If you want to increase your employability you will want to make certain that your résumé is complete with everything it needs to highlight your skill, and accomplishments. The goal is to win interviews, especially now, in a slowing economy with plenty of competition out there. Your résumé has to speak volumes about you and your skill set. You can’t just leave everything up to a cover letter for further explanation.
In my experience as a recruiter, I can tell you that most résumés only get 20-25 seconds of a view. I remember some résumés were passed on because they were too lengthy or because too much time was spent filtering through them to find where the skills and abilities matched. At the time, there were nearly 350 to filter through each week, so the need for clarity is a must! A very important question to ask is this: What are the employer’s needs and requirements?

Visit the company website or whichever source you choose and slowly review the position’s detail and requirements. Take notes and begin to tailor your résumé to the employer’s specific requirements. You want to make sure that your main selling points are found in the first 2 to 10 lines and written in the same language the job site or advertisement uses. If you use bullets, make sure they are short and sweet, try and stay between 4 and 6 detailed points. Watch your margins and spacing, remember to use bold print or even underline vital key words. Above all else be truthful and honest, never inflate your abilities, be confident and stand proud with integrity.

Often times we hear people say “sell yourself”, this can be tricky because everyone may not know exactly how to accomplish this so easily. A little critical thinking, research, and evaluation of yourself will help, but don’t be afraid to seek professional help in this area, especially if you are preparing a résumé for the first time. Don’t rely on templates alone, it is important to know how to think critically about developing your strengths. The entire purpose of having a winning résumé is that future employers can see quickly your skills and how they can work for them or that position available. Don’t rush, take your time and as I mentioned, research well or seek a professional for tips so that you can learn to reveal your strengths and convey them accurately in a way that can pay off for you.

Have you ever been stumped when you get to the part in the application process or interview that asks for past salary or salary expectation?
Often, companies use this area as a way to screen out possible candidates, sad but true. Companies have hundreds of applicants and there is no way to fully review each and every one of them, so they often use a few different methods to screen candidates. You have to be very careful with your responses to salary questions, avoid writing in set figures. If you write a figure that is too much or even too little, it may result in you being out of the running for that job.

Some employers like to see that people do their research, for example look at salary surveys for that particular job or sector, and see what the norm is. Consider all the experience you have and try not to talk during the interview or write on an application about how much money you need. Be confident about what you have done in your career and what you will be able to do for the new employer. Remember not to bring up compensation unless the employer leads you to it, once they do, it is okay to present the employer with a range for that job or even ask more about the responsibilities and other requirements. This will help you arrive at an amount based on your experiences.

It’s is also perfectly okay to write or say that salary is negotiable, you can also ask what the salary range is, if unknown, even saying or writing that you will expect the fair market value is a safe way to go in regards to salary. These are broad suggestions, so always do your research and don’t be afraid to arm yourselves with information. You can sell you the best, assess your worth, be confident and you should do well.

A favorite salary search site of mine is Glassdoor.com.

Changes in life or the workplace are inevitable; they can and will occur with or without you. How do we deal with them in ways that don’t cause us to feel vulnerable or inability to adapt? It’s not uncommon to experience feelings such as; sadness, anger, and even guilt. These can be very common reactions that are normal for many. Some helpful tips to help cope can begin with a person you trust, open up and share what you may be feeling, try to acknowledge the emotions. This is helpful in order to move forward, try and focus on things you can change.

Avoid anger if at all possible, control your emotions, and find a safe place where you can calm down. Take a deep breath and remind yourself that you need to remain in control of the situation and never allow the situation to control you. Try not to resist the changes because resisting the changes can have very serious repercussions, not only from your job but to you personally. Be optimistic, the changes may be the means to a better outcome. It’s natural for us to react, but the type of reaction is what we need to keep in check.
Be aware of your strengths, recognize them and put them to work for you. Adjusting may take a little time but if the attitude remains positive, it can foster a positive outcome. Always believe in yourself and know that you are capable of anything. Keeping a positive outlook will help keep you calm, remember, make the situation work for you.

Just relax and find a brighter side, it may take time but you will arrive, step by step.

Making the decision to return to work requires serious thought depending on the needs of your family. Regaining confidence doesn’t have to be so daunting, if you can help it, don’t force yourself, transition slowly. Define what it is that you want to do, think about the areas you feel passionate about, and take calculated steps toward it. Make an assessment of your skills, figure out where you excel and identify areas where you may need a bit of a boost.

Depending on how long you may have been away, technology will be different as well as business trends but try not to become too overwhelmed. You can take a course, network with friends, read supporting material, or get coaching to help build or rebuild your capabilities. Try not to become discouraged because there are many avenues available with which you can take advantage of. The rate at which you excel is up to you, know you and know that with a little preparation and planning you can do what you desire to.

You have skill and ability that is bursting to come out, just take a deep breath and put one foot in front of the other.

This is a tough time for many during this troubled economy, many people have been out of work for the first time in their lives. Some are experiencing the effects of downsizing, and some are simply showing up to work only to find out that it is their last day. What do we do? You have every right to be bothered, angry, and disappointed. This is natural, as we are human and will react, the lesson here is to realize when to just take a deep breath and let go of any negative or draining emotions. Try and think about the positives in life, don’t allow depression to get the best of you at a time when it can be very easy to lose sight of yourself. Having these types of abrupt changes can be devastating but what you want to do is try and surround yourself with things, people, and ideas that will keep your mind from that dreaded downward spiral. Positive and high energy people can be infectious, like minded individuals can help lift your spirits, and that alone can work wonders.

