A DIY resume 

It’s sometimes, an uphill battle to present a resume that’s just right.

We will labour over what to include, what to delete.  We are conflicted over what is relevant for the position we are applying for, and so often, when we create and write our own, we have a distorted view, we see the world from our own perspective, not from the reader’s viewpoint.

Let’s be honest, many of us are also unable to objectively read, let alone, edit and proof read our own writing

A good resume writer knows the industry standards and the major requirements of a recruiter whether that’s the  internal HR departments or small business owners. The Writer will forge your resume to relate to the reader. It will match to the job advertised; it will be a resume with a point of difference!

Contact figjam resumes for a free consultation and quote for your next career move

 Ivana Agapiou Resume writer and career advisor 0404056278

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Resumes need to be read, not rejected.

How can you attract the reader’s attention? Here’s a little secret gem that just might help keep your readers interested. I suggest you add an enticing  “About me” statement. 

Resumes, like applicants are individual.

The About Me Statement needs to shine a light on your personality, values and passion. Here are a few top tips on improving your statement.

Your statement should contain most of the following:

• Level of experience in industry
• Skills on offer to the employer
• be written specifically to the advertisement, what job role is it,  and what skills are needed in that job.
• Qualifications and or certifications relevant to position
• Explain why you for this job
• What is the special “Something” that differentiates you from other employees?

To successfully write a resume for reading, the responses could read a bit like these following examples,

A Barista

“Being a Barista is not just a job! I love serving customers and can operate various commercial coffee machines. I have speed and physical agility, and I possess initiative and can think quickly on my feet. I’m creative and enjoy making each cup a work of art. I can distinguish qualities of a coffee such as body, astringency, bitterness, fruitiness, acidity, chew, under extracted, over extracted, and the texture of the milk, and last but not least, I love working under pressure!”

The Pitch

“I like being the public face for a hotel. As the first person a customer sees or the first voice they hear, I know how important it is that I consistently act in a professional manner providing the customers with a great first, and lasting impression. I am also a great typist, and pride myself on my accuracy and administration skills. As well as this, I’m told that my smile is contagious!”

General Hospitality and Retail customer service roles

The Pitch could be, “I deliver a high level of customer service and I understand the importance of presentation and great communication skills. I like to be efficient and to provide  timely service. I adopt a very flexible approach to working various shifts, and can work a variety of hours. I enjoy engaging with Guests and customers and building repeat business”.

Examples offered are just examples but could be used to form your unique elevator pitch

If you need professional advice and assistance to upgrade your resume and application or are still concerned and having difficulty writing for reading, not rejection, then CALL NOW  Ivana on 0404056278  or visit figjamresumes.com.au for a phone appointment

Resume consultant,  Ivana Agapiou Resume writer and career advisor

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Enhancing or damaging your image

We are often asked, “Is what I wear at work really matter?” In a word, yes. Although we don’t like to think that appearances and body language matter, the fact is that people react to us based on their perceptions. Research shows that people are more likely to hire, promote and recommend us if we look and behave professionally. In fact, managing our personal image is just like managing a great “brand” – it can be a very effective marketing tool!

Others make decisions based on their first and on-going impressions of us, so it’s important to get your personal image packaging right. Learning to visually express who you through good wardrobe decisions, right fit, clean and ironed clothes —can positively impact your future. By the same token, presenting a less than professional image can have a negative affect.

Eather Recruitment’s policy is to always present professionally, not just in dress, but in manner.   Don’t ever assume no one is watching  and thinking….and analyzing

Lastly, in job interviews – you never get a second chance to make a great first impression!!

Ivana Agapiou career advice 0404056278

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Your resume is your career passport.

Is your resume a passport to a better future? or is it a stagnant, ordinary piece of  work that doesn’t attract much attention?

I believe it’s a VITAL career Investment, and in this post we will evaluate whether your resume is helping or hindering your future security, satisfaction and success rates at the job application stage.

