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It’s a cruel, cruel world out there. Students need practical experience to land a job in their field, and no one will hire them without that experience.
Here’s the conundrum – how are students supposed to get experience if no one will give them their start?
You could sulk all day and pity yourself on these unfortunate circumstances… or you could take some initiative and do something about it.
Apart from landing an entry-level role within a company, there are other ways to build up your experience and skillset. So if you’re ready to stop sulking, we’ve got some options to get you started.
Take it upon yourself to find an organization looking for volunteers within your field. You can volunteer to do just about anything – especially within non-profit or charitable organizations.
They could be looking for volunteers for their street marketing teams, volunteers to assist in their financial activities, or volunteers to help develop their website. The options are endless.
This is one of the most traditional methods of gaining experience as an entry-level candidate. Also, do not assume that because you are not getting financially compensated that you cannot list this role in your professional experience on a resume.
Experience is experience regardless of your compensation, so don’t bury this at the bottom of your resume in a volunteering section.
A term that was one used by only journalists, freelancing has become a new trend across multiple industries. Instead of selling yourself to an employer, take a different route and sell yourself to clients.
Find clients who are looking for a photographer and explain that you’re the right person for them. This also goes for programmers, bookkeepers, interior designers – there are many industries where consumers are willing to hire an independent freelancer in order to get a discounted rate.
When it comes to your resume – make it clear that you were freelancing. You not only gained experience, but you also have clients who can vouch for your skills. This will show the hiring manager that you take initiative, that you’re reliable, and that you have the skills to succeed.
The internet changed the way we apply for jobs, but it also changed the way we work. Instead of applying for roles within a company where you will head into the office each day, look for an online contract instead.
From the comfort of your house, you can become a featured professional on a website where companies and consumers login to outsource contracts.
On a resume, list yourself as a Freelancer with the name of the website where you receive the contracts as your Employer. Popular websites that offer this service are Upwork and Freelancer.
Internships are the most common method used to gain experience by students across the world. Internships can be paid or unpaid, and in most cases, the employer is aware that you have no experience.
Looking for internships in smaller companies or start-ups will often allow you to take on greater responsibilities and a steeper learning curve. However, those internships are also most likely to be unpaid.
On a resume, internships are often expected for entry-level candidates. It is practically impossible to transition from full-time school to full-time employment without gaining experience somewhere in between.
This is where an internship comes in. In some cases, internships also lead to employment within the company, and this is really your best case scenario.
In certain fields and industries, you can literally do your job for yourself.
If you are a make-up artist, you can spend your free time practicing your skills on friends and family members and documenting your work in photos for your portfolio. You can develop a website to showcase your work, and even create a fan following on social media.
This will be less relevant on your resume, but it will be a great addition to your cover letter.
You’re telling the employer that you love what you do so much that you spend all of your free time engulfed in work. This is especially applicable in creative fields such as writing, photography, and film-making to name a few.
At the end of the day, this is going to take work. To be honest, sitting around sulking will be much easier, but that’s also why you haven’t landed a job yet.
Set your laziness aside and learn that right now, your only focus is achieving your goals. If your goal is to land your dream job, you have to start somewhere. Gain some experience, do it for free if you have to, and always push yourself forward.
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You can call it an embellishment, exaggeration, or a fib – but at the end of the day, it’s a lie. A big fat lie on your resume to make you look like a more desirable candidate.
We’ve all been told time and time again that we should never lie on our resumes, but we don’t listen.
So with the understanding that you will probably continue to lie about certain things on your resume (even if you think it’s just an embellishment), I want to make sure you don’t get caught in those lies.
Let’s get the obvious out of the way. This should go without saying but just to be on the safe side – never lie about something you’ve never done. Don’t list courses you haven’t completed or make up jobs to fill in gaps in your timeline. I also hope these thoughts have never crossed your mind.
Moving into the more common lies (or embellishments, if you prefer). These are the top three pieces of information that you will lie about, but you really shouldn’t.
