Cover Letters and Customized Resumes

Your cover letter and your resume are the tools that you need to land the job you always wanted, but this means they have to be just right. They have to stand out from the crowd. Unfortunately, many individuals have a difficult time constructing a resume and cover letter that accurately depicts them. The good news, however, is that there are professional services that can help you out with this so that you can be adequately portrayed on paper.

How does it work?

When using professional services to construct your cover letters and resumes, it is a rather simple process. All you need to do at first is provide the company with information about yourself. This information will include:

Your name and contact information The goal you hope to accomplish by getting the job Your employment history Your educational background Any certifications, licenses, or publications you may have Volunteer experience References Any other viable information that may apply to your employment

Once they have all of this information together, they will be able to construct a very professional resume for you. It will be organized and the information will be relayed in a very professional manner that is straight to the point. You will not find any rambling on a resume or cover letter that is put together by professionals.

Because you may find these services on the Internet, they will most likely email you the finished product. Once you have the finished product on your computer, it is your responsibility to print it out. Make sure you do so on a high quality paper. You can purchase resume paper and letter stock through your local office supply store or department store in the office supplies section. It is important that your resume is made as professional as possible and the paper will help with this. It will feel good in the readers hands.

The effectiveness of a good resume

The effectiveness of a good resume cannot be underestimated. Imagine that you are responsible for hiring for your employer. You are handed a stack of resumes. Some of them have handwritten cover letters, the resumes have no substance, the paper they are printed on are of a poor quality, and nothing stands out when you scan them. But you do come across one or two that are printed on high quality paper, have cover letters that get to the point, and certain parts stand out when being scanned through.

So think about which you are going to choose. Are you going to give the poorly put together resumes the time of day? Probably not. When you have to hire someone and you have to hire them quick, you dont want to have to sift through a bunch of resumes that look like they dont have good candidates behind them.

So make sure you put yourself in the shoes of the individual doing the hiring when it comes to your resume. If youre insecure about creating your resume, then perhaps you need to have a professional do it. It is much better to have a company do customized cover letters and resumes that you know will be effective instead of taking a chance. Being that the job market is the way it is now, it is not really the time to take a chance when the jobs are far and in between. When you have an effective resume, you are increasing your chances of getting the job. Those with great resumes are the ones that dont have much trouble getting jobs in even the most unpredictable of job markets.

So make sure you put yourself in the shoes of the individual doing the hiring when it comes to your resume. If youre insecure about creating your resume, then perhaps you need to have a professional do it. It is much better to have a company do customized cover letters and resumes that you know will be effective instead of taking a chance. Being that the job market is the way it is now, it is not really the time to take a chance when the jobs are far and in between. When you have an effective resume, you are increasing your chances of getting the job. Those with great resumes are the ones that dont have much trouble getting jobs in even the most unpredictable of job markets.

Common Mistakes When Writing a Resume

With so many people competing for jobs, employers are finding themselves swamped with stacks of resumes. Employers are now looking for resumes that standout from the pile. The key to landing a job interview is to present a strong and effective resume. A resume that is filled with errors will only end up in the waste basket. The following is a list of common mistakes people make when writing a resume:

1) No Cover Letter: Employers want to see a cover letter with a resume. A cover letter is your introduction and summarizes your job intentions.

2) Typing Errors: A resume with typos and grammatical errors will make an employer think that you do not pay attention to details. A computer spell check does not always pick up every mistake. Proofread your resume and then have a friend read it.

3) Disorganized Content: It is important to list the most important information at the top of the resume. Experience and employment history are the most important parts of the resume. Your hobbies should be placed near the end of the resume. Make sure your information is easy to read. Filter out information that is not relevant to the job.

4) Unprofessional email address: Email addresses should not be amateurish. For instance, happyguy104@hotmail.com is not appropriate. A better email would be JohnDoe@hotmail.com.

