Career Changers - Creating a Resume for a New Career

Career Changers - Creating a Resume for a New CareerCareer Changers - Creating a Resume for a New CareerEven when you are a seasoned professional, securing a job with an impressive resume is tough in a competitive job market.Its a bigger concern when you are changing directions in your career.One way to start your new journey is with a remarkable resume.Your resume shouldExhibit the passion for your new chosen pathRevealyour abundant potentialShowcase current skills that you already possessThe following five recommendations should help you get started.It begins with the titelbild letterAs you begin your journey to start your new career, your first task is convincing hiring managers of your newfound passion.The purpose of a cover letter is not only persuading the hiring manager to read your resume but explaining to them why you want to change careers.A great cover letter willConvince the hiring manager about your desire to pursue this new fieldExplain how your interest and skills can be beneficial to the companyYou do this by explaining how your transferable skills and accomplishments will support the position and organization you are applying for.Your cover letter should be convincing enough for them to review your resume and contact you for an interview.(For more, seeHow To Write An Amazing Cover Letter With Examples.)Use the right resume formatMost individuals use the traditional chronological resume.However, a functional resume has proven to be more useful for career changers.This resume format draws more attention to your transferable skills and accomplishments than your work history.Always start your resume with a professional summaryInclude your career goals and a synopsis of your qualificationsAfter the career summary, list accomplishments and transferable skillsbehauptung will give hiring managers a look at the most relevant experience to keep them interested.(For more on how to format your resume, readProfessional Resume Style - Headers, Fonts, Themes .)Identify your transferable skillsTransferable skills are skills youve obtained in previous work history that can also have an impact on your new career.These skills can be valuable to any profession or organization.Taking inventory of your skills can be used to your advantage in a resumeList transferable skillssuch asManage multiple projects simultaneouslyThis shows that you have the ability to multitask and can take on more than one project at a time.Communicate effectively with clients/customersThis highlights your relationship-building skills and how well you communicate with individuals at various levels.It is important to remember that all new positions will have a learning curve.However, these transferable skills show hiring managers what you have to offer despite your lack of professional experience.Quantify your accomplishmentsAccomplishments can prove to be a tremendous asset to your resume.Thisespecially comes into play if you are changing professions.Quantifiable achiev ements show that you know how to make effective changes within an organization.Achievements should be very specific and include details such as theseDid you improve any current processes by increasing productivity?How did you help save the organization money on a project?Did you lead any projects or task force?Positive accomplishments show your ability to lead, manage, and solve problems.It is also good to add numbers to your achievements... especially if it includes employees, budgets, and money.Showing percentages and dollar amounts help the hiring manager visually see your efforts.Reinvent yourselfAs you begin to reinvent yourself in your new profession, look into finding ways to gain more experience in your desired field.This experience shows hiring managers that you have a real passion for your new field and have a vested interest in developing new skills.For example, if your new career is in accounting, you may want to ...Join a professional accounting associationTake addition al classes at a local community collegeVolunteer your time bookkeeping for a non-profit organizationThese are great ways to expand your knowledge and gain reliable references.Regardless of where you gain the experience, it still counts as experience.Therefore, it adds to your value in the eyes of prospective employers.(You will also want to include this information in the professional summary of your resume.)Closing thoughts on creating a resume for a new careerChanging directions in your career is possible in the current job market.Most individuals who change careers take advantage of industry changes that have resulted in the lack of employment in some areas.As you embark on your career-change journey, the most important thing is to focusFocus on your passionFocus on skills you already possessFocusing on your skills, desire, and potential will showcase your enthusiasm, which will lead you to an interview.(For more on resumesdont miss theTop 5 Resume Sections You Cant Go Without.)

