How to Boost Your Resume in 5 Easy Steps

How to Boost Your Resume in 5 Easy Steps In the internet age, resume writing is still playing catch up. What had worked a decade ago is still being applied today. The best part is people expect it to continue working. The way resumes are being processed nowadays are significantly different. 10 years ago there were no LinkedIn, online job portals just started out and we still uses fax machines!  Fast forward to today we are looking at resume parsing, data analytics, personal branding, video resume, gamified recruitment process, you get the picture. So why are you still writing your resume based on decade-old advice?  Apply these 5 tactics to boost your resume instantly and start shining from the crowd: 1) Identify your ‘hook’: I would also call this your associative keywords. These would be the keywords that (when searched) will rank you high on the list. The important bit here is the keywords should be identified from the searcher (the recruiter) point of view â€" the same keywords that recruiters would use when they are mining their database. To begin, look out for keyword that firstly identify the job nature (e.g. Accountant) and also if there might be any interchangeable terms (perhaps Finance?). Now Accountant is a very broad term. You would want to differentiate yourself with a niche. However this niche should also be appear commonly in the job you are looking for. (E.g. Cost Accountant for manufacturing industry) 2) Compare with what you are looking for: This is one of my favourite hacks. Firstly identify 3 to 5 ideal jobs from online portals and copy their entire content. Just go to any word cloud generator website and create the word cloud for each of them.  Now do one more cloud with your existing resume. Compare and contrast. If you are reading this, chances are your own word cloud would deviate significantly from the rest of the word clouds. Here is where you identify 5 â€" 8 common keywords from them and prepare to re-write your resume with them in mind. 3) Make sure your resume is applicant tracking system friendly: Applicant tracking systems are used by organisations to manage the flood of applications they receive. They will read your resume, and then rank and score your applications vs. the job descriptions. Only those applicants who receive high scores will get a call for an interview. Always use a standard Word document, and save in .doc format: File/Save As/Word 97-2003. Many ATS still cannot process .docx, PDF, RTF, and JPG formats. And remember to use simple formatting â€" avoid putting important information into headers, footers, borders, tables, etc. As much as it is a computer system, it is one that prefers simplicity. 4) Improve resume parsing accuracy: Many companies also realize the lengthy online application forms is killing off interest. So to compensate, they look to resume parser to scan your resume and automatically fill in the forms for you. The tech is pretty old but accuracy improvement has only been marginal. Especially when it comes to names as the system were designed for the western markets.  Still there are ways to make sure things don’t get misinterpreted. Importantly, use clear and simple categorisation when it comes to different sections so the parser would know what is what. E.g. Personal Information, Executive Summary, Work Experience, Education, Skills. And under Work Experience, always list. Grammar can also easily make the parser confused. E.g. some write it as Microsoft PowerPoint and others Microsoft PPT. To be safe, echo how it is written in the job description.  And parser only read text, not graphics. Any extraneous formatting or graphical elements on the resume only get in the way. 5) Sequence that appeals to recruiters: There was a research by TheLadders that recruiters spend an average of six seconds on your resume before deciding if they should read more or move on. In the short time that they spend on your résumé, recruiters look at your name, current title and company, current position start and end dates, previous title and company, previous position start and end dates, and education. Your resume should be done in the same sequence to make it easier for the recruiters’ tired eyes to read without compromise. Author: Adrian is the co-founder and former Managing Director of RecruitPlus Consulting, an award-winning mid-career professional recruitment agency based in Singapore. A recruiter with more than 10 years of experience owning, managing and growing staffing businesses, he is now running CareerLadder that provides recruitment training and career coaching services.

