#CONTEST Leave a Comment, Win a Smart Resume Design Pack

#CONTEST Leave a Comment, Win a Smart Resume Design Pack 33 Get your resume or CV stylized as if a graphic designer had done it for you. LoftResumes.com is sponsoring this contest with prizes of personalized design packs of resumes and cover letters. Thank you, LoftResumes.com. This is the second contest as part of the run-up to JobMob's 5th Anniversary on March 21st, and more are coming. Here are the others you can enter:eval #CONTEST: Leave a Comment, Win High Quality Business Cards #CONTEST: Leave a Comment, Win Copies of Bring Your Superpowers To Work #CONTEST: Leave a Comment, Win Help For Your Google Rankings #CONTEST: Leave a Comment, Win Job Interview Video Tutorial Packs It's ok to enter all the contests separately. You're not limited to entering only one. How to Enter At the bottom of this article, leave a comment about the most memorable resume or CV you've ever seen. Some suggestions of what to write in your comment are:eval The best-looking/worst-looking resume you ever saw and why An resume mistake that you'll never forget, whether it was yours or someone else's an idea you once had to make your resume more memorable (and if you didn't follow through, why not?) Tell us what was so memorable about it. Be as descriptive as you can. Comment now How to Win Simple â€" Leave an impressive comment. The winners will be the 5 people with the most impressive comments as judged by me. You, or anyone you know, can try to influence the choice of winners by leaving more comments in support. Comment now Prizes 5 people will each win one resume design pack, worth over US$100. Each pack includes: A voucher for a free two-page resume matching cover letter design on LoftResumes.com From their website, here's how it works: “First you'll shop for a resume. You can choose your preferred delivery time and the number of pages in your resume [Jacob: the voucher is good for 2 pages]. When you complete the checkout process, you'll be directed to a page where you'll upload the information for your resume and provide any special instructions. We'll custom typeset your content and email you a high-resolution PDF version of your resume along with a matching, editable cover letter. Your purchase includes up to 2 rounds of revisions, if they're needed.” Void where prohibited. Rules Must be 18 or older. You can comment as many times as you like, but you can only win one prize. Be sure to use a real email address or Twitter account when you comment so that I can contact you if you win. Contest Deadline To be considered as entries in the contest, all comments must be submitted before this coming Monday, March 26th, 2012. Comment now And please tell your friends on Facebook to comment too. Good luck!

Resume Writing With Little Experience

Resume Writing With Little ExperienceIf you are new to the job market, your resume writing with little experience can be very confusing. You may even feel overwhelmed at the sheer number of items on your resume that you need to address. But if you take a few minutes to familiarize yourself with the basics of what you need to include on your resume, it will make it much easier for you to write your resume from scratch.The first step in writing a resume is to get to know the basics of what you need to include on it. Do you have to list everything you've ever done? No, of course not. You do however need to know what you should be listing on your resume.One of the first things you will want to do is list some basic information about yourself. This could include what you do and how long you've been working there. You may also find that some of the industries you work in will require that you include some personal information. The important thing is to just list all of the relevant things so that you don't have to wonder later.Next, you will want to list your previous employment. Again, this will be based on the industry that you are currently working in. You want to leave yourself plenty of time for travel. While many employers might require that you have held that job for six months or more, you should always try to be accurate with your time frame. If you can only provide a year, it will certainly be difficult to impress an employer when he has to sit through a rehashing of your history.You will also want to list all of your skills and education. Again, do this by listing the industry and education level. You may also find that many companies have specific requirements about the skills you should have. You need to take the time to list all of these as well.Lastly, you will want to add any relevant experiences you may have had in the past, including any recent pay stubs or any student loan information. This will help them give you the opportunity to build your resu me around these topics. Don't forget to mention any volunteer work you've done. You can list anything from babysitting to selling antiques.It's also important to consider how you intend to present yourself when you are preparing your resume. You want to use a variety of different types of resumes. One example is if you have worked in various types of positions, you can highlight these in your resume. On the other hand, if you're writing a general resume, you should only highlight your skills and education.So if you are having trouble finding the right amount of information to include on your resume, taking the time to learn the basics of resume writing with little experience is a good idea. You can then build your resume around the skill sets you list and move on to fill the rest of the resume with additional information. It's a great way to ensure that you are getting the most out of your resume.

