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2011 Wrap-Up & News of What’s to Come

Resunate Team — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 14:00:53 +0000

Here at Resunate, we want to give a big thanks to everyone who’s made our first year such a great one. We also want to give a big shout out to all of our partner colleges, affiliates, and the folks at CPP. We couldn’t have done it without you all!

As you can probably tell, our team has spent countless hours building Resunate into what it is today. But, all that effort has certainly been worth it. We have over 10,000 users in over 100 countries — all since our launch in April of this year!

Our team rolled out so many new features this year. Let’s take a look back, shall we?

JobFocus™ Score

Your JobFocus score measures how closely the skills within your resume match against the requirements in the job description. Your score is calculated after you have entered your job description into Resunate. The technology will then rank the relevancy of the information that you provide in your resume, looking at both keywords and concepts. The score recalculates in real-time so you can test unlimited edits to your resume, to make yourself a 10 for every job!

Scorelettes

We introduced Scorelettes to assist you in raising your JobFocus Score. Scorelettes show up as indicators directly next to each part of your resume. All you have to do is strengthen the sections of your resume indicated by the faint green colored Scorelettes and your chances of success will increase!

Auto Focus

Auto Focus selects your most relevant experiences pertinent to the job description and arranges them most effectively as per the page limit and other settings you specify. Auto Focus makes changes to your resume to show you in the best light for any job.

Interested in what’s more to come at Resunate?

Don’t worry; we have no plans to slow down. There are new features to come and plenty of ideas brewing. We anticipate the Myers-Briggs® feature launching in the first week of January. Once you have access to this feature, you will be able to find out your psychological type right from Resunate and get tips on which of your unique personality traits are a competitive advantage for each job application.

As always, we urge you to send us your comments. We appreciate all of the feedback that we have received and discuss it daily to improve Resunate. Thanks again…and cheers to a phenomenal 2012!

3 Things Your Career Counselor Won’t Tell You

Resunate Team — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 18:00:03 +0000

The job search can be taxing — and if an opportunity for help arises, you should seize it. Many times, this opportunity will come in the form of a career counselor. If you decide to visit a career counselor, you will have access to resources that would otherwise be unavailable.

You should never underestimate the advice that career counselors can provide. However, there are three things that they cannot or will not tell you. See what they are on CareerRocketeer.com.

How to Find Top Talent in the New Year

Resunate Team — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 16:33:29 +0000

For those of you in charge of finding so-called “top talent,” it can be difficult to know where to begin and what needs to be changed in order to attract the people you want. There are plenty of ways to revitalize your business, but listed below are six things that need to be taken care of before you will attract the best of the best.

Revitalize Your Brand

To attract top talent, you need to first look internally. Sure, there are several specifications that the job seeker must meet before you will consider them, but if you really want the best, you also need to appeal to them. It is extremely difficult to get a job, but there are candidates out there that have skills that are highly desired. Many of these people will have their pick of the litter, so you need to do what it takes to draw them in — whether it means taking steps to modernize your company or implementing new strategies that make for a better work environment.

Reinvigorate Your Social Media Campaign

If you want to attract young and highly desirable talent, you either need to establish a presence on social media sites or change your approach. Presence isn’t enough. Your pages need to be attractive so that young professionals can see that the company is forward-thinking and has taken steps to stay current. They can also be amazing tools to use during recruiting to establish connections with interested candidates and share job opportunities.

Take Advantage of New Technology

In today’s world, there are a multitude of online tools that can help you narrow down top talent. For example, our Apply Widget allows you to get applicants to screen themselves against the job opening and helps them tailor their resume for it before applying.

Add Motivators

While you can offer a lot of money and garner interest from plenty of sought-after candidates, there are other benefits you can offer that will make you just as competitive. For example, increased vacation time and flexible hours are two perks that might sway top job candidates in your direction.

Consider Remote Opportunities

If you allow people to work remotely, you will automatically have more top candidates in which to choose because geography won’t be a deciding factor. It’s also a desirable option for many young professionals — in fact, 70 percent of young professionals believe it is unnecessary for them to be in the office regularly, according to a survey by Cisco.

What strategies do you plan on implementing to find top talent?

How to Write a Fantastic Cover Letter

Resunate Team — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 14:00:24 +0000

If you are treating your cover letter as a sort of afterthought in your job search, you might not be experiencing the kind of success that you think you deserve — especially if you’ve spent hours perfecting your resume.
Sure, your resume needs to be great…but that doesn’t mean that you can ignore your cover letter. Your cover letter might just be the first piece of documentation that an employer reads from you. Therefore, you must craft a letter that will make an awesome first impression and include all of the necessary content.

