3 Reasons Your Recruiter May Hate Your Resume

3 Reasons Your Recruiter May Hate Your Resume3 Reasons Your Recruiter May Hate Your Resume3 Reasons Your Recruiter May Hate Your ResumeIf your headhunter hates your resume, you may want to hear them out before you get defensive.Many job seekers at one time or aleidher find themselves engaging with a headhunter. Regardless if you have been solicited, or you have sought them out, a headhunter will always ask you for your resume. So what do you do if your headhunter tells you that you need resume help? As a professional resume writer, career coach, and oft-times recruiter, I can tell you that this happens for one of three reasons.Reason 1 You have a bad resumeOr, to put it more delicately, your resume format is not optimizing your skillset effectively and therefore will not be as productive a marketing tool as it could be. If your resume is out of date, unattractively formatted, contains an objective statement or is just hard to read, then your headhunter may rightly ask you to create a more professional looking resume. If this is the case, you will be well served to listen. If writing resumes is not your thing, there are wonderful professional services who can help with resume writing.Reason 2 Your resume does not emphasize the skills their client needsYour headhunter presumably is very familiar with the hiring company and their needs. A resume is only a two page document highlighting the skills you have assumed will be most relevant. However, sometimes there is an important facet to the job that is not apparent on your resume, that the headhunter may be aware of. If you are confident that you actually do have the skill and can ethically claim it on your resume, you are well served to take your headhunters resume help. They usually get paid only if you are hired, so they are highly motivated to get you the job. That being said, you will be the one to interview and work there so avoid overstating any claims.Reason 3 Formatting preferenceResume formats are both an art and a science. There are parsing techniques, keywords and current trends that are proven to be effective, but there are also personal preferences. It is very frustrating to pay money to get help with resume writing, only to show it to a recruiter and be told that it should look different. This has happened to a few of my clients. While I personally always prefer my version and can back it up with statistics, what I usually tell my client is that if they really want to work with that headhunter, and the headhunter feels strongly about a different template or resume format, the client should consider reformatting to the headhunters preference (and using the other one for positions outside the headhunters scope).In conclusion, invest your time and resources in the best possible version of your resume and if someone objects to it, listen to why, weigh out the rationale and only change if it makes sense to you. Your resume is your marketing tool and you should have the final say on i ts appearance.Need resume? Our TopResume writers can make it happen

Just sniffing coffee is enough to boost your job performance

Just sniffing coffee is enough to boost yur job wertmiger zuwachsJust sniffing coffee is enough to boost your job performanceFor those of us who love coffee, the smell of java alone is enough to make us go ahhhhh. Now, a new study explains why the pick-me-up of coffees scent is not just in our heads. Coffees scent has brain-boosting powers, a new study published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology suggests.Coffee smells create higher performance expectationTo test the power of a whiff of coffee, researchers recruited students to take a test with questions from the Graduate Management Admission Test, a requirement for many business schools. Crucially, some of the students taking the test were in a room that smelled like coffee but did not have any actual caffeine in the diffuser scent. The smell of java was enough to improve the math scores of students in the coffee-scented room, suggesting that coffee has a placebo effect on our brains.We know coffee is supposed to make us mor e alert, so that expectation helps us rise to the occasion. Students in the coffee room said they had higher performance expectations than students in the other conditions.We associate coffee with working hard, so it may help us actually work harder and do better at our jobs.Merely smelling a caffeine-associated scent (without ingesting any caffeine) can boost performance on an analytical reasoning task, the researchers concluded.For those of us who get jittery after one too many cups of coffee, the coffee placebo effect is good news. We can partake in the brain-boosting powers of caffeine without needing to inhale it ourselves.With 80% of the world consuming coffee, the smell of coffee is one of the most ubiquitous scents in the world. It hits us whenever we pass by a coffee shop or our office cafeteria. Next time, you pass by one on your way to your next meeting, you may want to linger.

