Top CV Writing Tips For Graduates

Top CV Writing Tips For Graduates For newly graduated candidates, writing your first professional CV can be challenging. It’s tough to know how exactly you should structure your CV, what to include and how to compete with all the experienced job seekers on the market. Here are a few pointers to help you get it right: Dont over complicate it To start with don’t over complicate things; keep your CV nice and simple with a clean font and logical layout. This will ensure that recruiters and employers can easily read your CV and find the information they are looking for. Stay away from over-elaborate fonts, logos images and complex designs, as they will make your CV hard to read and detract from the all-important content. The easier you make your CV to read, the more time people will spend reading it. Do your research In order to make a CV that will appeal to your chosen potential employers, you must first ascertain exactly what qualities they expect from a candidate. Visit company websites and browse through relevant job adverts to make a list of the most frequently appearing candidate requirements. Once you have a list of their most valued skills, experience and knowledge; add as many of them as possible to your CV and make them prominent. Format for high impact Recruiters will only spend a few seconds on an initial scan of your CV before deciding whether or not they will read it in full. To make sure you pass this early test, you must pack the top quarter of your CV with the most relevant terms and key words to create an instant impact. Define sections clearly with bold headings and adequate spacing, and break text up with short paragraphs and bullet points to ensure a pleasant reading experience. Highlight transferrable skills One of the biggest problems graduates face, is relative lack of work experience compared to seasoned workers on the job market. And with many job adverts specifically asking for work experience, this can be a real struggle for some. If you want to compensate for your lack of work experience then you simply have to be a bit creative and draw transferable workplace skills from other areas of your life. For example you could easily use school projects, work placements, volunteer work or vocational courses to demonstrate skills such as planning, organisation and teamwork. Sell yourself In order to grab recruiters attention on the graduate job market, you need to really sell yourself and don’t be shy of shouting about your achievements. Head your CV up with a punchy personal profile that summarises all of your key offerings and shows the value you can add to an employer. Be sure to pack in some key achievements, backed up with facts and figures to show the impact you have made at previous posts. Always send your CV accompanied with a short sharp cover letter to persuade the recipient to open your CV in the first place. Add a little extra flare Often employers won’t have much to compare graduates against each other beyond their grades, so adding some impressive extra-curricular activities can really set you apart from the competition. Steer clear of run-of-the-mill interests such as “socialising with friends” or “going to the cinema” and opt for hobbies that are either aligned to your desired career, or simply impressive achievements. For example maybe you run marathons or write a weekly blog â€" they would be great interests to add. Also anything involving charity fund raising or event organisation show are excellent to show that you are hard working and savvy. About the author: Andrew is a writer for Standout CV. See the full infographic below, courtesy of both  StandOut CV and graduate recruitment experts  Inspiring Interns:

Resume Writing Services in Poughkeepsie New York

Resume Writing Services in Poughkeepsie New YorkIf you want to make sure your resume gets noticed by your potential employer, then you need to look for resume writing services in Poughkeepsie New York. These services are used by many people who need an extra push to get their resume noticed. If you are an employer looking for such a service, you will definitely find what you need at these Poughkeepsie New York job seekers.It is the duty of every job seeker to have a strong resume. A strong resume has the power to land the job of his dreams. The problem is that most people don't know how to write a strong resume. Resume writing services in Poughkeepsie New York will help you, but you should first learn how to make one yourself.For this reason, resume writing services in Poughkeepsie New York are used by a lot of job seekers. However, you should still hire someone who can do it better than you. Some employers prefer to hire experts for this job so that they can avoid the mistakes that job seekers usually make.If you hire professionals to create your resume, you can rest assured that the finished product will be flawless. To make your resume stand out among thousands of others, you need to have a catchy title that will catch the attention of your potential employer. When you hire professionals to write your resume, you can be sure that the title will be professional. It is important that you hire a professional to write your resume, so that it is a masterpiece.You can also find professional resume writers in Poughkeepsie New York. Some of these service providers even have studios. In some of the bigger cities in the United States, it is difficult to find a professional resume writer. However, there are a lot of such service providers in Poughkeepsie New York.In order to get these professionals, you should check out the local business directories in Poughkeepsie New York. There are several businesses that use these professionals to help them with all kinds of thing s, including resume writing services. For this reason, it is important that you contact these professionals in Poughkeepsie New York. You should be able to determine the rates and terms of payment when you hire professionals to do the job for you.In addition, you should also check out the websites of these resume writing services in Poughkeepsie New York. The website should offer their clients a variety of options, which means you should be able to compare their services before choosing the one that suits your needs best. You should also look for the price before hiring professionals to write your resume. Once you have chosen the service provider, you should be able to get a copy of the final product for review.If you want to make sure your resume gets noticed by your potential employer, then you need to look for resume writing services in Poughkeepsie New York. There are many potential employers who use such professionals to help them with their resumes. If you hire professionals t o write your resume, you can be sure that it will be a masterpiece.

