by Staff | News & Events
It’s a new year and the perfect time to start looking for a new job. One of the first steps in that process is reviewing your current resume and updating it to make sure it reflects what you have to offer. Here is our top 10 list of how to ensure your resume holds your potential employer’s attention to ensure you get a second glance: Grammar Check: This is the first, and most important item on our list. Make sure everything is spelled correctly—it’s the easiest way to make a good impression. Grammar not your area of expertise? Have a trusted friend or colleague give it a detailed review. List Your Accomplishments: Communicate to people the value you added to your current and past employers. Don’t simply list off your duties—focus on your accomplishments. For example, “Managed trade shows” should be framed as “Organized largest industry event that generated $100,000 worth of sales and 250 leads.” List concrete examples of how you contributed. Looks Matter: Your resume design should not distract from who you are. Keep it simple, clean, and organized. Use modern fonts—nothing that reminds people of a cartoon or makes people think you are screaming at them. Good fonts to use include Garamond, Gill Sans, Helvetica Neu, Roboto, Avenir, and Georgia. Avoid overused fonts like Times New Roman and Arial, and be sure to keep the font size between 12–14 points. People should not have to squint to read your resume! Length: The one-page rule isn’t set in stone, but what it guides you to do is keep your resume direct and short. Outline...
by Staff | News & Events
Do you feel your job search has stalled or never really got started? You must take the right steps to be poised for success. Many of the things causing our search to stall are within our control, which means you can change those factors and move your job search into high gear. 1. The What, Why, Who, and How – Do a full self-evaluation of exactly what you are looking for. Why do you want a new job? Who can help you get that job, connection, or introduction? How do your current skills translate to your career goals? Honing in on what you want, who you are, and how to get it is the first step in a successful career search. 2. Talk, Talk, and Talk – I describe this step as networking reimagined. Break down the preconceptions of traditional networking. Talk to a wide range of people about your search. I once had a colleague who found a job because his father-in-law mentioned the type of job he was looking for to his barber. 3. Be a Joiner – Become involved or attend groups, industry conferences, and associations that center around your next career. This will widen your networking net with the right type of people. In addition, it will help you stay up to date on the latest trends and topics that people are talking about in your sought after trade. 4. Do Something You Hate – Some people hate interviewing. Many times the things we dislike are the skills that don’t come easily. So how do you get better? Practice. If you hate interviewing, do more...
by Staff | News & Events
Think of your recruiter as a partner in the job search process. Though we often don’t look at recruiters this way, we should. When you find the right one, you will feel like you’ve found an ally in the next step of your career. Make sure the recruiter with whom you are working has the following: Specialization – You are looking for a job in a specific industry that matches your skills and experience. The recruiter should also specialize in that industry. That person must know your field of focus well, what is is trending, what skill sets should be emphasized, and what companies are growing.They should also have relationships with the right companies. The advantage of working with a specialized recruiter is access to many postings. Employers will only list through recruiters who know their business and have previously brought them great candidates. Personality – If you cringe every time the recruiter calls, neither of you will be motivated to work together. While you don’t need to be best friends, the relationship should be more than amicable You won’t only need a recruiter’s services once, but several times over a career. Establishing a relationship is extremely beneficial to long term success. Communication – Your resume is just a starting point. You need to be able to clearly communicate your skill set, for what you are looking, and what you have to offer. Be sure to outline your non-negotiable requirements and those on which you are willing to compromise. This will assist them in connecting you with companies and positions that meet your criteria. Nothing can be...
by Staff | News & Events
The world of technology is changing at a rapid pace. You can hardly keep up the developments or anticipate the next “big thing.” We have pulled together the top 5 trends that will impact the future of information technology jobs. One thing is certain, the outlook for IT jobs is very promising. The Bureau of Labor Statistics states “information technology occupations are projected to grow 12 percent from 2014 to 2024, faster than the average for all occupations. These occupations are expected to add about 488,500 new jobs from 2014 to 2024.” Top 5 Trends to Watch: Cloud Computing – The majority of companies have or will be using some aspect of Cloud computing. The future of Cloud computing will straddle both private and public clouds adding new challenges to the role if IT. The increased use of cloud computing will put a premium on skill sets in Perl, Ruby, Ruby on Rails, Python, Java and JavaScript, including those comfortable with API development and a DevOps environment. It will also mean a strategic shift in the mindset of many IT professionals from working with equipment to applications. Data, Data, and More Data – Business has become a generator and collector of data. We want more data to make better and smarter decisions. With all this data we need new roles and skills to mange and analyze it in ways that are meaningful to business. The new roles include data architects, data integration engineers, IT planning analysts, along with growth in current roles like data and software engineers. In addition, more leadership roles will emerge to help guide the...
