Career Help « Career Change Resumes

January 15, 2010

The Pitfalls of Unsolicited Resumes

Filed under: Career Change Resumes — Tags: Career Change, Career Help, career transition, Human Resource, Job Hunting, Job Seach, Resume Help, Resume Writer, Resume Writing, resumes, Unemployment — admin @ 11:08 am

Your mind is set on a company and a position that you want. This could be your dream job, but the company is not hiring. Before crossing your fingers and submitting your resume, consider the some of the risks that accompany your unsolicited resume. Your initiative in pursuing your dream job may actually sabotage your employment search.Unsolicited resumes are those received by a company when no employment openings are available. These resumes carry some baggage that will not benefit you in the job search. Despite your best intentions, an unsolicited resume has little chance of landing you an interview. Unsolicited resumes carry some stigma for a number of good reasons, but we limit this discussion to three.1. Unsolicited resumes are an irritant to Human Resource personnel when the company is not hiring. The HR staff has a multitude of duties aside from those related to hiring. They will not spend time examining resumes for positions when the company is not seeking employees.

2. These resumes are seldom read, but go straight into a file for a specified period of time before finding their way into the shredder and finally the recycle bin. When the company is hiring, H.R. will begin from a pool of current resumes rather than from a file of stale unsolicited documents. Unlike wine, your resume does not improve with age.

3. Calling the HR office to follow-up on your unsolicited resume may tag you as a “stalker.” This slang refers to unwanted calls from individuals seeking employment when the firm is not hiring. These people are in effect, “stalking” the company while waiting for an opportunity that does not exist. You may feel that you are showing tenacity in seeking employment. It is much more likely you are alienating yourself from those in the hiring process.If you have been searching for some time, you may begin to feel frustrated and perhaps a little desperate. It is natural to feel that way and many people have experienced those feelings. But, do not allow your feelings to provoke you into rashly submitting a batch of unsolicited resumes. This practice is unproductive and will set you up to feel worse when your “shotgun” approach fails to produce calls from excited hiring managers eager to schedule an interview.

Landing the right position requires strategy, timing, skill, and a little bit of luck never hurts. But, those who properly prepare often make their own luck and that is your goal. Map out an effective job search strategy that will work for you and your circumstances. There is not a one-size-fits-all solution, but there are effective job search strategies that will work for you. Develop your job search strategy and you are going in the right direction.

Comments (0)

December 29, 2009

Your Career Advancement Opportunities – Top Tips To Improve Them

Filed under: Career Change Resumes — Tags: career, career advancement opportunities, Career Help, top tips for career improvement — admin @ 12:20 pm

The highly competitive career ladder can sometimes be a very frustrating and difficult field to survive in. With many qualified individuals gunning for the same opportunities, climbing the ladder to success can be a struggle. The best strategy is to combine your skills and hard work with clever planning and organization. The average person makes six to ten job or career changes; hence a plan is not only very useful, but also almost necessary. One has to focus and chase that advancement and the best way to start is by making sure your employer is well aware of your ambitions. Counselors on career advancement believe that the right time to begin searching for an advancement opportunity is when you find your current workload unchallenging or if you find the workload light and easy. The first place to look for an opportunity is in the company where you are already employed, however if there are no positions open then you might have to consider looking elsewhere.
For starters you have to increase your worth to the company, there are many ways to do this, including taking up additional responsibilities or by asking for more work. Even going outside your department and offering others help isn’t a bad idea, as it spreads your recognition across divisions. This allows the company to see what a dedicated and committed employee you truly are.
The next step is to have a clear conversation with your boss, where you should look to discuss your personal ambitions and career goals while at the same time emphasizing your desire to help the company meet and exceed its objectives and goals. Taking help from a career advisor or by finding a mentor for career guidance information isn’t a bad idea either.
Another important step is to make sure you present yourself as a team player, project a confident and friendly personality, make yourself known as a motivational force and emphasize your communication skills. Everybody is looking for an effective listener and speaker. By improving these skills you can set yourself apart from the other and allow others to become aware of your skills and abilities. Communicate effectively with people in powerful positions and clearly state your ambitions to them. Appearances are also an important factor, and it doesn’t hurt to be well groomed and dressed. Also try and maintain your professionalism in all fields regardless of the situation.
Another important thing to keep in mind is to constantly learn new skills and expand your resume. Keep up to date with the latest trends and procedures, and don’t be afraid to express your own ideas. Also always a keep an updated resume handy, if you play your cards right, you might need it sooner than expected.

Comments (0)

December 14, 2009

Considering a Career Change? Here Are Some Things to Consider

Filed under: Career Change Resumes — Tags: career, Career Change, Career Guidance, Career Help, Career Management, Career Tips — admin @ 11:04 pm

Recent surveys and news stories are addressing the issue of how many people are changing careers due to the recession. For many this is turning out to be a very positive experience. For some it is an opportunity to do something they have wanted to do for years, but never had the chance. Regardless of your reason for wanting to do something different, it should start with an assessment of your skills and which of these skills is transferable.

Jumping into a career change is tough enough, but not knowing what skills you bring to the party and how you can leverage these skills will make the transition even tougher. Many candidates believe that just because they have a skill it makes them marketable. This is not necessarily true. You are only marketable if a need exists for that skill. You can’t assume that there is a market, and that the market is willing to pay what you are asking.

Also, others may have the same skill, and some additional experience using that skill, that makes them more desirable.

A suggestion would be to first conduct a skills assessment (CLICK HERE to download a FREE Assessment). We suggest that you complete this, but also that others complete it for you. Those that know you the best will see your skills from a different perspective.

Once you know what skills you have rank them. The ranking should not only be based on how strong a skill this is for you, but also if it is a skill you really enjoy using. Just because you have a skill and are good at it doesn’t mean you enjoy it. For example, you may have a skill that allows you to really get into details, quickly grasp the issue, and come to a conclusion. However, if you hate getting down into the details, have dreaded it every time you have had to do it, it may be a strong skill, but not a skill you want to base a career change on.

Next you will have to determine if there is a market for these skills, where the market is, and the value of these skills in the market. More specifically not the value as a whole, but as it relates specifically for you. You can’t forget others that have these same skills. If they have some additional or unique experiences that you don’t, then your market and value in that market is decreased.

You can do some of the market research on the Internet. Go to the job boards and search open positions seeking these skills. This will give you an indication of market size and value. For example, if 100+ job openings appear and the compensation is in line with your expectations, you are more likely to be able to make that career change than if there were only one or two openings.

Don’t ignore the colleges and universities that have majors in the functional area in which your skills align.You might even discover some additional education you need to be successful.

Finally, I believe too often candidates don’t even explore the opportunities to buy a business or start a business. I would recommend contacting a business broker and at least having a conversation with them to discover if this is a viable option for you.

Making a career change isn’t easy, it takes time, planning, and the right set of transferable skills to be successful.

Download a free skills assessment from our Web site. Go to www.impacthiringsolutions.com and scroll to the bottom to the, “What’s New” section and click the Skills Assessment link.

Also, listen to our weekly radio talk show on Monday’s at 11 – Noon PST on www.latalkradio.com

Comments (0)