When Hanks got his first taste of success and offers became streaming in, that the actor says he learned an important lesson- one that can benefit entrepreneurs, freelancers, and other small business owners, as their work and reputations start to grow. He was speaking about how he got to a place where he could make the movies he really wanted to make. To do that, says Hanks, he needed to learn to say a very difficult word to people.
“The odd lesson for that is I figured out that’s how you end up making the favorable work you do,” said Hanks in an interview. “Saying yes, then you just work. But saying no means you made the choice of the type of story you wanted to tell and the type of character you want to play.”
There’s a lot of wisdom in these words. When it comes to my own work, they’ve helped teach me to set my own priorities and create a business that helps me to achieve my own personal goals.
I like to call this lesson, the “Tom Hanks Rule.”
Getting more out of work and life means learning to say no
The Tom Hanks rule helps you to develop self-management, a key facet of emotional intelligence. It states simply:
Every time you say yes to something you don’t really want, you’re actually saying no to the things you do.
It’s important to remember this, because it’s easy to get caught up in the moment. You might get in the habit of saying yes to everyone’s request for a favor, just because you want to be helpful. Or, you might accept whatever work comes your way-even if it prevents you from reaching your goals.
When you remember the Tom Hanks rule, you remind yourself that every decision has consequences, and that there is only a certain amount of hours in the day, days in the week, and weeks in the year.
This is especially important to remember as your business becomes more successful. As an owner, you might chafe at the idea of turning down sure work. But part of the beauty of running a successful business is that you can get more picky with how you choose to spend your time.
You don’t have to work with every client; you can focus on the clients you enjoy working with.
You don’t have to spend time on tasks you hate; you can hire others to care for these, and focus on aspects of the business that leverage your strengths.
You don’t have to work sixty or seventy hour weeks if you don’t want to; you can build your work schedule around other things that are just as important to you, if not more so.
Of course, you shouldn’t say no to everything. Part of relationship-building, and likely what helped you build a successful business in the first place, was helping when you can.
But every day, you will be faced with tough choices, about how you’re going to spend your time and energy. When you do, remember the Tom Hanks rule: Keep your emotions in check, and just say “no” to the things that aren’t important to you…so you have more time for the things that are.
Job hunting and interviewing, dating, or just meeting people can leave a wrong impression by doing one thing that implies mistrust or insecurity.
Doing This with Your Hands Makes People Not Trust You, Experts Say
Especially with face masks covering our mouths these days, body language is a huge factor in how we come across. Whether you’re sitting straight up, slouched over, or fidgeting with your pen, people are quick to make judgements based on the little things you do. In fact, experts say that making one common gesture with your hands makes people less likely to trust you. Read on to find out what it is, and for more on why people may be doubting you.
Putting your hands in your pockets makes people not trust you.
If you want to come off as inviting and trustworthy, keep your hands where people can see them, says Susan Trombetti, a relationship expert and CEO of Exclusive Matchmaking. “When people keep their hands in their pockets, it appears they are hiding something. And someone is more likely to be lying because they are hiding their hands,” she explains. Concealing your hands comes across as more controlled, which can be interpreted as “deceitful and untrustworthy,” she notes. “People generally consider individuals with their hands in their pockets to be insecure,” explains Girish Shukla, a mental health and psychology expert.
Keeping open body language makes you seem more trustworthy.
According to Trombetti, someone who is telling the truth—or at least, seems to be—is more likely to keep their hands open and palms up. When your hands are visible, “the physical openness of your body language invites trust,” says Lauren Levy, a sales expert who teaches people in the industry how to appear trustworthy.
“Keeping open hands while talking can give others the idea that you can be trusted and that you know what you are talking about,” Shukla says. “Whenever you expose your palms it means that you are not hiding anything.”
Article and photos provided by Best Life.