Most job postings are really only looking for basic technical skills when it comes to the use of computers, but if you see the name of a program that you’ve never (or rarely) used, don’t mention it in your resume.
I’m not saying you have to outwardly tell the hiring manager that you have no idea what they are talking about, I’m saying you should ignore it.
If the skill is incredibly important to the hiring manager, they will ask you about it during a phone or in-person interview. At that point, explain that you are not completely familiar with the program, but that you are confident that you will be able to gain proficiency quickly.
You will often notice that specified program knowledge is designated as “an asset” in job postings.
The hiring manager is telling you that this is the program they use, if they don’t have to train you in the program – that’s great, but they are willing to train you if necessary.
In this scenario, do not tell the hiring manager that you know how to use the program. Just think about it; you show up for your first day and sit down at your desk only to realize that you have no idea what you’re doing. It’s okay if you have no idea how to use the program, they will train you!
If the program is a large part of the job itself and is listed as a required skill, don’t apply for the role. You are clearly not qualified, and making the hiring manager believe that you are, will only hurt you moving forward.
Many of us stick to the same field, but may jump into different industries.
This is common practice in the professional world, especially when you’re trying to find the role that you’ll really excel in. When applying for roles in different industries, don’t tell the hiring manager that you are familiar with the industry, or that you have past experience in the industry.
Let’s make this clear – just because you’ve stayed in a hotel, that doesn’t mean you know anything about the hospitality and tourism industry. When hiring managers are seeking individuals with industry experience, they are looking for someone who has worked in the industry.
Every industry is different and the requirements of your role will change on a per industry basis.
Also, in the case of many start-up companies, they are looking for someone with industry knowledge to lead them in the right direction for business development. Lying about your industry knowledge will reflect negatively on you, but it may also have a negative outcome on the business itself.
Our #1 piece of advice will always be to remain completely truthful on your resume. However, it is unrealistic to assume that everyone will follow this advice while trying to get ahead in life. So if you’re going to lie, just don’t lie in situations where you will get caught.
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LinkedIn now has over 225 million users worldwide, and most of those professionals have chosen to stick with the free account.
There have been rumblings that LinkedIn is limiting the visibility for users with free accounts, but does that mean you should upgrade to an Executive account and pay your monthly or annual fee?
We think not. Many users are not using LinkedIn on a daily basis and haven’t even bothered to fully optimize their profiles – so an upgrade would do you no good.
As a job seeker, if you’re looking into upgrading your account, you will have the ability to send direct messages to recruiters, receive a premium badge on your profile, and have your job applications moved to the top of the list when using the Apply with LinkedIn button.
With your free account, you currently have limited access to view who has seen your profile, but with an upgraded account you will have full access to that information.
The perks sound great, but will you really utilize them? We’ve made a quick and easy list of the 5 things you must do to your LinkedIn profile before upgrading your account, in order to really get some bang for your buck.
These steps should be followed by anyone looking to take the plunge into the Executive account, or those who want to make sure they are getting the most out of their free account.
I mean, this should be common sense right? LinkedIn gives every profile a completeness score, and if you haven’t even hit the 80 per cent mark, don’t bother upgrading your account. You’ve already proved that you don’t have time for LinkedIn in your life.
LinkedIn allows all users the option of creating a custom URL to allow easier access to their profile. We recommend creating a URL with your first name and last name so that you will appear more easily in search engine results.
This is one of the most effective ways to increase your visibility on LinkedIn, and it’s completely free.
One of the perks to upgrading your account is that you can view the profile of those who are third connections to you, rather than just first or second connections. However, this perk will be useless if you don’t have a solid connection network to get started with.
LinkedIn provides several tools to assist in growing your professional network. Scroll through the People You May Know section to find connections, and also upload your e-mail address book to send invitations to everyone you already know.
If you’re not interested in meeting people in your industry or field, then stick to Facebook. With LinkedIn, your main goal should be to expand your professional network in order to benefit your career. Your network of connections will only take you so far. The next step is to join groups.
