LinkedIn Profile Writing

LinkedIn was created with the sole objective of promoting talents, skills, and products to millions of people around the globe. When you sign up for a LinkedIn profile, you become an exclusive part of a community that includes companies, recruiters, vendors, customers, and competitors. What makes LinkedIn unique and attractive to people is the fact that it fulfills their professional objectives, unlike other social networking sites where entertainment is the key focus. Here are some of those unique benefits that make LinkedIn worth every effort.

Gain Visibility for Unique Professional & Business Opportunities:

LinkedIn offers a search engine. When recruiters or companies are searching for specific talent to fill their vacant positions or when people are searching for specific products and services, LinkedIn search engine permits your profile to be populated. You can gain and enhance your profile’s visibility, making it readily accessible to the targeted audiences by optimizing it with appropriate usage of keywords. It is recommended that you examine the keywords before constructing your profile.

Build Professional & Business Relationships:

The chief objective of marketing platforms like LinkedIn is to make connections. Through such podiums you gain the opportunity to meet the right companies or individuals that aptly fit with your set of business or professional requirements. Connecting with significant people in your industry strengthens your credibility and consolidates the position of your business.

Furthermore, recommendations play a vital role in improving your profile and its visibility. The more recommendations you’re able to gather, the more appealing and credible your profile appears. It works like an endorsement for your skills, products, services or company and increases your trustworthiness. Recruiters or customers always prefer candidates, services or products that have been approved by others. So, always request your clients or colleagues to leave reviews on your profile.

Identify Business and Job Trends:

LinkedIn tools are highly effective in identifying new business trends and job opportunities in your industry. By knowing the current trends you will be able to formulate appropriate strategies that will carve your path to success. Job seekers and businesses that remain abreast with emerging trends stay coordinated with the professional and business requirements.

Generate Job and Business Opportunities:

Marketing is a method designed to promote and sell skills, products and services, and the LinkedIn interface as a marketing tool just does that. By creating an impressive LinkedIn profile you effortlessly launch your skills and services into the market. However, leaving it unattended for months at a stretch will lead you to nowhere. In order to derive the optimum levels of benefits from this incredible marketing platform, you need to explore what it has to offer you – things like search tools, forums and direct ads.

If other social networking sites are able to facilitate emerging professionals and businesses to a large extent, then LinkedIn ought to be ahead in the competition as it is specially oriented to marketing professional skills and business products/services. The core advantage is that you build up a relevant network of professionals without wasting your precious time.

© RedStarResume Publications – http://www.redstarresume.com

#1 for LinkedIn Profile Writing, Resume Writing and Career Services

Trade Jobs in Australia and NZ

If you’re seeking a trade job within the Australian Job Market or the New Zealand Job Market, you will need to first prepare a resume that adequately highlights your skills, qualifications and experience. Most importantly, however, it needs to be targeted toward the Australian and New Zealand job markets, and it needs to be written in the most effective way possible. With the competition for jobs so intense for both domestic and international job seekers, slapping a few sentences together and writing “CV” at the top of a page is no longer good enough to get you hired.

No matter your profession – if you’re a building contractor, mechanic, plumber, electrician, boiler operator, welder, fabricator, technician or excavator to name just a few – you need to ensure that your professional resume ticks all the right boxes when you are seeking any type of employment.

Highlighting Qualifications and Certifications:

In my experience, tradesmen often focus on their skills and certifications. Make sure you highlight any relevant skills or qualifications on the top of your resume or at least on the first page. You want the reader to see that you are qualified from the start. Building on this, you can then list any certification that you may hold. Some jobs may require particular certifications, and if this is the case, make sure that you list these! If you lack a “required” certification, don’t apply as you will be wasting your time… the “certification” is required for a reason.

Highlighting Experience:

It goes without saying that it is always important to highlight your professional experience on your resume. Daily duties are definitely an integral part to this – make sure that you list the most relevant duties that were a part of your job, and pay particular attention to include any related duties that are mentioned in job advertisements that you respond to. Don’t forget to also make sure that you list any special achievements or recognitions that you have received. In a tight job market an employer will want to see how you will add value to their organisation.