Source: Doing This With Your Hands Makes People Not Trust You, Experts Say (msn.com)
After the pandemic stirred a wave of early retirements, many folks are deciding that maybe retirement isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. The proportion of retirees heading back into the workforce is at a two-year high, according to The Wall Street Journal, after bottoming out in 2020. And whether it’s loneliness, finances, or simply having too much time on your hands, there are plenty of reasons a job, especially part-time, flexible, and remote work, can start to look good to a retiree. Here are some ideal jobs seniors can pursue (with median hourly wages, where applicable, from ZipRecruiter).
Median Hourly Pay: $26.46 Accounting skills and experience don’t just go away at retirement. Payroll, tax advice, or as-needed consulting can be done part-time. What’s more, it can also be done remotely. Accountemps at Robert Half has guidance for taking on temporary or part-time accounting jobs.
Retirees can work as administrative assistants or executive secretaries, whose work includes tasks such as organizing, maintaining an appointment schedule, coordinating meetings, filing, document preparation, bookkeeping, and more. While the median pay isn’t very high, experience and being good at the job can translate to a much higher salary in this field.
Median Hourly Pay: $17.03 Ideally, customer service should be more than just listening to complaints — it can be more like detective work to help resolve issues. Interested? FlexJobs has a list of companies that hire for remote customer service jobs.
Median Hourly Pay: $20.62 Driving packages and documents around can be less work than driving people around. One interesting option for part-time delivery is with Amazon, which promises flexible hours and pay rates from $18 to $25 an hour. With more people working and shopping from home, the need for delivery people has grown substantially.
Perhaps you’ve heard — the U.S. is facing an ever-looming teacher shortage. If you’ve always wanted to try your hand at teaching public school, now might be the time to get involved.
Median Hourly Pay: $20.58 Research assistant is a good job for people who love finding and evaluating information. LinkedIn lists thousands of open research assistant positions in towns and cities nationwide in academic and corporate settings. Pay can depend a great deal on qualifications, experience, and sector.
More Resources …
Whether you found a job on this list you’d like to look into or not, it can help to have more resources to get started. Here are a number of websites that cater to retired job seekers.
Retirees should also consider signing up at FlexJobs, which offers a number of opportunities for those who need more flexibility in their schedule or want to work from home.
Are you preparing a resume? It’s natural to want to tell prospective employers all about yourself — but some things are better left unsaid.
Remember, you have only a limited amount of space to convince someone you would be a good hire. So, avoid including anything that might offend, or cause an employer to question your abilities.
Following are some key things to avoid on your resume.
Criticism of past employers
A sure way to put off a potential employer is to waste space on your resume criticizing past employers or supervisors. You may feel perfectly justified in your criticism, but the purpose of a resume is to showcase talents and abilities, not to air grievances.
Don’t give prospective employers the impression that you are disloyal or generally disgruntled. Instead, write about your positive relationships and accomplishments. Tell people about the good things you can bring to their business if they give you the opportunity.
Excuses for past problems
If you have been laid off or dismissed from a job, you may feel the need to explain the situation in your resume. It’s natural to want to tell your side of the story, especially if you feel that you were not at fault.
However, it’s easy to spend too much time discussing disappointments and missed opportunities. You may give the impression you aren’t taking responsibility for your own mistakes.
A better approach is to write about past successes. If you are called upon to explain a layoff or dismissal in an interview, be honest, but brief. Let people know that your focus is on the future.
Irrelevant skills
When a job applicant lists skills unrelated to job performance, it can appear that he or she has no valuable skills to showcase. Instead, describe things that you’ve learned that have improved your performance on the job. For example:
Do you have great internet skills?
Did you pursue special training to enhance your contribution in past jobs?
Are you attending school to earn an advanced degree or certificate?
Old achievements
Focus on recent achievements in your resume. If something happened 10 or 15 years ago, prospective employers may get the impression your successes are behind you.
So, leave out that Cub Scout merit badge.
Poor grammar and spelling
If you submit a resume with misspellings, typos or grammatical errors, you are unlikely to score a job interview. Even if you are in a field where the proper use of language seems unimportant, most employers want to know that their hires have good communication skills.