The Business Benefits of Employee Health Assessment

The Business Benefits of Employee Health Assessment It’s a fact; people are a company’s most important asset. So, it follows that the healthier your employees are, the healthier your business will be as a result. Looking after the health and wellbeing of employees is not (yet) a legal requirement in the UK, but as noted by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), it should  be a central priority  for any business. However, to maximise investment in employee wellbeing, organisations need to be equipped with the right information and the right services to build an accurate picture of the health of the workforce and put in place actionable measures to improve it. Here’s why health assessments are an important tool for employers wanting to create a successful wellbeing strategy with a meaningful ROI… Workplace productivity A supporting Deloitte study  to the 2017 Thriving at Work review found presenteeism, sickness absence and staff turnover costs UK employers £33-42 billion annually in productivity losses. How to boost workplace productivity is an age-old question. Remote working, collaboration, clear communication, and training are all widely acknowledged as ways businesses can do this. However, understanding the health risks which exist in a workforce and having the foresight to act before problems arise can deliver significant productivity gains. Most corporate health assessments focus on both lifestyle and medical factors. Dependent on the provider, assessments include health dashboards, biometric screening, blood analysis, and one-on-one sessions with physiologists, doctors, and coaches to drill down into the current (and indeed future) health factors affecting individual employees and the workforce as a whole. Equipped with this knowledge, employers can support employees in starting personalized health journeys and reap the rewards of reduced absenteeism and PMI spend, boosted morale and higher productivity rates. Stand out from the crowd Health assessments don’t just bring productivity benefits, they can also underline a businesses’ position as an attractive place to work. Today, hiring the best talent is a competitive field, with more applicants looking beyond salary. So much so,  according to CIPD, 97 percent of businesses are planning to maintain or increase their benefit spend in the next two years. No longer a “nice to have”, a strong employee wellness offering which caters to the individual could be the deciding factor for applicants. There are also benefits for businesses offering health assessments to existing staff. As much as hiring the best talent is a challenge, so too is retaining it. The new reality of employee loyalty means people today are less likely to have a “job for life”. In fact, half of Millennials are planning to leave a job within two years according to  a recent Deloitte survey. Staff turnover can be costly in terms of productivity, reputation and staff morale. Therefore, job culture and benefits are set to become an even bigger focus for employers looking to show they care about the wellbeing of their staff. Encouraging self-care Achieving and maintaining good mental and physical health can be challenging for employees, particularly during busy times at work. This is where health assessments can help. By giving employees an awareness of their own health and risk factors, they’re empowered to take control and change their behavior, preventing ill health in the long-term and improving quality of life. However, it’s important employers bear in mind there may be barriers stopping some employees from participating. For example, among Nuffield Health’s clients, employees in manual roles such as factory work find it more difficult than office workers to justify taking time away to attend a health assessment, particularly if it will impact their earnings. Others may be too embarrassed or scared of the potential consequences to discuss their wellbeing with someone other than their close family or friends. Simply offering health assessments isn’t job done. Making sure employees understand what they’re entitled to, how it could benefit them both professionally and personally, how their information will be used, and what reasonable adjustments are possible to help them attend should be top priorities. Leveraging data insights Data is everywhere and over the next decade, it’s predicted  the amount of data created is set to double  every two years, inundating organizations with new, insight-rich information. But, while there are clear business benefits, without intelligent analysis data is essentially worthless. Data is transforming the way corporate health assessments are delivered and the value they bring. If you’re looking to make specific and measurable interventions across an employee population and maximize ROI from your wellbeing budget, data can help you move away from a one-size-fits-all approach. The next generation of health assessments, which we’re only on the cusp of understanding, are leveraging artificial intelligence to produce an incredibly accurate picture of what makes employees tick, what they should do more of and what they should stop. They can also predict future health risks. For example, Nuffield Health recently launched PATH (Personalised Assessment for Tailored Health), a differentiated health assessment journey enabling employees to understand and improve their health anywhere, anytime and on any device. First, people log on to PATH and tell it about themselves; their age, medical history, and lifestyle behaviors to give an overview of their health and wellbeing. Then, by answering more detailed questions, a person’s risk and contributing factors are determined by Trium, a powerful, evidence-based clinical algorithm. Using this information, PATH then recommends personalized face-to-face health assessments with clinical experts. For any business using technology to collect personal health data, privacy should be a top priority as it’s considered sensitive and is subject  to strict rules. All responsible providers working with employers will always de-identify data, meaning individuals cannot be identified. “Raw” health data will only be processed by health professionals who are bound by the obligation of medical secrecy and discussed one-on-one with individual employees. Meaningful ROI So, while a one-off health assessment is beneficial to the individual, the collective data obtained by employers can help inform a more meaningful and intelligent wellbeing workplace strategy. Ultimately, a person will not instinctively know their blood pressure, biochemistry or resilience to stress even if they are at risk of developing lifestyle diseases such as heart disease, diabetes or cancer. Organizations offering health assessments as part of their wellbeing strategy are giving individuals the opportunity to gain insight and awareness. This knowledge alone could be enough to elicit a positive behavior change resulting in improved health outcomes, tangible business benefits, and of course a more meaningful ROI. About the author:  Marcus Herbert, is the Corporate Operations Specialist at Nuffield Health.