At the end of the day, the most important thing to remember is that you need to tailor each resume. If a job advertisement calls for certain skills or qualifications make sure you find somewhere to mention these on your resume. Not only will your resume stand out to the hiring manager or recruiter, but it will also make sure that your resume comes up in any keyword searches.

Top 5 Resume Writing Tips!

Responsibilities, achievements and duties need to be written clearly and backed up with supporting evidence.

Use British English ONLY in your Australian/NZ Resume – words such as “specialise” and “realise” need to be spelled with an “s” not a “z”

No picture is necessary on your Australian Resume

Do not include personal information such as marital status, date of birth, number of children, occupation of spouse, gender, religious affiliation, colour or race on your resume. It is true that in certain countries (South Africa, for example) personal information is included and is required, however it is not necessary or needed on your Australian or NZ Resume

Spend as much time as possible ensuring you address EXACTLY what the employer wants. For example, if the job advertisement lists certain duties for the job, make sure you incorporate these duties into your current resume. If the job requires excellent customer service skills, provide examples about how you have provided excellent customer service

Get the edge on other job seekers and save yourself enormous amounts of time and stress by ensuring your resume ticks all the right boxes.

© RedStarResume Publications – http://www.redstarresume.com

The Perfect Gift For Any Job Seeker

Do you know someone who is unemployed and desperately attempting to rejoin the job force? Are they applying day after day to different jobs and not having the success they require? With the current state of the economy, this theme is common and many skilled professionals find themselves unable to secure the interview that will give them the chance of actually getting the job. If you know someone in this situation (and let’s be honest we all do), give them the perfect present – a brand new resume.

There is nothing worse than job seeking and being told repeatedly by everyone to “stay positive” and that “your new job is right around the corner”. Let me tell you some news that you’re probably not going to like – if you’ve been out of work and your current resume is not getting you interviews, then it might be time to begin looking at alternatives and preparing a new strategy. If your current resume hasn’t been working, there’s no reason to think that it will magically begin to work.

What will a professional resume actually do?

The resume has only one aim, and that is to get you to the interview. If it lacks this, the resume is worthless. Many people feel that in order for their resume to shine and stand out, they need to use fancy fonts and dazzle the hiring manager into giving them an interview. Another common mistake is turning the resume into a life story. Unfortunately, there is no exact science when it comes to resume writing, but there are, however, many best practices that if implemented correctly will increase your chance of finding success. A professional resume writer is familiar with these strategies and will implement these on your resume.

How will the professional resume differ to my original resume?

Professional resume writers have written hundreds of resumes and know the best formats, layouts and strategies for resume writing. Most, if not all, have experience within recruitment or HR and are therefore familiar with what hiring managers look for. Better yet, professional resume writers bring objectivity to the table.

When people write their own resumes, they tend to be a bit vague on certain points because they’re not used to looking at it from an outsider’s perspective. They fail to elaborate on certain duties they performed or achievements they earned because they forget that the reader knows nothing about them aside from what they’re reading on a piece of paper. The resume writer alleviates this mistake because their job is to describe your skills and experience on paper in a way that can translate to anyone.

At the end of the day, there is always a way to improve on your chances at getting called for an interview. If you know someone who’s not finding success, consider offering them the services of a professional resume writer who can help give them an edge on the competition.

© RedStarResume Publications – http://www.redstarresume.com

Get the Right Job!

© RedStarResume Publications – http://www.redstarresume.com

Be Careful Of Facebook When You begin Job Seeking

Facebook And Your Job Application…

It is estimated that over 80% of employers conduct background checks on potential candidates that they are looking to hire, and some of these background checks now include social media checks on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter accounts. Almost everyone is on Facebook these days, and while it’s great for your personal life and for keeping in contact with friends and acquaintances, I am finding that it is becoming more and more detrimental to candidates’ job searches.

Companies conduct background checks in order to try to paint an accurate picture of who you really are and to avoid negligent hiring. They want to hire people they can trust to represent the company, and what better way to find out about “the real you” than through social media sites.

