Career Professionals of Canada News Feed
You may have participated in some thought-provoking online debates between résumé writers and discovered that some strategists feel that certain words used in résumés are “dead,” while others find them to be valuable and descriptive. In my professional opinion, you should never discount or include any specific word in your client’s résumé unless you have seriously considered the potential outcome. When determining what to say in your client’s résumé, consider every word, phrase, and sentence carefully. How many times have you led into a client’s résumé with these words? Results-oriented……
For most career and employment practitioners, it is a well-known fact that a résumé template will not compete effectively against a branded résumé in a competition for a prime opportunity. It may be no big revelation to you that résumé templates are rampant — in applications like Microsoft Word, and even in online résumé building tools and stand-alone applications. You can readily find examples online of templates having been used by certified writers. Templates can also be spotted in popular sample books and even in industry resources. However, if you…
In recent years, we’ve seen a complete transformation of the résumé. No longer are career objectives outwardly stated on résumés. Employers do not welcome an “overloaded” listing of key words. Long summary profiles of two to three paragraphs are being replaced with three to five sentences representing a succinct “snapshot” of the candidate. And, outdated statements such as “references available upon request” have run their course. In short, verbosity in the résumé is no longer a winning strategy. As career professionals, we continuously strive to create powerful résumés for our clients.…
By Sharon Graham. I regularly coach career practitioners on advanced résumé development techniques. Over the years, I have found that most résumés – even those produced by professionals – can use additional help. In particular, practitioners generally struggle to deal with and resolve two main areas: their clients’ career obstacles and elimination factors. If your client’s résumé is not getting the results you expect, then there is probably one or more issues with the document. There may be a situation in the individual’s career background that is difficult to explain. Or, your client may have a…
By Sharon Graham. Many job seekers spend hours and hours posting résumés online without knowing or understanding what’s happening on the receiving end. They get extremely frustrated when days, weeks, and sometimes months pass without being invited to even one interview. By understanding how these systems operate, career practitioners and job seekers can apply various tactics to get past “the screen.” Nearly all large and mid-sized organizations use some form of Applicant Tracking System (ATS). Most job boards, recruitment firms, and recruiters do as well. An ATS is a software program…
By Cathy Milton. Try conducting some online research about how much time recruiters spend scanning a resume, and you’ll discover lots of evidence suggesting that, on average, that time is only 5 to 7 seconds. Count out 7 seconds – it’s not long, is it? The top third of the first page of your client’s resume is crucial. According to Sharon Graham, executive director of Career Professionals of Canada and author of the Best Canadian Resumes Series, “This section must grab the potential employer’s attention and demonstrate why your client…