The number of groups on LinkedIn is constantly growing, but LinkedIn has created a Groups You May Like tool to help you pinpoint the groups you should get started with.
After becoming a member, get actively involved in the discussions within the group to develop relationships with professionals outside of your network.
As a job seeker, you should be actively using the LinkedIn job board. Once you get acquainted with how to search for the right roles and how to use the Apply with LinkedIn button, then it’s time to consider an upgrade for your account.
One of the best features of the upgraded account is that your application is moved to the top of the list of applicants from LinkedIn. However, this feature will only benefit you if you actually apply for roles through LinkedIn.
On the other hand, if you’ve optimized your profile and established a large network of connections, your profile will probably be noticed by the hiring manager with or without the premium badge.
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Although it is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world, English is also known as one of the hardest languages to learn. Those of us who were lucky enough to learn English as a toddler growing up in an English-speaking household, have never had to face the daunting task of comprehending the rules of English grammar.
However, that may be the problem we are now facing. As we spend our days reading newspapers, websites and business documents, we all find typos, spelling errors and grammar mistakes. They are so common that many times they are overlooked and left uncorrected.
Our advice – don’t take a nonchalant view on grammar. This is a big deal, especially when it comes to your resume.
As soon as a hiring manager sees a grammar mistake on your resume, their focus has shifted from the content of the resume, to the mistakes on the resume. This is not what you want the hiring manager to remember about your resume, because it will effectively remove you from the shortlist.
We see resumes day in and day out here at Resume Target, and now we’ve compiled a list of the 8 most common grammar mistakes that will kill your resume.
“You’re” is a contraction of the words “you” and “are”. Therefore you should only use “you’re” when you are describing an individual.
“Your” is a possessive pronoun. You should only use “your” when stating that an item is a possession of the person in question.
Resume Tip: Resume writing does not generally include pronouns such as “I” or “You” in sentences, however this type of writing is commonly used in the cover letter.
“Their” is a possessive pronoun, just like “your”. The difference here is “their” refers to multiple people and “your” refers to a singular person.
“They’re” is a contraction of the words “they” and “are”. Similar to “you’re” which is the singular version, “they’re” is used when referring to multiple people.
“There” refers to a concrete or abstract place.
Resume Tip: Memorize this – They’re throwing their ball over there.
“It’s” is a contraction of the words “it” and “is”, or “it” and “has”.
“Its” is a possessive pronoun, similar to “your” and “their”, but instead of referring to a person, “its” refers to an inanimate object.
Resume Tip: If you’re using “it’s” in a sentence, try reading the sentence aloud and saying “it is” instead of “it’s”… if the sentence doesn’t sound right, then you’ve got it wrong.
To ensure, is to make certain that a certain thing will or will not happen.
To insure, is to arrange for financial compensation against the loss of something or against someone getting injured or dying – think insurance.
To assure, is to remove doubt or uncertainty. Assure can often be interchanged with promise.
Resume Tip: When it comes to your resume, you are most likely supposed to be using “ensure”, unless you work in insurance and are describing the liabilities that you “insure”. It is rare that you will be “assuring” or “promising” something to the hiring manager.
Effect is a noun used to describe the outcome of an action or situation.
Affect is a verb that is used when describing how an action will alter a situation.
Resume Tip: When referring to your own skills on a resume, you will most likely tell the hiring manager that your skills are “effective” rather than “affective”.
“Then” is used in relation to time, a sequence of events, or in place of “in addition to”.
“Than” is a term used to describe comparisons between two people or items.
Resume Tip: If your sentence doesn’t incorporate a comparison of any kind, stick with using “then”.
A compliment is when someone says something positive about you.
A complement is an addition or supplement to an item or person.
Resume Tip: If you can’t give it or receive it, it’s not a compliment.
”Principal” can be used as a noun to refer to the highest in rank or main participant. It can also be used as an adjective to describe the most important item of a set.
“Principle” is a noun meaning a fundamental truth, law or standard.
