Friday, November 29, 2019

When You Should Exclude Your Education from Your Resume

When You Should Exclude Your Education from Your ResumeWhen You Should Exclude Your Education from Your ResumeDecidingwhether or not to include your education on your resume can be difficult. Its not as though employers wont become aware of your education history prior to making the decision to hire you, but its presence on your resume (as well as its absence) can make or break your ability to land a job.Related How to format your resumes education sectionHere are eight questions to think about when considering whether or not to include education in your resume1. Do you have a degree?If you only have a high school diploma, you can likely get by without having an education section.Even if a high school diploma is specifically listed as a requirement for the job, this detail is alfruchtwein always addressed in the actual job application or during the interview, and doesnt need to be addressed in the limited space of a resume.If you attended college but didnt graduate, you can still lis t your education on your resume. List the name of your institution, along with a line clarifying X years completed or X credit hours completed.If you are a current student, include your anticipated graduation date, preceded by degree expected or similar wording.2. Is your resume too long?Ideally, your resume should be limited toone page. If you find that your resume content is spilling onto a second page, and you have trimmed all the information you can, consider removing the education section.Education is almost always addressed in the official job application, and this is where hiring managers look for the kusine requirements during the background check.3. Is your resume too short?Early in your career, your resume will look a little sparse. An employment history that doesnt reach back very far is a cleara sign of inexperience. Depending on what youre applying for, this can decrease your chances of being considered.By adding an education section, you can fill up some of the gaps an d flesh out your resume so it stands a better chance of being taken seriously. Perhaps you have a lot of recent and relevant coursework, or demonstrated leadership by serving as president of a club. Adding pertinent details can bolster your candidacy.Check to binnensee if your resume is the optimal length??4. Is your education your strongest qualification?You may have little or nowork experience in your chosenfield, but a recent and relevant degree is sometimes all you need to get your foot in the door.If you attended an elite school, received a prestigious scholarship, or completed a thesis or dissertation, your education credentials might be especially interesting to employers.If your education is your greatest asset, your education section should be prominently featured on your resume- you can even lead with it.5. Is education a primary requirement?For medical jobs, or other specialties such as law or science, a certaineducation level can be an absolute requirement. Dont leave yo ur education off your resume if you have the educational background that is required for the position, obviously.For example, a research assistant may be expected to have a related degree, or be actively pursuing one. If education is a key requirement for the job youre interested in, it should absolutely be listed in your resume.6. Does your education open you up to age discrimination?With age comes wisdombut also the potential for age discrimination during the hiring process.Age discrimination is a real problem workers face today, especially with so many start-ups being run by young entrepreneurs.A candidates age can, even subconsciously, influence hiring managers to make judgements about their fit with the companyculture or their skill set. Baby Boomers are particularly susceptible to this kind of judgment.If hiring managers look at your resume and see that you graduated from college decades ago, they might discount your education as outdated.Consider leaving off the years you att ended, or your graduation date.This doesnt mean you should try to hide your age, but be strategic about what information you reveal when. The less a hiring manager knows about you at beginning of the hiring process, the less likely they are to use this information against you.The best rule of thumb here is When in doubt, leave it out.7. Is your degree unrelated?Are you applying for a job as a banker, but you hold a degree in basket weaving? A situation like this could stand between you and a job, and leaving your education off your resume could actually keep the door open for you to make it to the next stage.If you are applying for a job totally unrelated to your degree, it can give the impression that you are not very invested in the role, and would be more likely to leave the company for another opportunity. If a degree isnt required for a given position, then listing one that doesnt even relate isnt necessarily going to help you.On the flip side, some hiring managers are looking for a degree as a sign that you are capable of sticking with something, and nothing more. Earning a degree shows a certain amount of dedication and drive, which appeal to hiring managers.8. Does your education make you overqualified?Someone who appears overqualified for a position is seen as a flight risk. That is, a hiring manager assumes there is a good chance they will find something that better matches their experience level and jump ship after the company has invested time and money into training. Employee turnover is expensive, and something companies obviously want to avoid.The result Highly qualified professionals are being overlooked in lieu of applicants who meet just the minimum requirements for a job.Not all is lost here. You still have the opportunity to impress the hiring manager during the interview and make yourself the clear choice. You just have to do what you can to get to that step, and that might mean cutting out unnecessary educational qualifications.HAVE TWO M INUTES?Learn how Jobscan can optimize your resume for the tech used by most recruiters.How to Scan a Resume with Jobscan (208)Explore the Resume Match Report (223)???Full text tutorialGet your own report

