How to Overcome common cover letter problems

How to Overcome common cover letter problems by Michael Cheary There’s no covering up a bad cover letter….  Although you might feel like your CV is the centre of attention in a job application, never underestimate the importance of a good cover letter. But how can you make yours stand out from the crowd, and what’s the best way to overcome cover letter difficulties?We’ve already explained what a cover letter is and highlighted some cover letter lines to avoid, but here are five of the most common cover letter problems (and how you can overcome them):I’ve got gaps in my work historyAside from proving your suitability to your prospective employer, a cover letter is also the perfect opportunity to explain any gaps you might have in your CV.Because although your CV will show the times you weren’t working, it won’t explain why. Instead, use your cover letter to be resourceful, honest, and positive about the gaps in your work history.Whether you spent a few months travelling, or you took some time out to explor e your career options, being proactive about your reasoning is vital to ensure prospective employers don’t jump to any conclusions about your work ethic.Just make sure you explain yourself in a professional manner. Bringing personal issues or unimpressive excuses into your job application is never a good idea â€" and lying isn’t either.  How to explain a gap in your CVThe recruiter hasn’t asked for a cover letterIt isn’t always clear whether you should submit a cover letter in a job application â€" but as a general rule (unless the employer states otherwise), we’d always recommend adding one.Because although your CV will tell the employer everything they need to know about your skills, experience, and qualifications â€" a cover letter gives you the chance to expand on this information, without making your CV too wordy or hard to digest.And if you add one without being prompted, there’s a good chance you’ll stand apart from candidates who chose not to make the extra eff ort.So less competition, and you get to show your initiative. It’s a no-brainer.Free cover letter templateCover letter helpI’m making a prospective application, so can’t match myself to any specific jobsNot all positions have a job description that’s readily available.In fact, if you’re applying prospectively (for roles that aren’t advertised yet), you won’t have a detailed job specification to match yourself to.But that doesn’t mean you can’t tailor your application. Instead of using the advert as a guide, give a full description of the kind of role you’re looking for â€" then, include any relevant experience, knowledge, and education that’ll help to prove your suitability for this potential opportunity.Cover letters for prospective applications are also a great platform for you to show your knowledge of (and interest in) the company. So use it to express why you want to work there, and reference any of their recent successes. Then, explain how these line up w ith your own career goals.Good research (and flattery) will always be a good look.How to write a cover letterI’m not fully qualified for the roleIf you’re underqualified for a position, standing out from the crowd can be tough.However, the worst thing you can do is draw attention to your flaws. Instead, use your cover letter to highlight your most impressive skills and qualifications â€" that will make up for the areas you may be lacking experience in.Just make sure you always link back to how it makes you suitable for the role. Your cover letter is all about relevancy â€" so if it’s not going to prove to the employer that you can meet the job requirements, it’s not worth including.And if you think a lack of qualifications could be holding you back, consider taking a course to quantify your skills.  How to get work experienceFive things you need to stop doing on your cover letterI don’t know whether to include salary in my cover letterWhen it comes to job applications, emp loyers are looking for candidates that can follow directions.This means that whether you include salary information all depends on what the employer is asking for. So, if the advert doesn’t mention anything about your current salary or expectations, you’re probably safest leaving it out of your cover letter.But if they do, ensure your answers allow a good level of leeway. For example, if you’re asked to include your salary history, giving a range instead of exact figures will help show you’re flexible.And, if you’re asked about your expectations â€" it’s up to you how you handle it. If you don’t want to give anything away yet, it’s perfectly acceptable to say your expectations are negotiable.Alternatively, you could include a realistic salary range, based on the research you’ve done.Use salary checkerShould I ask about salary at my interview?Ready to find your perfect position?  View all available jobs nowFind a job What Where Search JobsSign up for more Career AdviceSign up for moreCareer Advice Please enter a valid email addressmessage hereBy clicking Submit you agree to the Cover Letters