One very important thing you must remember is that your cover letter should not be a copy of your resume. You don’t need to provide heavily detailed information in your letter — these details belong on your resume. Your cover letter serves a greater purpose and provides you with a space to make a personal connection to potential employers and convey your passion for the company.

Personalize each cover letter. You must begin with your contact information, but once that task is complete, you should customize your cover letter to each employer.

Your cover letter is the place where you should express your interest and passion for that job and company. So, make sure that you have answered the question, “Why are you interested in this job and this company?” It will be evident that you have taken the time to tailor your resume to that company when you have identified your specific interest.

Your cover letter is also the perfect place to mention if you’ve reached out or had a conversation with someone at the organization. Hiring managers are always looking to their existing employees to help vet potential hires. Showing that you have already interacted with others in the company reflects that you are assertive and have a good sense of the environment, which will make onboarding easier.

List your strengths and skills that make you qualified for the job and would particularly benefit the company. You should be personalizing each cover letter to show your interest in that particular company, but you also must tailor the skills you present for each job description. You are focusing your resume with Resunate, so why shouldn’t you focus your cover letter?

You only have a maximum of one page to write an outstanding cover letter. So, when you are listing your skills, be sure to make it clear how you can help them.

Show your appreciation. Once you have explained the job in which you are applying, the skills you have that make you qualified, and why you are interested, you must thank the employer for his or her consideration. Finally, you can let them know how you plan on contacting them for a follow-up.

You must spend time on your cover letter. Your resume is important, but every piece of documentation you send to an employer needs to be top notch. Employers can tell if you’ve rushed that key step — and many rely on cover letters to determine fit or learn more about a candidate’s personality and interests.

What else do you think belongs in a fantastic cover letter? Leave us your opinions in the comments!

5 Steps to Resume Success

Resunate Team — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 14:00:13 +0000

Are you having trouble finding a job? If you don’t know what you’re doing wrong — but know you need to make a change — you might not have to look much further than your resume. Listed below are five steps that you need to take to experience resume success.

Fill it with the most relevant content. You don’t want to bore any employers that take the time to look at your resume. Make sure to use verbs to describe what you have done in your past work experience. You should also only be including relevant information. Since you should be tailoring your resume to each job that you apply for, employers will have exactly what they need right in front of them. If you need help with this task, you can use Resunate to focus your resume to the job description.

Continue reading on BusinessInsider.com.

Does a Non-Traditional Resume Limit Your Odds? [INFOGRAPHIC]

Resunate Team — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 14:00:50 +0000

Non-traditional resumes, while unique and eye-catching, may limit a job applicant’s chances of landing his or her dream job.

Many companies, especially large corporations, use applicant tracking systems (ATS) to automatically parse through submitted resumes in search of keywords that indicate desired skills and experience.

When dealing with an ATS, a text-based resume with clear headers is the best way to go. That way, the software can parse through your resume accurately, picking out all of the juicy details the hiring manager is seeking (i.e. “brand manager,” “Harvard,” “marketing”).

Creative formats such as infographic resumes and video resumes cannot be properly scanned for relevant information. As a result, these formats could cause an applicant to miss out on his or her opportunity to move through the hiring process.

Read on and see the infographic on Mashable.

What to Do After the Interview

Resunate Team — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 16:30:23 +0000

Are you fully prepared for the job searching and interview process, but are at a loss of what to do after you’ve completed the interview? Once the interview is over, there are still steps that you need to take. Listed below are six things that you should consider doing after the interview.

Send a Thank You Note

Within 24 hours of the interview, send a personal (handwritten, if possible) thank you note. Not everyone knows to do this, so you might just stand out from the competition.

Follow-Up

You’ll be able to accomplish this task quickly if you have laid the groundwork for a follow-up during the interview. At the end of your interview, be sure to ask what their preferred method of follow-up is, and who specifically to get in contact with (this can be done quickly with a business card exchange). Opinions vary, but most people say that a follow-up is appropriate after a week or ten days.

Be Respectful

You might be desperate to get a job, but you should not show it. You need to maintain a high level of professionalism throughout the entire process. Also, be sure not to pester through emails or phone calls. You must be patient. However, if you haven’t heard anything after an unusual amount of time, you have the right to contact the company.

