Posts tagged Careerealism
Insights to an Effective Cover Letter
Aug 31st
The debate of whether or not cover letters are relevant has been a topic of discussion for years. Can you go without or are they necessary? A recent study by Zip Recruiter indicates that 50% of hiring managers require a cover letter, and that of those, two thirds of them reject an applicant because of something included in the cover letter.
Best practice is to have a solid cover letter. That being said, what makes for an acceptable cover letter? What is the purpose of a cover letter? What should you include and exclude? These are all valid questions that have been answered differently.
Here are 3 myths recently covered by AOL about cover letters that you should be aware of for future cover letters.
- Keep it short.
- Use formal language.
- Explain what experience you have that proves you can do the job.
Hiring managers don’t believe all they read on a resume anymore. According to a study by Hire Right, 80% are all resume are misleading. A longer resume is a great way to show your personality on paper. Also, you should write your cover letter in the same language that you speak in to avoid coming across too formal. Your cover letter should be customized to the company and position you are applying to and explain how you understand the importance of the role to the company. This shows you have an understanding of what the company does and how you’d be a perfect fit.
You should focus on high points from your resume, but keep them brief. When writing about your understanding of the company, tie it in to your experiences and skills through an example. If you remember to stick to the facts and make it about them you’ll be on the right path to writing an effective cover letter.
| Print article | This entry was posted by pyramid-admin on August 31, 2012 at 9:29 am, and is filed under Chronicles For Candidates. Follow any responses to this post through RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site. |
Key Characteristics to Depict for Getting Hired
Aug 20th
When you secure an interview the employer generally sees potential in you; whether it’s because of a skill set you hold, your educational background or prior work experiences. You still have to prove you are the best candidate for the position when you interview with hiring managers though. They are looking for someone who also fits with the corporate culture of the company.
There are 4 general characteristic traits that stand out to hiring managers.
- Hard Work Ethic
- Playing Well With Others
- Showing Initiative
- Strong Communication Skills
It is important to show you are willing to make sacrifices to complete a job/task. Tell about a time you made a personal sacrifice for work. Employers want a team player and someone they can count on when they are up against a pressing deadline. They want someone who can work well with others and communicate effectively. Providing the hiring manager with a time when you and a team worked together on a successful project is always a great way to show your teamwork skills.
The best way to show initiative is to research the company prior to your interview. Don’t just stop there – research the hiring managers that you will be meeting. If you can find commonality between you and the interviewer you will have a leg up against other potential candidates. This ties back in with fitting with the culture and having great communication skills. At the end of the day, if you have excellent technical skills, but poor communication skills you are at risk of losing the job to a candidate which has both skill sets.
If you are positive, energetic and follow up without being asked to then you are setting yourself up to rise above the competition. For examples of how you can be resourceful, click here.
Remember – always stay alert, responsive and proactive.
| Print article | This entry was posted by pyramid-admin on August 20, 2012 at 10:38 am, and is filed under Interview With The Interviewer. Follow any responses to this post through RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site. |
Are You Taking Chances to Find Your Dream Career?
Aug 13th
Many of us are searching for our dream career and some of us aren’t sure what that is yet. If you haven’t found it you should continue working while you discover what this job is for you. The best way to go about this search is to work various jobs to find out what you enjoy and best suits your skills. A great suggestion from Careerealism.com is to make a list of your five favorite jobs, and alongside each one, list its attributes and benefits. There should be patterns that you can draw from to move forward in your search.
You want to be careful your resume doesn’t look too job hoppy though. You should be genuinely interested in jobs you take on your search for your career and give them a good amount of time before dismissing it as not a good fit for you. If this tends to be a problem you experience then a career coach might be a reasonable option to consider. A coach can help you look for a new direction within a career and help you work through those boring aspects of a job.
Fear is a huge factor that intimidates us from going after of dream career. Fear of failure, fear of rejection, fear of networking – these are all valid fears that can limit of growth. You shouldn’t let fear rule you. Do not allow fear of the unknown prevent you from going for what you truly want in life. In the end you will only come out stronger, regardless of the outcome. The more you overcome your fears the easier it will become.
| Print article | This entry was posted by pyramid-admin on August 13, 2012 at 10:37 am, and is filed under Job Search. Follow any responses to this post through RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site. |
Balancing Your Work and Personal Life
Jul 27th
Time is your most valuable asset – every moment of your time matters. Balancing a career and personal life is a common challenge for more people. It is important to stress the impact that can be made from even the smallest of changes in your everyday life.
There are several small changes you can make without significantly altering your lifestyle.
- Be grateful for what you have in your life. When you wake up in the morning take a moment to relax and reflect.
- Working out with friends, family or partners is a great way to spend some time together and stay in shape.
- Set a time to make a daily phone call to your kids.
- Clarify your work hours and expectations with your boss to prevent any potential misunderstandings.
- Social with your colleagues in and out of the office when the opportunity arises.
For more changes, click here.
Remember, work doesn’t have to be your life. The key to a balanced life is getting 8 hours of sleep. The importance of a proper amount of sleep cannot be stressed enough. We’ve all said “I work all the time and can’t catch up on life and sleep”. Sometimes it can seem like we have to do absolutely everything on top of a full word load. The best way to take control of your time is to know what you must do. Take a moment and try to enforce the above tips into your day.
| Print article | This entry was posted by pyramid-admin on July 27, 2012 at 9:09 am, and is filed under Time Management. Follow any responses to this post through RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site. |
Habits of Successful People
Jul 20th
Success isn’t only measured by a great career and tons of money. Success also pertains to living a higher quality of life and a happier outlook. There is evidence that successful people have specific routines that unsuccessful people do not.
