Check Out Your Resume Examples

Check Out Your Resume ExamplesWhen applying for a job, it is important to check out your resume samples carefully before you finalize your application. This is because there are a number of places where resumes are plagiarized.Almost every job seekers want to be hired with the help of a well-crafted resume. They feel that they deserve a good job and deserve a chance to move on with their life. But the problem with this is that most applicants fail to do this, which is why they do not get a lot of attention from potential employers.Resume examples will always be a must. There are several popular websites which offer free samples. These sites offer samples of common resume formats that will greatly assist job seekers in getting a head start in their job hunt.Your resume is one of the first things that a potential employer will see before making his/her decision. So, if you want to be successful in this job hunt, it is very important that you know what sort of resume examples to use. On e of the common ways that job seekers end up getting a bad resume is by doing too much of the same thing.Some examples would be to have the same information written in different fonts and styles. Another type of example would be to have your name written in the same words of phrases. It is important that your resume be as unique as possible.Wordings such as 'I want a position' should be used instead of the other way around. It is also important that you have a clear cut goal for your job search.Another example of a type of sample that could be used is the use of keywords on the front and back of your resume. Keep in mind that a resume can only be considered as a sample if it shows an example of how a person looks in the first place.You can also check out a website where you can download the resume templates for free. Once you have downloaded the sample resume, check them carefully to make sure that you have all the appropriate information included in them. This will help you avoid a ny problems at a later stage.

10 Signs That Youre Working in a Toxic Environment CareerMetis.com

10 Signs That You’re Working in a Toxic Environmentâ€" CareerMetis.com Source â€" BurstWe spend most of our lives working. And your co-workers are very likely to be the people that you interact with the most in your life.But if you are not happy with your work environment, this displeasure will carry over to your personal life. Leading to low confidence and damaged personal relations.Toxic work environments are, as the name says, toxic. And having to work in this sort of environment can negatively impact your health. So it is best getting your CV preparedand jump ship.evalBut how can you tell if you are working in a toxic environment? Here are ten signs to look out for:1) You Hear The Words, “You’re Lucky to Have a Job”evalIf your boss or HR manager told you this in a one-to-one meeting, then it is a huge red flag. Telling someone that they’re lucky to have a job is a scare tactic that doesn’t motivate you to do your job to the best of your ability, but makes you want to hold on to your job out of sheer fear.This tactic can often make people f eel they’ve been bullied into staying in a marginalized role, and it is also a symptom that the organization thrives on controlling and manipulating staff.2) Too Many ManagersAt my former workplace, I used to work as a supervisor and I reported to my line manager. My line manager had a senior manager, who reported to our team’s department manager, who reported to the Managing Director. I had four levels of management above me, and whenever I put forward an idea, I had to go through the four tiers for approvals. It was incredibly frustrating and made me wonder what half of these managers actually did.Sometimes, I have noticed that middle-management won’t want to go ahead with a good idea Coming back to the last point about middle-management not going ahead with your good idea, the main reason is that they feel threatened by you. So they find ways to reject your idea, mainly by showing you the red tape, so you won’t get noticed by someone higher-up. The last thing middle-manag ement, that work in these toxic environments, want is to lose their jobs to someone below them.That said, office politics is in pretty much every organization, mainly in large organizations that have hundreds, even thousands of employees. Smaller organizations have little or no office politics, mainly because they don’t have many managers.4) Office Gossip Over Staff Well-BeingBesides management, office cliques can sometimes spread unwelcoming rumors about colleagues. This can lead to isolation and people feeling victimized. In some worse cases, office cliques can even transpire against management or company direction.Do keep a close eye on these people, and keep a respectful distance at all costs.5) Poor CommunicationevalevalLack of communication is a strong sign of toxic workplace. Some organizations leave people out of the loop regarding important company information. And in terms of feedback, you may receive little or no feedback at all, and when you do, it’s pretty harsh and negative. It’s not constructive or encouraging at all, more threatening.6) High TurnoverIf you notice everyone is generally miserable, and no one has a smile on their faces or shows any sign of enthusiasm, then there’s no passion to stay in the job. Companies that have low staff morale tend to have a high turnover.7) DisorganizedDo meetings feel like a complete waste of time where nothing gets accomplished? Or have you noticed that departments are disjointed and are not in line with each other? If you noticed that there is laziness, confusion, lack of focus and overall unwillingness to try something new because “that’s how it has always been done”, then it is a sign of poor leadership.8) Blame or Accusatory CultureThis is perhaps the worse sign. Blame culture shows there is a lack of trust between colleagues and management and shows that there is no push to find a co-operative and harmonious resolution.You find that you are always having to cover what you are doing just t o protect yourself. And even though you should cover yourself in general, when you are doing this in a blame culture, you will become extremely anxious.9) A Bad BossThis is an easy sign to spot. Bad bosses are always trying to control everything and are always on the lookout for small slips so they can point the finger at you. This type of behavior is demoralizing and lowers one’s self-esteem.You’ll notice your boss tends to wield his or her power around, just to remind everyone who is in charge. They’re not likely to help or give you credit for a decent job well done. They might even humiliate you in front of everyone as well.10) You Sense Something is WrongHalf the time, your gut instinct will tell you that there is something wrong. If you feel something is not what it seems, then you may be right. If you are asked to hide something or do a task that isn’t morally correct, then these are clear telltale signs that you are working in a toxic environment.Pay attention to any physical symptoms. Are you getting sleepless nights? Are you always on the edge? Your body is telling you something, so pay attention to it.evalThanks for reading! Have you worked in a toxic environment? Do you know of any other signs to look out for? Let us know in the comments section below.