Nurse Or Travel Nurse

Nurse Or Travel Nurse You want to be a nurse, which means that your idea of a sexy Friday night outfit is scrubs and some squeaky rubber soled shoes, youre totally cool with body fluids, and youre willing to trade the personal satisfaction of saving lives for extended vacations in exotic locales. Right? Wrong. As it turns out, that isnt necessarily true anymore, if you become a Travel Nurse. (Sorry, you still need to be cool with body fluids.)  Travel Nurse Defined A Travel Nurse is just what it sounds like, except that instead of being contracted with a single hospital, you work with a recruitment agency or as an independent contractor to travel to multiple temporary positions at different hospitals. You can read up about it here. You still need about a year of clinical experience, and   if your state is joined with the Nurse Licensure Compact (NLCA), you can work in any other compact state as long as the home state license is in good standing. Sweet. And heres the really cool part: Travel Nurses can often make more than their stationary sisters. The Wikipedia page cites a pay rate of $30-$50 or more, depending on where youre serving. That kind of cheddar can get you a squeaky rubber shoe in a new color for every day of the week. But where am I going to end up, you ask? Traveling is great and all, but not if theyre going to stick me in Fargo, North Dakota. Check out this adorable little infographic on the top Travel Nursing destinations, and the sites and amenities at each. Sounds good, you say, I’ve got my bags packed, point me to ‘em. You can find  travel nursing jobs  with the placement agencies like Soliant Health that coordinate between the nurses and hospitals looking for placements. Also, definitely check out the Professional Associate of Travel Nursing , they can give you the skinny on the actual ins and outs of the job, plus some neat travel calculators, certification requirements and lists of other resources. Incidentally, theyre the ones who will be helping to make sure that your cooperating hospital plays nice in terms of working conditions and benefits. If nothing else, a day off at the beach around the corner can help ease the blow of all the gross things that humans do when theyre sick.

What Losing Weight After 40 and Your Career Change Have in Common

What Losing Weight After 40 and Your Career Change Have in Common I was someone who always seemed to be able to maintain my ideal weight, give or take 5 or so pounds. I never felt like I had to count every single calorie or deprive myself. I could always enjoy the occasional splurge without a problem. Was I just blessed with amazing metabolism? Did I just happen to be the winner of the genes lottery where I never had to worry about losing weight? Nope, turns out I was just in my twenties… As soon as I hit forty, that cruel reality set in. A reality I’m guessing many of you might be familiar with too. After a certain age, it’s really, really, really, yes, really hard to lose weight. Truth be told, that’s often the same reality when it comes to career switching. Earlier on in your career, there are certainly still challenges but it’s easier and even expected to move around from company to company and industry to industry. But, after a certain period of time and yes, after a certain age, it can be really, really, really, yes, really hard to jumpstart your career metabolism. Just like you cannot rely on a quickie cleanse or the hottest exercise trend, you cannot merely send out a couple resumes a week and expect miracles.   A networking dinner once a month may not cut it. Scanning sites like LinkedIn or The Muse at your lunch hour might not be enough. For a later-in-life career search, here are some things to keep in mind: 1. Set your eyes on the long-term Like losing weight after forty, finding the perfect career or position takes more time and it’s wise to set your expectations appropriately. If you get an offer right away, you’ll be happily surprised but realizing that it may take longer â€" maybe even longer than six months, but a year or maybe twoâ€" will help ward off feelings of disappointment and discouragement that can be the biggest obstacle to being hired. 2. Make sure your efforts are consistent and frequent I still don’t count calories and sometimes skip the gym for some juicy reality TV, but I’m more mindful than ever about what I’m eating and try to exercise at least three times a week, even when demands of work and family pull me in another direction. Job-hunting requires the same consistent, frequent effort, especially if you are facing challenges like moving to a completely different industry or making a move later in life. If you are already holding another full-time job, commit to at least five hours a week toward sending out resumes and reaching out to your network. If your timeline is shorter and finding a new job is more urgent or if you are currently not working full-time, these hours should be increased significantly. Basically your current job  plus your job search in total should equate to at least forty hours. This means that if you are not working at all, finding a new job becomes your full-time job. 3. Track Your Progress I finally committed to keeping a food journal for a week to get a better sense of my diet and when I was over-indulging. I was very resistant to this because I swore that I knew this information already and it just seemed tedious. But it worked. I could no longer hide under vague generalities but could point to the exact moments (e.g. the 10:00pm nightly microwave popcorn ritual!) when I was self-sabotaging my efforts to be healthier. Like a food journal, having a “job search” journal for tracking your progress is a great tool. I had a  client who swore she was putting in x-number of hours only to find that 15 minutes sending out a resume or making a phone call did not add up to the amount of time I was encouraging her to put in. Nor was scanning social media or job sites having the same impact as actual meeting a key influencer in person for coffee. Track what you do daily and evaluate it at the end of each week to see if you need to increase the time and change the activities you are doing to have a greater impact. 4. Mindset Whether losing weight or finding a new job, more than half the battle is your  mindset. We start off job searching with so much enthusiasm and confidence, only to falter a few weeks in because we didn’t get the results we wanted. Have some go-to tools and support readily available that you can rely on when you are feeling down about your progress. Maybe that’s means going for a walk or calling a trusted friend or coach who’ll give you a confidence boost. Maybe it’s a playlist or your favorite personal growth book (I highly recommend Self-Coaching 101 by Brooke Castillo or Finding Your Own North Star by Martha Beck, or the new best-seller Born For This by Chris Guillebeau). I cannot stress this enough. Having a great resume means nothing if the first impression a recruiter has of you is someone who lacks confidence and joy. The key with all of these tips is to trust and believe that a new career that lights you up is possible, no matter what stage of life you are in. It may require a different set of strategies and effort than what worked in the past, but before you know it, you’ll jumpstart that career metabolism in no time. Related Post:  The Complete Guide to Career Change