Stay Current

The interview is not the end; keep up on news involving the company. Hearing about a new milestone achieved and following up to congratulate the company about it will show you’re truly interested. You never know, you might get the job, or at least a callback. Staying interested and knowledgeable will reflect well on you.

Alert Your References

If you haven’t already done this, alert all of your references that they might be getting a call. You don’t want them to answer a call unprepared to speak about you. Someone expecting a reference call is much more likely to talk favorably about you.

Keep Searching

If you are waiting for an answer, don’t lose precious searching time when you may not have gotten the job. So, don’t wait around.

What do you make sure to do after the interview? Leave us your feedback in the comments.

4 Goals for Job Seekers in the New Year

Resunate Team — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 14:00:45 +0000

If getting a job in the New Year is one of your resolutions, you should be setting goals in order for this wish to become a reality. For those of you lacking motivation, it might be a good idea to set deadlines for yourself. While it’s unrealistic to set a date for when you must land a new job — unfortunately, that’s out of your control — you can set deadlines for each step that you need to take to prepare for the application and interview process. Listed below are four goals that every job seeker should put on their to-do list.

Update Your Resume

Take some time in the New Year to update the content in your resume. Employers want to see what you have been doing to keep busy while unemployed. Provide answers to any employment gaps, as well as any experience and skills you might have picked up in the meantime.

If you send out-of-date information to employers, or your resume isn’t complete, it will be obvious that you aren’t on top of your job search. While you are employed, take time to fill in your resume as completely as possible. Once you have done this, you can figure out a plan of action.

If you think that your resume is up to par, you can always gather more recommendations or utilize online technology to take a second look at your information. When you’re ready, Resunate, the online resume builder, will score your resume against each job description, helping you figure out if you’re ready to click submit.

Take Advantage of Social Media

If you are serious about the job hunt, you need to take full advantage of all the online tools available. If you haven’t already, set up social media accounts strictly for professional use. Facebook, LinkedIn, and Google+ are helpful networking tools, while Twitter is great for staying on top of the latest news.

For each of these sites, “follow” or join the groups that interest you. Hopefully, when prospective employers do a little snooping on your pages, your interests will be evident. You can go a step further and use your personal pages to post your thoughts and link articles relevant to your career field.

Explore Networking Opportunities

If you haven’t been networking, you need to get on it! Regardless of where you live, there are opportunities available. Start by looking for any professional groups in your area. By joining these groups, you will meet a lot of people that can provide great, relevant career advice. Also, with membership, you will have access to a number of different events and conferences.

Acquire New Skills

If you spend your time while unemployed gaining new skills, you will have plenty to say when it comes time to explain the employment gaps on your resume. Also, the job competition is fierce, so you need to do what it takes to make yourself the most desirable candidate.

What are your career goals for the New Year? Have you set specific deadlines for yourself?

How to Focus Your Resume

Resunate Team — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 19:00:27 +0000

Are you hoping to land a job in 2012? If so, your chances of that happening will increase significantly if you focus your resume.

To focus you resume, use the job description to edit your resume’s content. In doing so, you will be able to provide your prospective employer with a resume that he or she wants to see. Recruiters, employers, and hiring managers receive large quantities of resumes each day; therefore, your resume needs to make an impact in the short amount of time that it will be viewed.

Continue reading on BusinessInsider.com.

How to Make Your Resume Available to Employers Online

Resunate Team — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 14:00:12 +0000

For those of you that have found a specific job for which you want to apply, Resunate can help you directly submit your resume to the employer via email. Any emails sent from your Resunate account will automatically attach the PDF version of your resume. Before you hit send, Resunate allows you to construct a custom cover letter to send along with the PDF.

If there isn’t a specific job you are applying to, but you are looking to have your resume available to employers through multiple online channels, you have several options:

Monster

Monster is a well-known job board that will allow you to upload your resume so that it is easily searchable to employers.

CareerBuilder

Similar to other job boards, CareerBuilder will let you upload your resume and store it so that you can quickly submit to employers. Employers can also search their resume database to find job candidates.

Indeed

Indeed allows you to post your resume for employers to find. The site will also provide you with a personalized resume URL.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn is largely used for networking, but you can also post your resume to complete your profile.

Personal websites/portfolios

Personal blogs, websites and online portfolios give you the most freedom of all resume-sharing options. If you create your own site, you can post your resume in several different formats.

You can pick and choose the sites that you want to use to post your resume. However, keep in mind that you should be choosing sites that are most commonly accessed by companies that interest you.

Which sites have you found to be the most efficient for posting your resume?