November 10, 2011

Welcome New Graduates

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Welcome to your future!

Years of study and sacrifice are done and you are ready to take on the world. Well, at least you feel that way … but no one is calling for an interview! Is it luck, timing, connections? What does it take to land a real job, a first-step career-building position?

Although some will insist it’s who you know (it’s called networking), those who landed themselves a part-time position at the local building supply warehouse retailer will insist it’s luck, and they ain’t got it!

Nonsense, it’s not luck at all. It’s all about strategy. A strategic resume, strategized cover letter, job search strategy – that’s how you land a position within your field of study and that leads, step by step, to the career you’re envisioning.

Check back for regular updates, valuable information, useful tips and more. All written with your career success in mind. To your career success, Stephanie

 

June 6, 2013

Writing a cover letter when you have no work experience

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Cover Letters for DummiesCover letters can be a chore to write. A lot of cover letter doubts stem from uncertainty. Questions such as how ‘businessy’ should they be, can you use contractions or should all words be completely spelled out, should a cover letter look like a business letter? stump many. And on top of all those questions, what the heck can the new grad who has no relevant experience, no co-ops, write about!?

Let’s start at the beginning. The cover letter is not strictly business; it is a piece of self-marketing. I know that some schools continue to push a business letter style, but that is fading and you’re not breaking any rules if you don’t stick to this. For my new grad clients I format the cover letter to look like the resume – same design, structure, font, margins etc. That way, I am building a professional portfolio look.

Next, I use language appropriate to both my client and to the position. An engineer grad won’t sound like a marketing grad and the human resource grad is distinct from the finance grad. All will use terminology appropriate to the subject and all will use language that I heard my client use in the fact-finding interview that I conduct with all clients. Sometimes I use contractions! No client goes unhired because his or her cover letter holds a “that’s” rather than “that is.”

For those who have no work history to speak of, no problem! I simply focus completely on their schooling and character. For example, speaking to the role the student played in a team-structured school project or assignment can prove “team player” qualities. It can also include jargon typical of that student’s field. And adding some information related to “dependably meet my project deadlines and haven’t missed one deadline in four years of education” demonstrates a transferable skill useful in the workplace.

There are so many ways to prove that you are an excellent candidate! It’s up to you to find a way around what another person might say is an insurmountable obstacle. (To which I say “nonsense”!)

If you need resources, Cover Letters for Dummies is an excellent choice.

If you need help with finding a way around, New Leaf is here to help. Recently awarded a Master Resume Writer designation, your resume and cover are in expert hands.

- creating masterful resumes and cover letters, Stephanie

 

May 14, 2013

Resume Before and After: If you bartended your way through school

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bartenderMy latest new grad client is one amazing young woman! Yes, she paid her way through school by bartending, and also by working in the kitchen of a seniors’ residence. Not unlike many students actually!

But what good is it to fill a resume with bullets like these, taken from her resume?

- Taking food and drink orders and tracking sales in the POS system

- Portioning, plating and serving meals to residents as per dietary needs and restrictions

As she was not entering hospitality or health care, these bullets did nothing at all to position her for the job she actually wanted: quality control or inspection within Canada’s food industry.

Here are a few of the bullets I was able to coin for this client:

- Adhered to food safety protocols, for example, monitoring temperatures of food, fridges, and dishwasher, in assisting with daily food production.

- Co-delivered quality control initiatives to address standards identified by Food Inspectors; reduced infractions from three to zero.

Those are more in line with what the positions she will be applying to will need, and hint at some basic knowledge of this area. (Although she now holds the degree required there is intensive post-grad, on-the-job training for the Food Inspector’s role.)

How about your situation? Did you work retail or hospitality to pay for schooling? Are you having trouble identifying how to position this experience so that it either speaks to your value as an employee or to transferable skills? New Leaf Resumes would enjoy being of service!

- working to Your career’s success, Stephanie, Owner at New Leaf Resumes

 

May 7, 2013

Best tips for using LinkedIn

Posted by resumesmith under New Graduate Career Management, New Graduate Career Strategies, New Graduate Job Search, New Graduate LinkedIn profile | Tags: , , , , , |
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business teamLinkedIn is transforming the recruitment process. At first a glorified data bank of names and facts, it now rivals the more established job hunting websites as the place to recruit. Yes, recruiters make up a good portion of users, and they put its search functionality to source potential hires in a passive recruitment fashion.