The Challenges of Bringing Your Whole Self to WorkAnd Why You Should Overcome Them

The Challenges of Bringing Your Whole Self to WorkAnd Why You Should Overcome ThemThe Challenges of Bringing Your Whole Self to Work- And Why You Should Overcome ThemIt can be challenging to be authentic in the workplace, whether dealing with bosses, colleagues, or clients. But if you learn to overcome your fear, bringing your whole self to work or a job search can bring benefits to employees, candidates, and organizations alike.Authenticity Enables EffectivenessLorraine Martin knows this firsthand. A former executive vice president at Lockheed Martins Rotary and Mission Systems, Martin struggled with owning her authenticity early in her career. She explains how when she was first starting out as a program manager, she was among the youngest in her group- and being five feet tall exacerbated how young she looked and how vulnerable she felt compared to mora veteran team members. But over time, Martin realized the benefits of deciding to contribute fully by bringing more of her whole s elf to the tableIt was, perhaps, my experience leading the F-35 program where I saw most clearly the necessity of having to have my full self available to me at work, recalls Martin. It was a very challenging job with new challenges every week, sometimes daily. I was leading and needing to motivate a large, global team to take on the challenges. I needed to bring the pieces that enabled me to be effective in very diverse situations- to do that I had to have all the pieces of me at my disposal. Being authentic made all the difference.A Double-Edged SwordSelf-disclosure in a work context is something of a double-edged sword, since theres always the possibility (and risk) of both positive and negative outcomes from prioritizing authenticity in your professional life. As Lisa Rosh and Lynn Offermann suggest in Harvard Business Review Despite its kompetenz benefits, self-disclosure can backfire if its hastily conceived, poorly timed, or inconsistent with cultural or organizational norms. But there are many potential payoffs as well, as Martin explainsFor myself and others who I have had the honor to work alongside, I have no question that bringing your whole self to work is the best answer, Martin says. When we bring our whole selves to a problem, we enable the richest opportunity for success. Nothing has to stop at the door.She adds that a variety of thought, experience, and communication styles all bring richer results, which allow for more innovative solutions to challenges that might be missed without differing perspectives. We each have a rich kaleidoscope of experiences, perspectives, and styles that makes each of us whole, says Martin. And each of us has many things that make up our authentic selves. Did we grow up in an urban environment, or maybe in anotlageher country or culture? Did we serve in the military, or maybe do humanitarian work? Were we adopted? From a large family? A single-parent family? All of these things, and many others, help form who we are- our authenticity.When Work Doesnt Accept All of YouWhat about when your work environment doesnt feel inclusive and thus makes it even more challenging to be your authentic self? Martin is clear about her advice here If some part of you is not welcome where you are working, then it is the wrong place to be.When you sit in your office and know that there is a piece of you that you had to leave at the door, you are not whole. It is the missing piece of you that causes stress, resentment, and pain. She adds that being the best partner in any work situation also means understanding what is needed from you to be most effective with a given set of people. Having all of yourself to choose from in a given situation is the key.How to Bring Your Full Self to the OfficeHere are five tips from Martin about ways to get more comfortable bringing your full self to the officeFind an ally. If you feel like theres a specific piece of yourself and your personal life that youre keeping underground at work but that feels important to surface, Martin recommends first practicing the piece that you are leaving out of work with a trusted ally in the office. plektrum someone who has shown that they enjoy sharing such information, says Martin. It has to be the right context for you and for them.Begin sharing more about yourself. As you work on finding allies, focus on sharing to build trust that assists in the challenges at hand. Bring yourself closer to others in order to better work as a team- to accomplish challenging work activities, says Martin.Practice being the coworker needed for specific situations. Once you have all of you on board at work, Martin suggests channeling those additional assets directly into situations that you are currently dealing with Dont sacrifice who you are. Instead, focus on the parts of you that will be most helpful to the challenge before you with the team at hand.Be an ally. Once youve mastered finding an ally and become more comfortable being yours elf in a work setting, its time to pay it forward. Martin, for example, became an LGBTQ ally in a large organization and found