Tips For Writing a Good Resume When Running For Board Of Condo Association

Tips For Writing a Good Resume When Running For Board Of Condo AssociationYou will find tips for writing a good resume when running for the board of condo association. These can be valuable when writing a very short document or a more lengthy one to gain favor in the eyes of a non-profit board.Running for the board of a nonprofit organization requires all members to come to a consensus on a governing and budgeting plan. How you approach the board is very important. They can listen to your points of view, but they can only approve or disapprove of the plan. What they will be looking for is how you can serve your community by helping to pass on the principles of the organization.Running for the board of a condo association can be a lot of work. You should have a professional business that you are familiar with, but at the same time, you do not want to be misunderstood or misleading. If you appear confused then it is more likely that they will feel confused and perhaps get a little defe nsive and not understand you and why you are there. So how do you choose which one to use? Here are some tips for writing a good resume when running for the board of condo association.It is important to make a resume that communicates what you have accomplished as well as what skills you have as a business owner or as a member of a successful board. There are some professionals that would charge a lot of money to create a resume. Others are much more affordable and will do the job just as well.The resume is a tool that you can use to make sure your efforts are acknowledged. There are a few things that need to be considered before creating a resume. For example, it needs to be short, neat and to the point. You do not want to get into a big argument with a professional board member, so make sure that you leave them wondering about something or about what you are about to say. Some professional resumes are long and wind up taking a while to finish.Being a part of a successful board doe s not mean that you are an expert on everything. Before creating a resume that can help you gain trust, you may want to take a look at a resume review. This is an online tool that will compare your resume to others in the category of resumes. If you are unsure about how a board member will respond to your resume, you can always ask for another copy. Make sure that it is yours and not someone else's.When writing a resume for someone else, you will need to know their experience and what they need from you. One point that you can put on your resume is what you have to offer the board. This is a very important point for those who have been on boards where there was no leader or where the person in power was selfish or uninformed about what was best for the community.Having your own board members is crucial for a small nonprofit organization. You will need the advice of the people who have been on the board before and you need to build relationships. The best way to do this is to write y our own resume when running for the board of condo association.