That’s pretty cool, to be found without effort on your part!

There’s a catch of course: you won’t be found unless you take a few steps that increase your chances of coming up in a search, and of making the very best first impression. Here are a few tips on how to accomplish this.

1. The photo. No, it shouldn’t be silly and yes, it must be professional looking. The photo should reflect your “brand,” or your goal. Consider that studies show that profiles with photos get 30% more clicks, and that if you have a photo you will show up in searches more often, to the order of 7 times more often!

2. Your headline. With 120 characters for composing your headline, which comes up with the photo in search results, you must choose your message wisely. Writing something along the lines of “New grad, University of ” won’t gain as much traction as “Qualified Human Resource graduate” or “Top of Class Economist.” A good headline – effective and influential – requires that you know yourself and your audience.

3. The summary. Lots of room here for a few great paragraphs and a few key bullets. Make sure you write about the skills required in the type of position you are applying to. Our snowboarder might love to brag about his tricks on the hill, but these won’t mean a thing to an insurance recruiter looking to hire a novice actuary. Again, you must know which aspects of your recent education, skills, personality and previous work experience to bring forward and which to leave out.

The key here is that the new grad must know what he or she wants in the way of a job. There is no such thing as an effective “general profile.” Yes, you can write something broad, but it won’t prove that you have the skills or knowledge to fill a particular position. Generalities won’t make a great impression and certainly won’t get you real attention.

And mom and dad, if you are reading this, the same info applies to you!

When you’re ready for help with putting your best foot forward, making an amazing first impression, or landing that first post-grad career-launching position, New Leaf is ready to be of service. – saving the world from mediocre resumes, LinkedIn profiles and haphazard job searches, Stephanie

 

 

May 1, 2013

What about writing a memorable, i.e. unusual, cover letter

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Foxy letterCover letters, according to recruiters, tend to be boring. After reading many potential clients’ cover letters, I agree! From the ubiquitous “Please accept my cover letter and resume in application for the position of (insert) as advertised in (insert)” to the “Thank you for your time,” cover letters seem to be copy and pasted with little originality.

I will concede that for some professional positions, in more traditional roles (finance and law come to mind), same old is safer than funky. But for an increasing number of roles and employers, off-beat is quite acceptable. Here are a few ideas on how to achieve this.

  • link your key skills or attributes to your favourite colour
  • tell the reader what your favourite food is and why, or how you were introduced to it, or how you’ve converted your friends to love it too
  • share the title of your favourite book, or a recent show that mesmerized you, or an album you can’t get enough of, or a place that draws you

These on their own would be a bit pointless, but developed into a short paragraph that incorporates important info about you, and you’ve got the reader’s attention.

What do you think, marketing majors, IT professionals (aiming for being hired by Google or Apple), creative arts majors, teachers, sales … ? Do you think it would work for you? Why or why not? I’d love to hear your ideas.

If you’d like me to compose a memorable cover letter on your behalf, I’m available!

- creating new strategies to get new grads employed in their chosen field of work - Stephanie 

 

April 14, 2013

Technology and the New Grad

Posted by resumesmith under New Graduate Career Management, New Graduate Job Search, New Graduate LinkedIn profile, New Graduate Resume Help | Tags: , , , , |
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Tips for SuccessIn the last few years technology has greatly impacted the job search. The job hunter, new grad or established, needs an online presence with a professional LinkedIn profile, perhaps a Twitter account, and maybe even a personal website.

In addition, active career management might benefit from a QR code. And then there is Facebook, Naymz, Google + and many other possibilities.

Yes, a digital footprint free of digital dirt is a requirement. But more critical than even those strategies is the need to get a grip on how the Applicant Tracking System (ATS) works. I have written about this topic before, but too many are still arriving at the doorstep of my service completely ignorant of this recruitment tool.

Whenever you apply online, it’s a good bet that the company is using an ATS. It is useful to recruiters because it reviews, parses and manages the huge number of applicants without the need to hire additional HR staff to manually review each and every resume. (At even 20 seconds per most and 2 minutes for 10%, and a good 10 minutes for 20,  this task could take days for each job posting. Obviously the ATS provides relief to large company with rotating vacancies!)

