Great Advice From a Friend

I got this from a friend. Very interesting and solid advice!

We have new graduates of Fishburne and hopefully various colleges and universities. We also have folks ready to find a new position or even change careers. Since 1971 I have engaged in three distinct career fields. I have been a trainer in each and have been both a worker bee and member of management in all three. I have hired (and fired) lots of folks and had a chance to review thousands of resumes. I have gone through my own periods of unemployment and helped many folks develop and hopefully improve the own resumes. While you can read lots of tips other places, here are mine for free. You got what you paid for.

1) Have an online presence of LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Google yourself – that is what HR representatives will do. Review every picture, status, comment and remove any that ANYONE might find offensive.

2) Have a real name email address – FirstName.LastName at wherever.com Nothing cute, nothing fancy – just a straight email address that will make an impression on the person looking at your stuff. Realistically, avoid making a negative impression with a “cute” email address.

3) When you email a resume, name the file property. How many have a file Resume.Doc on your computer. If you email that, the HR Person MUST change it to identify you so go ahead FirstName_LastName_Resume_Date.doc

4) Recruiters for businesses don’t care what you did in high school beyond – did you graduate and were you a trouble maker. Sorry guys all of the awards get lumped into a category of “was awarded some stuff” in high school. That is not true of athletic team participation in high school or college. If you were a team captain – that translates to the public schools. Were you elected to any leadership position, which translates to an equivalent public school post? Squad Leader in B company, WTF does that mean?

5) Never ever lie on a job application! If you do and the employer finds out you are fired. You may omit things on a resume, but never lie there either.

6) Have a base resume that you can modify for each type of position you apply for. You can point out certain skills that you have acquired if a particular position calls for it.

7) Speaking of skills – when you move from one type of career to another you must be able to translate the skills from one career to another. That squad leader becomes a small group leader. This requires that you research the new career for their skills and their buzz words. Each field and industry uses their own language.

8) Don’t ever list a reference without permission. I have been listed as a reference/employer for someone seeking a position that required a full field background for a security clearance. I was a department head that signed off on a hiring of a part time student worker who did an ok job because I did not remember any complaint about their performance. I could not remember the applicants name, but could only verify that I had fifty or so student workers on payroll during that time period – ten years before. Your references must actually know you and be able to describe both your job performance and personal traits.

9) Be sure your resume contains most of the words the job posting stated were required knowledge, skills, abilities, or educational requirement. Either a computer or a clerk is going to find those words and highlight them in order to score you for an interview.

Joe Johnson, Fishburne Military School

50 Best Careers

Hey all....I just ran across a great article from US News and World Report about the Best 50 Jobs for the next decade. It focuses on careers with above average pay and above average job growth through the next decade. It divides these careers into five categories. Great for high school students. Pass along to every high school student you might be working with. Click HERE for the article. Any comments?

Does Education Pay?

Take a look for yourself. This chart from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows the average weekly earnings of folks working full-time with various education levels. Multiply by 52 and see what a huge difference this could make annually in the kind of lifestyle you might be able to live with just a bit more education. Another key thing to consider is the likelihood of your being unemployed at the various education levels. So, does education pay? Sure does!

Overcoming the Experience Hurdle

One of the biggest challenges facing new career hunters is the fact that you might not have enough experience to break into the field of choice. It is a true catch-22. You don't have experience, so how can you get a job that requires experience. You can't get experience, because you can't get hired. So what do you do? It's easy. Find Internship and Volunteer opportunities. Internships can be paid or unpaid and can be arranged by employers or education institutions. If you have a career field that you would like to gain experience in, contact employers that hire people in that field and ask about internships, or contact guidance counselors and placement offices at your school. There are a number of internship sites on the web. For one, click Internship Web .The easier way is to just volunteer. Contact businesses, hospitals, community groups and ask if you can volunteer for a brief period of time, once or twice a week, and get in the door. You would be surprised how quickly doors open to the offer of free help. Once in the door maximize the opportunity. Learn as much as you can and meet as many people as you can. And, remember, do a great job! You might be be surprised by a job offer when you prove yourself a valuable asset to the organization. Got any stories of internships that worked out well? Let us know.

Free Enterprise - Teach Your Children Well

It is a known fact, two thirds of all new jobs are created by small businesses. If you want to help the economy, help people start small businesses. But, how do we teach kids, the next generation of entrepreneurs, how to start businesses? Support organizations like the The Foundation for Free Enterprise Education and their Free Enterprise Week. This organization has been teaching thousands of Pennsylvania students each year how to start, run and survive in business. Do you believe that free enterprise is the backbone of this country? Then put your money and your time where your mouth is. Donate an employee for one of the weeks to serve as an instructor or give a scholarship. Pennsylvania businesses have supported this group for decades with tremendous success! Want to know more? Click here. Don't have an event like it in your state? Start one. Businesses can make a huge difference, one entrepreneur at a time. Know any other programs like this? Let us know.