Banana Pancakes - My Absolute Favorite - Classy Career Girl

Banana Pancakes - My Absolute Favorite Making Banana Pancakes, pretend like its the weekend (my husband sings that song every time I make these).  So I figured it was time to share my go-to recipe for banana pancakes  that I make at least once a week. Its delicious, healthy, paleo-friendly and most importantly, my daughter and husband LOVE it.  I have to be honest. I am not one to repeat a recipe. I dont like making the same thing twice, so this was initially difficult. Normally, I make eggs every morning so this is a special treat for those mornings we just cant start work right away and need to ease into the work routine.  I was excited to find this recipe because growing up my favorite thing to order at the Original Pancake House was banana pancakes. Warning: I like my pancakes less pancake-y and more crepe-y.  So these might be thinner than your normal pancake. They are also quicker to make this way! Less waiting and more eating! Note: if you are craving something extra sweet, you have my permission to add in a few chocolate chips too. Banana Pancakes 1 mashed banana 3/4 cup canned pumpkin 3 tablespoons butter (1 tablespoon pre-melted) 1 tablespoon maple syrup 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice 2 teaspoons cinnamon 2 tablespoons vanilla 1/4 cup chocolate chips (if desired) Steps to making the best banana pancakes: Mix the pumpkin, eggs, mashed banana, maple syrup and vanilla. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter and add it to the mixture. Add in the cinnamon, baking soda and pumpkin pie spice. Melt the butter on the skillet and pour the batter into desired pancake size on low heat. Add a few chocolate chips on top if desired. Watch carefully.  Wait until they get light brown on each side and flip when ready. Add maple syrup and enjoy! [RELATED: The 7 Best Smoothie Recipes Youll Want to Blend Immediately] Whats your go-to morning breakfast treat?

Seven Reasons Your Resumé Is Hurting Your Career - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Seven Reasons Your Resumé Is Hurting Your Career - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career I have reviewed over 300 random resumés  in the past two weeks and, based upon that sample and my past experience, I can tell you that it is highly likely yours is  working against you.  Why? Because it contains common errors that detract from your initial impression and your overall professional  presentation. There are two types of resumés egocentric resumés and committee resumés. The former are written by those who think they know what they are doing and dont listen to the advice of others. The latter are written by those who listen to others but, in most cases, dont know enough to select useful advice among what they are given and make revisions based upon random inputs. Which ones are  better? Its hard to say. But what I can say is that the majority of resumés fall far short of the mark and tend to work against their owners. Even a great resumé will tend to work against you, which is why I recommend my clients withhold giving people their resumés in most situations. As suggested in Chapter 6 of Fast Track Your Job Search (and Career!), Strive to meet with contacts and hiring decision makers without sending a resumé in advance. Avoid sending your résumé to anyone unless there is a critical need for it. The primary exceptions to my guideline  concerns people  who are in the direct or indirect decision chain related to current or future job openings recruiters and hiring managers (or others who have direct influence in the hiring process). They may  need to see your resumé in order to consider you for specific current or future positions that  need to be filled by someone like you. Ninety percent of the people who ask for your resumé, however,  dont need it and I wouldnt recommend giving it to them except in unusual situations. So, anyway, lets get back to why your resumé is hurting you. My comments are in the context of human beings reviewing it, as opposed to the context of trying to win the impersonal job application and software screening lottery.  Here are some of the more notable problems and what human readers prefer instead: 1. It contains mostly responsibilities statements I want to know specifically what you accomplished while you had responsibilities, not just descriptions of the responsibilities. This leads to the next point. 2. It lacks enough quantifiable results, or has enough of them but not in your more recent jobs I want to know the numbers associated with your accomplishments (dollars, quantities, percentages, peer rankings, etc.), especially  more recent ones. 3. It is weighted down with a lot of preliminary info at the top, such as long bulleted lists of skills and experience or functional skills categories with bullets beneath them I will turn off if you bombard me and I cant tell what is important and what is not. 4. It expresses no thought of the future I need to know what you have done in the past, but I also want to know where you see yourself going in the future (your next objective). 5. It is crammed onto the page, with narrow margins and a small typeface I want it to be comfortable to read without a magnifying glass and see that  you have organizational skills that allow you to fit the most important information onto the page(s). 6. It has typos, inconsistent formatting (indents, fonts, etc.), and other quality flaws I want to see that you have enough personal initiative to review your work thoroughly and put your best foot forward. 7. It is beyond two pages, which is too long for most people I will only give your resumé ten seconds for the initial scan and maybe a minute for the second look (if it gets a second look), so less tends to be more. I review hundreds of resumés each month and repeatedly see these seven errors (and others). Improvements in these areas will definitely help you in your career and job search results, which is what I want for you. Good luck and best wishes!