This is also a good time to reinvent yourself, turn off the TV, lace up your favorite shoes and take a refreshing stroll to a place that inspires and brings you peace. Taking a walk through the local park, a trail, or even a botanical garden, anything positive and healthy can be used to help you step away for just a moment. When you are trying to figure out what to do next for your career or personal development you want to do this open and free from bad habits or depression, you want to function at the top of your game.

When looking for work, you may find that results are not coming to you as fast as you may want them too, this is a tough time and there is plenty of competition but you must push forward, remember things like tailoring your résumé to what you are pursuing, it needs to show the skill set that the employer is searching for. You may even need to reconsider other job areas where some of your skills are transferable. Remember to network, think of any and everyone that you may be able to reach out to for career advice or guidance. Volunteering is also a great way to give back to your community, gain self fulfillment, and meet people.

Use this time off and take a hard look at yourself, find direction and assess your desire and capabilities. We all have purpose in this life and it is up to each of us to discover or rediscover exactly what that purpose is. There will be some very tense moments trying to find ways to deal with the effects of this life and economy, but try hard to stay focused, trust yourself, and allow this time to work for you instead of against you.

Where one door closes another opens, you just have to believe it enough to put forth the energy and will to find it.

It’s what the world could use more of in this life. It’s always there and ready to strengthen people when events become more than bearable. It draws on will and power to help find answers to situations that remove people from their safety zones. Hope gives way to dreams, it’s optimistic, and can help, when looking forward to the future with excitement. Hope nurtures belief and can propel the notion that people can change to make aspects of life better. There is nothing wrong with expecting goodness from life. Will there be bumps along the path? Yes, but look at them for what they are…. only bumps! Not impenetrable walls.

Feeling better about the direction of life has much to do with how one chooses to navigate what I refer to as a “hope vessel”. It’s open water, with beauty in every direction, instead of heading your vessel North, South, East, or West, find a new route and set the sail to new sights, in areas like Happiness, Joy, Contentment, and Peace. Take hope and allow it to embrace thought, watch it empower and change, let it draw you wherever you choose to go. Even in this evolving world we live in, hope is always there. When everyone and everything can seem as though it has failed, look to hope, it never fails.

Understand hope in the sense of what it can do and not just for the sake of definition. Believe and carry on, so whether you have raised children and returning to work, seeking work for the first time, or stepping away from a bad situation. Remember hope and how it changes things. Know that you are never truly alone.
The best part about hope is that it doesn’t cost anything, it’s there for the taking, and all one has to do, is reach.

Are you facing more pressure than normal from work or life in general? At some point we can all find ourselves wishing that we could just disappear for a little while!

Stressful deadlines, demands, people who seem to love arguing, the over reactors, that man or woman who just will not stop talking, the micromanagers, the ones who think its okay to drop “F” bombs whenever they deem necessary, and the tardy partiers who never arrive on time but always leave early! How do we deal with it all? The kind of people in these situations can cause us to reach our limits, but knowing how to manage conflict can help build problem solving skills for work and for everyday life.

First of all, try not to waste time overreacting, if we do then we are no better than they are. Instead try handling it by understanding how they think and why they do what they do. Being able to understand people’s difficulties and knowing the better ways in which to respond will help make dealing with them less frustrating. The ability to handle negativity can help foster diplomacy, which can be a value to anyone. Here are a few tips I think about when handling these pressures:

• Try and identify the dynamic of the situation or the person
• Choose a good approach that will offer respect and understanding
• Respond quick but effective to minimize the situation
• Try replacing unproductive measures with ones that yield effective actions

Applying your problem solving skills to stressful situations that commonly occur will lower your own stress intake and hopefully give way to a more positive environment. We can’t always control what others do or say, but we have all the power over what we do or say and that can make all the difference. We never know who may be watching, and others may observe how you handled a less than desirable situation. If done well, it could have lasting effects that may inspire others to learn how to keep things cool under pressure and know that there are better ways to solve problems than to be the source of one.

Choosing the best attire for work can be difficult. It all depends on the occasion one is dressing for; heading off to an interview will be different than how one might dress for everyday work.

When heading to an interview there are a few things to consider. Take note of industry standards and do research for what is typical regarding certain professions. Navy blue/ black pant or skirt suits are very standard, offsetting the suits can be tricky but pastel colors are common and safe. Do avoid loud colors and patterns that can draw unwanted attention, make certain that “you” remain the focus. Keep shoes maintained and in good condition, preferably close toe with a small to medium heel or no heel at all. Remain common and safe when choosing shoe color; black or navy will suffice.

Go subtle and natural looking with makeup, keep fingernails well groomed and free from bright color or design. Wear small earrings, pearls for example, nothing dangly. Avoid clinking bracelets or gaudy watches, remember to remove any piercings and cover up tattoos. Above all else, be neat, clean and ready to get down to business. It’s not about styling and profiling, it’s about you and snagging that job!
Keeping things simple, keeps things safe.