The 6 Funniest On Screen Job Interviews Ever

The 6 Funniest On Screen Job Interviews Ever Weve probably all been to a job interview at some point or another and whether they resulted in the desired outcome or not, Im sure youll agree that a job interview is rarely an experience  to be  taken lightly and they can bring  up a range of emotions, from excitement, to pure fear! Theyre unfortunately an unavoidable part of working life and therefore over the years job interviews have been a common feature of films and TV, ranging from the comical or cringeworthy, to occasionally even inspirational. Ive collated a list of some of the best job interview scenes to date, including  the downright disastrous and some rather unconvincing success stories.  Whether youre the bumbling idiot, or the smooth talking marvel, Im sure you can relate to some of these! 1) Step Brothers We all feel like we could do with a bit of moral support ahead of an interview, but Brennan Huff  (Will Ferrel) took this a step  too far in Step Brothers, when he took his step brother (John Reily) into the room with him. This isnt the only thing he got carried away with either. Id say  a tuxedo was probably a tad too formal for the occasion and by no means should you tell your interviewer (whos name you got wrong several times) to shut up!  Explains why  theyre both unemployed and living at home at the age of 40 I guess! What can be learnt? Remember your interviewers name! 2) The Internship Its a miracle that Billy McMahon (Vince Vaughn) and Nick Campbell (Owen Wilson) managed to talk their way into an internship at Google. Not only did the two slightly-older-than-average interns struggle to even set up the technology required for their video interview with one of the leading tech companies in the world; but they then went on to provide a jibbering rant in response to an  out-the-box question about being stuck in a blender. What can be learnt? Got a video interview coming up? Make sure youve familiarised yourself with the tool before hand! 3)  Mrs Doubtfire Nerves can make us do and say some strange things at times and Daniel Hillard (Robin Willliams) from Mrs Doubtfire knows this too well. When asked if he has any special skills he get slightly off track and goes on to showcase all the different voices that he can do and albeit impressive, they were unfortunately entirely irrelevant to the job. Unfortunately his interviewer didnt see the funny side of it. Not even the hot dog impression! What can be learnt? Relate your skills to the particular job you are being interviewed for, even if you so have some pretty spectacular tricks up your sleeve! 4) You, Me Dupree Duprees (Owen Wilson) a pretty laid back guy and although hes great fun to be around, he doesnt have the best track record when it comes to employment. Desperate to cling onto his youth and enjoy life, he wants his job to be on his terms and to take up as little of his time as possible. For this reason, upon attending an interview he immediately launches into a discussion about when he DOESNT have to work and explains that he works to live and isnt very task orientated. Yikes! What can be learnt?   Dont discuss employee perks and vacation time before youve been offered the job! 5)  TED If only job interviews were all this easy.  For somebody who doesnt actually want to get the job Ted absolutely nails his interview, albeit by accident and much to his dismay. Its not recommended that you make crude remarks about your interviewers wife, but for some bizarre reason it worked for Ted. What can be learnt? Dont bad mouth anyone or swear in interview.  