“Be the first in and the last one out”

This is the kind of advice an exploiting manager or workaholic colleague would give to you. You do have to be a hard worker to advance your career, but neglecting your personal life and need for rest will not do you any favour. Instead of being a valuable asset to your employer, you’ll deliver poor job performance and you’ll probably become deeply unhappy.

“Always say something during a meeting”

Do you know why meetings are so long and nerve-wracking? Because many people follow this piece of advice just to make a good impression on their boss. There are other ways to get involved except for talking at meetings, and everybody will be happier if you use the opportunity to listen when you don’t have anything substantial to say.

“Spend at least one year in every position”

Gone are the days when employees spent their entire career in the same position or at the same company. Keep in mind that most hiring managers are now Millennials, and this generation has a lower average tenure – changing jobs often is not something unusual these days, especially at entry-level.

“Have a 5-year plan”

The idea of having a plan must have come after many hiring managers asked people during interviews this question: “Where do you see yourself in 5 years time”? However, nowadays the job market is changing so fast that it’s impossible to stick to a plan as there are always opportunities you need to see coming. Having plans may prevent you from detecting these opportunities – all you’ll achieve is making a good impression on narrow-minded HR staff during interviews.

“Do what you love”

This is one of the most common pieces of career advice. It may not be a good idea financially, for some. Many people have a hobby and change their career direction thinking they can turn their leisure time passion into an income source, but this is not always possible. For instance, opening your own restaurant just because you like cooking may not be the best idea – one thing is cooking for pleasure, and another is cooking the same dishes every day for dozens of customers. There is no shortcut to career happiness and success, and you need to find something you’re naturally good at and that can make a sustainable career.

Take a moment and be honest with yourself – how many of these bad directions have you followed and did it hurt your career?

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There are a few things to remember when considering a professional resume writer. Your resume is a work in progress which should be periodically revisited during your career. You must continue to modify and improve as you move forward in your chosen career.

On average, an employer or recruiter will only sight the first page of your resume and cover letter before considering if you will be shortlisted for an interview. This is not much time or space to make a good first impression. If you were selling your house, you would generally seek advice and then go ahead and list your home within a Real Estate agent to sell your property. So, why would you work for hours on your resume when you can seek assist from a professional resume writing expert to assist you in getting the job that you desire?

The most common mis-conception when seeking a professional resume writer is that resume writers are experts in every field. Many resume writers have experience in human resources and the recruitment industry. This experience provides a good understanding about what happens during the screening and recruitment of suitable roles. It is not humanly possible to have worked in every field and then follow a career path as a professional resume writer.

A professional resume writer would most probably review thousands of job applications and can identify opportunities for Applicant Tracking Software (ATS) to score accordingly. This is another reason why hiring a professional resume writer will help increase your chances of securing an interview. A well-written resume will make a lasting impression and produce results.

Resumes should be industry specific. A professional and high quality resume should be reviewed for each job application to ensure the core skills and keywords are included. If the job advertisement includes addressing key selection criteria, it is important that your application adheres to the required standards for selection criteria. i.e. STAR Method

Your professional resume should be neat and easy to read. A well organised resume should include your successful achievements for each of the positions you have held during your career. The sub headings and format of your resume should be suited to the industry or sector which you are applying for.

A well-versed and professional cover letter can also be the difference between getting a job interview or not. Cover letters should be job specific, so make the extra investment to have a professional resume writer to write your tailored professional cover letter for each individual job application you submit.

For assistance with your job search or for assistance in re-writing your current professional resume, contact Resume Services Australia or visit resumeservicesaustralia.com.au.

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1. Being late
There is no excuse for arriving late at an interview. If you have to cross the town or come from a distance, plan ahead and even try a practice run before the big day. Getting lost and looking decomposed as you arrive 10 minutes later won’t grant you any points.

2. Checking your phone
Turn off all devices such as phones, PDAs and tablets before starting an interview. Nothing makes a worse impression than looking with one eye at the interviewer and with the other at the text message you have just received.

3. Not showing appreciation
Many jobseekers don’t acknowledge people they’ve met at interviews or industry events, not to mention sending thank you notes. Nevertheless, saying thank you and being respectful can represent a decisive factor and get you the job.

4. Not listening
After practicing your elevator speech the night before and researching the company thoroughly, you are probably talking nineteen to the dozen. The art of listening carefully is rarely mastered by most job seekers and these candidates are losing an amazing opportunity. Knowing how to listen can provide you the answers to many interview questions – some recruiters simply give away what they’d like to hear from you, so why not take advantage of this?

