Feb 17 0 comments

Project Personality: How To Illustrate In Your Resume

As a job seeker, you probably read a lot of resume advice about how to ensure your resume makes it in front of a hiring manager. With all of these rules and guidelines, it can seem like a difficult task to get your document to stand out among the tens or hundreds of other applications for the opening. You might wonder, How can I insert my personality into my resume? How can I ensure my experience and skills stand out among everyone else’s?

First, let’s make one thing clear — it is not a good idea to use fancy fonts or formatting in order to stand out. In fact, because so many hiring managers use applicant tracking systems to screen resumes, your resume could easily become garbled if you do use a non-traditional layout.

Here’s the way an ATS works: it parses through submitted resumes in search of keywords that indicate desired skills and experience. The software looks for details the hiring manager is seeking, such as job titles, education, and skills, and maps it to the employer’s database. The system then automatically assigns you a score based on how well you match the job the employer is trying to fill.

So how can you ensure your resume shows employers everything they need to know about you?

Put your achievements at the forefront. Quantify what you’ve done at previous positions. For instance, if you were in sales, how much business (in dollars) did you deal with while at your position? If you broke company sales records, what were they? If you exceeded personal goals, by what percentage or dollar amount?

Include links to your social media handles or your personal website. While you should still include traditional contact information, such as your phone number and email address, consider providing your Twitter handle, LinkedIn profile link, or the Web address to your personal website or portfolio. This way, if your resume has made it to the hiring manager’s hands, they can look at you in more detail on their own. Doesn’t hurt to include these in your email signature, either!

Watch keyword usage. While you may have some great keywords in your resume, they don’t do much for you if those keywords are different from the job description of the position you’re applying for. Compare your resume and the job description side-by-side to make the hiring manager’s life easier and your chances greater.

Save personality for your cover letter. A cover letter is a great way to introduce yourself and convey passion for your industry. Yes, some hiring managers still read cover letters! In fact, a new OfficeTeam survey indicated that more than nine in 10 executives found cover letters valuable when evaluating job candidates.

What challenges have you faced while trying to make your resume stand out?

 

Feb 15 0 comments

How To Work With An Introvert When You’re An Extravert

The workplace can be challenging. Not only do you need to perform to the best of your ability at your job, but you also need to learn how to get along with a bunch of people who work differently than you do. As you might imagine, personality type often has some influence on how people work and communicate.

Knowing your Myers-Briggs Personality Type® helps you understand the following: Where do you put your attention and get your energy? Do you like to spend time in the outer world of people and things (Extraversion), or in your inner world of ideas and images (Introversion)?

For instance, introverts tend to be thinkers and planners, they’re often reserved and like solving problems in their head. Extraverts, on the other hand, are talkers and doers. They like solving problems collaboratively and often must start talking in order to make sense of their thoughts. An introvert and an extravert working together should be aware of these differences in order to work effectively with one another.

Here are several tips for working with introverts when you’re an extravert:

Ask introverts for their opinion during brainstorming sessions or meetings. Extraverts tend to dominate these sessions because they like to think aloud. Help introverts ideas be heard by allowing them time to think about the situation and asking specifically for their opinion.

Learn what they need. External stimuli, such as music, might help you work better, but could be distracting for an introvert. Figure out how they work best and try to help them in any way that you can. For example, if you need music to keep yourself motivated, use headphones instead of blasting your music in your cubicle for everyone to hear.

Use email more often. Introverts might want extra time to process their thoughts internally, which can create awkward pauses on the phone or during in-person meetings. Instead of putting them on the spot, send them an email. You’ll receive their clearest thoughts and ideas that way.

Listen to what they’re saying. While you might wear your emotions on your sleeve, introverts might express their feelings through words instead of expressions or actions. This doesn’t mean they are unhappy or unappreciative, but they’ll usually keep emotions and thoughts to themselves. Listening also helps with building a trusting relationship with one another.

Do you have other tips on working with introverts? What challenges have you faced with differing personality types in the workplace?

 

Feb 13 0 comments

Employee to Entrepreneur: 5 Steps To Take

In today’s tough job market, you may have considered some non-traditional means of making money, such as freelancing, taking a temporary or part-time position, or working on a project basis. Perhaps you even took it a step further and considered becoming an entrepreneur.

Although working for yourself might sound like a dream job — particularly in a day and age when you can start a business from your laptop — there are certainly steps you must take before dumping your current job (or putting your entire job search on hold).

Here are five steps to take to transition from employee to entrepreneur:

Step 1: Identify opportunity

What’s your unique idea? What gaps do you see in your current industry that you can fill with a product or service? Come up with an effective solution to an unmet need. (Hint: it should be something you believe in.) Then, do your research to ensure your idea is unique. If someone else is doing something similar, how will your business be different? For instance, will you focus on a different niche?

Step 2: Assess your likelihood of success

Some ideas require much more financial investment than others. Others might need a lot of human resources, which, as an entrepreneur, you likely don’t have. Research can help to analyze how successful your venture might be, but it can also be helpful to talk with others in the industry and mentors.

Step 3: Make a plan

If you have a job right now, do you have the resources to quit and go full-time with your business idea? If not, how long will you need to stay at your current job until your idea gets off the ground? You need to have an initial vision of how your business will come to life — although you certainly should remain flexible, too, as things are bound to change!

A written plan is often one of the best steps to get your ideas down on paper. It’s also what you’ll need to move onto the next step of financing.

Step 4: Secure financing

Whether you’re planning on using your own money, taking out a loan, or presenting to venture capitalists, money is obviously an important part of your new business.

Step 5: Get to work!

Now is your chance to prove your idea has legs. Follow your plan and adapt as you go. It’s inevitable that you’ll face challenges along the way, but keeping a positive attitude is vital to business success. You might also consider creating a business advisory board or networking with other entrepreneurs for advice and tips.

Would you consider entrepreneurship? Why or why not?