Are Cover Letters Redundant

Are Cover Letters Redundant Not too long ago cover letters were considered an essential component in the job application process, giving individuals the opportunity to highlight and elaborate on their relevant skills and experience in a more tailored way than on your resumé. Though in recent years, there has been a significant shift to online application systems and cover letters are becoming less and less of a necessity. Obviously if a company specifies that they would like you to include a cover letter, it wouldnt reflect particularly well on you if you werent to supply them with one and of course you should write it to the best of your ability. However, if there is no reference to a cover letter requirement, it may not actually be worth your time writing one, as it is likely that they assess candidates in alternative ways and your cover letter wont be considered. Recruiters dont have the time: Recruiters will receive hundreds, even thousands of resumés in a working week and frankly, they just dont have the time to sift their way through all of them, let alone hundreds of cover letters that accompany them. A large part of the  time a cover letter just consists of a  more elaborately worded version of your resumé anyway, so youre probably better off just making sure that all the important information is on your resume,  as all in all its got a much larger chance of being acknowledged. Automated online systems have taken over: Rather than writing a tailored letter to an employer like you may  have in the past, when expressing interest in potential  employment, companies now have specific websites, forms and fields to fill out regarding the job openings and your suitability. The systems will identify exactly which job you would like to apply for and will ask specific questions regarding your qualifications, skills and aptitude, cutting straight to the point and it is likely that this is the only information that recruiters will read, rendering cover letters obsolete. Focus on whats important: Its your resumé that does most of the talking when applying for a job and the way that you present yourself on here  will determine whether you are invited for an interview or not, so its probably best to focus your energy on making it as strong and streamlined as possible. Centre your attention  on customising your resumé, making useful connections, or building a portfolio of  your work to exhibit your abilities, as these will put you in better stead of being considered for the job than dedicating your time to writing cover letters that may not be read. All things considered, cover letters have most likely lost the significance  that they once had. Time is valuable when you are on the job hunt and rather than wasting it writing letters that are likely the be discarded without a glance, focus  on producing a polished resumé highlighting your strengths and career achievements, that will represent you in your best light. What do you reckon? Is the cover letter passé or do you think  there is still a place for them? Let us know. [Image Credit: Shutterstock]

How to Make Your Resume Stand Out in the City of Binghamton

How to Make Your Resume Stand Out in the City of BinghamtonIf you are new to resume writing, you are going to want to learn more about the City of Binghamton, New York. The city is one of the most diverse, with opportunities for you to make a living from any of the many businesses that are there.One way that you can truly make a living in the city of Binghamton is as a journalist. The biggest paper, the News-Times, is based out of Binghamton. The newspaper's reporters cover all sorts of different stories throughout the year, including special events and entertainment, so if you can break a story about something and turn it into a feature article for the paper, you will have a story that is perfect for the employer to hire you for.In addition to that, the largest business in the city of Binghamton is the State Capitol building. There is an incredible view of the Capitol building that you will love. You can also get good rates on a room there if you want to go to the Capitol. If you ha ve the time and desire to travel to the Capitol, you will find many jobs there too.Many people find that the best opportunity in the city of Binghamton is at the Old War Horse Museum. Many things are on display at the museum, but the 'things' include items that are from the times of the Civil War. The antique furniture from that time period is extremely valuable. This is a chance to really make your resume stand out as one that someone from Binghamton can use.For a little bit of help in making your resume more appealing, you should consider learning how to play the violin. If you take a few lessons, you will be able to play the violin at some events. That is an opportunity that many musicians have, so if you are interested in it, you should take advantage of it.You might also want to think about taking some dancing classes in the city of Binghamton. This is a great chance to put yourself in front of people that would like to dance. You can also take classes at other places, such as the Baldwin Hall Ballroom. If you take these classes, you will be able to take your dancing skills to the next level.This is just a few ideas that you can use to help you in making your resume shine. For instance, if you have writing skills, try writing a few articles. People appreciate this and you will be able to make a good living. You can even write articles for the newspaper.In addition to that, there are many jobs in the city of Binghamton that you can do. You should check them out and find out what opportunities you can take advantage of.

Should you leave your current job...

