Thursday, December 31, 2009
Refresh Your Resume Online
I’m a certified resume writer and have spent over a decade helping people from all walks of life prepare resumes. However, I just was introduced to a website that will revolutionize the world of resumes. VisualCV.com allows the user to set up a multimedia, online resume. It should be particularly helpful for people who need to “show” employers their accomplishments. An interior designer could include photos of his favorite projects. A trainer could include a video of clip of one of her training sessions. If your resume doesn’t seem to be getting attention from employers, try a visual CV!
Monday, December 14, 2009
How to Find a Job: Part 1
This is a story about how people are finding jobs right now—yes, in December 2009. I work in the resource room of the Job Center of Lake County. I’ve seen success and I’ve seen failure. Has the past year been challenging? Yes! Just as one example, the traffic in our resource room has increased by 40% to 60%. But don’t let the news stories fool you. People are finding employment. Some are finding great jobs.
I think of Jim (name changed). Through some poor decisions over several years, he went through a period of loss. When we met him, he didn’t have a job, a car, or a home. But he did have determination. And that is worth a great deal.
Jim used every resource of every agency I can think of in this community. He attended workshops at the Job Center; he made an appointment for resume review; he spent at least 5 hours a day in the resource room looking for jobs online or contacting employers on the telephone. When a problem presented itself, he found a solution.
One of Jim’s challenges was that he didn’t have a telephone. How could employers contact him? He lived in a shelter and (probably correctly) thought that employers would lose interest in him if they called the shelter number and reached a counselor. So Jim did some research online and found a web-based program that would allow him to receive voice messages at his email address (http://www.k7.net/). That’s innovation!
So after about 3 months looking for work, hundred of applications and a few interviews, Jim received a letter confirming a new job—earning 50K per year! The challenges didn’t stop there though. Without a car, Jim would need to take public transportation to his next job; the trip would require one train ride and a bus transfer. He didn’t have the funds to get to the job. Again, he went to work—networking with the agencies in the area. One provided him with bus passes; another with train passes. He started his new job today.
It’s been said before, but I’ll say it again. Determination will net success.
I think of Jim (name changed). Through some poor decisions over several years, he went through a period of loss. When we met him, he didn’t have a job, a car, or a home. But he did have determination. And that is worth a great deal.
Jim used every resource of every agency I can think of in this community. He attended workshops at the Job Center; he made an appointment for resume review; he spent at least 5 hours a day in the resource room looking for jobs online or contacting employers on the telephone. When a problem presented itself, he found a solution.
One of Jim’s challenges was that he didn’t have a telephone. How could employers contact him? He lived in a shelter and (probably correctly) thought that employers would lose interest in him if they called the shelter number and reached a counselor. So Jim did some research online and found a web-based program that would allow him to receive voice messages at his email address (http://www.k7.net/). That’s innovation!
So after about 3 months looking for work, hundred of applications and a few interviews, Jim received a letter confirming a new job—earning 50K per year! The challenges didn’t stop there though. Without a car, Jim would need to take public transportation to his next job; the trip would require one train ride and a bus transfer. He didn’t have the funds to get to the job. Again, he went to work—networking with the agencies in the area. One provided him with bus passes; another with train passes. He started his new job today.
It’s been said before, but I’ll say it again. Determination will net success.
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