We're calling this our Build
Your Resume issue, and the phrase
has a double meaning. It means that
if you don't have a lot of experience,
there are things you can do, such as
volunteering, that can help you
build your resume. And "build your
resume" in the traditional sense
of constructing this important
document comes into play with
our Quintet of Quick Questions
posed to professional resume
writer Beverly Harvey.
Feature Article: Volunteering and Your Work Passion
We said volunteering gives you
experience to help build your resume.
But, as regular QuintZine contributor
Maureen Crawford Hentz explains in her
insightful article, volunteering
can do a lot more -- such as helping you
discover whether you really have a passion
for the work you've always dreamed of doing.
She offers some great tips for getting
the most out of giving your time.
ImpactOnline is a nonprofit organization
investing in the development of public interest Internet
applications. VolunteerMatch, the organization's premier service,
utilizes the power of the Internet to help individuals
nationwide find volunteer opportunities posted by local
nonprofit and public-sector organizations.
ImpactOnline also offers an advice section that
includes wisdom on how to use volunteer work
to explore a career and how to list volunteer
work on your resume.
VolunteerMatch's powerful online database allows
volunteers to search thousands of one-time
and ongoing opportunities by zip code, category,
and date. Then you can sign up automatically by e-mail
for those that fit your interest and schedule.
Contributing organizations post their own
opportunities, giving volunteers easy access to
an accurate and diverse source of activities
including, walk-a-thons, beach day cleanups,
tutoring, home building, meal deliveries and more.
Beverly Harvey, is an award-winning, certified professional resume writer and certified job and career transition coach, Orange City, FL.
"PLAN YOUR CAREER!" is the most important piece of advice
Beverly Harvey says she can offer jobseekers. "Establish
and write down short-term and long-term career goals
-- where do you want to be in one year, two years, three years,
four years, five years, 10 years, 15 years, 20 years.
"Talk to people in those types of careers, and find
out what you would have to do to accomplish your goals," Harvey advises.
"Write down each step you need to take to reach your goal
and how long you estimate it will take you to reach each step.
A goal without a date is only a dream, so be sure to decide
when you will reach your goal."
Beverly also holds forth on what's next in Internet job-hunting,
trends in working with employment agencies, and why right now
is such a good time to position yourself for your next career move.
career-intelligence.com
-- an online career resource for women by women, offering multiple tools and resources, including assessment and career
planning information; resume and cover letter tips; career counseling; and more. Free to job-seekers.
FutureCollegeGrads.com
-- a great source for internships and entry-level jobs for college students and recent college graduates. You can
search for internships and jobs, post your resume, and sign-up for email alerts about new jobs. Free to job-seekers.
Graduating
Engineer and Computer Careers -- a career and information center for young engineering and computer science
majors starting your careers. Simply a wealth of information and resources to prepare you and help you land that
job -- or apply to graduate school. Free to job-seekers.
jobs-careers.com
-- an online professional careers network, offering executives and professionals the opportunity to search for
jobs, search for professional recruiters, and post your resume or CV. Free to job-seekers.
Find even more additions to Quintessential Careers by visiting our
Latest
Additions section.
Casey writes about a common problem -- building your
resume when you have little or no experience:
"I am a recent graduate ('99) with a
looking for employment. I am interested in Web development,
but I apply for various positions such as help desk, tech
support, etc.
Basically I'm applying for any positions
to get my foot in the door, so to speak. However, when I apply for
a position I am always greeted with 'We're looking for
someone with a little more real-world experience.'
I didn't have an internship in college, and I live at
least an hour away from places to intern at.
So my question is how can I gain this necessary
'real-world' experience they are looking for?
And is it possible for me to make up for my lack
of experience resume or a portfolio of some sorts?"
Kevin is concerned about his wife who is pursuing her MBA
but has no idea what type of career she would like to use
the degree for. He wonders about the availability of a list
of the best 100 careers out there.