the experience meaningful and empowering Most all large organizations have been on a journey to more broadly kooperation diversity and inclusion. The support for the LGBTQ community has been profound over the past years, said Martin. As an LGBTQ Ally, I was able to see the joy and fulfillment that happen when a person can be his or her full self. With this comes greater fulfillment at work, promotions, and overall satisfaction.Enable individuality. Martin suggests using the following tactic at the end of meetings to ensure all voices are being heard go around to each attendee and request their response to one of the following questions or statements, which she notes will yield amazing and sometimes critical input that would have been lost if everyone was not in the game, contributing their unique insightsWhat are you still thinking about as we close the sess ion?Share something we should have addressed and did not during the meeting.Express appreciation for a contribution of another team member.Its a personal decision, but a smart approach is to blend an awareness of who you are and your career goals with a sense of the companys culture. If you sense that you cant comfortably be who you are with a particular organization, would you really want to work there day-in and day-out under false pretenses? Your answer to this question can guide your choices around how you present yourself in interviews as well as the office. As you determine what you want to share, keep in mind these words from Martin The ability to bring your full self is empowering and freeing. You will be at your best and get the best from the teams you are leading.Find a job that fits your lifestyle Browse Open Flexible Jobs

Juicy Takeaways from SHRM17

Juicy Takeaways from SHRM17Juicy Takeaways from SHRM17Juicy Takeaways from SHRM17 Blaszczyk, Managing Editor, Resource CenterIf theres one thing we all need, its to keep learning. And there was plenty of learning to go around at the 69th Annual Conference and Exposition for the Society for Human Resource Management (otherwise known as SHRM17.)The 4-day conference was jam-packed with learning sessions, keynote addresses, master series and more. And while physics tells us its impossible to be in two places at once, many attendees did their best to break the laws of matter and absorb as much learning as possible. I dont know about you, but I walked (and walked and walked) away from the SHRM experience energized by all the ideas and viewpoints. If you werent able to attend this years conference, I thought I might share some juicy takeaways from a few favorite sessions I attended. Lets compare notes if you attended them too Understand your employees personas and your own.In his keynote ad dress, The Table Group Founder and President Patrick Lencioni explained common workplace personas from his latest book, The Ideal Team Player. Theres the pawn, the accidental mess maker, the loveable slacker, and the skillful politician. These tarot deck characters lack one or more of the three characteristics of an ideal team player (humble, hungry and smart.)While he cautioned against taking these personas too literally, Lencioni encouraged us to Go first, analyze yourself. Thats a great place to start. After all, how can you help others as an HR professional if you dont know what you bring to the equation? Make sure youre focusing on the right indicators.In his presentation Understanding Metrics How to Connect HRs Goals to Business Strategy, Ryan Kohler chief innovation officer at ApplicantPro challenged HR professionals to focus on leading indicators vs. lagging indicators with their HR metrics.Why? Lagging indicators dont relate to revenue whereas leading indicators relate t o the bottom line, which as we know, is always top of mind in business.Kohler cited a well-known issue for many companies a laborious candidate experience, which is a lagging indicator. So how can you convince your boss that its a problem? He advised taking the perspective of your customer base, which is a leading indicator. How many of your applicants are also customers? Is there a correlation between applicants and customer drop off? Voila youve just correlated your burdensome candidate experience with a drop in company revenue, which is sure to get the attention of higher ups.Break down the brains biases with best practices.David Rocks presentation on The Neuroscience of Breaking Bias brought new insights to an all too familiar topic. As Director of the NeuroLeadership Institute, Rock has studied the inherent biases of how our brains work and offered some best practices on how diversity and inclusioncan break through them.For example, theres the similarity bias. People often rep ort feeling more effective as part of a homogeneous team. Conversely, people feel uncomfortable working in a diverse group. Yet data shows that diverse teams perform better, precisely because of the discomfort that challenges them to think out of the box.Another phenomenon Rock cited is how the brain interprets objects that are closer to us as better. Known as the distance bias, it often plays out in virtual meetings in which some attendees are off-site. Regardless