Head of Product Job Description What Does a Head of Product Do - Algrim.co

Head of Product Job Description What Does a Head of Product Do - Algrim.co There’s so much that goes into product creation. There are numerous aspects, from the process of ideation to the product launch that contributes to the overall system of product making. With all these diverse departments with varying responsibilities, there is a need for somebody or someone to look after proper functioning and collaboration with each other. This is the ‘Head of Product’ or ‘Product Head’. The Head of Product works on product inception. Innovation, the term is generally associated with Product Heads. They act as the vital cog that keeps the product system running while ensuring its efficiency. Here is Head of Product’s job description in brief: Research: scour the market for new product opportunities. Ideation: brainstorming for new product ideas for the market. Forecasting: financial return forecasting based on the product roadmap. Staffing: responsibilities for developing the performance of product owners, designers, engineers, product marketers and more. Conceptualization: putting ideas into recognizable design form. Viable Product Development: transforming the concepts into the viable product, developing the final product from feedback. These are some of the primary tasks and responsibilities and job description of a Head of Product, VP of Product or EVP of Product. Based on an organization’s size and requirements, the scope of work for Head of Product might be larger or smaller. Let’s have a look at some aspects that go into product creation or say where the Head of Product puts its head. Product strategy and mapping Before planning out a product, the Product Head needs to understand the market situation. He/she has to analyze the market, visualize the demands and identify the trends. Market research lets companies know what the customer needs rather than what they have in offer for the customer. Market research along with product mapping goes a long way to guarantee a product’s lifetime. Product mapping helps in planning out specific vision or goals for the product to achieve. It even guides the direction of product through the market over its active period. It acts as a strategic guide to a product over time, i.e., starting from its introduction and growth to the maturity phase and decline in the market. The product mapping goals are straightforward. First and foremost, there is vision and strategy description. It is about what the product aims to achieve and how is it going to achieve that. A product without a goal or vision is useless. There’s no point for any business to make a product that is not going to benefit them in any way. Having product goals enables gauging progress. Then comes product strategy and its implementation. Product strategy fills out the queries about how the product is going to achieve its assigned targets. Strategy planning irons out the unknowns and shows a clear execution guide to triumph over goals. It communicates the what, when and h ow of the product design processes within the organization and also to external factors including customers and stakeholders. Product road mapping has had to evolve over the years. Globalization acted as a catalyst in this evolution. Thanks to globalization, companies now have larger customer groups which can sometimes even be overseas. Yesteryears product mappings were static plans. Small demand and customer spread, with a stable market, meant the projects did not invite many changes over the product development period. However, today's mapping has to deal with higher demand and customer spread in addition to an ever-fluctuating market. Hence, there are much more adjustments involved throughout the development period. Product roadmaps vary according to the audience. Citing an example, a roadmap for customers will highlight values and benefits of use whereas roadmap for a company executive will highlight vision and business goals. Product maps are meant to educate the particular audience about how the specific product is going to be a benefactor to them. The following are some forms of roadmaps: Roadmap for within a business organization Product roadmaps meant for the business employees will solely focus on business growth, market penetration and positioning, and customer satisfaction. All these factors are essential for any business to thrive. A company needs to expand. Expand in the sense that businesses should always aim to have more business to do, i.e., increase trade by escalating their market presence by reaching more customers while also retaining the existing customers. Roadmaps list out the necessary actions for an organization to take for its commercial intent to be successful. Roadmap for engineers Roadmaps intended for engineers speak volumes of engineering aspects of a particular product. What features to add and what not to add? What are the limiting constraints? These are some of the questions that have their answers in the product roadmap. Any product information like sales figures that do not contribute to the designing, manufacturing or any other engineering regard needs abandoning. Roadmaps guide the engineers through a step-by-step process throughout which the product continuously gains its projected value for the customer. Roadmap for sales Sales roadmaps will go on about improving sales. So it is vital that in a sales roadmap one shares the product features and customer benefits. A product must add some value to the customer’s life for it to sell. The sales team which includes a Director of Product Management, ought to know the product’s working in and out so that they are acquainted with all the features (translating to values) it has in offer. The information will only make their job easier and them efficient. Roadmap for customers and prospects