Blog

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.

Top 5 Differences Between Traditional Resumes & LinkedIn Profiles

As we move more and more into the digital age, job seekers are increasingly asking how to effectively pair their current resume with their LinkedIn profile. The answer can be both simple and complicated, but also critical to maximize the impact of each document. I have written a lot on what makes a quality resume, so I wanted to take some time to focus on how your LinkedIn profile should differ from your traditional resume. Here are my top 5 differences.

1. Available space. While resumes can be limited by available space on a page, LinkedIn profiles do not have that problem. Take the time to delve into skills, achievements, awards, projects, etc. so that prospective employers, as well as your network, will see the full view of you as a professional.
2. Specific vs. General. Unlike resumes, LinkedIn profiles are not tailored to a specific job opening. Since you never know who will be looking at your profile or when they will be looking, it is best to simply paint the best possible picture of yourself and let the reader find what is most relevant to their needs.
3. Tone and Appearance. Resumes are very formal and professional in tone and appearance. Conversely, LinkedIn profiles can, and should, be more conversational in tone. Your true personality can come out more in a LinkedIn profile while explaining your experiences and skills. Also, LinkedIn profiles are statistically more likely to be viewed and followed when they include a personal photo, something that is not usually recommended on a resume.
4. Purpose. Resumes really have one basic purpose – to land an interview. LinkedIn profiles do serve that purpose too, but they also are designed to help you stay connected within your industry as well as expand your professional network.
5. Interactivity. LinkedIn profiles are far more interactive in nature and allow for others to contribute to your profile by endorsing skills or providing recommendations. They also allow you to share videos, pictures and links to relevant information and impressive achievements.

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

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.

Top 8 Reasons You Need a High Quality Résumé and Cover Letter

I wanted to begin the New Year by discussing something that I believe every potential job seeker needs to know – that it is absolutely critical to have a quality résumé and cover letter if you plan on landing your desired job. Too often, I hear people question why they matter or worry that they don’t have enough to include to make it worthwhile. I will address the former in detail shortly, but to the latter I respond, “You know what is better than nothing? Anything!” Even if you aren’t sure where to begin, just start somewhere. Everyone has some sort of positive experience to draw on, volunteer work to include, degree to mention… You get the idea. Start somewhere and add to it as you go. If nothing else, it will show you where you need more exposure so that you can work to strengthen your résumé.

As for why you need a high quality résumé and cover letter, here are my Top 8 Reasons.

1. You only get one chance to make a first impression. Use yours wisely. You don’t want to be fighting an uphill battle heading into an interview.
2. The average employer literally spends only a few seconds looking at a résumé before deciding if it’s worth his/her time. A neat, clean professional looking résumé goes a long way toward capturing the reader’s attention.
3. Maximize your worth. Very often, interviews are fairly scripted in which questions are asked of you. This can make it difficult to highlight your strengths and accomplishments. Use your résumé as your chance to highlight these points.
4. Promote Why They Need You. As the pile of candidates continues to grow, you need to show the employer that you stand out as the best person for the job. A glowing résumé paints the best picture of you and can give you an advantage before the interview even begins.
5. Boost Your Confidence. We all strive to better our place within a company or in a new company. However, job descriptions can be intimidating and the fear of being unqualified can start to creep in. Preparing a high quality résumé and cover letter can build that inner confidence that you have accomplished a lot and are qualified for the job.
6. Elaborate on your strengths and accomplishments in a cover letter. Your cover letter is the place to truly delve into why your past experience sets you apart as the best candidate. Résumés are short and compact in nature and interviews can fly by quickly, so the cover letter is your one chance to really explain just how impressive you are.
7. Show off your writing and communication skills. All jobs require employees to communicate in one form or another. The cover letter is a great opportunity to prove to employers that you can communicate eloquently with potential colleagues, customers, etc.
8. Be your best you! There is only one you. And that’s a good thing! Show your creativity and uniqueness through your writing. You want an employer that wants the real you, not a fabricated version you cooked up for a résumé or cover letter.

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

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.

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. … 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.
4. 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.
5. 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!!

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 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.

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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!!

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.

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.

1. 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?
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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!!