Here are some habits to guide you in a positive, successful direction.
- Wake up early and allow yourself time to start the day right
- Set up a weekly exercise routine
- Review and rewrite goals to keep you on track
- Visualize the day ahead
- Stay informed – read the news
Some extra advice – successful people tend to accomplish most of these tasks all before breakfast. Trying to become a morning person is the best start to making the changes you want.
The path to success and happiness doesn’t end there. The first step is to become proactive. You are responsible for you – no one else is. If you want to see a change you must make the change. Once you’ve made the decision to be proactive and move forward you need to prioritize your thoughts in an effort to obtain effective time management. Other characteristics of successful people include listening to others to full understand a concept, keeping an open mind and knowing when to relax
| Print article | This entry was posted by pyramid-admin on July 20, 2012 at 11:37 am, and is filed under Look What We Found. Follow any responses to this post through RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site. |
Interview Questions for Employers
Jul 9th
Knowing the right questions to ask on an interview can be tough. Knowing when and how to ask them at the appropriate time can be even more challenging. At some point in the interview you know the interviewer will ask “Do you have any questions for me?” and you need to be prepared.
Below are some examples of good and bad interview questions:
- “What do you do, exactly?”
- “How many personal, sick and vacation days will I get?”
- Why is this position vacant?” – This is a seemingly appropriate question, but can appear gossipy. It is best to wait and see if the interviewer mentions why the position is available.
You should be able to determine if you and company/position are a good fit from the questions you ask on an interview. The best way to accomplish this is by asking bold questions.
- How receptive are you to feedback from your employees when you do something they disagree with?
- As a manager, what frustrates you about the people that work for you?
- Is there a project your department is working on now? If so, how are you interacting with your staff on it?
Don’t play it safe by only asking the same general questions as everyone else. If you want to make a memorable impression dig deep and ask questions related specifically to the position and department you are interviewing for.
| Print article | This entry was posted by pyramid-admin on July 9, 2012 at 12:27 pm, and is filed under Interview With The Interviewer. Follow any responses to this post through RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site. |
Mentionings – 100 Most Powerful Resume Words
Jun 1st
If you’re bored from staring at the same bulleted responsibilities on your resume, imagine how the hiring manager is going to feel.
According to Careerealism, “highly dedicated individual or great team player” are some of the most commonly used phrases and key words used on a resume.
As an alternative, Careerealism posted the top 100 most powerful resume words that are sure to save your resume from a trip to the trash.
Some of our favorites include:
- Bolstered
- Enriched
- Fulfilled
- United
- Streamlined
- Obtained
To see all 100 power resume words, click here.
We hope this helps improve your resume! Have a great weekend.
| Print article | This entry was posted by pyramid-admin on June 1, 2012 at 5:48 pm, and is filed under Chronicles For Candidates, Right Your Resume. Follow any responses to this post through RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site. |
Mentionings: Making the Wrong Impression
Apr 18th
Most of our posts are about what to do to get the job you want. This post focuses on what not to do after you get the job.
You are excited because this is a new beginning! This is your chance to make a great first impression, work hard, and prove that you are, in fact, the best person for the job.
However, your first day can be very intimidating. We would like to reference Careerealism’s article, 9 Ways to Make the Wrong Impression on Your First Day, to make sure your nervousness doesn’t get the best of you.
Some of our favorites from their article are:
Showing Up Tired
- While this is a “no-no” no matter what day it is on your job, you should remain on point and get a good night sleep for, at least, the first few months of your new job.
Over Sharing (which we blogged about last week)
- Even if you’re the most outgoing person in the world, tone it down in the beginning and observe office interactions.
Complaining
- What are you complaining about? You just got a new job! If you have something you must whine about, call a friend or family member. DO NOT complain at work on your first day or EVER!
These are just a few first impression blunders to avoid. Even though this article emphasizes not doing the aforementioned on the first day, we would advise steering clear of these in the long run.
Click here for the additional 6 points on how to make the wrong impression on your first day.
| Print article | This entry was posted by pyramid-admin on April 18, 2012 at 7:08 pm, and is filed under Mentionings. Follow any responses to this post through RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site. |
All In The Family
Apr 5th
Many of you who are reading this are “friends” with your parents. They have figured out how to sign up, compile a profile, and slowly ruin your “cool” reputation on Facebook by posting baby pictures on your page.
So out of curiosity, we did a survey in our office. We asked 15 people if their parents are on Facebook.
- 1 said both parents are on Facebook
- 10 said one parent is on Facebook (one of those was a dad and the other nine are moms)
- 4 said neither is on Facebook
These numbers made us wonder if those parents who are actually on Facebook, use it as a job search tool.
According to an article by Careerealsim, Gen X didn’t get email until (approximately) their senior year of college or thereafter. They also say, at the start of the social media craze, these sites came and went (ie. Friendster, MySpace). Therefore Gen Xers weren’t sure if social media was reputable and were unsure how to use it.
With that being said, we want to ask you too. Are your parents on Facebook? If so, do they use Facebook, LinkedIn, or Twitter, to find new opportunities?
| Print article | This entry was posted by pyramid-admin on April 5, 2012 at 5:47 pm, and is filed under Awkwardly Asking, Chronicles For Candidates, SINC - Source, Interact, Network, Connect, Social Media. Follow any responses to this post through RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site. |
