Greg Ryan

5 Reasons to Always Keep Your Résumé Updated

Hi! Welcome to my Blog. I like to use my experience as both a Certified Résumé Writer and administrator in charge of the candidate selection and interview process for my department to share helpful tips that I have picked up along the way. This blog will be updated frequently. I hope you enjoy it! Positive Testimonials and remembering to “Like” my Facebook page are GREATLY appreciated.

5 Reasons to Always Keep Your Résumé Updated

As the year comes to a close, we are approaching the busiest time of year for job hopping. The New Year doesn’t only usher in a change in the calendar, it also brings about the highest volume of employment opportunities. There is a (completely understandable) tendency to only look at your résumé when you know you’ll be using it soon. After all, who has the time to continuously work on a document that they aren’t planning on using? Valid point. But that thinking may also come back to haunt you. The trick is to consistently update your résumé so that it’s not a single, monumental task. In the end, there is a good chance that the reward will significantly outweigh the effort spent. I could easily include more, but here are my 5 most important reasons to always keep your résumé updated.

Remind yourself of your skills and achievements. It’s easy to get caught up in our daily tasks and forget about everything that we have accomplished. Revamping your résumé will allow you to re-visit what helped get you to where you are today. This should also work to instill a sense of confidence as your explore more exciting job opportunities.
Be prepared for the next great opportunity. As quickly as opportunities pop up, they can disappear even quicker. Some fields are so specialized that intriguing job openings do not come up often. When one does, you need to be ready. Scrambling to update your résumé before an imposing deadline can lead to mistakes and oversights.
… And be prepared for the worst. Hopefully this never happens to you, but sometimes positions or companies cease to exist without much warning. Most people are not in a position to withstand a lengthy stint of unemployment. I sincerely urge you to hope for the best but prepare for the worst.
Advertise yourself as an expert. This is important if you strive to present at conferences, publish your work or be considered for management positions. If your résumé doesn’t accurately reflect your impressive background, then you might miss out on valuable chances to further your career.
Focus your career path. It might seem like your experience is all over the place and without a common thread. However, writing it down on paper and articulating key attributes of each position may expose some interesting commonalities. From this, you may discover a career path of interest that you hadn’t considered previously.

Visit gregryanresumewriter.com to perfect your Résumé and Cover Letter today!!

5 Things To Do Before Your Interview

5 Things To Do Before Your Interview

You were fortunate enough to get a call back for an interview. That’s great news! But also not the time to rest. Your journey is just beginning and smart candidates continue to prepare for success. Now that you know the time & date of the interview, it’s the perfect time to begin ensuring you are fully ready for what lies ahead. Here are 5 things to do before your interview.

Triple check résumé. You want everything to be perfect to help you stand out from the other applicants. If it comes down to you and another candidate, a simple typo or oversight may be the difference in the decision. While I obviously believe in the importance of what I do as a Certified Résumé Writer and recommend enlisting in our services for help, this point is critical regardless. Finding the right job is important enough to exhaust all resources and efforts.
Conduct a mock interview. Have someone ask you potential interview questions (search for common interview questions to find these) and practice verbalizing your response. It helps to actually say them out loud prior to the interview rather than simply thinking them in your head. If you feel awkward or don’t have anyone to practice with, verbalize your responses in front of the mirror.
Have a strong, positive closing remark. Studies have shown that the two most influential points in any conversation are the first moment and the last moment. Your closing remark will be remembered after you leave the room. Reassure them that this is your dream job and you’re prepared to work as hard as necessary to make the team more successful. If it’s intimidating to say that in front of the interview team, practice saying it aloud a few times the night before so it feels more natural.
Update your references. References are often an overlooked piece of the interview process. People tend to find quality references initially but forget to continuously update them. There is a good chance that your network has grown, in size and status, since you began your current job. Also, be sure that all e-mail addresses and phone numbers are still accurate. Employers are not going to spend all day trying to track someone down if their contact information isn’t accurate. If possible, give your references a heads up that you are interviewing and listing them as a reference. This way, they can give some thought to what they want to say about you.
Prepare relevant questions. This is sometimes easier said than done, but it is best to have at least one relevant question about the position for which you are applying. It also leads to a smoother conclusion to the interview (remember what I said about the last moment being important). If nothing else, you can always reiterate that you are excited for this opportunity and curious about the timeline for moving forward.

Visit gregryanresumewriter.com to perfect your Résumé and Cover Letter today!!

4 Reasons You Must Personalize Your Cover Letter

4 Reasons You Must Personalize Your Cover Letter

I hear it all the time. I understand it. I get it. But I just don’t agree with it. The “it” is when people tell me that they are too busy to write a different cover letter for each job application. I fully appreciate how busy and hectic life can get. We all have those days where it seems like we don’t even have a second to think, let alone time to sit down to write an entire cover letter. Still, whether you are hiring a Professional to help or writing your own, I believe a cover letter should be personalized for a particular job posting. Here are 4 reasons that you must personalize your cover letter.

