal work study, you need to concentrate on the areas where you are most proficient. If you are not confident about these areas, it would be best to avoid them and focus on those that you are good at. You can use specific examples to motivate yourself when you read the resume.Lastly, do not forget to include any relevant experience that you have had in other fields. This will give employers an idea of your qualifications and your personal experience.Also, you may want to consider the fact that you can download a free resume templates so that you can start writing your resume from scratch. With a free template, you can start from scratch and decide how to enhance your resume.

3 Ways of Job Searching

3 Ways of Job Searching There is more than one way to search for a job, you get that, I know.   Many times, those who are frustrated with their job searches, specifically networking, criticize the method.   They say it isnt working for them.   They say they have been to numerous coffee meetings and group networking events. And still no job offers. So what is networking? First and foremost, networking is listening.   I think this is where people come up short.   They are obsessed with what they will say, and how they will promote themselvesgetting out their elevator pitch and passing out business cards like their dealing a game of Poker. STOP. LISTEN Listen to what the other person is saying when you ask   questions about them.   Ask follow up questions to probe further about their line of work, company, whatever.   Really listen. Networking requires patience.   The big picture strategy of what you are trying to do is replicate your reputation for doing great work outside of you past employer.   Everyone at your last company knew what you were good at and what they could count on you for. Build it and they will come You are familiar with Field of Dreams and this wonderful saying they used to talk about their baseball field in the middle of corn fields.   Youve built something.   Youve been building your skills, expertise, and hopefully reputation.   Who needs to know about this?   As you thoughtfully select target companies you want to pursue, think about why they would benefit from having your talent.   What problems could you/would you solve for them?   Now, how will you prove or demonstrate your talent?   Professional associations, volunteer projects, sitting on committees, speaking, or writing.   You want to find an outlet to showcase your skills, not just your elevator speech.   Demonstrate.   Prove. Show. There is the old stand-by. Job Postings Some people do secure new positions through job postings, it is true.   Consider the job posting the request for proposal.   Now, consider your resume the proposal.   Your resume addresses the required elements of the job posting.   Your resume tells the hiring company, This is how I meet your requirements and this is how I have solved similar problems.   Always try to get inside information about the company and the opening from people who work there.   Any insight you gain will allow you to write a more compelling proposal. Job search is a bit of all of these things.   Finding the right balance for you requires some trial and error and depends on your strengths.   Remember the wise saying, if you continue to do the same things, you will continue to get the same results.   Dont wait too long before you begin trying new things to spice up and speed up your job search.

What Is an Executive Briefing and Should You Use It

What Is an Executive Briefing and Should You Use It An executive resume cover letter can be a valuable tool. When you’re not looking for a job, but an opportunity that is too good to pass up crosses your desk, you may find yourself rushing to update your resume so you can meet the deadline and apply. In some situations, you may not have the time needed to tailor your resume to the specific employer, so what can you do when time is of the essence? A cover letter writing service can help you use an executive briefing, which is a form of  executive resume cover letter. What Is an Executive Briefing? In short, executive briefings are  cover letters for resumes  that shine a spotlight on the skills you have that match what the employer is looking for. Because most employers will read through a cover letter before they move on to the resume, this is the area where it’s most important to make a good first impression. This can make it an excellent tool to help you land a job you weren’t expecting to apply for so you can take advantage of advancement opportunities as they arise. What Are the Requirements? In order to create an executive briefing, it’s important to make sure you understand the specific qualifications of the job. This is because you will tailor everything to the particular job to which you are applying. Once you know what the employer expects from you, use this summary to let them know why you are the perfect fit for the job. As long as your resume backs up your claims in some form, you will have just as good a chance of landing the job as if you had reworked your entire resume. While it’s always best to customize your resume, in a tight spot, this type of executive resume cover letter can be a lifesaver. Keep It Simple The most important factor to remember when creating these cover letters for resumes is to keep it simple. Your resume should still do most of the talking for you. All you really need to do is list the job’s requirements along the left side of the paper and match it with your skills point by point. Be sure to include your email address and the job title and any identifiers assigned to it. This format should capture the attention of the hiring manager and increase the chances you will be contacted for an interview. A  cover letter writing service  should encourage you to customize your resume to meet the requirements of any job you are applying for, but you don’t always have time for this task. If you are interested in applying for a job you found unexpectedly, you may need to consider an executive briefing. This type of executive resume cover letter can help showcase your skills in relation to a job’s requirements and help increase the chances of landing the job, even if you don’t have the time to update your resume.