Resume Tip: To remember that a principal refers to someone in the highest rank, think of your school principal as your pal.
When in doubt, just Google! There is a world of information right at your fingertips. If there’s a particular grammar rule that you always get wrong, double check it.
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They say that making a good first impression is everything when it comes to winning over the affections of a new acquaintance.
Make the wrong first impression – especially in a recruitment environment – and you could lose that job opportunity before you can say “I’ve lost that job opportunity”.
The thing about a first impression is that you only get one chance to make it – and you don’t get long to do it either. In fact, it’s debated that a first impression can take less than 30 seconds to be formed. That’s not a great deal of time to work with, I’m sure you’ll agree.
With that in mind, this particular blog entry attempts to look at six different aspects of your first meeting with an employer. Don’t worry about training seminars, this article is your one-stop shop for making an ace first impression.
Nothing sets the image, tone and perception of someone quite like the way they look and dress.
You could have the communication skills of a blubbering toddler but as long as your attire is smart, neat and appropriate, you’d be surprised at how far it can take you.
It’s not just about the clothing arrangement though – your physical appearance is equally important. Get a haircut, have a clean shave (females are allowed to skip that one) and give your face a good scrub.
You’re about to make that crucial first handshake with the employer – time for a facial expression to match.
That’s right, it’s time to smile you miserable sod. A smile says you’re pleased to be there and you’re happy to have met the person in question which is always a good signal to the recipient.
Now you’ve managed to successfully negotiate the much anticipated greeting process, concentrate on remaining interested with what the person opposite you has to say. And, in order to demonstrate that you are indeed listening – and captivated with what they’re talking about – you need to maintain good eye contact.
Similarly, when directing your responses back to an interviewer, keeping eye contact will convey a sense of confidence and assurance in what you’re saying.
It can be argued that addressing someone by their name is a very small detail when it comes to meeting someone for the first time, but remember, you only have 30 seconds to play with – this is all about small details!
Using someone’s name shows that (1) you know who they are (always a good sign), and (2) you identify them as a significant individual.
Talking of confidence, to make a good first impression, you need to be just that (confident!). Try not to be a sweating, quivering wreck – it’s not a great look.
Emit confidence in what you have to say and ensure that your handshake is firm and meaningful. As long as you’re confident in your ability, that will only serve to transmit back to the person in front of you.
Holding eye contact is one thing, but having a genuine interest in what someone has to say (or at least pretending to) is another. Nodding appreciatively is a great way of doing this.
Equally, don’t be a wet lettuce and just sit there in silence. Don’t be afraid to add your own comments or thoughts on what the employer-come-interviewer has to say. Just don’t interrupt them. That’s a no-no.
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You should realize by now that resumes are more than just words a page. Hiring managers are examining your format to gain an understanding of your technical skills, they are reviewing your grammar and sentence structure to gain an understanding of your communication skills, and they are reviewing the content to gain an understanding of your experience.
In the very same manner – interviews are more than just explaining your professional experience in a verbal manner. There are many other factors that may seem small and insignificant – but in reality, they will be the deciding factor as to whether or not you are hired.
We’ve compiled 5 lessons on interview etiquette for you to follow:
Actions speak louder than words. This could not be more true for interviews.
Your body language is saying everything that the hiring manager needs to know. Are you making eye contact? Are you leaning forward? Are your hands calmly placed on the table? These are three key body language factors that you must be aware of in your interview.
You may not be working for the company just yet, but you should dress according to their dress code nonetheless.
If you know someone who previously or currently works at the company, you can ask them for the inside scoop on the company dress code. If not, you may even want to visit the company ahead of time to observe the way employees are dressed.
The best option is not necessarily to over-dress; the best option is to dress the part.
If you’re interviewing for a construction role, you’ll be dressed differently than someone interviewing for paralegal role. The industries are different, the fields are different, the environments are different… so why would the dress code be the same?
A great way for a hiring manager to find out if you prepared for the interview ahead of time, is to see if you brought a copy of the resume and cover letter that you originally submitted. If you don’t have these on hand, that shows that you are not prepared.