Lets not use Ted as an example, as I assure you he is an exception to the rule! 6) Good Will Hunting A level of confidence is good when interviewing for a job, however there is a line that be crossed and Chuckie Sullivan (Ben Affleck) in Good Will Hunting certainly does that! Despite being offered the job already, he then goes on to demand cash on the spot as a retainer. Some how he manages to completely take charge of the room and walks out with the money he asked for. The panel of interviewers were lost for words! What can be learnt? Dont get ahead of yourself. Making demands before youve even started the job could lose you the offer.  [Top Image Credit: Shutterstock]

Gift Idea For Him How About a Fob Watch

Gift Idea For Him How About a Fob Watch It is said that as long ago as the 15th century, the first Fob Watch was created by a very clever German fellow.   His creations quickly became popular and by the 16th century these treasures had spread throughout the rest of Europe.   Fob or pocket watches were traditionally a status symbol of the wealthy; the type of metal used and the design of the watch, as well as the length and type of chain used, told a story about the wealth and success of the wearer.     It is also said that precious jewels such as rubies and diamonds were used as bearings in the watch mechanisms, mainly by the wealthier gentlemen.   The more jewels used in a watch the higher the grade of the watch. However, it was not only the wealthy who could afford a fob watch and some of the less expensive ones were made of brass rather than silver or gold.   In both cases these timepieces often became family heirlooms and whether poor or wealthy, they were treasured items to own.    Men’s fashion was influenced by the fob watch with the addition of separate pockets in coats and waist coats to accommodate these little timepieces; with some preferring to have the fob watch clipped to the outside and worn not only as a timepiece, but as an accessory and a status symbol. Return of The Fob Watch You may have noticed that recently the Fob Watch is making a comeback in men’s fashion.   For weddings and formal occasions, for special gifts for milestone occasions such as 21st birthdays, the fob watch is proving a popular choice.   We found some truly delightful specimens at Fob Co whose range includes both modern and contemporary designs.   We found Full Hunter and Skeleton Fob Watches as well as our favourite collection featuring Half Hunter Pocket Watches.  A half hunter pocket watch is a case with a spring-hinged circular metal lid or cover, which closes over the watch-dial and crystal, protecting them from scratching and dust.   This collection includes a selection of finishes in black, brass, antique gold and dark metal, all of which are hand wound; with no batteries! These traditional and contemporary designs make the perfect gift and will delight the fussiest of fellows.   Many have a little windowed cover which provides a ‘peep’ at the treasure inside.   There are solid ‘donut’, filigree, and brushed cases with exquisite roman numerals and delicate hands to choose from.   We think you will be hard pressed to choose from these beautiful timepieces so why not consider this as the gift you give yourself or to a loved one and which will also become an heirloom to be treasured for generations to come?   Check out the range at Fob and Co  and enjoy browsing these truly beautiful and timeless timepieces.