5. Overdoing it
Being too interested in a position can have the opposite effect. Dressing up, asking for feedback insistently, interrupting the person who is interviewing you or calling every day to ask about the hiring decision suggests that you are too desperate to get the job and will most likely cause them to reject your application.

6. Wasting the recruiter’s time
Human resources professionals are always busy and you won’t obtain a better result if you apply to the same job multiple times or you keep calling to ask for news.

7. Addressing your cover letter to a generic “Sir” or “Madam”
If you are really interested in a job, you can find the recruiter’s name and write to them directly; otherwise, the reader may feel offended.

8. Using work contact information
Avoid using your current work email or phone number during a job search. Using work resources for personal matters is inappropriate and nobody will hire you.

9. Not having a clean online presence
What does a Google search turn up about you? Check before your potential employer and make sure you get rid of unflattering photos and negative information.

10. Being selfish
If you keep thinking it’s a jungle out there, don’t be surprised if they bite you. Especially with networking, you need to help others if you want to be helped.

Remember that your skills and qualifications are not the only thing that matters when it comes to your career search; the kind of person you are may be the most important aspect for some employers.

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On the other hand, good jobs are more difficult to secure these days, which makes Millennials’ career paths more challenging. When both employers and jobseekers are very demanding, and given that economic prospects have declined after the Great Recession in the late 2000s, being a Millennial is not an easy job. What should Millennials take into consideration if they want to enjoy prosperous careers?

1. Networking
Maybe you are tired of hearing how important it is to keep in touch with people, to be active on LinkedIn, to attend industry events and so on. But there is a different face of networking – knowing lots of people who know lots of different things. This is particularly useful if you are an entrepreneur or an independent contractor. Get to know the people around you because they can provide you with valuable resources and help you deliver better results, no matter how bright you are.

2. Maintain your assets
Everybody talks about productivity these days, and managers want to squeeze as much as possible from employees. Well, working all night long and neglecting your personal life is not clever, because you are going to crack at some moment – the wear and tear is inevitable if you don’t take care of machinery. Less is more when it comes to work, too.

3. Seek career coaching
If you want to take control of your professional future, consider career and job seeking coaching. Maybe this was not part of the school curricula, but if you seek it actively, you’ll have competitive advantage over those “lazy” Millennials that feel entitled to a lot without making too many efforts. Career coaching can provide you with an efficient job seeking strategy and help you develop the soft skills that cause others to quit jobs early or not perform well in interviews.

4. Start from the bottom
Surveys suggest that Millennials don’t want to spend more than 3 years in a position and expect to land their dream job soon after graduation. It’s no wonder, since this generation was accustomed to the “You-can-do-anything” kind of speech, but reality is harsher than you might think. Actually, it’s impossible to get to a good senior position one day without having any idea about what people in the first front are doing. If you read the biographies of famous people, you’ll discover that all of them started with entry-level jobs and completed menial tasks.

5. Quit, but for the right reason
Millennials are well-known for quitting their jobs fast, and they are often scolded for their high claims. However, you shouldn’t act oppositely either and stay in a position you are not happy with. Good reasons to quit are career burnout, not having enough learning opportunities, and not being able to get a raise.
No matter what career path you want to choose (being an employee, working as a freelancer, or starting your own business), the most important thing you should keep in mind as a Millennial is learning something new, every single day; your learning journey should never end.

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If you are planning to advance your career this year, your job hunting strategy should include updating your resume. And this should not mean just brushing it up and correcting a couple of typos; we recommend you to improve it significantly and make a difference by adopting these 2016 resume trends:

2016 resume trend #1: Short sentences
Every word you write counts, and recruiters don’t have the patience to look for critical information through dozens of redundant details. Write every sentence as if it were a 140-character tweet and highlight your biggest accomplishments and main qualifications.

2016 resume trend #2: Formulas
Your resume should be a well-organised and consistent piece of content. You can achieve this by using formulas, such as S.A.R. (Situation, Action, Result).

For instance:

Situation: 45% of advertising clients were not renewing contracts.

Action: Organised training sessions for account managers in competitive selling techniques and designed a new promotional offer.

Result: Customer retention rate increased to 68%.

2016 resume trend #3: Visual
Images are processed thousands of times faster than text; an up-to-date resume should be visual so information is easy to grasp. It’s time to give up the classical document typed in Word and create a resume that looks more like an infographic – they’ll absolutely love reading it and you’ll stand out from the crowd.

2016 resume trend #4: Profit
Your potential employer thinks in terms of return on investment and is almost certainly looking to hire someone who will increase company revenue. Whenever it is possible, emphasise how your actions impacted the bottom-line profitability of previous employers.