Video Three Steps to Narrowing Down Your Job Search Goal

Video Three Steps to Narrowing Down Your Job Search Goal Each of you must have a clear and concise job search goal. You need a brief description of what you are hunting for. But how do you even begin thinking about it? Step 1: Draw a dart board. Think about and write specifically what is in the center. The center or bulls eye represents your ideal next career position(s). Geographic location desired (other cities you are willing to consider, too) Functional area (marketing, accounting, outside sales, operations) Industries you prefer Companies within the industries Size or type of company (small, medium, large, etc.) Titles you are qualified for (senior sales, account management). Note: Do not get hung up on titles such as VP, Director, and Manager, as they vary so much company to company. Step 2: List more flexible goals in the second circle on the dart board. What would you do if you couldnt find anything in your bulls eye? Expand to alternatives that you are qualified for and have interest in. This can mean relocation to another city, a job in a different business from the one you expected, other jobs that need your skills, or deciding to change careers entirely. Reminder: these are not 3-5-year career goals, so stay focused on what you can do NOW. Step 3: List what things are OFF the dart board. In other words, you would NOT accept something in: Geographies you will not move to, or maybe relocation is not an option Salary minimum you will not go below Work-life balance considerations, like commute distances you wont accept Functions you really dont want to perform day-to-day

