by Lucretia | Aug 22, 2016 | business, career, jobs, resumes |
A strong resume (or curriculum vitae) is a vital document when you apply for that dream job. Unfortunately, I constantly see clients make the same resume errors time and time again. It doesn’t matter if you’re an executive looking for promotion, a recent graduate or someone looking to make a career transition, there are common resume fails that can be avoided.
Top 5 Resume Fails
- Spelling, punctuation and grammar errors. These will make you look unprofessional. If you’re unsure, ask a friend to proofread your resume before you send it to your next potential employer.
- Copying information from you current job/position description and including it in your document. This approach will produce a resume that is generic and doesn’t showcase your unique skills or contributions.
- Promoting your employer instead of yourself. A recruiter wants to know what you can offer. They are not interested in the intricate details of your previous employer’s success unless you can connect it back to your achievements, skills and experience. Use your resume to promote you.
- Chronic underselling. Make sure you highlight a few key achievements in each role that showcase your strengths. Don’t simply list your responsibilities as they appeared in the role description as this won’t provide the recruiter with any real insights about who you are and what you can do.
- Bad fonts and layout issues. Sometimes people get carried away and over-complicate their resume with multiple fonts (two different types is enough), small fonts (no smaller than 10 point please!), too much information on one page or formatting errors. Keeping it simple will help ensure your application looks professional and is easy to read.
Do you need help with your resume? Check out my Resume Revamp services today. #10%offResumeRevamp&StylingPackagesuntil30Sept2016
Make sure you check out Bec Smith, Personal Stylist’s post on Corporate wear doesn’t need to be boring (part of our collaborative Revamp your Career series every Monday).
by Lucretia | Jul 5, 2016 | career, create your life, empowerment |
Sometimes I feel like it’s taking me a long time to grow up. Well, longer than most people anyway because I don’t passionately desire those things we’re told that grown-ups should want: a good job with a big company, a big house, a flashy car and so on.
Sometimes I think maybe I started off as the atypical grown-up and am now growing backwards?
My 20s – sensible, serious, marriage, a house, a house renovation, hours upon hours working for others.
My 30s – divorce, another house, and hours working in a career where I was stressed out in senior roles but kept telling myself I was making a difference and making good money so it was okay.
My 40s – voluntary redundancy, complete stepping away form the corporate life, psychic stuff, and starting my own business and doing a few other things just so I don’t have to return to my old life.
Would my life be easier if I returned to more traditional grown-up ways and got myself a corporate job where the money is good and the people are nice but my soul is being slowly eaten alive?
No, it wouldn’t. The truth is I have moved past that version of grown-up from my past and I can’t do it anymore. Oh, I can do a short-term contract here or there (about six months is my limit) and that’s fine. But stay for too long and I begin to flounder – my creative synapses become blocked and my balance undone.
So I must find a way to make this other grown-up life work. I must create my own way and trust that I’m doing it right (even when occasionally it feels like it’s all going drastically wrong).
The old grown-up Lucretia has left the building for good and the life of this version has only just begun.
by Lucky Lucy | Feb 14, 2016 | career, create your life, Dreams, empowerment |
‘What if I go inside and there’s nothing there?’ a good friend asked me today. She’s on the edge of making a major change in her career and knows she needs to go within to get clear about what she truly wants to do. But she’s terrified that she won’t find anything inside. ‘What if I can’t work out what I want?’ she added. ‘What if I can’t do it?’
When she asked me these questions I had a flashback to myself a few years ago when I asked someone else the same questions about me. I too was on the edge of a whole lot of change in my life and truly beginning my journey of self-awareness. I too was terrified that, if I began looking inside myself, there would be nothing but an echoing void.
Fortunately, I discovered there was something inside and it was ‘me’. What’s followed is a journey of self-exploration that is liberating, exhausting and brings many insights about who I am and what I’m on this planet to do.
‘There is something inside,’ I told my friend. ‘It’s you. And she is a beautiful person who is just being a little suffocated because you won’t give her any air. So go within and get to know her because she’s fabulous.’ I also shared my story with her as well.
A lot of us can be too scared to look at ourselves closely. We’ll worry there’s nothing inside or that we’ll uncover parts of ourselves we don’t like. We’ll worry that if we bring those deepest parts of us into the light then we’ll have to take some action and do what we truly want to do…and that might change how things are.
I won’t lie, some of those things will probably happen. You will have to look at the shadowy parts of yourself and acknowledge they are part of who you are (then ‘get real’ on how to manage them). And yes, if you bring those things you truly desire into the light then you will probably need to make some changes. You will feel compelled to do so because you’ll realise you can’t stay where you are. These things will make you feel uncomfortable, unsettled and may upset people who want you to stay the way you’ve always been.
But the journey is really worth it because there are so many positives that come from the experience too. For example, you’ll start to understand what truly makes you happy and will make choices that align with those things. You’ll also connect more strongly with those lighter parts of you that bring so much joy into the world. You’ll be challenged but you’ll grow more than you ever thought possible.
And above all, you will discover (as I have) that there definitely is something inside…and it’s you.
Would you like some support during your voyage of self-discovery? My intuitive mentoring program can help get you started.
by Lucky Lucy | Jan 21, 2016 | career, jobs, Uncategorized |
It’s January and for most graduates that means it’s time to get serious and get that first job out there in the ‘real world’. As a university tutor I see a lot of students struggle with the transition. Competition can be fierce and often graduates find it hard to stand out from the crowd.
My top five tips for graduates are as follows.
- Identify which segment of your profession/industry interests you and focus your attention on applying for jobs in that area. For example, if you’re a public relations graduate and you’re interested in the not-for-profit sector, don’t apply for roles in fashion (unless it’s a fashion-related organisation that has a great corporate social responsibility program).
- Think laterally. It’s not always possible to work for your ‘ideal organisation’ as soon as you leave university. Consider organisations that undertake similar types of projects and look for jobs there.
- Be prepared to start at the bottom rung and work your way up. The best thing you can do is get your foot in the door and then, as one of my former mentors said, ‘be a sponge.’ If there’s an administration role available in an area you’d love to work in (and you have the skills to do the job), apply for it. My first PR job was a personal assistant in a PR section. Within four years I’d been promoted twice because I was already there and always put my hand up to learn and do more.
- Leverage the the skills you’ve gained through your part-time jobs. For example, if you’re been providing customer service then that shows you can build and maintain positive relationships with key stakeholders/clients. Put that in your resume.
- Be professional – don’t lie, don’t undersell yourself and make sure your presentation is appropriate.
- If you lie on your resume you will eventually be caught out and your credibility will be lost with your employer.
- Get help to identify your strengths and include these in your resume. Most of my clients (from graduates through to executives) undersell themselves and don’t highlight their expertise effectively.
- Ask someone to read through your resume for errors and things that don’t make sense. Use spell check (it’s there for a reason!).
Happy job hunting!
Can I help you to get your career off to a great start? If you need professional resume services then check out my Resume Revamp service or, if you need help to get clear on where you’d like to go in your career, maybe my Personal Branding program is for you.