Roadmaps for customers and prospects will vary because while other roadmaps focus on the business side of things, these roadmaps concentrate on the consumer side, i.e., the values and gains offered. It ought to focus solely on benefits, how owning the product is going to reward them. The pitch should be straightforward, but appealing and easy to understand. The roadmap should not make the customers go into a thought loop. It should aim at slight persuasion supported by the product's values. One thing to avoid in roadmaps is product launch dates. One might have a date planned, but things might not turn out well witnessing a push of the launch date. That is not going to bode well. Product mapping is a great tool but when used correctly. Something key in mapping is communication. It needs to be clear and concise to avoid any misalignment from the path to the goal. Also, one needs to incorporate external controlling factors like essential milestones. Milestones served as goals within goals. Milestones are short-term goals to achieve the final objective. Relevant product information along with right communication is what makes a good product mapping. Key Performance Indicator (Objective and Key Results) Key Performance Indicator (KPI), also known as Objective and Key Results is a measure of business achievements based on the proposed plan which could be a high-term or low-term plan. While mapping is about the path, KPI is about the progress. High-term KPIs focus on overall business performance while low-term KPIs focus on individual components like process and employees. KPI is the difference between setting goals and working to achieve them. Business goals need alignment with indicators for accurate performance comparison. A product plan only comes to fruition with proper auditing. With a correlation of relevant targets and indicators, KPIs could be a useful tool for refining performance. Although simple, KPIs are hard to implement in the sense that misalignment of goals and indicators will generate inapt information. Here is where the product mission helps to understand what to gauge and what not to. Additionally, one can measure relevancy using the SMART criteria (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time-frame) which will filter out any bogus KPIs. Next, KPIs need defining based on specific business outcomes and measurable factors. Using SMARTER criteria (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time-frame, Evaluate and Re-evaluate) lets us know about the errors. KPIs are relevant as long as they get appropriately utilized via proper communications. Before setting up a KPI, set up goals that are difficult but not impossible. Once set, KPIs should not change. These are set up during strategy planning to avoid misguidance and assure alignment of resources to goals. Marketing and Go-To-Market (GTM) plan Marketing is about creating awareness, values, and relations to capture customers while marketing strategy is about ways to create value and achieve profits. The plan to execute marketing strategy is known as the marketing plan. All go hand-in-hand. This system works for existing markets but not when a business wants to enter a new market. As already discussed, it is a considerable risk entering any market without research. In such cases, a Go-To-Market (GTM) plan is what the business needs. GTM plans are for an introduction to a new market. GTM strategy work specifically to test an unknown market, providing apt data for a suitable product roadmap. Go-To-Market is different from marketing in the sense that more effort goes into the research because of ambiguity. Nevertheless, it results for an in-depth understanding of the marketing opportunities which the existing business might miss out. Hence, GTM plans are much more focused. A GTM template has two phases. Discovery, data gathering and analysis GTM strategy Initial phase mostly deals with knowing, identify and testing the marketing opportunities. First is the product definition, i.e., determining the market problems and ratifying the proposed product feature that will solve it. Then comes other factors like identifying market; knowing the customers, their size. Gauging trends and competition is another aspect of getting to know the market. Last but not least, how to reach the customers, i.e., the distributing options for the market. Now after getting acquainted with the market, one can move on to the strategy phase. This phase should include plans about how to enter the market. Weighing the product values offered against the competition. What will be the product’s position in the market? Will it be an entry-level or luxury product? How will the sales go and what about the after-sale support for the product? All these questions will need answers. Apart from these, there are some other factors. Pricing will play an essential role in how the product performs in the market. Then there’s service support too. No one is going to buy a product if there is no proper after sales and service support. Also, one needs to put the word out about the new product launched or to be launched. Promotion and advertisements are going to help with that. The product path requires a clear definition for achieving success and generating revenue while having objectives will be a safety net against wandering off-course. Based upon the organization size and requirements, the Product Head position within the organization changes. Small setups have Product Heads residing under CEOs while larger businesses could have different structures. Head of Product has their hand into many things. Products start and end with them. Brainstorming and generating ideas does not finish their job. They have to supervise through the development process, collaborate with departments, recruit staff, evaluating products and market, and resolve problems that come in the way.