Facebook is an interesting (and free) way for employers to check up on you. Not only can they see your basic information, but they can also see your photos and what you discuss with other people on your wall. They can see what networks you belong to and even where you work. For the most part, companies don’t care about how you spend your free time – as long as it’s legal. What they are looking for are racist remarks (not only by you, but also by people who post on your page), sexually explicit photos or videos, and flagrant displays of illegal activity. Any signs of these will raise red flags to anyone performing your background check, and this can hinder your chances at securing your job.

You don’t need to panic and start deleting all of your photos and wall posts right away… especially if you don’t think you have anything to worry about. To start with, what you can do is check – and frequently recheck – your privacy settings on these sites. You might think that your privacy settings are all turned on, but the truth is that many social media sites update and reset these settings on a regular basis, and you might not even know that yours have accidentally been switched off.

The most important thing you can do is be more aware of what you have on your social media sites and go from there. Go through your photos (yes, even from those college days) as you never know what you might find. Are there “questionable” photos of you? Are there inappropriate remarks somewhere on your page that might be taken the wrong way? If you have to think about it, un-tag yourself or delete it…it’s not worth the risk.

© RedStarResume Publications – http://www.redstarresume.com

#1 for Student Resumes and Graduate Resumes

Graduate Resume Writing

Resume Writing Skills for Entry Level Candidates

As a current student, recent graduate or entry level job candidate, entering the job market for the very first time, you are probably also getting ready to write your very first professional resume.  As you sit at your desk with an empty looking document staring straight at you, I bet you’re thinking the same thing that millions of other entry level job seekers have all thought at some time. “Where do I start and what do I do first?”

The first thing to understand as a new job seeker is that your resume is a representation of you. If you want to be considered as a professional job candidate, then your resume needs to be presented, structured and submitted in a professional way. First impressions are so important and in a world where a hiring manager can often receive in excess of 500 – 1000 applications for a graduate position. If your resume does not immediately stand out, it will be deleted.

What should I include in my professional resume?

The key to writing an expert resume that will get noticed is to focus on targeting your application to the job that you are applying for. For example, if you are applying for a teacher role than you need to present as much information to the reader that will make you the best possible candidate for the teaching position. This information needs to be highlighted on your CV and backed up with quantitative evidence (where possible).

The best way to shine above your competition is highlighting your achievements as opposed to just including your general work duties and responsibilities. This is a great way to stand out from the pack and provide the reader with all the great value added skills that you have to offer. For example, if at school or college you were involved in extracurricular activities, don’t just mention these activities but highlight how you managed to add value.

I recently sat down with a marketing graduate who worked on campus in arranging, co-ordinating and organising university events. On her original resume she had five bullet points explaining what she did in her role (basic duties). There was nothing wrong with what she had written, however her resume was never going to stand out against all the other marketing graduates she was competing against. In order to upgrade the resume and turn her original resume into a marketing document, we turned the duties and responsibilities into achievement statements. Rather than saying “Developed the newsletter” which tells the reader nothing, we converted this statement into an achievement statement with quantifiable evidence. “Developed the newsletter throughout the entire campus leading to an increase in subscription from 1000 to 5000 people within a 6 month period.”

Target the Job you are applying for

The “one size fits all” strategy does not work for a professional resume and it is not realistic to think that you can send the same document out for every job you apply for. Your resume needs to be tailored towards the specific job and answer the questions that the role is identifying. Do not waste the reader’s time with including information that is not relevant or required in your resume. It will only reduce the professionalism of your resume. Rather than including a section on your hobbies and interests (which is outdated and not required in this day and age) include a “Key Competencies and Skills” section to further highlight to the reader all the great skills that you have to offer.

 Final Thought …

Remember the more value added information you can provide the better your new resume will be – As a hiring manager, I would rather know about your teamwork and communication skills, as opposed to knowing that you like long walks and enjoy watching the football!

© RedStarResume Publications – http://www.redstarresume.com

The #1 student and graduate Professional Resume Service

RedStarResume New Online BookStore

With the help of Career Experts, Professional Resume Writers, Hiring Managers and Specialist Job Interviewers, RedStarResume are proud to present three brand new EBooks that have been written to provide you with tips, advice, knowledge and all the little industry secrets that will help you succeed in your career. Job Seeking has completely changed over the past 10 years and finding that perfect job has become harder and harder. On average hiring managers can now receive upwards of 500 – 1000 applications for every job! In order to succeed, your entire job application needs to be 100% spot on. From writing the perfect resume, to answering those hard interview questions – every element of the job search needs to be outstanding!