I have a picture in my head of how I would like to spend the rest of my life.. it looks something like this.. loads of freedom, loads of money, and loads of dreams fulfilled!  Your future may look a bit different, but deep down we are a all a bit the same.  Very few of us want to be working so long and hard that we forget, or don’t have time for the simple stuff!  Now what has this got to do with your resume? well, EVERYTHING!   

Your resume gets you either noticed or ignored It holds POWER and may mean the difference between staying in a dull, poorly paid job to gaining a career filled with job satisfaction.  It’s the KEY to unlocking a new pathway and perhaps a better life!

Resumes need to be all of the following:

• continually updated and revised by adding new jobs/skills/training etc
• meet current industry/workplace standards by using correct terms and contemporary language
• be a true reflection of your worth and potential
• not arrogant yet not too humble either
• totally free of spelling and grammatical errors
• pack a punch and engage the reader – not looking like a cookie cutter resume
• have relevant referees who you KNOW are 100% trustworthy
• be truthful and honest without “too much information”
• match the job you are applying for, and include details of skills, experience and knowledge that can be reconciled against the job advertised (making the reader’s life easier as they can see a correlation /connection, enough to place you on the short list)

It’s THE most important career document you possess. It can either yield you an interview or it can make your application obsolete.

So, where do you start? here’s a guide

Get hold of your resume, read over and better still, have an objective third party review the layout and contents.

Obtain an expert opinion -HR professional or recruiter

Test the market – if your resume is successful, then more often than not, you will be called in for an interview, if however, you are NOT contacted… Houston, we have a problem resume!

Ivana Agapiou Resume writer and career advisor

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RESUME, CAPABILITY LEVELS, COVER LETTERS AND MUCH,  MUCH MORE !!

Applying for a job, especially within government sectors can be very tricky and a bit scary! Here are a few helpful tips to get you started:-

Be prepared to:

• spend hours and hours of research and writing
• focus strongly on how you meet the capabilities for the role
• prepare solid examples of past work experiences that would prove your experience
• pre-write all the responses prior to entering on-line application and then cut and paste
• check for all errors, spelling as well as grammar
• meet the on-line application deadline

if all else fails, we can help you with our job application services which cover all the sticky and tricky aspects of applying for “that” job. The intent of a great application is to secure you an interview, and that where our JOB APPLICATION SERVICES may help!  Here are the 3 major services we provide:

JOB APPLICATION SERVICES

Career consultation

 This will help you develop a vital job marketing plan. The session includes a professional consultation and review of your career path and your goals; comprehensive information on relevant job market and possible transferable roles.

$120 per hour

Resume Basic Service

Provides a review of existing resume, including minor edits and enhancing formatting as it aligns with relevant industry standard.

USB copy and cover letter template supplied.

(Copy of current resume in Word format is required)

$150 for the basic kit

 Resume – Superior comprehensive service

Resume review and complete rewrite; prepare responses to capability statements; address mandatory criteria plus cover letter

USB copy of documents

$350 for comprehensive service

Contact Ivana Agapiou Resume writer and career advisor  on 0404056278 to help your next application get you to THAT interview!

The post It’s complicated! Resume/cover letters/capability levels, WHOOO!! appeared first on Eather Recruitment.

Your resume is one of the main ways employers have of making a judgement of your ability to perform a role.

Your document requires structure and a pathway of understanding for your reader. It should not be a difficult maze of distracting information to navigate.

It should  reflect who you are, what you have done and what you could offer a new employer; it should not be an example of how much you don’t care about the impression you’re making.

Seriously, the resume that is highlighted below was an actual, live application (yes all the names and contact details have been changed to protect the innocent)

The font size and the layout is exactly as it presented and Dear Ruby (not her real name) was applying for a role as an office assistant. We have left all the errors intact so that you can judge for yourself.

This IS a BAD resume and it will not be able to allow Ruby to get to an interview.