of whether these folks are on the phone or on camera, their distance leaves them overlooked or not heard. To level the playing field, Rock recommends that everyone be on camera regardless of whether or not theyre in the saatkorn location.Cultivate tech talent from new sources.Does intellectual curiosity matter more than smarts? Anthony Williams says yes. As Akamais vice president of talent acquisition and diversity, Williams has led the charge to increase gender, ethnic and veteran diversity by developing tech talent fro m unlikely places. In his session, How a Tech Company Is Diversifying its Workforce by Building its Own Talent Pipeline, Williams explained how the tech giant ranks potential over pedigree in their innovative tech training program. Recruits are drawn from a variety of personas dissatisfied college grads who seek a change of direction, mid-career professionals looking to pivot their careers and older workers who want to rejoin the workforce and trained in unlikely locations such as Krakow, Poland.Candidates are carefully assessed for core competencies and endure 600 to 900 hours of training, followed by an apprenticeship. Key to the programs success has been the buy-in of leaders in the organization who influence the training curriculum and agree up front to hire graduates.Re-recruit your top talent. More than a few SHRM17 sessions focused on employee engagement and no wonder. Top talent is equally difficult to retain as it is to find. In her session, Getting the C-Suites Attention Seven Strategies for Transforming HR Leader to Business Leader, Jennifer McClure made the case for HRs new role as one of talent broker.McClure President of Unbridled Talent, LLC encouraged HR leaders to move from short-term tactics to long-term strategy. Step one is to identify your most critical roles and talent in the current organization. Then analyze the shortages of your available talent who are qualified to fill critical roles. Those outcomes can help you create a long-term workforce plan.As you map out your talent pipeline, make sure to keep top talent engaged. Provide them with the experience they need to become leaders. Actively re-recruit them by asking if theyre happy. If they had a magic wand, what would they change in the job? The more you know about their vulnerabilities the better.Make the move from firefighter to influencer.Managers most often answer how questions while leaders answer why questions. So how can you move your career from how to why? By building a p ersonal brandthat creates influence, says Brandon Smith, founder and principle at The Worksmiths, LLC.In his session, Influencing without Authority, Smith explained how to create your personal brand at work that highlights the value you offer. That will allow you to move from HR firefighter to strategic leader by building positive relationships across the organization.That means learning to give positive feedback even when theres nothing positive to say. That means making a commitment to sharing a meal (breakfast, lunch or dinner) with people across the organization. It means checking in with stressed peers and bosses and offering a vote a confidence.And if that sounds like a lot of effort, consider this The positive energy you give out will soon come back to you.Hear More from your Favorite SHRM17 Presenters

Liquid Metal Batteries May Revolutionize Energy Storage

Liquid Metal Batteries May Revolutionize Energy Storage Liquid Metal Batteries May Revolutionize Energy Storage Liquid Metal Batteries May Revolutionize Energy Storage Battery storage capacity is an increasingly critical factor for reliable and efficient energy transmission and storagefrom small personal devices to systems as large as power grids.This is especially true for aging power grids that are overworked and have problems meeting peak energy demands. Companies are scrambling to develop scalable battery solutions that can stabilize these grids by increasing energy efficiency and storage capacity.The market opportunity for grid-scale energy storage is large, growing, and global, says Phil Giudice, CEO and president of Ambri, a start-up company in Massachusetts that is developing an innovative battery system that relies on molten metal for storing energy.The battery is based on research conducted by co-founder Donald Sadoway at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The syste m is different from other storage options on the market because it is the only battery where all three active components are in zerflossen form when the battery operates. Two liquid electrodes (magnesium and antimony) are separated by a molten salt electrolyte the liquid layers float on top of each other based on density differences and immiscibility. The system operates at an elevated temperature maintained by self-heating during charging and discharging, resulting in a low-cost and long-lasting storage system.Early prototype units of the battery. The commercialized product will use a 6-inch square. Image AmbriWhen a liquid metal battery cell is at operating temperature, potential energy exists between the two electrodes, creating a cell voltage. When discharging the