Grammatical mistakes on your resume can signal you’re careless and possibly unreliable. A resume free of errors lets recruiters know you’re serious about the job.
Too much information
Recruiters have a limited amount of time to sort through applications. So, keep it brief.
When screening applicants, recruiters look for experience, training and past employment. If you write in great detail about every job you’ve ever had, you may overwhelm. Worse, the information that makes you stand out as an applicant might get overlooked.
In most cases, submitting one or two pages worth of information is adequate. You can expand on your qualifications once you get to the interview stage.
Anything that isn’t true
You may be tempted to exaggerate skills, training or accomplishments. However, doing so always is a mistake. Once you put something in writing, you can’t take it back. Even if it helps you land a job, the lie may resurface years later and damage your reputation or career.
So don’t exaggerate qualifications. If you don’t have a college degree, describe the training you’ve received on the job. The best way to get a resume filled with accomplishments is to do work that you’re proud of.
Developing your professional skills is something that never stops, and continues to happen throughout the entirety of your career. There’s always more to learn and skills to start to master, and there’s no better time to get a start on it than in your 20s.
The sooner you start, the sooner you’re great at something. From getting our finances under control to forming foundations for professional success, getting solid career habits under your belt is the key to long-term success. Looking to make strides in your career this year? Getting in these 10 habits early on in your career will set you up for continued growth in your work world.
1. Step out of your comfort zone
Get comfortable now doing the things that make you uncomfortable. While it might seem counterintuitive, the early stages of your career are the best times to take a risk. Everything is about learning, and you have so much space to make mistakes and get right back up and start over.
A comfort zone busting habit can be something small but should be routine. Think about pushing yourself to do one “stretch thing” a week and jot a reminder in your calendar to keep yourself accountable. This can be any number of things whether you ask you the new girl out to lunch or raise your ideas in a meeting you’re normally silent at.
2. Make the most of your Sundays
Mondays get a lot of air time as the day we need to command, but how you habitually tackle your Sunday also sets you up for a week of success. If Sundays have always still felt like 100 percent “weekend” time, start committing to carving out just an hour or two in the late afternoon to do things that tee you up for productive work week. This can be scheduling workouts or meal prepping lunches to help ensure you’ve got your wellness goals mapped out to be your best productive employee.
When you’ve mastered that, tack on another hour to invest in some professional development goals. Read industry journals that you normally haven’t, take an online class to beef up your technical skills or tackle a new podcast series. Getting in the habit of seeing at least a little of Sunday as part of your work week sets you up to ease into a great Monday.
3. Give and take constructive feedback
Taking constructive feedback gracefully demonstrates maturity and the ability to grow professionally. You’ll also be practicing your own leadership skills if you work on how you deliver feedback to colleagues. The best employees are those that make a team’s success their responsibility and take it upon themselves to shape the output of a group with constructive feedback.
Did a colleague knock it out of the park on a presentation? Let her know if you hear the client say something impressive about her. Struggling to get along with a colleague over a deadline? Being able to articulate and resolve challenging relationships in a team environment is one of the best skills you can develop early in your career.
4. Negotiate like a boss
We hear a lot about negotiations attached to our salary, but in reality, it’s a skill that you’ll need to apply throughout myriad work situations. For example, when your team is given a big project, you’ll often be negotiating who is taking what work, or what reasonable timelines are. You can learn how to negotiate, and be sure you’re applying this skill to your entire compensation at a job, not just your salary!
5. Network with an executive mindset
Networking with an executive mindset means that you are connecting with people with the intent of a long-term relationship. Early in our careers, networking is touted as the essential way to learn the ropes and get exposed to great job opportunities. While true, you start developing a whole different level of networking sophistication when you can thoughtfully maintain a network as well as think about how you can pay it forward. Get in the habit of keeping in touch with connections by flagging articles you think they may find interesting or catching up over coffee, especially when you don’t have a particular career need in mind.