12 Ways to Sharpen Your Listening Skills at Work

12 Ways to Sharpen Your Listening Skills at Work Meetings â€" if they’re not a waste of time, they’re just plain boring. Unless the presentation is TED-worthy, you likely find yourself daydreaming, checking social media, or drifting off to sleep in the back of the room. While its definitely hard to survive meetings, the information being discussed is still important for you to absorb. Much of your work depends on what is said inside the meeting room. In order to retain all this information, you must become an active listener â€" mentally and verbally confirming what the speaker has said and processing it in your own way. Its easy to be an active listener, but it takes practice. Here are 12 ways to hone those listening skills. Look at the Agenda Beforehand Writer Michael Hyatt says, Agendas should always be circulated in advance of the meeting, so that people know what to expect and how to prepare. If youre lucky enough to receive a crisp, organized agenda before the meeting, dont just toss it aside. Make sure you give it at least a quick look before entering. Relax! You wont be able to listen if your mind is racing a mile a minute. You could be thinking about something as trivial as whats for lunch, or panicking about a deadline, but those things should be put aside in the meeting space. Clear your head, turn off your smartphone, and prepare to focus on only the speaker. Pay Attention You learned all the way back in high school that spacing out was never a good idea. That carries over into the working world, too. If your thoughts drift during the meeting, youre not going to remember anything â€" and that could come back to hurt you later. Theres a simple fix for this: Keep yourself as aware as possible. Look at whoever is speaking so you wont be tempted to glance at your computer or the doodles on your paper. Be aware of the way your body reacts to what is said in the meeting, mentally and physically. This can help you put your opinion into the discussion, whether it be an idea or a question. Use Body Language How would you feel if you were giving a presentation and looked up from your notes to find blank stares, slumping postures and dead silence? Meetings shouldnt be zombie conventions. This works both ways. When youre the one listening, you need to let the presenter know. Body language works wonders. Nodding lets the presenter know that you understand what theyre saying. An open posture â€" sitting up straight, arms uncrossed, head turned toward the speaker â€" shows youre open to communicate. Also, dont look so glum. Its a meeting, not the end of the world. Smile! Nothing is worse for a presenter than talking to a bunch of frowns. Leave Judgments Aside No matter how much we try to respect others, sometimes it’s hard to see them positively. Whether its the co-worker who always hogs the copy machine or the one who chews their pencils like a wood chipper, peoples mannerisms and habits can make others irritable. Everyone is guilty of these thoughts, but its best not to let them influence your actions or interactions. Interrupting, sneaking comments or any other rude behavior wont win you any brownie points at work. Instead, you should Keep Your Mind Open Make an attempt to be impartial and put yourself in the speakers shoes. Even if you dont agree with their ideas, looking at a situation from their point of view might make you realize something new. Conflict-Resolution and Prevention Specialist Mary Rafferty offers this suggestion: Rather than seeing yourself as a fixer/problem-solver, see your role as one of providing parties with space and empathy to help them move forward in how they are thinking Ask yourself what you can learn as the person is speaking. Not only will this further your engagement in the meeting, but theres a good chance youll get some important takeaways. Check for Ideas, Not Words Anyone can just sit there and take in words, but most of the time they just go in one ear and out the other. Its hard to piece together what was said at the meeting if you were processing words and not ideas. Concentration is key when it comes to linking bits and pieces of information together into logical connections, but it’s key to being a good listener. Take Notes Its a well-known fact that writing things down helps you remember them. A study by Vaiva Kalnikaito Steve Whittaker of The University of Sheffield revealed that taking high-quality but brief notes is better for memory than large masses of notes. Thats why we bring shopping lists to the supermarket and write short memos on the fridge. It’s also how we survived our schooling. The same goes for meetings. Just make sure you dont get distracted if you choose to take them electronically. Involve Yourself in the Conversation Active listening involves questioning and fact-checking the speaker. This shows youre paying attention to what theyre saying, and that youre curious and open to their ideas. Dont be afraid to say whats on your mind. You can turn a boring old meeting into a highly involved conversation with just one question. This still doesnt mean you should interrupt the speaker or talk over them, though. Remember that patience you learned as a kid. Give Appropriate Feedback When youre an active listener, youre putting yourself in a position of respect and understanding. Putting down or attacking a speaker in your feedback will make all that listening go to waste. Nancy Sommers of the Harvard Graduate School of Education said feedback works best when it is an open collaboration between two people who treat each other as scholars. While she was referring to the relationship between teachers and students, this philosophy can apply to the workplace, as well. Its important to be honest in a response, but to do so in an appropriate manner. If you have opinions to assert, make sure you do so respectfully. The Golden Rule applies here! Summarize What Was Said When the meeting has finished, take a few minutes to wrap up all the important points that were covered. You may leave the meeting thinking youll remember everything, but youre sadly mistaken. (See the last tip for proof.) While the ideas are fresh in your mind, get them down on paper. Youll be glad you did. In case youre uncertain about your summary Confirm With a Group If you missed something, your colleagues can come to your aid. Hopefully they were taking notes too â€" but this doesnt give you an excuse to zone out! Ask a co-worker or a group of co-workers to stay behind after the meeting to summarize and review takeaways. Figure out the key points of the meeting and determine where to go from there. You can even follow-up with the speaker with a summary of the key points and action points to get the discussion going. By implementing these small techniques, youll be an expert listener in no time. Have any more suggestions for listening skills? Questions or comments about active listening? Share in the comments!