Interview Secrets Exposed, Resume Secrets Exposed and Career Secrets Exposed are a three part trilogy designed to give you an edge and help you stand out over your competition.

Buy each book separately or buy the books as a package. The choice is yours (Save over 30% when you purchase the Books as a package! )

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Essential Criteria To Include In Your Resume

When it comes time to write your resume, you will find that a lot of people will offer differing advice on what to include and exclude from your resume. Sure, a lot of these thoughts are subjective, but there are 5 vital things that need to be on your resume – no matter what. Hiring managers will be looking for the below information (whether it seems obvious or not), so be sure to include these somewhere in your resume.

Contact Information:

While this may seem more than obvious, it goes without saying that it is beyond important that your name and contact details be included in your resume – and make sure these details are correct! I can’t tell you how many times I have tried calling a candidate, only to find that their number listed on their resume is incorrect. It is also quite common for people to have typos in their email addresses. The important thing here is to double check – you don’t want to miss out on an interview simply because a hiring manager can’t contact you!

Professional Experience (if any):

Potential employers are looking for the best candidate to fill a job position, and your professional experience can give them an insight into your capabilities. Remember – they do not know you! The only information they have to go off is on your resume, so make sure you are detailed in listing your experience, duties and responsibilities.

Achievements:

When you include your professional experience on your resume, do not just merely list your daily tasks. Sure, employers do want to know that you’ve held similar or relevant positions, but they also want to know that you are capable of making a positive difference to the organization. Did you introduce new initiatives into the business that increased revenues? Did you consistently meet your targets? Be sure to include this type of information as it is exactly what they’re looking for.

Educational Qualifications:

Educational qualifications are not always compulsory to some job positions, but listing them will never hurt you. If you don’t have a Degree, this is a section where you can list any other relevant certificates you have earned.

Relevant Skills:

Every job advertisement calls for certain qualifications or skills from a candidate, and it’s always a good idea to incorporate these somewhere on your resume. Relevant skills are either incorporated into the body of the resume (for example, skills can be listed as part of a candidate’s professional experience), or they can be listed as their own section either right before or after professional experience on a resume.

At the end of the day, it’s important to remember that all resumes are different, and you need to write one that sells you. That being said, however, there are still things that hiring managers must see on a resume, so remember to include your own version of our top 5 suggestions.

© RedStarResume Publications – http://www.redstarresume.com

RedStarResume is the number one source for expert Resume Writing and Cover Letter Services

During the last decade, RedStarResume has successfully written hundreds of professional resumes for candidates across the globe. From the student or entry level position to the CEO, our unique, custom-made resumes are written specifically to match the goals and desires of our clients and to help them land jobs.

Increase Your Salary And Make More Money

What you need to do in order to increase your salary and make more money!

Would you like an increase in your salary? Let’s say a 20 percent increase and a big bonus. Sounds good doesn’t it?

Who doesn’t want to make more money?   Before you march into your boss’s office demanding an increase in pay you need to first take a step back and develop a game plan to approaching your boss. There is a right way and a wrong way to ask for more money and when approached correctly you give yourself the greatest opportunity of receiving your pay rise. When done incorrectly you can greatly diminish your own reputation.

Rule 1: Pick your timing

Timing is crucial and it is important that you pick the exact right time to speak with your boss about receiving a pay rise. Let your boss know that you wish to speak to him or her at a time that is convenient for them.

Rule 2: Preparation

When asking for more money it is so important that you are adequately prepared and know exactly what you want to say. You need to be able to provide examples of why you deserve more money and how you have provided value to the business. Remember no one is going to give you money just because you feel that you deserve it. Just like a lawyer presents the case to the jury, it is as necessary to present your case to your boss for a pay rise.

Remember – the best examples you can provide are backed up by examples. If you helped make or save the company money – back this up with an example. You’re the lawyer and you need to prove to your boss beyond any reasonable doubt that you deserve a pay rise.