3 signs you should keep your job and 3 signs you shouldnt

3 signs you should keep yur job and 3 signs you shouldnt3 signs you should keep your job and 3 signs you shouldntGrowing up I was taught by my parents to get a job and keep a job. Period. It was ingrained in me that once I graduated college, I needed to land at a good company and stay there. The big reward would be retirement at 40 years with a fancy company pen and pension. This was my mindset for years. Its what was expected of me, and it is what I aspired to do.Ultimately though, the longest I held out at one company was 14 years, thank you very much. I was on a roller coaster with highs of success and excitement to lows of frustration and disappointment. Yet, with dogged determination and loyalty, I stuck out it. I was supposed to right? Wrong. By staying, I denied myself the opportunity for even mora growth and opportunities. Staying was comfortable (even in the hardest times), but it wasnt always productive.Even though all of this is in my rearview mirror now, wish I would have known years before how to assess if I should stay or go. I needed some type of guideline to know when it was time to depart. It would have given me confidence in making the big decision and the courage to pull the rip chord to create change for myself.Here are three statistics will give you an indication of how employees view their current companies and jobs71% of workers said they are looking to change employers37% of engaged employees are looking for jobs or watching for opportunities, as are 56% of not engaged and 73% of actively disengaged employees47% of people actively looking for new positions say company culture is the main reasonSo if you are feeling like you need a job change, you are not alone. Here are three signs that maybe it is time to take the leap, and three signs that you should tough it out a bit longerThree signs you should quit your job1. Deficit in developmentIf you notice that your company isnt doing anything to develop, train, or promote you, it is a sign th at it may be time to go. This is two-fold. First, it shows they have little interest in your future and how you contribute to the organization. Second, your professional growth can be hindered if the company does not actively develop or promote. This deficit can create frustration on the employees behalf and it shows that the company is not invested in their people.2. Getting out of bedWe all go through periods where our jobs are miserable, or we are just flat bored. Getting out of bed can feel like a chore itself. If you are not mentally engaged in what you are doing for a living, dont wait too long to make a change. Staying in a role you find completely uninspiring will do a number on your self worth will and will be detected by your manager. When you feel this stagnancy or boredom linger, it is a sign that it is time to go. Give yourself the chance to find something new that will interest and inspire you3. High turnoverEmployees stay in their jobs if they actually like their work environment. If they have a good boss, work-life balance and consistency, they will stay for a while. But, if these components are not present, most people will jump ship. If you landsee your respected colleagues leaving right and left, know the issues are most likely systemic. This is a signal that it is time to find a new ship that is sailing in the right direction.Three signs you shouldnt quit your job1. If you are under 12 months of employmentThis is the sweet spot, 12 months. Say you get involved in a job that you dont feel is a right fit or you wish you didnt take, do your best to make it last one year. Leaving at 6-9 months can look questionable to your next employer. Staying 12-18 months, even if you want to go, will show stability and that you were dedicated to this period of your career journey.2. Leadership change is comingWhen you see that the people above you are moving on or moving out, hold tight. This could mean a positive change for you. Their movement makes room f or perhaps your advancement, a role change or maybe even just a better work culture. This type of transition can yield professional growth, so watch what happens and then figure out what this can mean for you3. Look for a job while you have oneIt has been said again and again, it is best to look for a new job while you have a job. Even if you know you want to quit, stick with your current position (barring horrible circumstances) while you are on the new job search. Clearly by doing this, you are maintaining your current income, while at the same time you appear more marketable and desirable to your potential employer.In todays environment, there is a lot more freedom of choice based on social acceptance of job hops, which can work in your favor. If you find you are in disengaged or perhaps indifferent, dont waste any more time. Assess your current professional situation and dont be afraid to ask yourself if you should stay or if you should go.Holly Caplan is a workplace issues expe rt, award-winning manager and author of Surviving the D-ck Clique A Girls Guide to Surviving the Male Dominated Corporate World. For more information, please visit,www.hollycaplan.comand connect with her on Twitter, hollymcaplan.