battery, the cell voltage drives electrons from the magnesium electrode and delivers power to the external load, after which the electrons return back into the antimony electrode. Internally, this causes magnesium ions to pass through the salt and attach to the antimony ions, forming a magnesium-antimony alloy. When recharging, power from an external source pushes electrons in the opposite direction, pulling magnesium from the alloy and redepositing it back onto the top layer.Liquid electrodes offer a robust alternative to solid electrodes, avoiding common failure mechanisms of conventional batteries, such as electrode particle cracking, states Ambri on its website. The all-liquid design also avoids cycle-to-cycle capacity fade because the electrodes are reconstituted with each charge.Extensive laboratory testing on over 2,500 cells with a cumulative test time of 600,000 hours and 100,000 cycles shows that the all-liquid cell design avoids the main failure mechanisms experienced by solid components in other battery technologies. This enables our systems to have a projected lifespan of over 15 years with no degradation in performance, states Ambri.Other advantages of liquid metal batteries include Modular design that can be customized to meet specific customer needsNegligible fade rates over thousands of cycles and years of operationUses inexpensive, earth-abundant materialsCan respond to grid signals in millisecondsStores up to 12 hours of energy and discharges it slowly over timeOperates silently with no moving parts, easy to installA Competitive FieldThe liquid-metal battery is an innovative approach to solving grid-scale electricity storage problems. Its capabilities allow improved integration of renewable resources into the power grid. In addition, the battery will hopefully improve the overall reliability of an aging grid and offset the need to build additional transmission, generation, and distribution assets. This is, however, a competitive field. Dozens of start-ups are targeting utility-scale energy storage with innovative systems that utilize compressed air, iron flow batteries, saltwater batteries, and other electrochemical processes.Ambri continues to improve the performance and longevity of its batteriessome of its test cells have been running for almost four years without showing any signs of degradation. The company is also exploring other elemental combinations, including calcium, lithium, and lead. Because of the simple design and easy-to-source materials, manufacturing the battery will cost far less than other storage technologies for an equivalent amount of storage. Ultimately, says Ambril, we envision working with global partners to build factories around the world, creating partnerships to serve regional markets.Mark Crawford is an independent writer. For Further Discussion The market opportunity for grid-scale energy storage is large, growing, and global. Phil Giudice, CEO, Ambri

Your Job Interview Secret Weapon The Daily News

Your Job Interview Secret Weapon The Daily NewsYour Job Interview Secret Weapon The Daily NewsWhether youre a new graduate or a veteran looking for a career change, the moment that makes or breaks a job binnenseekers aussicht of being hired is the interview. The keys to making a good impression are framing your previous accomplishments and how theyve prepared you for the position and demonstrating your cultural fit with the company.For each of these your professional history and accomplishments will answer fruchtwein of the questions. And when it comes to your ability showcase expertise, a familiarity with industry trends, issues and news can leave a great impression.Imagine you enter an interview for a job related to social media. You discuss your previous successes, plans for the position and so forth. Then when the interviewer mentions Facebooks new advertising rules, you look like a deer in headlights.If you only know about your own work history, youll look uninformed. Of course, not knowing a particular piece of industry news might not ruin your chances of being hired. But imagine a hiring decision comes down to you and one other person. They know all the social media industry news while you arent aware of a key piece of news related to the biggest social media company. Who do you think gets the job?The good news its easy to stay up on industry news. Once you know whats happening in your field, you can incorporate it into your interview. Here are three ways to stay up on relevant news positiv a few tips on how to demonstrate that knowledge in a job interview.1. Scoop.It Scoop.it combines the power of web search algorithms with human tastes and interests. It works like this you set up a suggestion feed with keywords of interest. For interview research youll use the keywords related to your industry. Then you can scoop relevant articles onto your page. Scoop.it is a powerful tool for content curating its also great for checking the latest news and web conten t on a given subject. It indexes content from many websites, not just the sites you know. Once you have a suggestion feed set up, you can scroll through the articles and scoop or trash each item. Once