Aside from your resume and cover letter, bring a portfolio. For those of you in creative fields, this is a must. However, that does not mean that portfolios are not a great asset for any other role.
If you helped draft business plans, bring examples with you. If you increased sales year-over-year, create a graph and bring it with you. Visual representations of your achievements are a great method to stand out from the crowd.
Just like a resume, your end goal in the interview is to show the hiring manager that you can bring added value to the team. We recommend literally bringing that value with you to the interview.
If you are applying for a creative role, draft up proposals or pitches for ideas that you can implement if given the role.
If the role is not creative, do some research on the company’s current goals. You can draft a business plan to address methods to achieve these goals, and propose ideas on how the company can move forward.
We also recommend pulling examples from your professional experience to demonstrate how you’ve implemented similar actions plans in the past.
This is an incredibly simple step, however it is most often overlooked. Sending a thank you letter tells the employer that you are genuinely interested in the role. You also remain top of mind for the employer, as you have established contact with them post-interview.
A thank you letter should be no more than 200 words. You want to keep it short and sweet. Simply reiterate your interest in the role, and thank the interviewer for their time.
Additionally, if there was anything else that you wished you said during the interview but didn’t, this is the time to include that information. This is your last chance to “wow” the hiring manager before their decision is made.
Open new career opportunities with our professional resume writing services.
Open new career opportunities with our professional resume writing services.
We often tell you in this blog that your resume is terrible. Now that is most likely the case for most of you, but for those of you who really think that you have a great resume and you really don’t know why you’re not getting calls – this one is for you.
Remember – Hiring Managers are just barely skimming over your resume for 5-10 seconds, and if something doesn’t catch their interest, it is on to the next one.
So even though you may have all the right points and all the right information on your resume, it’s probably just not jumping off the page the way you need it to.
So we’ve developed a quick 5-step process to help you tweak your resume so that you will catch the Hiring Manager’s interest within 5-10 seconds, and so you will receive more call-backs.
Your format can literally make-or-break your resume. If you are guilty of submitting a resume with just text on a page, then listen up! You want your resume to look like you put some effort into it.
You don’t have to get fancy, and if you are getting fancy… then it may be time to tone it down. A few bold underlines to separate sections, a header with your name and contact information, and formal titles for each section. This is all we ask of you.
Resume formats should not take away from the information on the resume; they should simply provide a good first impression and assist in guiding the Hiring Manager’s eye down the page.
If your resume immediately jumps into your academic experience or career history – this is why you’re not getting noticed by Hiring Managers.
In the first 5-10 seconds of scanning your resume, all they know about you is either where you went to school, or where you last worked. Chances are, they need to know more than that.
This is why we recommend introducing yourself at the top of your resume with a value statement. Your goal here is to give the Hiring Manager an overview of your experience, education, skills and achievements in the first 5-10 seconds of them reviewing your resume.
You need to articulate in a concise manner that you are qualified for the role, so they can add you to the shortlist. Once you’ve made it there, they will review your resume thoroughly and call you for an interview if you’ve got what they need.
If there’s one thing that we talk about a lot… it’s keywords. Why? Because they are so incredibly important and so often overlooked by job seekers. Again – the Hiring Manager is skimming through your resume. So why not make it easy for them to find what they are looking for?
You’ve given them a great overview of who you are in your value statement and directly below it you should include a keywords section to highlight your areas of expertise.
Ensure that these keywords align with the terms included in the requirements section of the job posting. Yes – that means you have to customize this section for each role.
Remember what we were saying about making your information “jump off the page”, this is where you can make it happen. Bulleted keywords immediately catch the Hiring Manager’s eyes, so you want them to see the right ones. This will bring you one step closer to the call-back list.
Now we’ve already established that you have the right information on your resume, so that means you’ve already outlined the achievements you’ve had in each role. So why isn’t the Hiring Manager impressed by your achievements?