Does Your Brand Rational-Lies - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Does Your Brand Rational-Lies - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career [Sponsored Post: If you’re serious about your personal brand then you need your own website.   That starts with a great domain name.   Get yours at Domain.com.] Im hearing more stories about people being underemployed.   And though underemployment is not ideal for someone who just obtained their Bachelors or Masters degree- being employed is better than not being employed.   Just like the old sales saying goes the best time to sell is when you   just made a sale the best time to job hunt is when you have a job. This makes it challenging for businesses. How do you handle the turnover that comes when employees find that job thats a better match? Employers, your employees have their brand Employers:   It’s true. We all have personal brands. And, from the business owner perspective our hope is that when we find an employee, they are a good match for our brand values and that they exude their brand in a way that complements our business brand. But what happens when the business brand doesn’t match the employee’s brand? My friend and co-founder of #brandchat, David Sandusky, says it best when he says “hire well.”   It’s true.   If you want your brand expressed at it’s very best, you will hire the people who match your brand and culture and who match your passion and drive with their own style. That perfect match is critical for your business. In this situation, an ounce of prevention can make a difference as to whether or not you have a one time customer or a life long client. According to a study from Harris Interactive, bad customer service is enough for consumers to drop a brand. The study found that the majority of consumers never go back to a business or organization after experiencing bad customer service or when their expectations are not met. Employees, are you wondering, What was I thinking? Employees:   We’ve all been there. Either due to fear or desperation, we take that job or that client that’s really not a good match for us. Then, we rationalize (or rather “rational” “lies” â€" talk ourselves into why it was the best fit, the best bet, or why we “needed this”) our relationship and connection with this brand. Perhaps it was the only job available and we promised ourselves we would “employ ourselves out there,” yet now we’ve gotten caught up in the habit, routine, daily drama and have lost focus of our next step. It could be that you were hungry for clients so you took this one, knowing you would have to bite the bullet to make ends meet Rationalizing that “everyone has to do something they don’t like in any business.” Or, it could be that everything about the job or the client is a perfect fit but the “people,” oh, the people are people we wouldn’t want to ever spend time with, yet we convince ourselves that we love the work so much that we could put up with the people. Are you there?   Are you caught in the rational lies? Then, it’s time to create a plan to move as quickly as possible to the next step that’s a better fit for you and your brand. Here are some ways on how you can improve customer service just in case a customer comes to you with a problem: Identify the actions you need to take to find that job of your choice.   Who do you need to know?   What credentials do you need to have? What experience? Break each of those into seven actionable steps.   For example, let’s say you need “managerial experience,” you can break that down into: Contact company HR (human resources) person to find out about committees within the organization. Find out from your supervisor if there are other activities such as a group that plans the birthday parties, retirement events, or even social gatherings that you could become a part of. Look outside of work at volunteer activities in the community, PTA, or church to see what’s available that you can become involved in and take a leadership role (remember, managerial experience doesn’t have to be “paid” experience to count) Find books, articles and blogs that you will routinely read one hour a week to hone and focus your managerial and leadership skills. Write down a plan for whatever committee or activity you’re involved in and what you can do to take a more managerial role. Contact retired managers to meet with them for coffee or over lunch to find out â€" if they knew then, what they know now â€" what would they share/advise/suggest? Seek online courses, discussion groups, managerial focused organizations to help you make the connections you need at that professional level. Take action to make a difference. Be diligent in protecting and grooming your own brand. You are responsible for your own brand. Author: Maria Elena Duron, is managing editor of the Personal Branding Blog, CEO (chief engagement officer) of buzz2bucks.com â€" a word of mouth marketing firm and Director of Client Communities of Momentum Factor-focused on the direct selling industry.   She helps create connection, credibility, community and cha-ching through mobile marketing and social commerce around your brand. She is co-founder of #brandchat a weekly Twitter chat focused on every aspect of branding.