6. Manage your social media
There really is no better time to learn that the internet is forever. Whatever your social media footprint, be savvy about your privacy settings and know that even at their best, leaks happen. Think about the professional version of you 10 years from now. Will that girl be proud of what’s going up on Instagram today?
On the plus side, don’t underestimate the power of starting to build your professional brand now. Little bits of content, presence, and social media effort really add up over time. Consider starting a professional site with a landing page that gives prospective employers a look at your accomplishments and background. At the very least, be sure you have a LinkedIn page, as it remains relevant for professional connections in most industries.
7. Update your resume(s)
Especially in the early stages of our career, there are always a number of different paths where our job interests could take us. Consider spending some time creating several different versions of your resume tailored to the major categories of work you might find yourself pursuing. They certainly may overlap a little, but you’ll start to see that it can be extremely valuable to emphasize different skill sets, responsibilities, and talents depending on the next role you’re looking at.
Even if you only have one go-to resume, take the time to make it up to date just in case any opportunities arise.
8. Keep a rolling brag sheet
Brag sheets are a little different than your official performance review or public resume. Think of them as a running list of talking points that have a greater level of detail about all the awesome things you are doing at the office. Did a colleague or mentor give you some great feedback on how your contributions really sealed the deal on a project? Do you have stats about how your content creation pulled in new eyeballs or clients? While some of these are resume relevant, often this granular level of detail is best left for conversations. Keep one going, and look at it before you have an interview or a performance review to gain talking points.
9. Dressing for the next job
This isn’t news, but it is critical to your early career success and it is the cornerstone of beginning to build your executive presence. In your 20s, you’re constantly making career first impressions, meaning you have both prolific opportunities to impress (and to not get it quite right).
One of the best habits you can get into in this category is remembering to always treat work events just like that: as work events. Happy Hour with the crew? Good times! But you’re still a work event, so it means that on the dress code scale you want to land somewhere between what you’d be wearing at the 9-5 and what you’d be wearing in a friends-only crew on Saturday night.
10. Compete against yourself
One of the best habits you can sustain for career development is comparing yourself to your own potential and goals. Especially at the early parts of our career, it can be easy to look sideways at what everyone else is doing, how much money people are making, or even what cool new company they get to work for.
The earlier in our careers that we can reaffirm that we’re only competing against ourselves, the more joy we’ll be able to find along the way. Treating every opportunity as a way to grow from the person you were yesterday ends up making the journey so much more fulfilling.
Job hunting and interviewing, dating, or just meeting people can leave a wrong impression by doing one thing that implies mistrust or insecurity.
Doing This with Your Hands Makes People Not Trust You, Experts Say
Especially with face masks covering our mouths these days, body language is a huge factor in how we come across. Whether you’re sitting straight up, slouched over, or fidgeting with your pen, people are quick to make judgements based on the little things you do. In fact, experts say that making one common gesture with your hands makes people less likely to trust you. Read on to find out what it is, and for more on why people may be doubting you.
Putting your hands in your pockets makes people not trust you.
If you want to come off as inviting and trustworthy, keep your hands where people can see them, says Susan Trombetti, a relationship expert and CEO of Exclusive Matchmaking. “When people keep their hands in their pockets, it appears they are hiding something. And someone is more likely to be lying because they are hiding their hands,” she explains. Concealing your hands comes across as more controlled, which can be interpreted as “deceitful and untrustworthy,” she notes. “People generally consider individuals with their hands in their pockets to be insecure,” explains Girish Shukla, a mental health and psychology expert.
Keeping open body language makes you seem more trustworthy.
According to Trombetti, someone who is telling the truth—or at least, seems to be—is more likely to keep their hands open and palms up. When your hands are visible, “the physical openness of your body language invites trust,” says Lauren Levy, a sales expert who teaches people in the industry how to appear trustworthy.
“Keeping open hands while talking can give others the idea that you can be trusted and that you know what you are talking about,” Shukla says. “Whenever you expose your palms it means that you are not hiding anything.”