Bad Dancing Will Never Hurt the Ground - Kathy Caprino

“Bad Dancing Will Never Hurt the Ground” Friday night, my husband Arthur Lipner held a screening of the first-cut of new upcoming documentary, called Talking Sticks, to an enthusiastic and appreciative crowd in Wilton, CT.   It was quite a wild night, complete with Brazilian and African food, dance, and percussion. The film is about Arthur’s journey to find and express himself through his “talking sticks” (he’s a jazz percussionist playing marimba and vibes â€" instruments that aren’t well known in the U.S.).   It also reveals some stunning lessons he’s learned about life, culture, art, personal connection and creativity, through his amazing world travels and experiences in places such as Ghana, Rio, Mexico, and Norway. One key message of the film is that each of us has creative gifts and abilities that are waiting to be shared.   Many of us display these gifts throughout our childhood, but then life takes over, and we let our gifts go underground and we simply stop focusing on them, much to our sadness and regret later in life. Much of my coaching and seminar work with clients today â€" many of whom are highly “successful” in the business world â€" is around discovering the answers to these vital questions:                   Who am I uniquely in the world?                   What makes me special, happy, fulfilled?                   What would bring me “knock-your-socks-off” joy? It’s amazing how infrequently the majority of folks I meet with know the answers to these questions.     I’d love to do a study of American cultural evolution, and understand more clearly why so many of us in the U.S. have lost the connection to our special creativity â€" to expressing ourselves authentically, uniquely and powerfully in ways that make us know and remember why we’re on the planet.   It’s not like this in other countries â€" America is somehow very different in this respect. If you used your creative gifts as a child, and miss them in your life as it is, I implore you to bring your creativity forward again.   It doesn’t require a major life reinvention…it requires focus, commitment, and an “I can do this!” mentality.   You CAN fit creativity in your life â€" and when you do, your life will change for the better. Despite your skepticism about your abilities, I know this to be true every person on this planet IS creative.   Bernard Woma â€" a renowned master of the Ghanaian xylophone and leading music educator from the Dagara Tribe in Ghana, who’s featured in Talking Sticks â€" told me last night that when a child says to him, “I want to dance, but I’m embarrassed I’m not a good dancer,” Bernard replies, “Bad dancing will never hurt the ground.   The ground will not complain!” How beautiful is that?… A key question Id love to encourage you to think about is this: “Do you care enough about yourself and others to share your creative gifts?” Coaching question of the week: What are the creative gifts you used to LOVE expressing?   What latent creative talent is inside you, waiting to burst forth.   Creativity is there inside of you, I know it! Please make 2010 the year that you say YES! to your special brand of creativity.   The world wants and needs it.

Seven Tips for Networking During the Holiday Season

Seven Tips for Networking During the Holiday Season Today I enjoyed reading Penelope Trunks post, December is a Great Time for Your Career, because she dispels some common myths about searching for a job in December and her post puts a candid (and humorous) spin on the holiday season. Here are some of my recommendations for things you can do during the holiday season to beef up your network and start meaningful career conversations in the New Year.Attend holiday parties. Many professional associations host holiday parties. This is a great way to meet others in your field that may be able to make meaningful introductions for you.Throw your own party. Have an intimate dinner party or a bigger bash at your home or nearby restaurant. This is a great way to practice your pitch, and reconnect with people who may be able to assist you in your search.Ask for informational interviews. The last two weeks of December are traditionally slow for most businesses. You may find that some of the decision makers you need to get in front of   are in the office during those last two weeks and it may be a lot easier to get in front of them during this time of year.Volunteer. Tis the season…volunteer to do something meaningful in your personal or professional communities during December. Doing so can increase your visibility and jump start some conversations with people who may be able to help you in the New Year.Take a vacation. What better way to meet new decision makers? It doesn’t need to be extravagant…just find new people to have conversations with. Let them know what you do and ask for their suggestions for expanding your brand’s reach in a very informational, non-threatening way. You may just pick up a lead or two.Reconnect with friends of “Christmas Past”. Check out LinkedIn and Facebook and search for old friends. What better time to reconnect than the holiday season? Get over the fact that it’s been awhile since you last spoke and take the first step. You may be pleasantly surprised by the response you get.Se nd holiday cards. Holiday cards provide a natural “touch point” or opportunity to reconnect with friends, family, and colleagues. Reach out to your network now with some “best wishes” and holiday cheer and you will have a natural entrée into a job-related conversation in the New Year.