Time2MarketU

Make your list and check it – twice!

Today’s tip is not referring to Santa’s list.  For many on the East Coast, this week is a scary time and they need to be prepared now for a storm predicted to be of epic proportion.  Do you have your emergency checklist? Checklists support your preparedness and productivity, and they keep you safe.  Now is the time to make your list and check it twice. Please do prioritize your preparedness and safety, if the storm is near you.   When you are ready, come back to your career work.  Today is our career day, and I’ve posted a sample resume checklist here.  You started a resume checklist last week in our webinar, and we checked mine.  This week you can check my list twice, as you further develop and work through your own.  But, safety first, today and in these upcoming storm days.

A start to your resume checklist:

1. Identify your target role and related job ads. Highlight key transferable skills required in job ads, which match your experience.  Then, evidence hard and soft skills in your resume.
2. Identify core competencies/qualifications and create accomplishment statements that are results-oriented.  Include accomplishment statements in your resume vs. responsibility statements.
3. Have a second person review your resume to ensure you have strong, well organized content
4. Include a powerful summary – 2-4 sentence narrative at the top of your resume which incorporates your objectives.  You may also use the 4-6 bullet skills summary with that.
5. Make sure all relevant credentials are there, i.e., Education, Certifications, Awards, etc.
6. Include any differentiators that reinforce your qualifications and/or separate you from the competition
7. Ensure the format is attractive/easy to read, and your resume does not exceed 2 pages
8. Cross-check the job ad with your resume content.  Ask yourself - do you sound like/look like the candidate they are looking for?
9. Cross-check cover letter with job requirements
10. Proof read resume and cover letter – ensure there are no typos, misspellings, etc. in either
11. Submit the documents in Word, Text, or Pdf as specified
12. Double check that your resume information matches your online presence (LinkedIn, Web sites, etc.)

Leverage the Power of Peer Review

Peer review is an effective approach to maintaining and enhancing the quality of your work. It’s used in many professional fields, including accounting, finance, medicine, law, software development, and academia. You can use it for your professional development too! 

In today’s career webinar session with graduate students, I’ll be encouraging participants to engage in peer review for resume, search plan and work portfolio development.  For these clients, peer review is a powerful tool.  It not only ensures the quality and enhancement of their work, it also presents the opportunity to get acquainted, engage in a joint work experience, and to initiate further networking as they pursue new and promotional roles.  So, the tip this week? Leverage the power of peer review for your professional development too!  

What one hiring manager looks for in candidates

Ann Spoor zooms in on what one leader thinks of leadership, what they look for when hiring, and how they build high performance teams.  The first interview in her leadership video series.

One-to-one coaching this Holiday Season

This month we're focused on Holiday Job Search and 2011 planning.  Last week we delivered a special holiday job search webinar for UC Berkeley's Haas alumni. This week and next we'll follow up with one:one coaching.  Sign up at www.time2marketu.com if we can help.  What clients say...

Here's where Megan made a HUGE difference, and why I decided to work with her. She listens, and our conversations got me thinking about my strategy and developing a proactive plan.  Her suggestions on approach, timing and planning created a huge breakthrough and a game changer. While the economy has slowed things for those looking for new roles, and this slowdown has made the search process more challenging, thanks to Megan's help, I discovered key search and selling methodologies that helped me land the right job at the right time - last year during the holiday season.  Thank you again!
Jon Russo, CMO

Is your career blooming?

Good Undercover Boss episode with a lot of business discoveries at 1-800-Flowers to consider. One I want you to think about, which we saw in many other Undercover Boss episodes, is that employees at companies do not seem to know about training, development or even mentoring programs that may be available to them to help build their career. What's available at your company that you should consider taking advantage of? 1-800-Flowers Blooms on Undercover Boss - Careers Articles.