Rule 3: Execution

By following rule 2 and being prepared with what you want to say, you also need to be able to execute your plan. If you are asking for more money you need to have a figure in mind. By researching what other people in your field are making is a good way to begin to work out how much of a salary increase you are going to ask for. (There are also many free internet sites that provide salary surveys). The worst possible thing to do is not have an amount in mind that you require.  You need to be direct and provide examples as to why you have chosen this amount so your boss understands that you are not just trying to get more money but that you actually deserve more money.

Rule 4: Confidence:

Don’t be scared or intimidated about asking for more money if you believe you deserve it.  Have confidence in yourself and the value that you bring to the business. Before you begin your discussion have a think about potential questions or possible objections you may encounter and prepare yourself to be ready to answer these questions.

© RedStarResume Publications – http://www.redstarresume.com

RedStarResume is the number one source for expert Resume Writing and Cover Letter Services

During the last decade, RedStarResume has successfully written hundreds of professional resumes for candidates across the globe. From the student or entry level position to the CEO, our unique, custom-made resumes are written specifically to match the goals and desires of our clients and to help them land jobs.

3 Tips to Cover Letter Writing

What Is The Cover Letter?

Most people hate writing a cover letter even more than they hate preparing a resume! I recently worked with a job seeker who said that he refused to apply for any graduate roles that required a cover letter to accompany the application. This is was what I liked to call a “resume bomber” – someone whose aim is to apply to as many jobs as possible and just “hope for the best”. Unfortunately, he quickly realised that most companies not only require a cover letter, but demand a cover letter. If a hiring manager sees that a cover letter is missing from the job application, it is more than likely that the resume will be deleted immediately. From the viewpoint of a hiring manager – if the candidate cannot follow basic instructions in applying for a job, how can they be trusted to perform the job?

Before we begin to go through the importance of the cover letter, it is important to define exactly what the cover letter is and what purpose it serves.

The cover letter is an introductory letter to accompany the resume or curriculum vitae. The cover letter is not a job application, nor should it be a part of the resume or follow the conclusion of the resume.

In the competitive job environment where first impressions count and the time we have to impress the potential reader is becoming shorter and shorter, the most effective way to ensure that your application stands out from the competition is through a professionally written cover letter. There is, however, a fine line between a cover letter that enhances your application and a cover letter that can actually do you a disservice.

Top 3 Tips to Cover Letter Writing:

First impressions:

You may have the greatest personality and the exact skills required for a particular job, but without a compelling cover letter that attracts the reader’s attention immediately you will never get the opportunity to prove that you are the perfect candidate. Establish your reason for applying to the role within the first couple of sentences. As a job seeker you need to establish your “brand” and make it clear to the reader that you have unique attributes that make you the perfect person for the job.

Target your cover letter:

A “one size fits all” approach to job seeking does not work. There is no quick fix to getting a new job and a generic cover letter will be spotted from a mile away! The key to cover letter writing is to individualise the cover letter to the reader and make sure that they know that your letter has been written for their specific job. A targeted cover letter can help open doors and portray that professional image.

Forget the Clichés!

I can’t stand clichés! It’s my number one pet hate. When I read through a cover letter, I want the person’s personality to shine. The last thing I want to read is a cliché. As the hiring manager, I want to feel that what I am reading is a truthful assessment as opposed to statements that do not add any value to the person’s application.

The final point to remember…

If you are serious about your job search, you need to get serious about preparing a targeted cover letter to compliment your resume. As mentioned above, first impressions rule and to ensure that your resume is given a chance, you need your cover letter to shine. In the ultra competitive job environment, hiring managers are looking for any excuse to delete a candidate’s application. Do not let yourself down by failing at the very first step.

© RedStarResume Publications – http://www.redstarresume.com

RedStarResume is the number one source for expert Resume Writing and Cover Letter Services

During the last decade, RedStarResume has successfully written hundreds of professional resumes for candidates across the globe. From the student or entry level position to the CEO, our unique, custom-made resumes are written specifically to match the goals and desires of our clients and to help them land jobs.