Article and photos provided by Best Life.
Source: Doing This With Your Hands Makes People Not Trust You, Experts Say (msn.com)
Each and every little thing you say (yes, even just one sentence) during a job interview shapes whether or not a hiring manager thinks you are a strong fit for the job.
And sometimes, it may be tempting to give an answer that felt right at the time, but in hindsight was extremely poor and made you seem weak or average. That’s why it’s important to remind yourself in advance of what to resist saying.
Here are six responses to avoid if you want to boost your chances of landing an offer, along with tips and examples of what to say instead:
1. ‘I’m a motivated self-starter.’
I’ve heard so many candidates say this in response to questions about their professional strengths or notable characteristics.
It’s a wildly overused answer, and if you find yourself saying it, the best case scenario is that your interviewer will ask you to elaborate. Worst case (and likely) scenario? They’ll be unimpressed because they’ve heard it so many times, and move on.
A more appropriate response might be: “I’m not afraid to take the lead on projects, and I can do so with little guidance,” followed by an example of a time when you successfully did this.
2. ‘In five years, I hope to be in your position.’
Don’t think that your potential boss will be flattered by this answer; they’ll just find it lazy and thoughtless.
And even if they are at an impressive level in their career, they might assume that you envision being where they are — just at a different company. This indicates a lack of commitment.
Instead, outline potential ways you see yourself growing at the organization. Start with the position you’re interviewing for and highlight some key skills required for the job, and how you can build upon those skills.
This shows that not only do you care about your career advancement, but that you’ll also be dedicated to helping the company grow in the long-term.
3. ‘I didn’t like my previous boss.’
Never speak badly about a former boss, no matter how bad of an experience you may have had.
When asked about why you left a job, it’s okay to admit that it wasn’t a right fit. Honestly is a valuable trait, but be careful with how you phrase things.
Instead, you could say that you realized your passion and want to switch career paths. Or maybe you’re looking for something more challenging. It’s also good to mention at least one thing you learned from your previous job that can help you succeed in the role you’re applying for.
If you were fired, explain the situation without taking or assigning blame. Talk about what you could have done differently to change the outcome. This displays self-awareness and an ability to grow from negative experiences.
4. ‘My biggest weakness is that I’m a perfectionist.’
Nobody is perfect, so this answer is essentially another way of saying, “I’m too weak to admit any weaknesses.”
This is a behavioral question that managers take seriously, so have an in-depth response prepared. I always recommend turning to former bosses and co-workers that you trust for feedback.
Send them a list of the top skills required for the position and ask them to rank it based on what they think is your strongest to least strongest.
Ultimately, it comes down to being honest about what you need to work on, giving some examples, and then discussing how you plan to work on those weaknesses.
5. ‘Can you tell me more about the company?’
Believe it or not, I’ve seen even the most qualified candidates ask this question in various ways (e.g., “What are your company’s main goals?” or “What does your company do?”).
The hiring manager took the time to read your resume and learn more about your background, so you’re expected to do the same and make time to research them.
It’s okay to ask them to elaborate on a very specific questions (e.g., “What are your team’s monthly goals?”), but going into the interview with little information about the company is insulting and will lead to a poor first impression.
6. ‘What do your perks and benefits look like?’
Yes, it’s unwise to take any job without knowing what your employee benefits will be. But you should never bring it up early in the interview process, because it will only make the employer question your true intentions.
Remember, the first few interviews are meant to determine whether you should continue to be in the running for the position. So topics involving perks and benefits are irrelevant if you don’t even make it past those early rounds.
Critical thinking skills truly matter in learning. Why? Because they are life skills we use every day of our lives. Everything from our work to our recreational pursuits, and all that’s in between, employs these unique and valuable abilities. Consciously developing them takes thought-provoking discussion and equally thought-provoking questions to get it going.