Probably because you’ve got them hidden in a long list of bullet points under each role in your professional experience. This is not effective.
You should always create a sub-section with a title like “Key Achievements” or “Significant Contributions” so that the Hiring Manager knows exactly where to look to see your accomplishments. The faster they can find it, the more likely it is that they will review it within the first 5-10 seconds, and the more likely it is that you will be shortlisted.
When it comes to your education section, you often only include any degrees or diplomas that you’ve completed. This is usually a requirement on the job posting, but what about your additional courses, training and seminars?
No one is ever done learning after they finish full-time school, we are always picking up new skills. Include them on your resume!
Showing a Hiring Manager that you are actively involved in upgrading your skills and offering added value to your team is a great highlight.
Whether you’ve completed a certification, online course, internal training seminar, or even attended webinars that are well known in your industry – these are all attributes that will benefit your job search.
This is also an incredibly important add-on to the resume if you are attempting a career transition or if your resume is plagued by employment gaps.
Expanding your education section and moving the focus to your skills over your experience is one of the best ways to overcome obstacles when your experience does not match up with the required qualifications.
It’s time to take these 5 tweaks and implement them into your resume. We believe in you! You’ve already created a great resume; we’ve just showed you how to make it pop!
Open new career opportunities with our professional resume writing services.
The employment market is tough. Anyone looking for a job will tell you that. Think about this: hiring managers sometimes receive thousands of applicants for the few jobs they post. Are you wondering why you’re not getting noticed?
It’s highly likely that you are shooting up a red flag somewhere in your resume and/or cover letter. Besides the obvious – which includes making sure there are no typos and that your cover letter is addressed to the right person – here are some other mistakes you do not want to make, but you probably are.
Some people have a lot of work history. However, that should be covered in your resume, not your cover letter.
Your cover letter should be succinct and to the point. You do not want to talk on and on about things that are only interesting to you. That’s a perfect way to get human resources to toss both your cover letter, and your resume.
Most employment experts recommend having a cover letter that is no more than 500 words.
Use your first paragraph to grab the attention of the person who is doing the reading. Use the following paragraphs to talk about why you are qualified for the position. Let the hiring manager know what you can do and how you will be an asset to the company.
Spend time personalizing each cover letter you submit. One of the worst mistakes people make is sending out the same cover letter to ten different employers.
Research the job you are applying for and use this knowledge to customize your letter. You might also want to briefly research the company history and use this knowledge as well.
Keep in mind that hiring managers spend many hours reading cover letters. Generic cover letters and their accompanying resumes often get tossed, simply as a way to reduce the number of applicants.
Sometimes human resources personnel come across cover letters informing them how their company can benefit by hiring the applicant. This is often the case with recent college graduates, but older workers make this mistake as well. No matter what your qualifications are, remember that no one is indispensable.
Use your cover letter to give a brief outline of what you have to offer the company. That’s what hiring managers are looking for. They want to find the best fit for the job available, and they often hire the applicant that brings the most to the table.
Some job postings ask applicants to answer a question in their cover letter. They might also ask for specific information that isn’t normally available on a resume. Pay attention to what is being asked of you, and make sure you follow the directions.
No matter what kind of industry you are interested in, paying attention and being able to focus are important skills.
Before you submit your cover letter, go over the job listing to make sure you are doing exactly what is being asked. Not following directions will definitely get your letter and resume tossed into the recycle bin.
Include a call to action in your cover letter. Request that the hiring manager contact you and give them the necessary information. Let them know that you are confident in your skills and that you know you will benefit the company. This isn’t being arrogant; it’s being confident, and that’s something hiring managers like.
Don’t include phrases such as “I think I will be great fit for this role.” Tell them you know you will be a great fit for the role.
You are trying to convince the hiring manager that you are the best candidate, and in order to successfully convince them, you must exude confidence.
Letting human resources know you can do the job will make your cover letter stand out, and that’s exactly what you need if you want to get hired.
Open new career opportunities with our professional resume writing services.