The focus of these systems is key words and phrases appropriate to the position, and generally found in the job posting. Ignore these at your peril! If you  are unaware of what these are in your industry, conduct a study of governmental occupational job classifications and job board postings.

As a new grad with no work experience in your chosen field, likely the only place you can incorporate these terms is to expand on your recent education. Studying marketing, you can incorporate marketing terminology, focused on accounting, you can add relevant finance-related terms, and so on. Check out the samples on my website for ideas!

- saving the new grad from part-time work with lousy pay, Stephanie 

 

March 28, 2013

The Power of Verbs

Posted by resumesmith under New Graduate Career Management, New Graduate Career Strategies, New Graduate Resume Help, New Graduate Resumes | Tags: |
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Action Verbs I get ideas for my blogs from all sorts of place – happiness newsletters, blogs on business strategies and psychology.  Today’s blog idea comes courtesy of “unbounce,” a site dedicated to building website landing pages!

The point that you need to consider is that adjectives do not have the same impact as verbs. Writing that you are “motivated” has less impact than writing that you “earned a degree while holding down an almost full-time job.”

Here are a few ideas for switching up the text in your resume to incorporate this knowledge:

- switch “great communication skills” for something more specific to your experience, for example, “recognized for keen participation in class debates.”

- replace “excellent student” with “completed five years of studies in four with time management and organization.”

And while you’re at it, challenge yourself to cut down the number of bullets that begin with “assisted with” and “provided.”

Remember, strong verbs, compelling language, specific details – that’s what influences perception more than littering your resume with a slew of superlatives –  ”excellent, motivated, outstanding” …

If you’re not convinced you’ll be interested in where this info came from: a university admissions director! For those who would like more on this topic, here’s a link to the article:

http://unbounce.com/conversion-rate-optimization/writing-persuasive-copy/

- Stephanie :-)

 

March 28, 2013

LinkedIn Strategies for the New Grad

Posted by resumesmith under New Graduate Career Management, New Graduate Career Strategies, New Graduate Job Search, New Graduate LinkedIn profile | Tags: , , |
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Interview 2Last week I participated in Career Thought Leaders Consortium’s Virtual Conference. One of the classes I attended was hosted by Chrystal McArthur who is with Rutgers University’s Career Services office.

Not so long ago new grads needed only a resume and cover letter to apply to positions, but today the new grad must go beyond the traditional resume and create a robust LinkedIn presence. Ms. McArthur provided eight tips for making the best use of LinkedIn, and here they are! (Bolded text is hers; added info is mine.)

1. Use a professional headshot. No silly snaps of chugging beer on this professional site. Investing in a good headshot will have benefits beyond just looking great!

2. Ensure that the profile is keyword focused. Keywords can be found in the job postings to which you are applying. Focusing on one role is best.

3. Create an interesting, upbeat, can-do summary statement. No need to go ultra-professional with language that sounds overly business-like. Add flavour and personality, but do speak to the employer’s “buying motivators.”

4. Let the persona shine through! Yes, be authentic to who you are. Consider sharing what motivates you, what you hope to accomplish, how you work, the kind of environment, pace, and accountabilities that get you excited about work – as fits your role and personality.

5. Include volunteer and community service activities. Not all new grads have had the luxury of time that volunteering takes, but perhaps during high school you volunteered? In that case, rather than using dates, add the span of time. (Volunteer, Lovely Retirement Home, 3 years)

6. Rename the LinkedIn URL to a “vanity URL.” Free and easy to do, and takes less room on the resume or cover letter. (google the “how to.”)

7. Create a Twitter account or add links to YouTube videos. If you choose to do these, make sure your tweets and presentations are professional and work-focused.

8. Make regular updates. Simply creating a page is but the basic requirement. In order to truly “work it,” and use LinkedIn to your fullest benefit, post updates of how many resumes you sent out, how you’ve been networking, books you are reading, programs you are taking, what you can’t wait to be doing … endless possibilities to show why you are a great hire!

If you need help composing your LinkedIn presence, New Leaf is available and skilled in writing influential self-marketing documents! – Stephanie

 

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