Encore Episode with Freelance Writer and Author Susan Lahey [Podcast] - Career Pivot

Encore Episode with Freelance Writer and Author Susan Lahey [Podcast] - Career Pivot Episode #122 â€" Marc Miller revisits the interview with Susan Lahey about her life and work and Susan adds an update to the present day. Description: Susan is Marc’s co-author for the Repurpose Your Career books. Susan Lahey is a freelance writer who is driven to taking on new challenges, whether they’re writing about the nature of meaning, the scary adventure of changing your career, or truly death-defying acts like jumping out of airplanes and parenting. Marc was her first real Austin client. Listen in for an update, where Susan discusses her upcoming move to Portugal. Key Takeaways: [1:09] Marc welcomes you to Episode 122 of the Repurpose Your Career podcast. Career Pivot brings you this podcast. CareerPivot.com is one of the very few websites dedicated to those of us in the second half of life and our careers. Take a moment to check out the blog and the other resources delivered to you, free of charge. [1:40] If you are enjoying this podcast, please share it with other like-minded souls. Subscribe on CareerPivot.com, iTunes, or any of the other apps that supply podcasts. Share it on social media or just tell your neighbors, and colleagues. [1:58] Regular listeners probably have noticed Marc has stopped talking about the next edition of the Repurpose Your Career book. Between last week’s episode about the Miller’s trip back to Austin and starting the resident visa process and this week’s episode, it is evident that the Millers have gotten busy but are getting back on track. [2:23] Marc’s current plan is to release the third edition of the book in September of this year (2019). He will continue to release preview chapters starting in a couple of weeks. [2:35] Next week, Marc will read one of the pre-release chapters of the next edition. Stay tuned! Now on to the podcast… Download Link | iTunes|Stitcher Radio|Google Podcast| Podbean | TuneIn | Overcast [2:42] This week, Marc will share an Encore Episode of Episode 54, where he interviewed Susan Lahey, who is the co-author on the Repurpose Your Career books. Marc shares Susan’s bio. [3:33] Marc is excited to present this episode. Susan is a freelance writer and a lot of the listeners want to become freelance writers. [3:55] Susan is always tempted to stay home with her adult children and watch Netflix, paint, and hide out from everyone. So she makes herself go do stuff, instead. She just got a tattoo that says “Life is Short” to remind herself to push past whatever fears and barriers she has. [5:12] Susan was a newspaper reporter for the beginning of her career, at the Kansas City Star, from age 17 through college and as her first job out of school. After several years she got a job as an associate editor of a business lifestyle magazine in KC. She left there to raise a family, freelancing from home. [5:57] At age 42, Susan was divorced. She took the children and moved to an off-the-grid house in New Mexico, taking what work she could get. The Taos News wanted her as a freelancer but didn’t move on it. [6:58] She started working as a community liaison for an EPA technical assistance group for a Superfund project. That was tough since she did not speak Spanish and was new to the community. She also did substitute teaching. She was broke. [7:29] Susan and her children volunteered at a food pantry for the food. Finally, she got on as a freelancer with the Taos News, for maybe $100 an article. [8:19] Taos was challenging in being far behind the times. Susan was out of touch with the times as a freelancer. She wanted to give her children a better opportunity. [9:41] After a trip to Europe they were motivated to change their lives. Austin had “a similar vibe” to Taos, a University, and a lot of intellectual capital. Susan rented an apartment and drove the family to Austin to start over. She sold the house in Taos for “five dollars.” [11:02] At first in Austin, she wrote eHow articles but that was unsatisfying for her. Susan met Marc and attended networking events. She met Jenny Magic. Susan learned how to market herself online with blogs and web content and how to network. Susan used EMDR psychotherapy to help her overcome the fear and stress of networking. [15:38] Creatives are typically introverted so selling themselves as “a creative” is really hard for them. Confidence is essential for approaching