Executive Drafts - Pflugerville TX

Executive Drafts - Pflugerville TXExecutive Drafts - Pflugerville TX is a Texas based executive resume and cover letter writing service. Executive Drafts provides professional writer, candidates, and companies with a variety of tools and resources to assist in the search and review of resumes and cover letters. They have created a simple and effective way to streamline resume reviewing and create a strong portfolio of resumes to present to a corporate hiring manager.Executive Drafts brings to your door their website, where you can easily submit your resume, make changes, and share them online. Executive Drafts offers many different ways to manage and track your resume and cover letter submissions. This type of submission software is used to create a seamless experience for submitting your resume.Other features include a company's resume builder that will allow you to customize your resume from a variety of options including industry specific information, and keywords, as well as how your resume should read. This allows you to personalize your resume by changing formatting, changing punctuation, and using bold, italics, underlining, and highlighting to suit your individual preferences. Executive Drafts also provides free resume reviews to help you find the best looking resume for you. You can also upload a resume before it goes live.The US mail is just one of many delivery options available with Executive Drafts. It will allow you to use your resume online through your company's website. This way your resume goes out to thousands of potential employers who are not restricted to online submission. With over 300,000 professionals using this service, you are sure to get the attention you deserve.You can also send your resume or company's application electronically. Send your resume electronically via email, fax, postal mail, or even drop shipper delivery services. Executive Drafts will scan your resume and send it to them with a customized message to help your resu me stand out from the crowd.The more professional you look and sound, the more likely you are to get a call back from that potential employer. It's important that you know what you have to say in your resume so that you can sound more professional and confident about your resume and cover letter, then you have nothing but a boring resume sitting in your mailbox.From the beginning to the end, Executive Drafts will help you find the best resume and cover letter, keeping the focus on your unique resume that speaks for you and gives your employer something he can see and remember. This is a good way to create a resume and cover letter that is perfect for an employer.