Government Jobs

Hey, want to work for the government? Why not? The pay is usually higher than civilian jobs and the pensions are unbeatable. The are a number of sites that post these jobs. Here is the one for the US Department of Labor. Click on US Department of Labor Jobs , select "all" for departments and then select a field. Let us know if you find anything interesting. Good Luck!

Military Tuition Assistance

Everyone knows that the military will help you pay for higher education. They will also help your family pay for education. The last decade, however, has reminded all of us that being a soldier means putting your life on the line. If you are called to a career in the military, you need to do it for the right reasons and understand the risks. If the education benefits are one of your reasons to serve and you want to know what is available, check out MILITARY EDUCATION BENEFITS. In addition to these benefits, the training you receive will also often transfer to civilian life. Choose your specialty carefully, and don't sign on the dotted line until you get what you want. If you do choose this path, hold your head high and be proud! Bad guys are for real, and you will be the one standing between them and your family & friends.

Consider Healthcare Careers

If you are looking for a career field that will be financially and emotionally rewarding and will continue to grow over the next decade, consider healthcare. According to the US Department of Labor, the need for healthcare workers will grow by an estimated 26% through the year 2018. This will be driven primarily by the aging population. And you don't have to go to school for 8 plus years to work in the field. Careers are available for all levels of education and all sorts of interests. Doctors, nurses, technicians, administrators and aides will be in high demand. If you are interested click on HEALTH CAREERS in this post. Let me know what ya think!

Networking - Getting Hired is About Who You Know

I just saw an article in the Yahoo business pages that made great sense. They said that 80% of jobs are never posted publicly. Amazing! So sitting around waiting for a job to appear in the "Help Wanted" section means you only see 20% of what is available. Ever hear "It's all who you Know?" Well, in job hunting it is never more true. Round up rcontacts and start calling. You'll be amazed who is hiring. Don't have a bunch of friends or contacts? Make them. Join clubs, associations, community service groups. Have a special company in mind but don't have any contacts on the inside? Volunteer. Its about getting yourself in front of and in the minds of as many people as you can who might hear about a job opening. Try it. And have your resume ready because you will unearth a bunch of openings. Want to see the Yahoo article? Go to this page.

Kohl's Community Service Scholarship

Hey ya'll, Kohl's is offerring scholarships to kids aged 6-18 who have served their communities in some volunteer effort. The scholarships range from a $50 gift card to $1,000 or $10,000. Kids can sign up themselves or can be nominated by someone they know. The scholarship entry expires on March 15, 2010. Go to http://www.kohlskids.com/ . Let me know if you hear of others. Pass this around your schools.

Women in the Workplace - Non Traditional Roles

Gender roles in the workplace are a thing of the past. Women and men are finding great opportunity and satisfaction doing jobs normally considered limited to the opposite gender. Men are becoming nurses and women are becoming mechanics. Follow your heart, not any "old school" norms. Do what you love, and success will come! Here is a neat little article about some young women breaking the sterotypes of gender.
http://www.news-leader.com/article/20100226/NEWS01/2260371/Work-knows-no-gender-stereotypes

How to Write a Resume

Your resume is your "Sales Brochure". It is the way you will open doors or sometimes close doors of opportunity. There are simple and standard rules for resume writing, and those rules must be followed in order for you to be considered for a position. For information on how to write your resume, including a free resume builder, see www.how-to-write-a-resume.org. It is a free site, and can get you started on your way.

Save your resume to your computer and re-visit it regularly. Even if you are not looking for a job, keeping your resume up to date will allow you to be prepared in the event that you unwillingly become a job seeker. Keep it short, sweet and to the point. Also, update it according to the organization you are applying to and the particulars of the job being sought. Go for it. Let me know what you think of the site, and, as always, feel free to post a comment or question. I will respond to questions as they are posted.

Free Scholarship Search

With economics times hitting everyone hard, many are writing-off or postponing higher education. This doesn't have to be the case. In fact, school would be a better place to be in times like this. And, an education will help you be less likely to be or stay unemployed. There are plenty of ways to pay for school. Student loans, parent loans and part-time jobs are just a few examples. But where is the free money? Look here. The site www.fastweb.com is the most comprehensive site for scholarships and education financing. The best thing about Fastweb is that this service is free! You simply have the choice to check a box to allow colleges and education services to notify you of their services. Even if you choose not to allow this, you still get to use the site. Let me know what your reaction is after visiting.

Career Exploration and the Occupational Outlook Handbook

For Career Planners, nothing can be more important that Career Exploration. I consider the exploration process to be the most important part of finding the right path. It is like gift shopping when you don't know what to buy. The more you look the more likely something is to jump out at you and say, "This is it!" The best career exploration tool I have ever found is the US Department of Labor's Occupational Outlook Handbook. It is the most comprehensive listing of careers and has follow up info that will show career planners/explorers what the career is all about and how to get there. See www.bls.gov/OCO and let me know what you think.