clients. [17:31] Marc was Susan’s first major client. Then she got some blogs. Through a contact recommended by Marc, she started writing articles for a tech news startup, Silicon Hills News, and finally got paid reasonably. Susan has covered SXSW for the last six years and she went to Thailand and Norway to see their technologies. [19:41] Susan got an article in Wired and is hoping to write more for them. She had also written a profile for bootstrap guru Bijoy Goswami, who works people through the psychological risks and fears of starting your own business. [20:14] Bijoy introduced Susan to his best friend, Danny Gutknecht, and Susan worked with him on one book and other writings. They will write more. Most of her work is with Danny. When Susan has ‘bandwidth,’ she looks for freelance work online (at GlassDoor and MediaBistro) and she networks. [21:20] Susan mentors and one woman she mentored hooked her up with a gig of writing for Zendesk. She still does journalism. [21:45] Susan was an old-school journalism person. Her idea of journalism came from All the President’s Men. Her sister was a journalist. She never imagined journalism wouldn’t be there for her. Most of her friends who were journalists are out of jobs. Journalism is dying. Journalism can’t find a business model that works today. [22:41] Susan never imagined she would be a tech writer or a business writer, and she is so glad she pursued both of those because that’s the direction the world is going. She never thought she would get to travel the world for tech writing. [23:31] When Susan was asked to find her ‘why’ she had never thought about it. She realized that she loved writing about people who were doing scary, brave things. She uses Marc as an example. When he started his business, it was scary new for him, but also, scary new for the job pivoters he is helping. Her children encouraged her career. [24:46] For the most part, Susan’s career pivot has turned out amazingly. She’s definitely not rich, but she’s supporting herself, doing what she loves. It fuels her as well as paying her. Ninety-nine percent of what Susan writes fits that category. [25:11] Marc is proud of Susan. In spite of her hard times, she has survived. Her three great children have gone to college on full scholarships, and are doing well. Her oldest is teaching English in Tangier, as Susan continues to enjoy her career. [25:54] People tell Susan she’s brave but they have no idea how hard she has to work to be brave. She’s sometimes afraid but she just makes herself do things. She recommends people examine why they act a certain way or go in a certain direction. They need to examine their self-limiting ideas. People need to steer their own ship. [27:24] Susan hopes to move to Morocco in the next year or so. Marc mentions his plans to move to Ajijic, Mexico. Marc thanks Susan for telling her story. [29:04] Marc welcomes Susan back after the interview for an update on her career since this episode was recorded. [29:16] Susan is now planning to move to Portugal. She just got back from there. She was planning to move to Morocco, originally, but her son cautioned her that as long as she doesn’t understand Arabic, she would not be safe in the street culture. [29:45] She started looking at other options, such as Portugal, that have a visa for self-employed people who make a moderate living. The Netherlands has a similar visa. Susan settled on Portugal because the Netherlands is cold and expensive and Portugal is warm and cheap. [30:10] Everyone Susan mentioned it to told her Portugal is so beautiful she wouldn’t believe it. She wanted to apply for the visa before visiting but she needed an actual lease on an apartment and a tax number before that was possible. Rather than hire someone to do that, she went herself, to set things up. That was a really good idea. [30:57] When Susan’s youngest graduated from college she felt free to do what she has always wanted to do â€" move to Europe. Until she moves, she and her son have moved in with her daughter. They all get along really well. [31:56] Susan’s youngest son will go to Portugal with her on a visit, to check it out. He might also move to Portugal. Susan’s daughter just went with her on her recent trip, and she loves it! [32:28] Because Susan is single the prospect of being an empty-nester was terrifying to her. For the last twenty-something years her purpose had been to raise her three children. Now she has to find out what is important for her. She