Here is a simple infographic offering questions that work to develop critical thinking on any given topic. Whenever your students discover or talk about new information, encourage them to use these questions for sparking debate and the sharing of opinions and insights among each other. Together they can work at building critical thinking skills in a collaborative and supportive atmosphere.
How Does It Work?
Critical thinking is thinking about purpose. It’s clear, rational, logical, and independent thinking. It’s about practicing mindful communication and problem-solving with freedom from bias or egocentric tendencies. You can apply critical thinking to any kind of subject, problem, or situation you choose. We made the Critical Thinking Skills Graphic for you with this in mind.
The Critical Thinking Skills Graphic includes categories for Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How. Each section has eight questions that begin with their corresponding word. The questions are meant to be versatile and broad, and applicable to a range of topics.
In these questions, you’ll find great potential conversation starters and fillers. That said, this is obviously not a definitive list! Let them inspire your students to come up with their own questions for critical thinking skill-building.
Source: The Critical Thinking Skills Cheatsheet [Infographic] – Wabisabi Learning
An early September poll from Monster shows that candidates are optimistic about the jobs market moving forward. In fact, 90% of respondents said they’re ready to reassess and reflect on their goals at this point in the year, and 64% said searching for a new job is at the top of their to-do list.
When I read those statistics, I immediately wondered: If you’re someone considering a job reset, how can you make sure your next career move is one that will meet your personal as well as your professional goals?
Keeping the right fit top of mind will help ensure your values and the company’s values align, according to Monster career expert Vicki Salemi, who notes that the “right fit” can encompass many things: job responsibilities, title, salary, room for growth, company culture, employee benefits, perks, camaraderie and relationships with your potential boss and colleagues, the commute and/or ability to work remotely among them.
Outlining goals and prioritizing what you need most, then conducting what Salemi calls “copious research on employers” before you begin the job search are other important steps.
“For instance, if the job seeker needs more balance between their personal and professional lives and wants to work from home a few days each week and in an office the remaining days, this should be a priority in their must-haves for their next job — and they must remain steadfast during their job search to ensure the new role meets this requirement,” she says. “[Then] leverage the interview as an opportunity to interview employers the same way the employer is interviewing them.”
According to Monster’s Jobs & Hiring Report: Trends for Fall 2020, these are three questions you might consider asking in your next job interview — particularly if you are concerned about the safety of the workplace and/or if working remotely is important to you:
Have you needed to alter the workspace to make it easier to maintain proper distance?
Have many people returned to the office full-time or is telecommuting more the norm right now?
Have you found your current work from home/flex time policies to be successful?
If you’re one of the myriad people considering a job switch soon, looking at job categories that are poised to grow is a good place to start. Monster’s Jobs & Hiring Report: Trends for Fall 2020 shows the following jobs demonstrated consistent growth from June to August 2020 and are predicted to offer the best opportunities through the end of the year.
We take a look at how you can use social media to help find the job of your dreams!
Searching for your dream job – or any job, for that matter – can be overwhelming in today’s digital age. With so many job-hunting options available, including recruitment agencies, online searches, social media and work experience, it’s hard to know which route to take.
Gone are the days when you just sent out your CV and sat back, waiting to be called for interview. Today’s jobseekers need to be proactive and use all their skills – and more – to get recruiters to sit up and take notice of them.
Most employers use social media as a tool to find the best staff, and it should form a major part of your job-seeking plan too. The right social presence will ensure recruiters see your profile and skills, and give you opportunities to network online and be well positioned should an opportunity arise.
But there’s so much information out there it can be hard to know where to start. Read on to find out how to make social media work for you.
Twitter
This short and snappy media channel is a good tool for following companies, individuals and influencers. Most companies use Twitter to talk about what they’re doing, promote their services, advertise jobs and encourage people to click through to their company website.
Think about following people or companies you might like to work for – individuals often tweet when they’re changing jobs. But don’t follow everyone. Choose 10-15 companies, then add the rest to a list on Twitter you can check back on. This way you’ll avoid being inundated with messages from hundreds of feeds.