What Would Martha Do

What Would Martha Do I’m a great admirer of Martha Stewart.   She’s an American icon of organized  housekeeping, entertaining and decorating.   She’s even tackled healthy living habits in her new publications.   So I wondered:   what would happen if she focused on job search techniques? What would the woman who once wrote a whole blog post on cleaning your handbag (and sewing a labeled drawstring bag to store it properly in your closet) and who penned the immortal words: “Group table linens by size all tablecloths together, all napkins together. You can further group them by season (all holiday items together) or formality (casual linens on top, formal linens underneath).” This was from her “simple tips” list.   You dont want to see the advanced tips list. Trust me. So I asked the homemaking maven for her tips on job search.    After six months, I have reluctantly come to the conclusion that she may not be going to reply.   Undaunted, I have channeled my inner Martha to recreate what I think she would do were she ever to find herself in a prolonged job search.   Here is my “Martha Stewart Job Search” month-by-month checklist for the first few months of 2012.  Enjoy.  January:  Update resume.   Create new custom font for the monogrammed header.   Check on progress of Himalayan bamboo growing in hothouse; re-test recipe for paper manufacture (the last batch tended to retain wrinkles after unfolding.) That reminds me: check with Nate Berkus about what colors the new home steamer unit for resumes will come in â€" I still think that metallic finishes are the new must have Finish stitching tassels onto the uniform for the new resume delivery courier. Make sure staff fired the one who could not pronounce résumé with the correct French roll of the R. (note:   helpful video here.)  February: Attend networking meetings Ask for menu at chamber function in advance; offer assistance if it needs work (and it almost certainly will.) Check on shipment date of this weeks Beluga caviar, just in case. Practice small talk.   These will be, after all, the “little people” we’ve heard so much about. Note to self: If there are any sports events happening in February, be prepared to discuss. Check on parking at the meeting venue.  Change out fresh flowers in bud  vase in small limo just in case.  March: Practice Interviews Reschedule with Donald Trump; he seems incapable of saying “You’re hired” until the end of filming in May. Pick up embossed company logo coasters for March 15 interview, in case the interviewer offers coffee or water “Tell me about yourself” seems to be the most asked interview question.   Re-read chapters 1 â€" 4 of biography (the authorized one) before the meeting.   Remember to bring signed copy for interviewer as supplemental material.  April: Cold call employers Order new upholstery for the call center chairs; the tapestry is fading faster than expected. Return the least faded chairs to the Louvre. Check the pre-recorded on hold message.   I think James Earl Jones did not give his best delivery of “Please hold for Ms. Stewart.” On the other hand, it may have been a touch of a cold.   Ask Dr. Oz to deliver some hot rum and Echinacea to the recording studio. Purchase rum factory so we get the good stuff. May:  (If still on the market) Consider government jobs Purchase state agency. Reorganize. Repeat until I’m fully employed or the job market improves.  Disclaimer:   The steps outlined here in no way reflect the actual employment situation of Martha Stewart, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc., or anyone else who might sue me for this post.    Happy New Year Best of luck with your job search in 2012.

