College Graduate Resume Format

People just graduating from college often have little experience in their chosen profession as a result their resume should be formatted in a way that highlights their special qualities. For college juniors, I highly suggest you find an internship program in your specific field.  The work experience in your field will greatly benefit you after graduation and if you network properly while interning you may find yourself placed in your career before you even graduate.

This quick look at how your resume should be formatted.  Make sure to include any certifications and academic honors that pertain to your degree under Education.   Never provide references without it being requested by a perspective employer and always inform  (and thank!) your references that you have used them. Do not forget to embed key words and phrases related to your career within the text of your resume.  This will increase your chances of getting pulled during a human resource resume database search

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EDUCATION Elm University, Chapel Hill, NC    2013 M.A. in English Thesis: “The Accessibility Debate of Content in the Online Context” Oak Tree University, Raleigh, NC           2011 B.A. Honors in English Areas of Concentration: Journalism, Proposal Writing Minor: French Honors Thesis: “The Female Betrayed and Modern Media” AWARDS President’s Fellowship, Oak Tree University Excellence Grant, Oak Tree University TEACHING EXPERIENCE Teaching Assistant – to Professor Garth Fort in “Advanced Rhetoric” Collaborated on curriculum and exam development, met with students upon request, and graded all written work, including final exam papers. RELATED EXPERIENCE Lucerne Publishing, Raleigh, NC Editor Provide as needed editorial support remotely, including developmental and copy editing of their internal online and printed documentation. Trey Research, Raleigh, NC User Interface Design Consultant Provided content design feedback to program managers to create accessible segue between English and French versions of related content. PUBLICATIONS AND PAPERS “The Cross-Cultural Communication Epidemic of the 21st Century” Guest speaker at the Global Communication Convention, Los Angeles, CA LANGUAGES English – native language French – speak fluently and read/write with high proficiency Spanish and Italian – speak, read, and write with basic competence MEMBERSHIPS American Society of English Honorees Western Society of Women Writers REFERENCES References available upon request

How to Apply for a Retail Job

Retail jobs help people gain work experience, pay for school or re-enter the workplace after an extended layoff period. Many companies offer limited benefits to their employees and a reasonable starting wage. Most of the large retailers now have automated applicant systems so it is important to prepare a few things BEFORE applying for a job. At smaller retailers, you may meet the hiring manager at the time you pick up an application so it is important to be polite and well groomed. Nothing ruins a first impression more than poor hygiene.

Creating a fact sheet about yourself and your past work experience helps when filling out multiple applications. You can bring your fact sheet along to remember employers, dates, addresses and work experience.

Information on your fact sheet should include:

• Your total educational experience including certification classes you have attended. Make sure to include the addresses of the all the schools you have or are now attending.

• List all your work experience or what you have been doing for at least the last ten years. It is important to have all the information concerning your work history or lack of it. Make sure to list the jobs you have held, the dates you worked at each job and a bullet list of your duties for each job. If you have been unemployed for any periods make sure to state when and why. For example, if you have been staying at home to raise kids, going to school, or taking care of a sick parent list it.  

• Many people ignore private awards or reconditions and only list work related awards. This cheats you, so make sure to include all charity work, awards, or special reconditions you have received in the last decade.  Students should include Student Honor Roll and any sports played as accomplishments.

• Make sure you have three references who are not family, their address, permission to use them as a reference and their contact numbers.  

Most automated systems will ask the hours you are willing to work. If you really need the job, you must be willing to work at least one weekend day. Most employers require their employees to have flexible work hours.  

Filling out an application is your only way of getting an interview, so remember to use keywords in your responses. You can find those keywords in the job description used to promote that specific job. For example, if they are looking for stock help use that phrase instead of inventory control. It is also important to complete everything on the application, if you have a question about something during the application process ask the person overseeing your job submission. 