Snapchat
Snapchat is one of the fastest growing media platforms, with 200 million active users, 39% aged between 25 and 44.
If you’re yet to use this instant-communication tool, the basics are this: photos and videos can be shared with friends for up to 10 seconds, after which they’re removed; or they can stay up for 24 hours if you put your snaps together into My Story. Images can also be saved in the Memories section of your account, there’s a chat function and it now also lets you replay snaps from friends.
Instagram
You may not instantly think of using Instagram for your job search, but it’s a good resource that shouldn’t be ignored when searching for a job.
This app is all about using pictures to tell a story. Just as with other social media platforms, you can connect with and follow companies that interest you. See what they’re up to and find out what their company culture is. This will help you learn about the company from the inside out, and may give you an advantage should you get an interview.
When posting pictures, think about who is going to see them and what kind of image they portray. It’s fine to tag a conference you’ve been to or a screenshot of something you’ve done professionally, as well as uploading personal photos that you wouldn’t mind a potential boss seeing.
As with Twitter, engage with photos and posts that employees are talking about, but only if you’re adding to the conversation. You don’t want to seem like a stalker.
Facebook
Facebook is great for sharing events and photos with friends, but it isn’t the best when it comes to job hunting. It’s very easy to portray the social you, but not the professional you – and this is the bit you need to be selling.
Are you LinkedIn?
If you’re not, you should be. LinkedIn is the top social media site for jobseekers, used by more than 500 million people worldwide – with a staggering 10 million active job posts.
The site works a bit like an online CV, with the added bonus that you can connect with other like-minded professionals and build up your network. You can also use your contacts to help connect with other people who might be useful to know.
People on LinkedIn can also build up endorsements from people they’ve worked with or know, which helps to create a fuller profile and give prospective employers a good idea of your skills and credibility. Colleagues or clients can also write personal testimonials describing you and your work to further enhance your profile.
Connecting with the right people will increase your online presence. James Caan, for example, boasts nearly three million followers, and uses his page to post blogs about business and recruitment.
If you ask to connect with someone you like/admire/think could be useful, it helps if you have already connected with someone else in their network. That makes you less of a stranger and more of a networker.
How to make your CV stand out!
The average recruiter spends six seconds looking at a CV. Here’s what you can do to make sure they notice yours
Be relevant
There are four key areas recruiters scan for when reading a CV: past jobs, previous employers, start and end dates and qualifications. Make sure these are near the top of your CV.
use keywords
Just like using search engine optimisation for a website, you need to select those keywords on your CV that will bring it up in search results. Identify the right words and phrases used in the industry you’re applying for and make sure they’re embedded in your CV – but don’t overdo it.
include a photo
While what you look like shouldn’t influence whether or not you get an interview, putting a photograph on your CV will make you stand out from the crowd. However, some recruiters believe that while it may help attract attention it’s a bit of a no-no. The decision is yours.
make a video
Video CVs are still fairly rare, so sending one will definitely get you noticed. If you want your applicaton to make a real impact, consider giving it a go.
link well
Embedding a link to your CV on your profile on social media sites such as LinkedIn or Twitter – or your own website or blog – will help prospective employers find out more about you. Just make sure they find something that will impress!
THERE’S AN APP FOR THAT!
The Top job-hunting apps and websites designed to make your search easier
CareerBuilder
Create an account and as soon as a job comes up that you like the look of, apply with a couple of taps or save it for later. careerbuilder.co.uk
Indeed
Allows you to search thousands of jobs and apply for them direct from your mobile. indeed.co.uk
Total jobs
One of the leading job boards in the UK allows you to seach for jobs by location and use the in-app map to help refine the results. totaljobs.com
Interview Prep Questions
This does what it says and prepares you for interview. It also gives suggestions as to how to answer tough questions. Available for iOS
Pocket Resume
Need to whizz off your CV straight away? This app helps you create and maintain your CV, and has a handy layout guide. Available for iOS and