Is getting a new job one of your 2016 resolutions? Check these 4 trends and update your resume now!

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Upgrading your qualifications may seem like another worry or responsibility you need to take on your shoulders, preventing you from spending more leisure time. Is it worth the effort?

We strongly believe that improving your professional assets will have a positive impact on your career and overall, on your life.

Here are just a few reasons to add some extra assets to your resume:

• Having better employment prospects. Improving your professional qualifications can help you find a better job, enjoy increased workplace satisfaction, and earn a higher income – who wouldn’t want all these?

• Changing your career to better. Upgrading your skills can help you quit of a job you don’t like, change your career path, and eventually be 100% happy about your professional life.

• Keeping pace with your industry. Upgrading qualifications may be crucial in areas where technology developments are very fast and you constantly need to learn new things to keep up with industry trends (such as IT or engineering, to give just a couple of examples).

Last of all, working hard to improve your skills will help you become more competitive and easily get noticed by potential employers – you will definitely be more prepared to tackle the challenges of today’s job market.

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Here are some tips on how to brand yourself effectively through your resume:
Start with a branding headline
A branding headline of approximately 10 words should let employers know who you are, what industry you work in, and what your areas of expertise are. A good example of resume headline is “Senior Accountant with CPA Certification and more than 15 years of experience.”

Write a good executive summary
The executive summary is the section enabling you to formulate your unique selling proposition (what makes you different from other professionals) and to make your resume sound like a living person who is excited about their work. Write no more than 3-4 sentences and don’t be afraid to step out of the box.

Don’t compare yourself to other people
Avoid bashing other professionals in the field and focus only on your person and on the value you can provide. You should be unique in an absolute way and not by relating to the average guy in your industry or former colleagues.

Refer to relevant strengths
Depending on the type of job you’re applying for, you should highlight specific assets. For instance, if you are applying for a management position, you should refer to strengths such as leadership, strategic planning, and observation spirit. Do not highlight skills that are not relevant to the position you are applying for – your resume should promote you as the right candidate for that particular job, and not as a one-size-fits-all employee.

Emphasize past accomplishments
Your branding message won’t be consistent unless you show prospective employers how you’ve actually contributed to the success of projects you’ve been involved in before. Focus on achievements instead of responsibilities and use numbers to describe your success (such as “Increased sales by 20% in 6 months”).

Use the right terminology
By using appropriate language, your resume will capture the attention of prospective employers and make you look like a knowledgeable candidate; make sure you use the jargon specific to your industry.

Create the same look and feel throughout your documents
Your resume should always be accompanied by a cover letter, where you should use the same format, font, and font sizes. The person reading your resume and cover letter should know the documents come from the same candidate and not have a hard time picking the main ideas.

Be honest
Effective branding is more than anything saying the truth about your qualifications and accomplishments. No matter what your career level is, you can promote yourself as the ideal candidate without exaggerating or lying. If you are not at the senior executive level, don’t brand yourself this way – in the end, you’ll just be doing a disservice to yourself.

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No matter how important career is and no matter how much you’d like to land that dream job, you won’t be satisfied with results unless you remember to relax in your free time and recharge your batteries.

Looking for a job all the time?
Job hunting (especially when you haven’t left your current job yet) can be very demanding and stressful. You may feel more productive if you don’t take time to relax at all, but at some point you’ll become tired and frustrated by everyday life.

You don’t need to maintain work-life balance just to be happy while indulging in life’s simple pleasures; you also need rest in order to maintain production capability and be effective at work.

The goose that laid the golden eggs

There’s an old fable which tells the story of a poor man who found a goose that laid golden eggs. Every day the goose would produce an egg and soon the poor man became extremely rich. So he decided to kill the goose in the hope of finding gold within. But when he did so, he had a very unpleasant surprise – there were no golden eggs inside the goose and he had lost his wealth source.
The same thing happens with our capacity to work and produce results – if you don’t take a break at the right moment and try to squeeze as much work as possible in a short time, you end up exhausted and unable to keep working.

How to relax while looking for a new job

Even if you are in the middle of a febrile job hunting process, consider the following ideas to regain your strength:

• Exercise regularly. Exercising keeps you energised and in good shape.
• Schedule some fun things in your diary for the next month. Make sure you do at least one every week.
• Create a bucket list of things that you’d like to do in your lifetime and start including them in your schedule.
• Focus on priorities instead of trying to do as many things as possible. Don’t apply for 50 jobs, apply to 10 jobs that are really relevant to your skills and that would take your career on an upward path.
• Remember to focus both on professional and personal priorities.
• Develop the habit of gratitude and think every day about the good things in your life.
• Don’t take rejection personally. It won’t do you any favours; on the contrary, it will lead to negative thoughts and determine you to make bad decisions.
• Give up the habit of checking your email all the time and allocate set times for this activity.
• Avoid losing financial control; spend less than you earn.