scooped, you can read all of your selected articles.2. Flipboard Flipboard is an equally powerful tool tailored specifically for your mobile device. It collects content from various social channels and media outlets and displays it for you in a magazine-style format. Flipboard is useful in conducting industry research because you can do it from anywhere. On a mobile device it provides a quick and easy way to flip though content and determine what is of use and what isnt think Pinterest or Instagram for news. Flipboards magazine feature also gives you a way to save articles to read later. To set up your first magazine, just click the + in the bottom right quadrant of each articles excerpt and add the article.3. Topsy Topsy is different than Scoop.it and Flipboard because it gives you th e ability to research trending topics on Twitter and other social channels. If you want to see the growth of interest in topics, hashtags, etc., Topsy provides it. A search by keyword allows you to see trending topics as they relate to your keywords. The index Topsy provides is truly comprehensive, going all the way back to the launch of Twitter in 2006.Now here are a few tips for incorporating industry news into your job interview1. Small TalkYour ability to engage in effective small talk during your job interview can have a huge impact on your interviewers opinion of you as a cultural fit for the company. The most common small talk topics, such as travel, movies and music, are great ways to break the ice with your interviewer. But you dont want to spend your job interview discussing the latest Pixar flick. When youre engaged in small talk, its a good idea to subtly drop a few bites of industry news and jumpstart a conversation related to the job.2. Work HistoryDiscuss how developm ents in the industry have impacted your work history and how you adapted to meet those changes. This gives you the chance to highlight additional certifications and training youve acquired, conferences youve attended and so forth. Use the opportunity to show yourself to be an agile employee who is always looking for ways to grow professionally and prepare yourself for the challenges facing your industry.3. StrategyDuring the interview youll have an opportunity to outline a plan for once you are hired. This is the perfect time to outline how new developments in the industry impact the way you would do your job. Show how the strategy you bring to the job incorporates the changes facing the industry as a whole. This will demonstrate that you not only understand the industry and its trends but also how those trends impact this position.The interview is your best opportunity to show an employer that you are the right person for the job. If you cant speak intelligently about the industry, youll appear unqualified. To demonstrate your knowledge of the job and the industry, stay up on the news and be ready to talk about it during your next interview.

Choosing Making a Resume Is Simple

Choosing Making a Resume Is Simple A school counselor is also a fantastic resource. You should know what they are searching for in your candidacy. If youre a fresh graduate or dont have much experience, you should have a highly effective opening statement at the peak of your resume. What works for a recent graduate is not going to be an adequate solution for a seasoned professional. Also, you might want to add relevant certifications and licensure (either as subsection or simply create another section). If youre asking for a job which has unique requirements, you might need another edition of your resume to completely demonstrate your qualifications. All your prior jobs ought to be arranged in chronological order together with achievements. Using Making a Resume Even with the extra information employers can find via the web, your resume is still a vital tool. Preparing a resume offers the chance to receive comfortable with the procedure early on and leads to a concrete d ocument to hand to prospective employers. Cramming as much information regarding yourself as text dimensions and margins will allow makes it harder for the hiring manager to get the fruchtwein relevant details. If youre going to be filling out the application at the area of employment, be sure youve got all crucial information required to complete the application, including references, social security number, hours readily available, etc.. Since everybodys experience differs, its no surprise which their resumes will be too. Multitasking skills In the health care work environment, there may be a good deal of things on the desk at a certain time, which necessitates attention. Creative resumes do have the capability to secure you noticed, but you desire to make certain that youre being noticed in a great way, and for the ideal factors.Among the things job seekers can do in order to follow along with the aforementioned resume length recommendations is to restrict the work experien ce section to the previous 15 decades. In truth, it is a frequent practice for HRs to check through a cover letter before making a decision whether its worth spending time on reviewing a resume. Remember, employers have a tendency