Articles

Corporate recruiters spend four to five minutes carefully scrutinizing every resume that hits their desk — at least, that’s what they say. But when jobs site TheLadders set up eye-tracking software to record recruiters’ behaviour, they found that headhunters spend a stunning six seconds on their initial evaluation of a resume. Here are mistakes to avoid in order to make those seconds count. 

As a high-level jobseeker, you probably know the large role knowledge plays in your ability to influence others to interview and hire you. In fact, you are probably imparting lots of information about yourself in your resume portfolio. This will help others be knowledgeable about you. But, is your professional portfolio reflecting your market knowledge effectively?

Most people cringe at the thought of preparing their résumé. Why? It’s hard to write about yourself. For most people, it goes against their nature to aggressively market themselves. The résumé is their career history, written succinctly in a strict format; the more professional experience you possess the more difficult this task then becomes. It is a document that is viewed, initially, for 30 seconds; it must be dynamic to compel the reader to continue.

Whether you are an experienced professional seeking a senior position or a recent graduate in line for an entry-level position, bringing a list of references to an interview may help you secure that dream job. This article provides some tips on dealing with the many aspects of references.

If you have been speaking with a resume writer lately, you may already know that "Strategic Resumes" produce results. Rather than using a pre-determined template or formula, a professional resume writer will craft a one-of-a kind document. He or she will purposefully consider the inclusion and presentation of every word, phrase, sentence, and paragraph in your resume. You can take advantage of this effective writing technique yourself. Develop a powerful document that will rise to the top of a stack of resumes.

A prospective employer will spend less than 30 seconds reviewing your resume. You must keep it clear, concise and focused on selling yourself. Here are some secrets that you can use to develop a high-caliber resume that will effectively sell you.

Good News Job Seekers! According to Statistics Canada*, Canadian employment increased by 43,000 in January, pushing the unemployment rate down 0.1 percentage points to 8.3%, marking the fourth employment rise in six months. Within these numbers, Ontario employment was up by 30,000 in January, accounting for more than half of the employment gains.

As a Certified Professional Résumé Writer, over the years I have come across many tacky résumé tricks that candidates use in a misguided effort to stand out. Most recruiters are on to these gimmicks. When you use these tricks, you may appear desperate, or worse yet, dishonest. Avoid them because they do not work and are bound to fail.

Your resume is the first and far most important document towards getting the job that you want. Some recruiters receive literally hundreds of resumes per day and getting your resume to stand out among them can be challenging.

As a professional resume writer, clients come to me to prepare their resumes for a number of reasons:

• They've never prepared a resume before and don't know how
• They have neither the time nor the inclination to prepare their own resume
• They know they lack the writing and/or the computer skills to produce a professional resume
• They've tried it themselves, they're frustrated, and have finally given up