Once you get in for an interview, remember check your attitude at the door, be open and willing to listen, dress in a conservative manor, and leave the trendy stuff at home for when you are on your own time.  By doing these things you will increase your chances of getting a job.

A Guide to Getting the Teaching Job of Your Dreams

I enjoy reading books pertaining to recruiting and job hunting and I just finished reading "A Guide to Getting the Teaching Job of Your Dreams"  I found it very helpful to anyone looking for a teaching position.  The book was written by a teacher and it provides an insider's view and tips on obtaining a teaching position.  

Are you ready for your teaching interview?

..............................................................................................................

An interviewer asks you to describe your weaknesses.  What do you say?

(Answer on page 57 of the book)

A human resources office says they have your paperwork on file, but you've never been called for an interview.  Why not? 

(Answer on page 15 and 73 of the book)

How many interviews will you have to pass before you get the job?

(Answer on page 40)

What are the top 3 mistakes candidates make when creating their teaching portfolio?  (Find out on page 38-39)

What's the secret for making an inexperienced candidate seem like an experienced teacher-- without lying?  (Answer on page 43)

If an interviewer asks you what challenges teachers today have to face, what should you NOT say in your response? 

(Answer on pages 64-65)

An interviewer asks, "Do you have any questions for us?" at the end of an interview.  What types of questions should you ask? 

(Answer on page 68)

What education buzzwords should you know and be able to use?

(Answer on pages 69-70)

An interview committee invites you to teach a sample lesson in front of students!  How do you prepare?

(Answer on pages 47-48)

Click Here!

Listen During the Job Interview

Record yourself during interview practice and hear how others perceive you.  (Photo credit: smiling_da_vinci)

The habit of listening is essential during the interview process.  Carefully listening to the interviewer often revels nuggets of information on the job opening and on the type of person the interviewer is actually seeking for the position.  Job hunters must pay attention to these clues to increase their chances of hire. 

For example, if the interviewer uses the phrase "team player" during the position description phase of the interview, you can stress the projects and team building experiences you've had in your career. If the interviewer goes off topic listen to what the interviewers is telling you and marry up your responses to compliment their statements.  Try to make a positive connection to the interview.  Most hiring managers hire people they like. 

Making sure to listen during an interview is difficult. Performance anxiety and the desire to obtain a job often causes people to make mistakes but by practicing common interview questions before you interview can help you to provide confident and friendly responses.  


Practicing interview questions can help you to avoid the following bad habits and opportunity killers. 

Talking too much in your response - The more you talk the more unedited information you provide to your interviewer.  Make sure your responses are friendly, informative of the information you really want to provide and brief.

Interrupting to make a point -  Who likes to be interrupted?  If you interrupt too much you come off as a non-team player.

Discarding information which doesn't match what you want to hear or what you don't like - Instead ask clarification questions to understand what is really being said

Just remember when you interview for a job during your job hunt it is important to practice your interview questions and learn to listen before answering.



For more tips and information on how to increase your chances when job hunting read my book Get Hired! A Recruiter's Inside Guide to Getting a Job.

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Job Spring Cleaning - Resume Update Time

As the robins begin to nest and the trees begin to green, it also becomes the time that many people think of spring housecleaning. Unfortunately, few think to also update their resumes with their achievements or training that has taken place since the last time they updated their resume.

A healthy job hunting habit is to update your resume every spring around the same time you take out your patio furniture.  Review your work year and make sure to update your resume with your achievements, awards and your performance reviews.  For example, " Rated exceeds expectations on all work performance reviews for four performance reviews during 2012"  or " 2012 corporate award winner of excellence recipient. 

Resume formats and styles also change so make sure your resume's printed format is consistent with the preferred resume format style in your specific job category and industry.  Once you have your resume updated you may want to network with others in your industry to "keep in touch" as another spring cleaning ritual.


For more tips and information on how to increase your chances when job hunting read my book Get Hired! A Recruiter's Inside Guide to Getting a Job. 

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