4 Credit Mistakes That Can Derail Your Startup

4 Credit Mistakes That Can Derail Your Startup When Collin Slattery, 26, needed cash to grow his New York City-based digital marketing firm Taikun at the end of 2014, he turned to an alternative lender to borrow about $10,000. Even though the fees amounted to a 44% annual percentage rate, Slattery chose the loan because he had seen how hard it was for more established small businesses to win a traditional bank loan. After taking out a second loan for about $2,000 in March, his firm still owes money to the lender. He hopes to make the last payment this month. In the meantime he has trained himself to ignore marketing that entice, “You’ve got $15,000 waiting for you now” or promise him a $300 a gift card if he borrows more. “It’s very hard to get a positive return on that money when it’s so expensive to take,” says Slattery, who adds that his firm should generate $250,000 to $500,000 in revenue this year. Meanwhile, he juggles his loan payments with cutting paychecks to his one full-time and one-part time employee and a crew of contractorsâ€"all while paying himself just $30,000 a year. Many entrepreneurs have similar regrets about early decisions they make about using credit in their startups. It’s not surprising, given how much there is to learn when one is starting a new business and how many roles a CEO has to juggle. That said, it pays to get a crash course. Many newbie credit mistakes can put you out of business and make it hard to get additional credit. According to the 2013 Global Entrepreneurship Monitor Report, produced by Babson College and other universities, challenges obtaining financing were one of the top reasons businesses in the U.S. fail. Here are some credit mistakes that can lead you off course and tips on how to avoid them. Fuzzy math. Not knowing exactly where you stand financially can lead to late payments that damage your credit score. If you’re great at running your businessâ€"whether you take care of pets or sell clothingâ€"but a sloppy bookkeeper, hire a pro to keep you on track. Besides helping you avoid problems like missing payroll or failing to pay the proper taxes, running a tight financial ship will make it easier to secure credit when you need it. “It is pretty clear at the time we make a loan who has gotten themselves organized,” says Hunter Stunzi, co-founder and president of SnapCap, a lender based in Charleston, S.C. that works with many small firms. “When we’re on the phone with them, they can rattle off where they are spending money and why.” Using credit as a crutch. If you aren’t bringing in enough revenue to cover your overhead after an initial startup period, don’t assume borrowing is the answer. You may need to tweak your product, service or business model. “Credit is supposed to be your fallback plan, not your lifeline,” says attorney Andrew Sherman, a partner at Jones Day in Washington, D.C., who advises businesses of all sizes. “I see a lot of small companies overusing or abusing their lines of credit at time they really should be financing through their revenue. They either don’t have the revenue or they are misusing their credit line. No one has walked them through when to be hitting the line of credit and when not to.” Not sure? Ask your accountant how much money a business with your revenue and cash flow can safely borrowâ€"and under what circumstances. When in doubt, do a reality check. Ask yourself, “Why I am I drawing on this credit and what is the likelihood I’ll be able to repay it quickly?” suggests Sherman. Maxing out credit cards. Even if you don’t borrow a large amount of money on your credit cards, it’s possible to hurt your credit score if you utilize too much of your credit all at once. Ask Brandon Baker, co-owner and head chef of Loveletter Cake Shop in New York City, which makes special-occasion cakes. Baker, who has already started several businesses, knew it was a good idea to limit the amount he borrowed to launch the now 2-year-old business. He put the $7,000 he needed for costs such as a commercialâ€"size mixer on a credit card with a $10,000 limit. Baker was unhappy to discover that utilizing this much of his available credit lowered his credit score. He quickly found a solution: Applying for two other cards and taking advantage of zero-interest balance-transfer offers to spread the $7,000 he borrowed among them. That resulted in lower utilization of his available credit and no cards that were near the max. “It ended up working on all fronts,” says Baker. “The APR was lower on the second card, and the other card has 6% cash back at supermarkets, which is great for us.” He also restored his good credit. Trusting clients and vendors too readily. It’s tempting to hope for the best when conducting transactions with new business contacts, but that can result in big financial losses. You’re better off protecting yourself through practices such as requiring deposits and payments midway through big projectsâ€"and negotiating deals where you pay for major purchases once you are satisfied with them. Emile Maroun still recalls paying up front for more than $300,000 for seeds for his tahini company, Sunshine International Foods in Methuen, Mass. in 1999â€"and then receiving the wrong ones. He couldn’t use them, and the vendor, based overseas, would not rectify the situation. “It cost me $60,000 for lawyers,” he says. “They could do nothing.” Maroun now sticks to domestic vendors he knows. Fortunately, it’s gotten easier to find the seeds he needs in the U.S. “We have everything here,” he says. “Why go elsewhere?” Read Next: 5 Creative Ways to Fund Your Small Business