doesn’t want to fill time taking spin classes or doing Soduko. She has always wanted to travel. [33:27] She decided she needed to find a place where she could live and see the world more inexpensively. It’s hard and expensive to get around the world from the U.S. [33:54] Susan has talked to several of her clients and told them her plans. Since she works remotely with most people, anyway, no one was concerned. Susan has never met some of her clients in person. While she might work with some Portuguese companies, it is simpler to just keep working with her U.S. clients. [34:37] Susan has “sort of” figured out the technology she needs. She got an apartment, and a SIM card, so she now has a Portuguese phone number. She almost made an illegal and costly mistake with an apartment contract. [35:15] She ended up hiring an advisor or consultant who took her to the local tax office for a tax number, to the bank for a bank account, and recommended a fantastic real estate agent, who hustles. The agent took Susan to several different apartments. [36:38] Susan was considering two apartments. Both the owners backed out because Susan was not from Portugal and didn’t have a co-signer. Her agent found her another apartment but Susan is waiting for the contract. Every contract is drawn up by a lawyer; they don’t have boilerplate contracts for apartments. Each contract is bilingual. [37:37] On Facebook, Susan was looking at a group for the area. Fabiola, Susan’s real estate agent, who will live in the same neighborhood, had put a post on the group talking about what internet provider she would use. Susan believes she will go with the same provider. [37:53] If nothing else, Susan will go to a café for the internet. [38:00] Marc is very proud of Susan for having made this leap. Marc comments that in Mexico, ‘mañana’ does not mean tomorrow; it means not today. [38:14] Susan thanks Marc for all the help getting ready to go. She finds Portugal to be very chill and relaxed. Someone there told her she should move there. Susan felt she could really do this. She loves Portugal. It’s stunningly beautiful, the food is very good, and everything is affordable. People are insanely nice. It’s going to be great! [39:18] Marc thanks Susan for giving us an update on her experiences. Susan appreciates how supportive Marc has been while she has been preparing to go. Marc says he talked Susan off the ledge before she went. [39:42] Marc hopes you enjoyed this episode. Susan has done a lot of research on her move. Marc was afraid she would move to Portugal without ever visiting there. [39:55] In Episode 119, Marc interviewed Queen Michele, who moved to the North Shore of Lake Chapala without having ever visited. Queen did a ton of research and even walked around the town using Google Maps’ Street View feature. [40:13] Marc “talked Susan off the ledge” before she went, and she’s doing quite well. [40:20] The CareerPivot.com/Community website has become a valuable resource for more than 50 members in the Beta phase of this project. They have crossed the 50-member threshold! Marc is recruiting new members for the next cohort in a few weeks. [40:33] If you are interested in the endeavor and would like to be put on the waiting list, please go to CareerPivot.com/Community. When you sign up you’ll receive information about the community as it evolves. [40:48] Those who are in these initial cohorts set the direction of this endeavor. This is a paid membership community with group coaching and special content. More importantly, it’s a community where you can seek help. Go to CareerPivot.com/Community to learn more. [41:12] Marc invites you to connect with him on LinkedIn.com/in/mrmiller. Just include in the connection request that you heard Marc on this podcast. You can look for Career Pivot on Facebook, LinkedIn, or @CareerPivot on Twitter. [41:33] Please come back next week, when Marc will read a chapter from the next edition of Repurpose Your Career. [41:39] Marc thanks you for listening to the Repurpose Your Career podcast. [41:43] You will find the show notes for this episode at CareerPivot.com/episode-122. [41:56] Please hop over to CareerPivot.com and subscribe to get updates on this podcast and all the other happenings at Career Pivot. You can also subscribe to the Marc Miller Like what you just read? Share it with your friends using the buttons above. Like What You Read? Get Career Pivot Insights! Check out the Repurpose Your Career Podcast Do You Need Help With ...