5) Layout Lacking Consistency: You should have equal spacing between headings. Your margins should be equal. Include dates on your resume. A recommended font size is 11 or 12. When using verbs, make sure you are using the correct verb tense. Use different action verbs when highlighting your skills. Do not use abbreviations or contractions.

6) Unclear Focus: Your resume should be written to match your experience and education with the job you are seeking. You want the employer to think that you are the best person for the job.

7) Boring Content: Your resume should tell a mini story about your experience and education. Dont just list your duties. Highlight valuable experience to show why you should be chosen for the job. Do not use phrases such as responsibilities included or duties included.
Lacking Extracurricular Activities: Employers want to read about additional activities such as certificates of achievement, training, volunteer experience, and awards. This will show employers that you are out going and well-rounded. When listing your achievements, make sure you emphasize the results of your work.

9) Key skills Do Not Stand Out: Use a format such as bullets to highlight skills the employer will like. You want to show the employer that you will be an asset to the business.

10) Inappropriate Personal Information: Dont put in personal information such as gender and age. Do not include a picture of yourself. . Keep your personal and professional life separate in order to be taken seriously.

11) Inaccurate Information: It is important that you do not lie or embellish. It would be embarrassing if you were caught lying. Your resume should be truthful.

12) Job Experience Too Old: It is important not to go back too far when listing your employment experience. If you are older, employers will not want to see what summer job you had in high school.

A resume is the entryway to a job interview. It is important to understand that your resume is a marketing tool, not an autobiography. Make your resume an interesting read. A resume should be written so that it is focused on the job position. When you write a professional resume that stands out from the others in the pile, you will have a better chance of getting your dream job.

Foreign Accent: Is It Part of Your Identity?

If you have a foreign accent, you probably have a love/hate relationship with it. On one hand, you know that your accent is a part of who you are and points back to your country of origin, a place you likely have fond memories of. On the other hand, your accent can cause you to stand out, and some people have a difficult time understanding you when you speak if your accent is quite heavy. Before you work too hard to remove your accent, consider the fact that it could become a positive part of your identity with a little work.

What Causes Your Accent

As you learn English, you are learning not only vocabulary and grammar, but also the sounds of the language. This is why you spend so much time imitating sounds and speaking the language out loud. A lot of practice makes your pronunciation much more clear, but you can struggle with some sounds. This is because your native tongue does not have some of the sounds the English language has. This is no different than the struggles a native English speaker would have when trying to learn your language. As an adult, your mouth has been trained to form certain sounds and not others, and the sounds of your native tongue carry over into your English speech. This is why it is so difficult to completely remove an accent, because it is literally a part of the person that you are.

Benefits of Having an Accent

Your accent is part of who you are. Many people across the world find foreign accents quite beautiful. Some actors and actresses are chosen for major film roles just for their accent or ability to portray an accent. Accents sound romantic and exotic to the listener in many situations.

In some ways, having an accent can make you stand out in a beneficial way. People notice you when you speak because of the beautiful way your accent sounds. This can sometimes cause you to get noticed.

Downsides to Having an Accent

Having a foreign accent is something that is a part of who you are, but there are potential downsides to it as well. If your accent is thick, it may be difficult for other people to understand you when you speak English. This can lead to other problems.

For example, if you are being considered for a job where your verbal communication skills will come into play, you may be overlooked in favor of someone who can speak clearer English. You may be overlooked simply because the potential employer has difficulty understanding you, even if your English-speaking ability will not come into play in the job. While this is discrimination in a way, there is little you can do about it, because it is difficult to prove.

How to Approach an Accent

Your accent makes you unique, but if it is causing trouble for you, you may want to do something about it. The good news is that you do not have to get rid of your accent altogether if you wish to improve your speaking ability. Remember, your accent is not a bad thing. It is a part of your identity.

What you can do to improve your ability to communicate is work on the strength of your accent. You can actually enroll in courses that will help you form the sounds that you are struggling with when speaking English. This will help you keep your accent while making your English a bit easier for others to understand. In this way, you can avoid any of the negatives that come with having a foreign accent, while using the accent to create your own unique identity.