Monday, November 25, 2019

3 Ways To Get Hired Faster At Age 50+ (Part I)

3 Ways To Get Hired Faster At Age 50+ (Part I)3 Ways To Get Hired Faster At Age 50+ (Part I)US government figures as of June 2019 say the average length of unemployment is more than 22 weeks. And your job search is likely to take 20% longer than that if youre near, at, or over age 50.Although age discrimination is real and it happens every day, whats just as real is that people over 50 are getting hired every day. If some factors are working against you in your job search, lets talk about taking control of the elements you can, so you can land the job you really want that much faster. Part 1 of this series will center on knowing whos hiring in the 1st place.ItPays To KnowI just had a candidate tell me, Jewel, on Sunday afternoon I came home and sat down with my computer to apply online. I applied for 250 jobs on Indeed. Do you know how many I had heard from by the end of the week? Zero.And guess what? I was not surprised to hear this story. While it may seem like youre conducting a l ot of activity by throwing spaghetti on the wall and seeing what sticks, and it may seems like youre covering a lot of ground, all youre really doing is wasting time thats what ends up costing you.What takes more time up front, but what pays off big in the end, is investing the time into learning what organizations are innovating, growing, and hiring. Make it a best practice to learn and act on this information, and you wont be throwing spaghetti anymore. Rather, youll be aiming the dart exactly at the bullseye.TheInternet Makes It Easy For YouExpand your thinking beyond the Internet job boards, because if you stop there, youll be among the ranks of those who take 6 month to land a job. The Internet is available to you as a research tool, so put on your thinking cap.One resource to take advantage of is Monster.com. (Wait a minute didnt she just say go beyond the job boards? Yes. But Monster offers a list of 100 companies hiring the most this week, and they update the list every mo nth. Thats just one example of how the Internet curates this information for you.ThinkEven Deeper Than ThatOnce you see a company is hiring, think about other companies in that same sector. If one is growing, the others are likely to be growing as well. For example, if Salesforce.com is hiring, check out their competitors and others who are in the SaaS space. That thought process can have you build a short list that includes Adobe, Slack, MailChimp, Shopify, SurveyMonkey, MathWorks, and HubSpot.These companies may be advertising or not it doesnt matter. If the sector is growing, theyre hiring thats called the hidden job market.You have to approach these companies the right way. Find out the exact language to use in our free webinar, How To Get Hired In Half The Time. Its all laid out for you take your screenshots, copy it down, and use it so you can start to get the responses you need in as little as 24-48 hours. Register here today to learn exactly how to do this.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

New Study Reveals What Employees Really Want for the Holidays

New Study Reveals What Employees Really Want for the HolidaysNew Study Reveals What Employees Really Want for the HolidaysNew Study Reveals What Employees Really Want for the HolidaysYou rely on your employees every day of the year to keep your business humming. So if you want to make sure theyre merry and bright for all of 2018, youll probably want to use this holidayseason to show them your appreciation.A recent survey by staffing firm (and parent company)Randstad U.S. survey asked what employees really want for the holidaysand 54% of respondents ranked holiday spirit in the workplace as a priority.Alleviating the stress of the season and showing workers you care can go a long way toward building a better employer brandand improving and employee moraleas well.This is an opportunity for your company to show that you actually have a heart and value your employees, says Chris Edmonds, author of The Culture Engine A Framework for Driving Results, Inspiring Your Employees, and Transform ing Your Workplace.Here are seven creative ways to show you appreciate your employees this holiday seasonTrade the holiday bash for cash. Put simply this is an expensive time of year. This holiday season, U.S. consumers plan to spend on average $967 on decorations, candy, holiday gifts, and other purchases for themselves and their families, the National Retail Federation reports. Cash is tight, says Eric Chester, employee engagement expert and author of On Fire at Work How Great Companies Ignite Passion in Their People Without Burning Them Out.One way to help your employees shrink their spending is to give them a holiday bonus. In fact, Randstads survey found 90% of workers say they would rather get a bonus or extra vacation days than attend a company holiday party.Even a small bonus can be meaningfulwhen it comes with a personal note from your companys president or CEO. Case in point Rick Jackson, CEO of Jackson Healthcare, gives each of his employees a holiday card with $100 folde d inside every year. If you cant do money, how about a free vacation day or two around the holiday week? Or a free day to take off anytime during their birthday month?Offer flexible work options. Many employees want flexible work options during the holidays, says Paul Thallner, partner at the Great distributions-mix to Work Institute. Also, the more you can accommodate your employees, the more both parties benefit, Thallner says.A recent study from the University of Minnesota and MIT found that workers at a Fortune 500 company who participated in a pilot work flexibility program voiced higher levels of job satisfaction and reduced levels of burnout and psychological stress than employees who did not participate in the program.Offering your employees flexible work hours and telecommuting options during the busy holiday season can make them happier and more productive.Break bread together. Randstads holiday survey found that 62% of employees feel obligated to attend their companys hol iday party. Instead of throwing a big fancy bash this year, consider a less lavish meal during the workday.It doesnt have to be a big catered event, Edmonds says. It can be something as basic as a pizza party. The important thing is to have employees sit down and eat together as a group. Its about spending time together, Thallner says. Thats the kind of camaraderie that employees love.Organize a white elephant party. Exchanging gifts between co-workers is a fun way to celebrate the holidays, says Thallner, who recommends throwing a white elephant party.The rules are simple You set an affordable$5 or $10 budget for each gift, or have people bring in something valuable they own but dont want anymore. Its not about the price, he explains. It forces people to get creative and it creates positive memories for employees.Provide a simple luxury. The holidays can be a stressful time of year for people. To help your employees decompress, bring in a masseuse to provide free 10-minute massages . Another fun activity for employee appreciation take your employees to see a matinee, Chester suggests.Whatever activity you select, quietly ask a few employees for their eingabe first to choose an activity that everyone will enjoy.Share a thank-you video from an executive. Many companies (often unintentionally) build barriers between company brass and employees, which can damage employee morale. A short thank-you video from an executive during the holidays can open a communication channel and improve your companys culture. It humanizes executives and helps employees see company leaders as ordinary people, Thallner says.This can be especially beneficial for employees that telecommute or work remotely.Say it in writing. Give employees handwritten thank-you notes from managers. Dont overlook this time-tested display of appreciation. You cannot underestimate the power of a handwritten note thanking an employee for their work for the year, Thallner says.Rather than give all employees t he same generic thank-you card, have managers write personalized messages to their direct reports citing specific milestones or contributions. (Thank you for the new account you negotiated for our team. We couldnt have done it without you.)The effort you put into caring for your workers this holiday season will benefit your workforce and company in the coming yearand thats a gift for everyone.