A new job should not represent your most important aim, but rather a means of fulfilling your existence. Until you secure the workplace you have in mind, make sure you enjoy every moment and remember not to neglect your personal life!

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• Typos and grammatical errors

This is the most common resume mistake, because automated spell check does not always manage to identify all errors. For instance, if you write a city name in all caps, the text processor won’t check for mistakes. Unfortunately, regardless of how much hard work you have put in your resume, typos often stand out and make the recruiter wrongfully think that you can’t write or don’t care.

• Focusing on duties rather than accomplishments

Is your resume revolving around the “responsible for” phrase? Forget about this cliché and put emphasis on your achievements. For example, replace “responsible for overseeing a successful sales staff” with “led a sales team of 10 and increased sales revenues with 15% in 6 months.”

• Not being specific

The example we previously provided should also help you understand why you need to be specific in your resume instead of listing general duties, responsibilities, and outcomes. Say exactly what you have been doing at each job (except for minor tasks) and confidently use figures, statistics and other representative data.

• Mentioning important job skills at the bottom

Many people pass very important job skills under the “Other abilities” section of their resume, which is usually found at the end. This is not a good idea at all, because recruiters need to make an idea of your most valuable assets by skimming your resume’s first page only.

• Not using bullets

Do you think that bullets in resumes are overused? They may be, but bullets work; many recruiters say this formatting strategy is their favourite. It’s easy to read and it also looks good.

• Using a common template

If you want your resume to stand out from the crowd and get you noticed, you’ll need to avoid templates that recruiters have already seen hundreds of times before. Personalising your resume requires a bit of extra effort, but it’s not as difficult as you might think. You’ll enjoy the process and end up with a unique resume that doesn’t get lost between hundreds of others.

• Not being consistent

Another common mistake that jobseekers make is not applying the same rules throughout their resumes, such as using different employment date formats or not using the same font size for headings of the same rank. You may need to read your resume over and over again, or better yet, ask for a friend’s opinion.

• Forgetting that other people don’t always know what you mean

One of the most important qualities of a good writer is making sure that readers understand the information even if they don’t have the same background or knowledge. Otherwise, your writing may be incoherent and confusing, even if you do know what you mean.

If you don’t have the time or expertise to cope with all these aspects, you can always call to the services of a professional resume writer at Resume Services Australia – none of these mistakes will jeopardise your job application.

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Don’t hesitate to research your potential employer before the interview; you’ll be better prepared and you will create a common ground more easily.

Many questions that you may be asked can be easily answered when you’ve done your homework. Here is what you should find out about the company before reaching its premises:

• Research the industry first!
If you are not familiar with the new field you want to enter, you need to educate yourself on that specific industry – how money are made, what skills are needed, what the latest trends are, and what challenges professionals deal with.

• Find the bare minimum about the organisation
There is no such thing as knowing enough about an organization, but you can start with its products and services, its values, its divisions and their roles, and the company’s current direction. Keep one thing in mind all the time: your background and abilities should match job requirements and organisation values.

• Work environment
This topic is particularly important because your job will be the place where you’ll be spending a good part of your time. You may need to speak with current employees to find out more about the company’s corporate culture. Other things you should ask are how people get promoted, if innovation is encouraged, if there are any opportunities for professional development, and if there is a dress code. These will matter a lot when you become their employee.

• The company’s financial status and reputation
These aspects are crucial too; your job safety, the long-term impact on your career and your professional reputation depend on your employer, so be careful about the work offers you accept.

• Inside details
There are some things we all want to know before the interview: the hiring process, customer reviews, salary figures, and potential threats. If you don’t know anyone from inside, a searching tool like Glassdoor will tell you which companies to hunt and which to avoid.

• Your interviewer
Did you know that interviewers often make decisions based on their intuition and affinity with your profile? You can’t get someone to like you if you are not compatible, but finding out more about the person you’ll be interacting with will make it easier to start a great conversation. Checking their LinkedIn profile will show you what the person’s position in the company is and what interests you share.

What matters the most, eventually, is getting hired by a company which is a good fit for you. Pre-interview research enables you to find out whether you are compatible with a potential employer or not, and make the best decision.

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