Should you leave your current job... Should you leave your current job? Should you leave your current job? December 30, 2010 by Career Coach Sherri Thomas 2 Comments Being in a passion-less job is a career killer. Managers, clients, peers, and potential employers will see you as someone who lacks desire, drive, and enthusiasm. If youre craving a career that inspires you, then you need to step up and take action. As your Career Coach, I encourage you to ask yourself three (3) questions to help you decide whether you should leave your current job The first question you need to ask yourself is, What do I really want in my career? What is it that will give you the feeling of being happy and fulfilled in your job? Is it status? Prestige? Fame? Respect from your peers? Credibility within the industry? Money? Less stress? An easier lifestyle? Stop a minute and think about it. You need to define the specific things or “gets” that you want to ultimately achieve in your career. You should be able to narrow it down to one or two very specific objectives. Once you are able to identify your ultimate career objectives, then the next thing you need to do is take stock of your current career and where you are today. The second question you need to ask yourself is, What are the “gives and gets” in my current situation? This means taking a quick inventory of what you are currently giving to your manager, company or clients, and what you are getting in return. Let’s first look at the “gives” of your job. Write down the value that you are providing to your employer by being in your current job role. For example, do you have knowledge, experience and skills that are valued by your manager or clients? Are you an expert in your job and providing work that is valued? Are you consistently delivering high quality projects that are on time and on budget? Are your clients thrilled with your work? Does your manager think of you as a valued contributor? Do you have the most relevant training and certification to do the job effectively? Are you adding to the bottom line by bringing in new business and maximizing opportunities, or saving costs by streamlining processes or bringing in advanced technologies? Are you leading projects and initiatives? Are you training and mentoring team members and peers? Are you providing some kind of unique expertise and viewed as the “go to” person for that knowledge or skill? I encourage my career coaching clients to also identify another kind of “get. Those are the negative “gets” in your current position. Every job has a certain amount of frustration and stress, but does your job give you an excessive amount? Does it make you feel inferior? Incompetent? Overwhelmed? Undervalued? Underutilized? These negative “gets” should also be identified. Think about any negative gets that you have in your current situation and write them down. Now it’s time to review all of your “gives”, “positive gets” and “negative gets”. Are the gets that you are receiving the gets that you really need to feel valued and inspired? If not, then you may want to consider making a career change. The 3rd question is, Before I leave, is there anything else I can glean from my current situation? There are times in everyone’s career when you hit a roadblock, and it’s best to simply move on. But before you disconnect completely from your situation, I encourage you to glean anything else you can from your current employer or client. Are there any projects you could join or lead that would allow you to gain knowledge or experience in a new area? Could you strengthen your leadership skills or boost your credibility by leading a project? Is there a project you could create that would challenge you and help you grow professionally? Also, is there anyone in your current environment who could guide you, mentor you, or teach you about a product, technology, or the industry? Is there anyone else you could work with who could give your career a boost just by saying that you worked together? And finally If you’re ready to make a career change, and want a partner who can give you the roadmap on how to reach your goal, then check out our personal career coaching services and packages with a variety of services and budgets available. Also, hear what other professionals and executives (just like you!) are saying how they reinvented their career!

Are You Using Raw Leads In Your Job Search - Hire Imaging

Are You Using Raw Leads In Your Job Search - Hire Imaging Job search at its best is an orchestrated campaign, sprinkled with sales, marketing, and relationship management. Clients who work with me are not limiting their search to applying for advertised openings. They are using targeted research to find the roles and places aligned with what they’ve pegged to be their wants. Savvy job seekers use raw leads as the cornerstone material of their job search. They systematically build and work their leads, to find those opportunities not advertised â€" sometimes opportunities still being tossed about in the minds of decision-makers. Observe and grasp raw leads daily. A job lead is an uncle, a friend, a friend of a friend, a promising online posting, a newspaper articleâ€"anything that will help you build lead lists aligned with what you want. Sometimes “raw” job leads are vague. It might be a light-bulb moment sparked by a coffee shop conversation. To simplify it all, you can obtain all job leads from three categories: people, organizations, and ideas. 1. People Build lists of every person who could help you in your job search. Don’t limit your list to those with power to hire you, nor to those who might be well connected, high-profile folks. It is often the third, fourth and fifth degree contacts who end up being your most valuable leads. Every single person who could possibly help you should be on your list, from the custodian at church, to Aunt Nellie’s brother-in-law! 2. Organizations As a job seeker building lists with raw leads, “organizations” is defined as potential employers. You want to make lists of every potential employer relevant to your job targeted research. The role, the industry, the geography, the culture, the impact, the money â€" any place that might have the opportunities aligned with what you want. Again, this is not limited to advertised openings. 3. Ideas Ideas can absolutely be the spark of raw leads. “I wonder if I can earn a living with my hobby making dog clothes?” or “I’ve noticed more families with children moving into my neighbor. Is there potential for a daycare business?” or “My town has experienced a boom of new small businesses in our area, according to Jan at the Chamber of Commerce. They might need janitorial services; I could be very competitive with the larger custodial services in the area.” or Widget Company just signed a big lease for an industrial site. I’ll try to get a list of other companies that have signed manufacturing leases in our area. There must be growth if that’s the case. Maybe there’s room for my Six Sigma and management skills.” Ideas are intriguing raw leads, because they can quickly create a trail to lists of organizations and people. Your challenge is to be working 75 leads at all times. Whenever you find your raw leads to be below this number, try tapping some of these great sources of leads: Your current job targets Once you know the type of job you are targeting, you can make lists of companies that have that type of job. Your job search is then driven by the idea of the job you want to be hired for. If you do not have an idea of what you want, step back to figure it out. Job postings The best use of job postings is not to apply for them, but to use them to generate ideas of jobs you might like. If you find a job posting for a fitness instructor with an assisted living facility, you can make a list of all senior centers or communities in your geographic area; and add to them health clubs or fitness centers that might have Silver Sneakers or similar programs for active older adults. Business news Business news is chock full of raw leads. Companies launch, expand and relocate. Pay attention to anything they’re doing that’s interesting to you: an acquisition, reorganization or restructuring, a new product release, or drama surrounding top leadership. Any of these activities can signal opportunity for you. Small talk Hopefully, you are staying in touch with a steady stream of folks via email, text, phone calls and meetings. This is the essence of networking. You connect, listen, converse and track. You are going to hear ideas from these people. Some will be silly or ambiguous. Take them all seriously at first. Who’s to say that working as a counselor for a homeless shelter, serving as a manufacturer’s candle sniffer in RD, or becoming a horse exerciser in the equine industry won’t turn out to be great gigs? Internet excursions Whenever you feel your raw lead pipeline to be low, go online and search ideas that come to mind. Play with keyword combinations that align with what you’re interested in; or just to find out what’s going on that might turn into a lead. You have rich resources at your fingertips, such as blogs, websites and news articles. Then follow up on your findings. Some examples for searches: “new company” PLUS name of your town “was promoted” PLUS name of your town “newly hired” PLUS name of your town “new jobs” PLUS name of your town “fast-growing company” PLUS name of your town “economic growth” PLUS name of your town Anytime your job-search ideas are turning stale, revisit these types of searches. Add any similar search terms that you believe may lead to opportunities. Be persistent. Keep your lists going and your pipeline full. This gives you control and continual realms of possibilities. What are some of the ways you create and tap raw leads? I’d love to hear from you!   Photo: paurian