to have a number of resumes they should look over, and therefore dont tend to devote much time on any individual resume at least in the first stages of the application approach. Give recruiters the present of simplicity, and youll be given the present of a work offer. Before you will opt to make your own resume, you want to consider your plan and career objective. Its important to adjust a resume to a particular position as a way to fit the wants and requirements. Theres no need to watch for a new year to get there. So if youre planning to make an application for a new job in 2019, you should have a foolproof plan to construct or update your resume. If you place extra efforts in job searching with the most recent and efficient job search techniqu es youll be able to become even much better jobs. Instead, carefully consider whether the info will strengthen your resume for the job that youre pursuing. Some individuals find it beneficial to develop what is called a Master Resume. Connect with those who can aid you in your job search. Resume A resume is an important tool in your search for a job. however, it can be especially tough to write one when you have little if any work experience. Creative resumes arent for everybody, and theyre certainly not for every form of job but they do have their place, and they are sometimes an effective tool when youre searching for new opportunities. The Dos and Donts of Making a Resume Seasoned professionals with a good collection of achievements are eligible for two-page resume format. In the majority of instances, you dont have to go past a half or two-thirds of a page. If you dont wish to list references on the resume, be certain you have names and phone numbers offered for the app lication approach. Make certain its perfectly polished and error-free and dont neglect to put the most crucial details on page one. You should have the ability to generate a column of dates and locations for each job by developing a correct tab. Instead, its recommended you include only links to the social networking networks that are related to the target position. Committed Show that youre devoted to your work, begin to finish. Theres another totally free on-line training, which will help you make a Qlikview application and to understand a variety of objects for interface design. One other important issue is that the amount of your resume actually gives an employer a comprehension of how good youre at conveying essential information quickly and how can you know whats vital. The duration of your resume Consider the sum of information you would like to include in your resume. As a result of our thorough writing procedure, youll also have the ability to score well in your c lass. So its quite a careful balancing that must be done when writing a resume.

These Resume Mistakes Could Cost You Your Dream Job!

unterstellung Resume Mistakes Could Cost You Yur Dream Job 9 Common Resume Mistakes And How To Avoid ThemPosted October 13, 2011, by Josie Chun If your reading this and cant immediately spot the spelling error in this sentence, then youre in trouble because silly spelling or grammatical errors and typos in your resume or cover letter could immediately sink any hope you have of getting an interview. These are the common mistakes that are all too easy to make but as trivial as they may seem, they can ruin your chances of landing a job. Spelling and grammar mistakes are the number one reason for recruiters to dismiss a candidate before theyve even had a chance to say Dear Manger. If you dont want to have your resume thrown in the bin, make sure you follow these important rules 1. Use appropriate spelling Receiving a resume full of Americanised words for an Australian job can irk many recruiters. Make sure that you use the spelling thats appropriate in the country where youre applying for a job. Do NOT rely on your computers spell-checker, as many computers will automatically correct spellings to the American version so you will have to go and change the words back. If in doubt, consult a dictionary. Examples of words which are commonly autocorrected to American spellingare organise, specialise, prioritise, realise, colour, honour, theatre and centre. 2. Know your apostrophes Untold resumes have come undone because of that tiniest of errors the misplaced apostrophe. The most common confusions occur between words like its/its and your/youre. Apostrophes are used to indicate possession (Johns car) or contraction (its is the contraction for it is). However, the possessives your and its do not have apostrophes (you like your job, the company just had its AGM). Apostrophes are never used for plurals, and you are a child of the 1980s, not the 1980s. And remember its is not a word. Ever. 3. Dont use, unnecessary commas Misplaced commas are almost as common , and just as irritating, as misplaced apostrophes. Just look at the sub-heading above Dont use unnecessary commas Commas should be used to separate items in a list or separate adjectives (it was a challenging, rewarding role), after introductory phrases and words (after five years in this position, I am ready to take on new challenges), to separate two strong phrases joined by a conjunction (I have really enjoyed my time here, but I am ready to move on), and after words like however or therefore (I understand your position however, I do not agree). Commas should not be used after words like because (I am late because, I missed my bus is incorrect) or be randomly inserted in the middle of sentences. 