Q TIPS: Quick and Quintessential Career & Job Tips
Wetfeet.com has a nifty feature -- a resume review section
where real resumes are reviewed by actual employers. Some of
the reviews are not very detailed, but you still have an opportunity
to see what employers consider to be the good and
bad points of real jobseeker resumes. Resumes in the
archives from March 2000 and before need to be downloaded
in .pdf format and viewed with Acrobat Reader (a free
downloadable program), but later resumes conveniently
open up in a browser window. You can even submit
your own resume for review, though it looks
like only a few are chosen for critiques.
Check out Wetfeet's Resume Review Section.
A recent survey of 416 U.S. recruiters by Manchester Inc.,
a staffing firm based in Jacksonville, FL, found that
82 percent of respondents prefer to receive
resumes by e-mail, reports Bari Faye Siegel in
Collegejournal.com. Of those preferring e-mailed
resumes, 44 percent prefer to receive
resumes as attached Word documents. Some
recruiters say that understanding how to attach documents
to e-mail is key to showing you grasp current technology.
One tip: Recruiters receive dozens of attached resumes
with the file name resume.doc, so personalize yours. Example:
SallyJonesResume.doc. Read
Siegel's full article.
Employers aren't hard to please, says Diana LeGere of
Executive Final Copy. In fact, they want only three
things:
A job candidate with skills (quality) who is a...
corporate fit (value) tucked into a ...
professional image (package).
Initially you acquire the interview by focusing careful attention to
developing your resume. It's important to remember that a
resume never buys a job. It merely buys an appointment for an
interview. By handling the interview as a champion, you will get a
job offer. Think of your resume as a product description. You are
the product! Once you entice the employer (buyer), you are halfway
there. A professional resume writer can easily convey
your skills in an accurate assessment appropriate to the position you
are applying for. Once you've accomplished that, the interview stage is
potentially easier than wading through the sea of good and bad
resumes.
-- This Q Tip courtesy of Diana C. LeGere, president of
Executive Final Copy and employment coordinator for
Greenbacks Bringing Hope Foundation in Salt Lake City, UT.
Win Fame, Recognition, and a Teeny-Tiny Prize!
We are beta testing an exciting new Job Interview
Response Composition Exercise. Test it out by responding to as many job-interview questions as you wish.
The author of each BEST response will be permanently
credited in a "Best Response" e-mail reply
that will guide jobseekers in composing optimal
responses to interview questions. Each Best Response
author will also receive a small, token
Quintessential Careers gift.
Career counselors, try your hand at responding
to these questions, and encourage your students to try!
Looking for a Unique Holiday Gift Idea?
How 'bout giving a resume/cover letter
gift package to a job-seeking loved one?
Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters
provides quality job-search correspondence at some of
the lowest prices on the Web, and now
we offer gift certificates for Unique
Gift Packages. Credit cards accepted.
WATCH FOR feature articles on these topics in upcoming
issues of QuintZine:
* Case-based and behavior-based interviews
* Online Assessments
* Graduate school for working professionals
* Phone etiquette in the job hunt
* Guide to the company visit
* Letters of recommendation and references
* Completing a job application
* Changing Careers
* How to land an internship
* Temping
* Hot jobs for 2001
* Q&As with well-known career experts
. . . and much, much more!
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RESUMES * JOB SEARCH CORRESPONDENCE FROM TRUSTED EXPERTS * COVER LETTERS
Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters is up and running,
providing quality job-search correspondence at some of
the lowest prices on the Web.
We create resumes,
cover letters, curriculum vitae, thank-you and
follow-up letters, and list-formatted documents,
such as salary histories and reference lists.
We also can provide critiques and makeovers of
your resume or cover letter. Credit cards accepted.
Check out Quintessential Resumes
and Cover Letters!
QuintZine
A publication of
Quintessential Careers
Publisher: Dr. Randall S. Hansen
Editor: Katharine Hansen
ISSN: 1528-9443