Supply vs. Demand. Jobs are in short supply and high demand. Depending on the type of position you are applying for, it’s likely that there are literally hundreds of interested candidates. If you were a hiring manager, would you rather hire someone that clearly has no knowledge about your company and its goal or someone that articulates how they will directly benefit you and your company?
Chance to ease concerns. No matter how experienced you are, there are going to be certain roles that you are better qualified for than others. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it can lead to concern on the employer’s end if not properly explained. Résumés do not leave much room explanation. Cover letters are your opportunity to elaborate on why you do meet the specific needs of that company.
It’s obvious. Don’t fool yourself. Employers know when a candidate took the time to research the position and company. That shows an initial investment that is appealing to the person in charge of hiring.
Highlight why they NEED you. Some accomplishments, honors, awards, etc. are more important to certain people than others. A generic cover letter doesn’t allow you to purposefully choose which areas you highlight. This prohibits you from driving home aspects that will truly impress an employer and best fit their needs.

Visit gregryanresumewriter.com to perfect your Résumé and Cover Letter today!!

10 Mistakes to Avoid During Your Job Search

10 Mistakes to Avoid During Your Job Search

The entire process of applying for a job, interviewing for a job and weighing a job offer can certainly be overwhelming to anyone. There are constant hurdles to be cleared throughout the whole ordeal, making it easy to become paranoid that one mistake will hurt your chances. I’m here today to hopefully help everyone relax a little bit by offering the 10 biggest mistakes to avoid during your job search. These include some that might seem surprising but are all too common during an interview process.

Appearing disinterested. If the interviewer feels like they don’t have your full attention or you have other places you’d rather be, they will write you off immediately. Be careful to remain engaged and interested throughout the entire process.
Being unprofessional. This is an issue at all steps of the application and interview process. Make sure you have a professional looking résumé that does not include typos or spacing issues, that you have a professional sounding e-mail address (not Wildman23@…) and always dress professionally. It’s better to over-dress than under-dress.
Speaking negatively about previous employers or co-workers. This gives a bad first impression and can leave employers with a bad vibe about you. They may fear that you are difficult to work with and the same issues will happen at your new job.
Lacking attention to detail. This can occur in a variety of ways: failing to follow application instructions, being late on deadlines, forgetting to include attachments in an e-mail, etc. Candidates always give their best impression during this process, so employers will be wary to give someone a chance whose “best impression” already has obvious flaws.
Forgetting to personalize application materials. This may imply that you are either uninformed about the position & its requirements or simply unable to provide evidence supporting your candidacy.
Your résumé is too long or too short. You want to highlight key information while still being succinct.
Sharing too much personal information. Employers want to know how you will benefit their company, not what you do on the weekends with your friends. Don’t cross that line until you have worked at a company for a while and have learned when it is acceptable.
You can’t provide specific examples. Saying that you are good at this or that is nice, but it quickly loses value if you don’t have any specific examples to back up your claim. Entry levels positions can be more forgiving because you aren’t expected to have much industry experience.
Asking personal questions during interview. This goes along with #7 above but it’s still worth mentioning. When I’m interviewing someone, I find it uncomfortable when a candidate attempts to delve into my personal life. Know your place at the table. It’s to showcase why you are the best candidate, not to make new friends. It’s one thing to be personable, it’s another thing to get personal.
Applying for the wrong jobs. Being extremely under-qualified is obvious why that would be an issue for employers, but being WAY over-qualified can be a concern as well. Employers are hesitant to hire someone that they think will immediately be looking for their next position. With that being said, I do think it’s fine to apply for jobs for which you may be slightly under/over-qualified. Passion, work ethic and desire to learn can make up for that.

Visit gregryanresumewriter.com to perfect your Résumé and Cover Letter today!!

5 Reasons to Use a Functional Résumé

5 Reasons to Use a Functional Résumé

Traditionally, résumés have followed a chronological format that lists your past experience beginning with the most recent and moving back in time. That is still the case today, but there are instances when you might want to consider another résumé format to best meet your needs. One such example of a different way to construct a résumé is to create a Functional Résumé. This type of résumé focuses more on transferrable skills than a traditional résumé. If you are having a tough time putting together a résumé that you are happy with, perhaps a functional résumé is the way to go. Here, I will explain 5 reasons to use a functional résumé.

You are re-entering the workforce. There are plenty of completely valid reasons why someone may have voluntarily decided to take time off from work. The problem is that it can be difficult to communicate those reasons effectively in a résumé. A functional résumé will shift the focus to the skills that you possess that will help a potential employer instead of inadvertently focusing on your time away from work.
You frequently change jobs. Employers may look at this pattern of “job-hopping” and assume that you won’t be staying with their company very long. That means they’ll have to go through the exhausting hiring and training process again in the near future. That can be off-putting for employers. A functional résumé can showcase the wide variety of skills that you have acquired at your various jobs and turn “job hopping” into a strength.
You hope to transition to a new career. It can be difficult to have strong previous experience if you have never worked in a desired field, even though many of your skills may be transferrable. A traditional résumé can unintentionally highlight that lack of experience by focusing on job titles that are not exactly relevant. A functional résumé would focus more on the transferrable skills that are relevant and use your experience as proof that you have a proven track record of success using those skills.
You have multiple gaps in your work history. Multiple gaps in employment can give the impression that there is a reason that you can’t keep a job. These gaps can best be explained in a face-to-face interview and a functional résumé can help get you there.
Your previous jobs all had very similar responsibilities. Generally, it’s a good thing to have worked in your field in a variety of positions. However, it can make a résumé seem long-winded and repetitive if you keep repeating the same responsibilities and skills from one job to the next. A functional résumé will pull those skills out to the forefront and provide space to elaborate on why they are relevant for this potential position.

Visit gregryanresumewriter.com to perfect your Résumé and Cover Letter today!!