Can Vacation and Work Exist Together - Wolfgang Career Coaching

Can Vacation and Work Exist Together - Wolfgang Career Coaching How to  Balance Work and Play Work hard. Play hard. Work hard. Play when I have some time. Work hard. Play during the three weeks out of the year I have vacation. Work hard. Work during some or most of my vacation. The scenarios above are how many people today view work and time away from work. These scenarios beg the question, how do vacation time and work exist together? Should they exist together? This is an important question especially with the invention of smart phones that import our work email directly and give our employers a direct line to us during vacation. There was a time when you were unreachable and couldn’t connect to the office when you went on vacation. Times have changed. How can we make sure we get the necessary time off during vacation to recharge our batteries and relax so we can return to work as a productive and well-rested employee? To do so requires us to investigate both external and internal factors. External Factors to Balancing Work and Vacation Before you leave on vacation, make sure you have addressed the necessary external factors. For example: Make sure to give your boss, co-workers and clients as much notice as possible. Make sure to set expectations with your boss, co-workers and clients. For example, have you set the expectation that you will be checking email daily, not at all, or once every three days? Have you set the expectation that you will be checking your voicemail? If there is an urgent client issue while you are away, what expectation is set with them? Will you be traveling with a computer? Will you have internet access? Will you have access to your company emails through your phone? Do they anticipate that you will be using the technology you have access to? Make sure to set appropriate out-of-office messages on your email and voicemail. Leave a back-up number if possible for a co-worker or your boss so they can respond to questions while you are out. It may be clear in your mind how much you intend to work or not work during vacation, however, others may have different expectations. Make sure you have the conversations before you leave to ensure everyone is in agreement. Internal Factors Making sure the external expectations are taken care of is important for any vacation. However, many individuals will log in and see what is happening, even if the expectation is set that they will not be checking their email. You need to set expectations with yourself on how you are going to handle work while you are away. Will you check your email? If so, for what purpose? Some individuals want to stay on top of what is happening and can easily tune out what isn’t critical. Others want to process non-essential emails while they are gone so they don’t return to 1000 emails to sort through at the end of vacation. Others do not want to read any work email. Whatever makes sense for you and your situation, make sure to follow through on it. Set guidelines for yourself. Sometimes we are our own worst enemies on vacation. Monitor your guilt. Some individuals say they feel guilty leaving on vacation during the middle of a big project even if they have given enough notice and set expectations with everyone. To be a productive worker, you need some time away to recharge your batteries, clear your mind, spend a large amount of time thinking about other things. If you are a person who tends to feel guilty on vacation, ask yourself: did you set expectations with your boss, co-workers and clients? If yes, then give yourself permission to relax. You will return as a more productive employee than if you worked continuously with no time off. Some individuals have no trouble taking vacation, while others struggle. Setting the correct expectations with others as well as yourself can help ease you into vacation. Will setting the correct expectations ensure you are not bothered over your vacation? No. Our work environment doesn’t operate that way all the time. Even if you set extremely clear expectations and don’t have access to your work email, you may still get urgent phone calls and requests over your vacation. However, taking some time in advance of your vacation to set the right expectations with others and with yourself is a critical part of setting boundaries and being able to enjoy that well-deserved time off.

Best Practices For Resume Writing

Best Practices For Resume WritingIf you are one of the many job seekers who have not yet found the right career fit, then you need to find some of the best practices for resume writing. This article gives you some of the best practices for resume writing that will help you be successful in your future career.Resume is a document that summarizes information about you. You need to make it as attractive as possible. It will make you look impressive and put your employer at ease. Here are some of the best practices for resume writing.Job boards. The job boards will allow you to add your profile and arrange your resume on the job boards. This will also help to search the best jobs for you. To apply on the job boards, register yourself with them and make sure that you provide the correct and relevant information. You also need to have your resume ready in front of you.Not the first thing that you should be looking for is money, the most important thing is being qualified for the job. You s hould know what information you should include in your resume and what information is more relevant to the job. Since the work force is becoming more competitive, you need to do your best to be among the best. You can't let other people beat you down with a weak resume.First of all, your resume is a proof of your knowledge about the job. Even though the employer likes people who have the right skills, he will also need proof of these skills. If you show a lot of skills, the employer will be convinced and will prefer you over others.As much as possible, you should include all the information that the employer requires in a resume. It should have all the information that is relevant to the job. This includes relevant education, experiences, training, and relevant job related skills. With the correct information in your resume, you will also be able to show off your worth in the job.Also, you need to write a cover letter. Make sure that your cover letter is eye catching and really conv incing. Some employers might prefer to hire the resume samples that contain the 'fit' letter. This shows that they think that you can do the job. You should remember that if you look good, you will also feel good about yourself.Last but not least, write the resume in chronological order. This is considered to be an important part of resume writing. It will give you an idea of the importance of the resume to the employer. It will also be easy for the employer to read the resume.