Hiring a New Employee - Designing a Strong Resume

Hiring a New Employee - Designing a Strong ResumeWhen it comes to making a resume, there are many decisions that need to be made. This is especially true when you have a resume that is designed around the Action Verbs. When you are designing your resume, you will want to make sure that you pay attention to this skill.The Action Verbs is a series of professional and organizational terms that an individual's life is organized around. You may not know all of these terms, but you will likely recognize a few. If you can add these terms to your resume, then you will definitely have a stronger resume.The Action Verbs makes an excellent resume because of the definition they provide. When you can use the Action Verbs, you will see that you have a strong foundation for a successful job search. You will be able to get an interview quickly when you hire an employee that uses these skills.First, it helps you create an attractive resume. A few words of Aciton will make a strong resume. The profess ional look of the resume is the first thing you should do when you want to get a good job.Secondly, it will also show that you are professional. You will be able to go to an interview in a professional way, because of the formal resume that you use. Since you have used the Aciton Vocabulary, it shows that you can carry yourself professionally as well.When you hire someone, you are looking for professionals, not lay people. Many people still want to hire a lay person when they want to find a new employee. It is important to keep this in mind, and to use the Action Verbs when you are designing your resume. The Aciton Words will help you with the professional appearance of your resume.Having a professional resume will also show that you are a good employer. This is especially true if you have a resume that has specific and professional elements. These are things that you will want to emphasize to potential employees when you meet them.The Action Verbs can be used when you are creating a resume. These include the creative words that you will use throughout the entire resume. You will be able to work with the creative concepts you can use in your resume, and this will help you build a strong resume that will help you land the job you are looking for.

Writing a Sales Resume in Summary Format

Writing a Sales Resume in Summary FormatWriting sales resume in summary format is a straightforward process that can be streamlined using certain techniques. This guide will show you exactly how to improve your writing and eliminate the chances of it falling apart. With a few simple tips, you can focus on your sales letter and not the text on the paper.First off, understand that sales resume that you can review before hand is a much better idea than one that needs to be re-written after it's already been sent out. Some writing teams and sales representatives don't work well with the written word. Write the outline of the resume before you send it out to the people you need to talk to.The next thing to know about writing sales resume in summary format is to make sure that your summary is factual. This means that it doesn't contain a bunch of miscellaneous thoughts or thought balloons. Any time you are building a discussion between the client and you, make sure that your summary text i s plain and direct. Your summary should focus on the objective and advantages of the company and the products that you are selling.Summary format should contain information that the client wants to see. You do not want the summary to be a bunch of information that you didn't want to get in front of the client. To avoid this, you want to focus on what the client wants to see. Use the summary format to move through some points from the salesperson's perspective. You don't want to waste your time explaining to the person how an idea worked or how a product works.If you are using summary format for a client who is offering a new product, you can spend some time talking about the benefits of the product. The more you can talk about what the client wants to see, the easier it will be for you to sell it. While the salesperson has plenty of material to fill the page, a good summary will get him/her talking about the most important parts of the product.Another method that is useful when writ ing sales resume in summary format is to include the most important benefits of the product on the first page. Using bullet points is a great way to show off these benefits. It will help the client and you visualize the benefits much faster.There are other ways to get across information that a salesperson can use when writing sales resume in summary format. One of the best ways is to explain the benefits that you can give the client in words. This is the part where you want to explain the idea in layman's terms. Try not to write technical information as well as phrases like, 'a software package that can help organize people'a widget that does data entry for you.'It's important to remember that writing sales resume in summary format is a great way to get your name out there. It also means that you don't have to put all of your ideas on the page. Good sales resume in summary format can include just enough information so that it can be understood by someone who will be reading it. With that said, don't get frustrated if it doesn't turn out right.