Food for Thought - Are you tired of hearing about resolutions - Hallie Crawford

Food for Thought - Are you tired of hearing about resolutions This time of year you are probably hearing the same old thing set your resolutions for this year. What are you going to change? What are you going to different in the New Year? Are these messages getting old? Are you tired of hearing them from every which way? Your answer might be yes, but the most important question is have you taken action yet? It is now almost 1 week since the first day of 2008. My tip to you and food for thought this week is to listen to all those annoying messages and take action. Here are some things you can do/think about: Set some goals for you this year. Make sure that they are attainable for you, otherwise you wont keep them. Look at what you want to do differently in 2008 regarding your health maybe eat less; workout more?? How will you balance work and your life? How do you want to improve your careeror are you ready to transition into a new one? Paint a picture of your ideal life what can you do to reach that? What do you need to do differently to move you in the right direction? There is nothing wrong with taking time in the New Year to make some changes dont just sit back and get annoyed with all the New Years messagesLISTEN! Have a great week and a Happy Monday! Hallie Career Planning Coach

Tips on Finding the Right Professional Resume Format

Tips on Finding the Right Professional Resume FormatWhen searching for the perfect professional resume format, the first thing that you will want to take into consideration is what the job seeker is actually looking for. Once you have ascertained that the job seeker is qualified for the position, then the resume is the next thing to search.The professional resume format will vary for every job seeker. This is simply because there are so many different jobs to fill. For instance, if you were looking for a marketing job, you would want to have the same format as that of a marketing manager. The writing style and format of your resume would be different than if you were seeking a sales job.When you are choosing a professional resume format, you will want to remember that these have been arranged for the job seekers personal use. Therefore, it is not right to force your resume on another person. In fact, a resume is for personal use and should be maintained as such.When you are choosing a professional resume format, you will want to include a cover letter that introduces you and the information that you have to offer. For instance, the cover letter might include your employment history, education, certifications, and your overall skill set. This is not to say that you cannot include other items in your cover letter. However, make sure that you do not omit any of the information. Once again, this is not to say that you cannot include other things in your cover letter.A professional resume format would be somewhat like a software program that you use to manage your documents. Once you have determined the right format for you, you can begin to submit the information that you would like to include. Many times, it is best to submit your resume in PDF format. This is due to the fact that the resume format can be easily read and is recognized by all types of software.The professional resume format will generally be two pages, and this should contain information such as yo ur resume letter, education, certifications, previous work history, and any experience that you might have had. You will want to include contact information. This could include your email address, phone number, and/or fax number. Make sure that you have included all of these things on your resume. This will prevent you from getting mixed up when it comes to future job offers.The above tips should help you in choosing the right professional resume format for your career search. When you have gathered all of the information that you will need to include, you can simply start to put your name and work history on the resume.

New Step by Step Roadmap for Business Insider Best Resume Writing Service

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