Archive for July, 2009
Job advice Twitter style
Just came across a great little article on The Simple Dollar. The author asked for job advice in 10 words or less.
Here are my favorites:
Networking
- Reputation is everything.
- Your work is not just about what you know, it’s about who you know.
- It’s not how many resumes you send out, it’s how many hands you shake.
- Get to know everyone and tell them what you want.
- Trust your gut, and find a mentor.
Impressions
- Watch what you say, compose yourself and be overwhelming honest.
- Make eye contact with everyone, and smile.
- Be nice to everyone, even if you have to fake it.
- Dress for success.
- If you work in an office: DO NOT wear t-shirts, faded, ripped jeans or flipflops.
Work Smart
- No matter what you do, be prepared to work. Hard.
- Treat every day like it’s your first day at work.
- Don’t do anything you’d be ashamed to tell mom about.
- Show enthusiasm for learning because no career is stagnant.
- Diversify income, never rely on one source that could disappear.
- You may be underpaid now, but someday you’ll be overpaid.
- Stop whining and do your freaking job.
- If it feels wrong it probably is – move on.
Do you have any nuggets of wisdom to share?
Canned phrases that (may) ruin your resume
A well-written cover letter and executive summary can set your resume apart from other applicants.
But when do key words and catches phrases become too much?
Liz Ryan, a blogger for The Savvy Networker, made this list of the 10 most over-used phrases that make resumes sound cliche and robotic:
- Results-oriented professional
- Cross-functional teams
- More than [x] years of progressively responsible experience
- Superior (or excellent) communication skills
- Strong work ethic
- Met or exceeded expectations
- Proven track record of success
- Works well with all levels of staff
- Team player
- Bottom-line orientation
I get what she’s saying, but I think there’s a reason that theses phrases are used time and time again: employers are looking for candidates that have a strong work ethic, work well with others, can communicate well and deliver results. And when hiring managers are averaging 30 seconds per resume, seeing these words are a quick way to qualify (or disqualify) candidates.
What do you think? Should you spice things up and communicate your strengths in a unique way, or stick with the tried and true?
Read the original article on The Savvy Networker: http://hotjobs.yahoo.com/career-experts-10_boilerplate_phrases_that_kill_resumes-97