Tips For Finding The Best Resume Writing Service

Tips For Finding The Best Resume Writing ServiceA resume writing service can be a great way to make yourself stand out from the crowd, but you need to ensure that you know exactly what you are getting when you hire the service. You need to know what kind of work the company is going to provide for you.When you have an eye on the quality of your resume, it will all start with your resume writing service. The writing service will help you write a resume that stands out above the rest. Here are some tips on how to find the best service.The most important thing is to ensure that the writer you use understands your work experience. If you are still studying or if you are working part time, then you should not be expected to fill in gaps in your experience with experience from university. Also, the service should be able to understand the level of experience required from you. If you need to provide a list of your relevant work experience, the writer you use should be able to fill that in for you.The type of writing service you get from a resume writing service is extremely important. There are some companies that have many writers on staff. These writers are supposed to be able to write the resumes of every single applicant for each company. It is only a good idea to use these services if you need them to write more than one or two resumes.Some services are dedicated to providing specific services that include business letters and formal resumes. These services are useful if you need a professional to write the various documents. If you are applying for many different jobs, it is still worth getting a service dedicated to your specific needs.The writers who are most likely to be able to produce a professional resume are those who are familiar with Microsoft Word. Other programs may also be used, but the fact that Microsoft Word is such a common program is a definite advantage. All of the services are usually capable of using the same software so if you are using the same program as the writer, there should be no problems at all.The writers who come from an accredited school are also preferred. While most businesses will hire a person who has graduated from high school, the writers for these services usually come from college. If you want a service that produces professional quality resumes, this is a good way to ensure that your resume is done right.Your resume writing service can be the best thing to happen to you in a long time. This is because your resume is the only thing that will allow you to get the job. It is something that you need to take pride in and having the best possible resume is worth taking the time to find someone who can help you out.