5 ways to prevent a gap in your CV - Margaret Buj - Interview Coach

5 ways to prevent a gap in your CV You’re currently unemployed and searching tirelessly for a job. This is a stressful and sometimes very frustrating time for anyone. To make matters worse, there is the pressure looming over you that the experience gap on your CV is growing larger every day that goes by. For most of us, this is something we experience at one point or another in our lives whilst job searching. However, an employment gap does not have to hold you back in your job search and you can stop this gap from increasing, regardless of whether you are employed or not. Furthermore, it is possible to turn this time into a positive one, which will impress prospective employers. Volunteer This is of course dependent on your financial situation, but if money isn’t a concern, volunteering is a great way to gain new skills, meet people and build confidence. Volunteering is often flexible, with you choosing your own hours so it won’t disrupt your job search. It can help you gain valuable experience, which will aid you with finding a job. Some options are: working with a charity or NGO which needs extra administrative support. working with children/ young people in an educational or therapeutic setting. working with vulnerable adults who might need pastoral or practical support. gaining retail experience in a busy charity shop. Resources such as Do-it, or going into your local volunteer service centre can help you find voluntary placements. Opportunities to volunteer really are plentiful. Intern This step is particularly important for first or second jobbers, or people looking to undertake a career change. Internships are valuable as they give you real, on-the-job experience in an industry you are interested in. They are typically short-term (2-4 months) but can be longer (10-18 months) and some even end up going permanent. Internships can be paid or unpaid, but it is advisable to search for paid internships. Many companies employing interns and not providing at least the national minimum wage are in fact breaking the law, though the legalities are somewhat blurry. Take a course Looking for marketing roles but feel your analytical skills aren’t up to scratch? Seeking web development jobs but haven’t yet mastered Java Script? Being a jobseeker gives you that all-important time to take up courses, which will revitalise a CV which is missing out some vital skills. There are many online resources and companies offering courses, such as Jellyfish and Hot Courses. A quick Google search will bring up plenty more. Learn new skills   Taking a course can be costly and when you are looking for a job, money worries can remove this option. Fortunately, there is a plethora of learning resources at your fingertips online. Using YouTube for tutorials of online programmes and websites such as Code Academy and Moz, it is becoming easier and easier to self-teach yourself new skills that will impress an employer. Go temp If money is a concern, there are ways you can continue earning whilst searching for a job. Working on a temporary contract â€" otherwise known colloquially as ‘temping’ is an ideal way of doing this. Temporary agencies exist to help companies place candidates for non-permanent jobs. These can be as short as one day, and long as 6-12 months. They are particularly popular with jobseekers and students who can fit it around studies and/or job seeking. A simple Google search of temporary or temp agencies will bring up the most popular ones in your area. The application process is usually very simple, consisting of sending off your CV, and meeting for a face-to-face interview. They will usually ask about your computer proficiency and what type of roles you are comfortable with. Alternatively, finding a job that allows for flexibility, through being able to work casual hours is another great way to work and keep up your search.   Event and hospitality agencies usually offer this mode of working. It has become clear that mulling over your CV gap is futile for your job search and that there are many ways to alleviate this common problem. Remember it’s easy to get frustrated and upset when searching for a job. It can require a lot of application form filling, cover letter writing and attending interview after interview and result in many rejections. Although finding ways to fill the gap in your CV is important, it’s also important to remember to make time for yourself to relax, wind down, see friends and spend time doing what you love. Ella Patenall writes for Inspiring Interns, which specialises in sourcing candidates for  internships and graduate jobs.

Plan your job hunt using The Vision Board to guide you -

Plan your job hunt using The Vision Board to guide you - Regular readers know that I usually stick to highly practical job search advice I want to offer a toolbox of practical job hunting tips and advice. But, my tag line is Encouraging, enlightening and empowering job seekers for success. So, with that in mind, I want to suggest a book that job seekers and all professionals may want to consider reading! Joyce Schwarzs visually beautiful and inspiring book, The Vision Board, reminds readers of a key life lesson. As she says in the introduction, Your time is now. She shows her readers how to take the bull by the horns and take hold of their own destinies by offering moving stories of people (and families!) who have used vision boards to improve their lives. For those of us who have never engaged in this type of work, Ms. Schwarz offers step-by-step instructions that not only help readers know what to DO, but also make the concept of the Law of Attraction understandable and attainable to even the most skeptical of audiences. By offering her own framework to help the reader engage in this work (GRABS), which stands for Gratitude, Release and Receive, Acknowledge and Ask, Be and Believe and Share, the author helps readers really understand their roles in what she calls their own quantum leap. She literally offers readers a passport to possibility by describing how to get started both from a spiritual perspective (offering accounts of personal stories, sound advice and tips for expressing gratitude) AND from a practical perspective (even suggesting what type of adhesive to use). One of my favorite things about this book was that it leads the reader to understand and agree with the premise without seeming preachy or out there. For example, who cant understand the value of stopping during the day for a short walk or a coloring break with kids? Ms. Schwarz offers these as examples of ways to say thanks for your body and the power of your mind. Having read The Vision Board, I suggested that my business mastermind group work on our own vision board projects to help us solidify our goals and propel our plans forward. IÂ   recommend it to anyone who wants to jump-start his or her plans, even if you arent already a believer in the Law of Attraction! Need a little help ramping up your search? Read how I can help get you going!