5 Tips For A Safe Online Job Search - Work It Daily

5 Tips For A Safe Online Job Search - Work It Daily Think you're safe conducting a safe job search online? Think again. Conducting a job search using the Internet has definitely transformed how job seekers contact hiring companies. The availability of copying and pasting a text version resume into a form at a company’s website (or uploading a Word file) has laid the foundation for an easier and more convenient job search process. No longer does a job seeker need to spend hours with the traditional method of printing and mailing his resume to countless recipients. With the Internet’s convenience, a breeding ground for scam artists continues to grow each year as well. Identity thefts increased to an overwhelming 10 million cases in 2008 and another 11 million more for 2009. Many of these cases are the result of phishing â€" so not surprisingly, the employment industry is under attack as well. The FTC reports approximately 12% of total fraud involves employment fraud. Phishing is an attempt to extract personal information through what appears to be authentic e-mails. If you are job searching, an e-mail from a seemingly interested recruiter, for example, may not raise a red flag with you. You may think the contact person and company listed are legitimate. Yet, looks can be deceiving. Knowing what to look for and how to spot fraud (or potential for abuse) can be the best deterrent to ensuring you have a safe experience, while conducting your job search. Be Leery Of Submission Invitations Scammers and spammers follow much the same patterns. Mass e-mails are sent to an enormous list of recipients. Not everyone on the “hit list” is searching for a new job; however, only a small number of people need to be convinced or tricked into believing the e-mail is authentic in order for the scam to be deemed successful. Receiving an e-mail from a recruiter who states, “We saw your resume on the Internet, and we find your skill set to be perfect for one of our clients. Please complete our online application through the below link.” Should this happen to you, ponder a series of questions: Did you send your resume to this recruiter? If not, how did the company learn about you (legitimate e-mails should tell you)? Just mentioning, “Saw your resume on the Internet,” is vague. Upon further examination, do the company and the company rep appear reputable? Visit the company’s website (caution: type the web address into your browser, avoid clicking the link in the e-mail). If you’re still unable to determine the validity of the request, call the company. Verify everything; sender’s name, e-mail address, and so on. Still avoid clicking the link in the e-mail... it’s just a good habit to start! Always proceed with suspicion when you receive any cold-contact e-mail from someone. Avoid Responding To Requests For Personal Information Let’s say you receive an e-mail from what appears to be a well-known job bank. The e-mail states your account needs your contact and payment information to be updated in order for service renewal. You click on the link and you’re taken to a page that looks, feels, and “smells” right. You then proceed by submitting the requested information. The link appeared safe, but you were taken to a site designed to defraud you. Make Sure The Webpage Is Encrypted When using a paid resume submission service, or any other service for that matter, ensure the private information you provide is encrypted upon hitting submit. Encryption, in short, ensures the private information you submit online is kept safe. When at your browser, you can recognize an encrypted form when the root URL starts with “https:” instead of “http:” or you see the padlock present in the bottom right corner of your screen. Purchasing from companies having added security measures in place can ensure your private information avoids the hands of ill-willed people. Learn more about encryption by reading Jeff Tyson’s article titled, “How Encryption Works,” at www.howstuffworks.com. Read And Understand The Privacy Policy Of Sites You Patron The Better Business Bureau possesses a strict policy for members who do business online. A privacy statement for example must be displayed on member’s website, no exceptions. High business practices are a necessity for maintaining the trust of online buyers; and the BBB understands the critical importance of trust among consumers. A privacy statement outlines what type of customer information is collected and how it’s used. Information transferred or sold could be basic, like name and e-mail address, or far more in-depth like name, address, social security number, and phone number. No matter how basic or detailed the information, the company must have the logistics spelled out in their privacy policy, so you can make the decision whether to patron the site in the first place. Tell... Because So Few Others Do Reports show a staggering 80% of online fraud goes unreported. If the proper authorities aren’t aware of the magnitude of fraud that actually exists on the Internet, then getting the much-needed funds to battle the problem will take more time. The Internet Fraud Complaint Center has an online complaint feature for individuals to report phishing attacks. The IFCC report process requires basic information, including information on the perpetrator and type of fraud. For phishing schemes, forward the fraudulent e-mail to the legitimate company in addition to filing a formal complaint with IFCC. Phishing is smearing the good names of countless companies, and notifying the company about the scam can also help the fight. Bringing affected companies on board early will provide a multi-prong approach to this epidemic. The lesson job seekers should learn is to avoid giving your information out freely. Whether you’re at the end of a phishing attack or the job application requires more information than you’re willing to provide, proceed with caution. Much like you’ll analyze job opportunities; intensely examine each person who receives your personal information. With safe online practices, you’ll get the best return from your job search efforts â€" instead of spending hours filing a police report and calling credit bureaus and credit card companies. Related Posts: When To Turn Down A Job Offer Risks And Rewards Of Taking A Job You Don’t Want Why No One Is Calling You After You’ve Applied To Over 100 Jobs Online Photo Credit: Shutterstock Have you joined our career growth club?Join Us Today!