4. Use the correct word Its really important to make sure you use words correctly, and to not make the same mistakes that so many others do. That means knowing the difference between commonly confused words like then/than (time or sequence/comparison), there/their (place/possessive ), to/too (approach or arrival/also or excessive) and accept/except (receive/excluding). These words may be common, but seeing them used correctly isnt. Here are some other frequently misspelled words that you should commit to the memory bank accommodate, achievement, address, believe, committed, definitely, focused, gauge, government, guarantee, immediate, independent, judgement, liaise, manageable, occasionally, personnel (referring to staff), professional, receive, recommend, referred, relevant, schedule, separate, and truly. 5. Dont use run-on or half-sentences Run-on sentences, like I worked as an assistant however I also helped with marketing, have no place in a formal resume. This sentence needs to be broken up or re-worded, to I worked as an assistant and also helped with marketing or I worked as an assistant I also helped with marketing. Half-baked sentences are just as badeanstalt. If you hire me is not a sentence. If you have a thought, make sure you finish it. 6. G et the correct spelling and title of the person youre addressing There is no surer way to get the person reading your resume off-side than to misspell their name they will immediately write you off. Even or especially if they have an unusual, 20-letter name, be sure to get it right. Look at the job ad or any emails theyve sent you for their correct spelling and title. And dont make that most fatal of mistakes and address your cover letter to the HR Manger They wont even bother reading the rest of the letter. 7. DONT SHOUT Its generally a bad idea to use capitals to emphasise words in your resume, as it can look juvenile or just obnoxious. Rely on clear and effective wording to get a strong message across without having to resort to SHOUTING 8. Dont treat the recruiter like your m8 This is a resume, not a text or casual email, so always use a professional writing style. Even in the cover letter, dont use an overly casual or colloquial tone, and never use the kind of spellings or lingo commonly used in texts or emails, like u instead of you or instead of and in a sentence. 9. Proof, proof and proof again It is imperative that you proofread your resume and cover letter carefully, multiple times, viewing your document at 125 or 150 per cent in Word using a clear font. For many, printing your resume and editing it on paper, as well as reading it out loud, can really help too. If you make any last-minute formatting changes, make sure that you re-proof your resume for any inadvertent extra spaces or deletions that may have occurred. Whatever you do, dont rely on your spell-checker It will miss many grammatical errors. Its important to get an extra set of eyes on your resume because it can be easy to miss your own mistakes. Have it proofread by a trusted friend who has an eagle eye for this sort of thing or use a professional writingservice. Check out our tips on how to write a killer cover letter (even if you hate writing). ResourcesMy first resumeC over letter for my first jobCareer Insider StoriesShelley Lask - Body Positive Health & FitnessInterested in becoming a?Human Resources OfficerGeneral ManagerBusiness ManagerAccountantOffice AdministratorPopular Career Searchesfinancial planner assistant resumechildcare worker resume samplephotographer resumeweb designer resume samplehealth practice manager resume sample CoursesBachelor of Social WorkEnquire Online Enquire OnlineCertificate III in Health AdministrationEnquire Online Enquire OnlineBachelor of Criminal JusticeEnquire Online Enquire OnlineCertificate III in Allied Health AssistanceEnquire Online Enquire OnlineJosie ChunRelated ArticlesBrowse moreEmployment trendsAustralian skill shortages infographicA snapshot of nationwide skill shortages reveals how recruitment experiences vary from state-to-state across key areas such as filled vacancies, number of suitable applicants per vacancy and overall state of the skilled labour market.HabitsWork etiquette What Does Your Body Language Say About You At Work?What is your body language saying about you at work? Could it be holding you back? Here are a few moves that can give the wrong professional vibe and what to do instead. Weve included specific body language tips to help you rock the interview tooCareer progressionHow To Ask For A Letter of Recommendation An Email TemplateIf youre looking for a new job or putting together an application to head back to school, youve got better things to worry about than how to ask for a letter of recommendation. Heres an email template that takes the guesswork out of it.