Dangerous ideas - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

Dangerous ideas - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog What is your dangerous idea? The brilliant minds of The Edge community have been pondering that question and have come up with no less than 117 essays. Here are a few of my favourites: Carolyn Porco: The greatest story ever told. At the heart of every scientific inquiry is a deep spiritual quest to grasp, to know, to feel connected through an understanding of the secrets of the natural world, to have a sense of ones part in the greater whole. And we dont have one god, we have many of them. We find gods in the nucleus of every atom, in the structure of space/time, in the counter-intuitive mechanisms of electromagneticsm. What richness! What consummate beauty! These are reasons enough for jubilation for riotous, unrestrained, exuberant merry-making. So what are we missing? Ceremony. We have no loving ministers, guiding and teaching the flocks in the ways of the gods. We have no fervent missionaries, no loyal apostles. And we lack the all-inclusive ecumenical embrace, the extended invitation to the unwashed masses. Alienation does not warm the heart; communion does. But what if? What if we appropriated the craft, the artistry, the methods of formal religion to get the message across? Imagine Einsteins Witnesses going door to door or TV evangelists passionately espousing the beauty of evolution. Could it work? Could we create institutions that filled the roles of religion but which were based on science rather than faith? That is one hell of a dangerous idea. Not to mention weird and wonderful. Philip Zimbardo: The banality of evil is matched by the banality of heroism This view implies that any of us could as easily become heroes as perpetrators of evil depending on how we are impacted by situational forces. We then want to discover how to limit, constrain, and prevent those situational and systemic forces that propel some of us toward social pathology. It is equally important for our society to foster the heroic imagination in our citizens by conveying the message that anyone is a hero-in-waiting who will be counted upon to do the right thing when the time comes to make the heroic decision to act to help or to act to prevent harm. This is a wonderful shift in thinking: Rather than thinking of people as potential nazis or executioners (common thinking has it, that under the right circumstances all of us could become either), think of people as potential heroes and foster that potential. Simon Baron-Cohen: A political system based on empathy What would it be like if our political chambers were based on the principles of empathizing? It is dangerous because it would mean a revolution in how we choose our politicians, how our political chambers govern, and how our politicians think and behave. We have never given such an alternative political process a chance. Might it be better and safer than what we currently have? Since empathy is about keeping in mind the thoughts and feelings of other people (not just your own), and being sensitive to another persons thoughts and feelings (not just riding rough-shod over them), it is clearly incompatible with notions of doing battle with the opposition and defeating the opposition in order to win and hold on to power. Yes! I think more and more these days on how to create a better way of politics. This is an important insight. Also check out last years question: What do you believe is true even though you cannot prove it? Thanks for visiting my blog. If you're new here, you should check out this list of my 10 most popular articles. And if you want more great tips and ideas you should check out our newsletter about happiness at work. It's great and it's free :-)Share this:LinkedInFacebookTwitterRedditPinterest Related

Reeses Peanut Butter Cups, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Your Job Search

Reeses Peanut Butter Cups, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Your Job Search LinkedIn and Twitter recently announced a partnership that will enable users to simultaneously update their status on both platforms. Doing so can help amplify your message to your followers and real-time search engines. LinkedIn and Twitter have billed the new interface as two great tastes that taste great together. And I think this move is a sweet deal for job seekers as well. By using both platforms on a regular basis, job seekers can improve their visibility and create efficiencies in their online search strategy. So what better way to celebrate than to tweet some tips to help job seekers maximize the value of both LinkedIn and Twitter.LinkedIn Tweets1. LinkedIn is like a business meeting…it doesnt have all the bells and whistles of the social networking sites, but its a great way to connect professionally and share ideas. 2. Take the time to create a robust profile; a complete profile is more searchable by recruiters and hiring managers. 3. Keep your connections open. Closed c onnectors scream “I’m just here to take without giving anything back.” 4. Add a professional headshot. When the photo is missing people wonder why. 5. Don’t use the “invitation to connect” template; be authentic and write an individualized message. 6. Ask for endorsements that are specific about your skills and value; Save “Joe is a great guy” for a wedding toast. 7. Don’t give an endorsement and immediately ask for one from the same person; it lacks authenticity and smacks of “you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours.” 8. Use the Answers feature to build community and position yourself as a subject matter expert. 9. Don’t add a connection that you would not feel comfortable introducing to someone else. Adding people randomly is kind of creepy. 10. Create a public profile with a vanity url with your first and last name to maximize your exposure. 11. Add your LinkedIn url to your resume.Twitter Tweets1. Twitter is like a big noisy party. You can’t listen to every conversation; pick a few related to your profession or industry each time you visit. 2. Retweet tweets from people in your profession sharing great advice and share advice of your own. 3. Link to articles that will prove valuable to those in your profession. 4. Follow the tweets of companies you admire or would like to work for and retweet their tweets. 5. Share job search tips with others that you connect to on Twitter. 6. Use tools like Tweetdeck, Tweettake, MyTweeple, TwitterSnooze, SocialOomph, and Twitsay to better manage your time on Twitter. 7. Check out TwitterJobSearch, TwitterJobFinder, TwitterJobCast, TweetMyJobs, and TwitterBeep to see who’s hiring on Twitter. 8. Research topics relevant to your industry and job function with Twittersearch, Tweetscan, Trendistic, Twubble, Twemes, Twitterholic, and Monitter.