• How many errors can you find?
• What judgement did you make of Ruby as a potential employee?
• Would you refer her to a position within your business?
• What advice would you give Ruby on improving her resume as well as he approach to work outside of Hospitality industry eg for Office work?

check this real example (names changed ) READ ON!

 …………………………………………………………………….

RESUME

 NAME:                Ruby Brown

ADDRESS:          Yada Yada NSW 2444

DOB:                    6^th December 1996

MARTAL STATUE:      single

MOBILE:            0400 600 211

EMAIL:               hotchick96@hotmail.com

PREVOUS EMPLOYMENT:                                  

September 2010 – currence

Company: Flynns on the water Café

Place: Port Macquarie

Position: Barista, Waitress and Cook

Duties:

• Taking orders
• Preparing food
• Customer service
• Cleaning
• Cooking meals takeaway and dine in
• Opening and closing the café
• Ordering stock
• Barista – Making Coffees
• Waitress
• Cash handling

November 2011 – April 2013

Company: Real Expensive Property

Place: Port Macquarie

Position: Traineee Property Manager –

Duties included:

• Answering the phone
• Scheduling and Conducting viewings of rental properties
• Scheduling and Conducting routine inspections

November 2012 – 2014

Company :Boring as anything

Place: Hell on Earth

Position: Admin

Duties included

• Organising repairs/sending work orders
• Entering new tenants in REST
• Updating owners on their investments weekly
• Sending emails
• Receipting rent and water
• Adding, editing and removing rental properties on Port Plus
• Archiving and allocating documents

EDUCATION AND QUALIFICATIONS                                                           

2014 Peak Coffee Coarse Module 1, 2 & 3 completed, Port Macquarie

2012 McCafe Barista Certificate completed, Port Macquarie

2013 finished highschool

REFERENCES:                                                                                                      

Joe Blogg

Manager

Mcdonalds

Hobbies

Surfing; swimming; crafts;singing; dancing; going out with friends; music; football; social media;gym; singing

How many errors did you find? This resume is in serious need of an overhaul!

Having your own troubles with resume writing – talk with our expert Ivana Agapiou resume writer and career advisor 

0404056278

The post OMG! A Resume with a bad attitude! appeared first on Eather Recruitment.

Spend valuable time on the writing, thinking, planning and reviewing and it will be worth every minute!

• It should be a breeze. A walk in the park. A lovely relaxing think, but all too often talking about ourselves in positive light, is the most difficult thing to do. Most of us need help with learning the Key secrets to writing responses to Key Section Criteria and other tricky demands of the application process.

Job Applications that require responses to  Key Selection Criteria (KSC)- or Capability Statements, can be an excruciating experience…especially if you don’t know what to do!

Firstly, you must respond to the Key Selection Criteria. If you only send in your Cover Letter and Resume for a job that has a request for you to respond to Key Selection Criteria your application will immediately be discarded

Don’t assume that employers or the selection panel will pull the information out of your application package and pick up the salient points.  They will not!  Even if they had the spare time for such insight, they are not allowed to infer anything.

Here are some General hints to follow when responding to KSC (Key selection Criteria)

• Read the vacancy announcement carefully  ( I often read it out aloud and slowly – it helps!)
• Gather the information needed to begin writing
• Be specific and be precise
• Get to the point and don’t ramble
• Use poignant examples to support your assertions (current and past colleagues may be able to assist you remember)
• State specifically what you have done, and the results or outcomes
• Do not use acronyms
• Present yourself in “clear and plain” language
• Do not borrow language from the position description
• Make sure you answer each Key Selection Criteria separately. NEVER, ever, write a response that combines 2 or more Key Selection Criteria in one response or write, eg, refer to para 1 or refer to resume
• Study each Key Selection Criteria very carefully. Note the language used and the very specific areas the question covers. Underline any key words and phrases. Then write your response.

For each Key Selection Criteria, delve into your career history and work experience and come up with an example that demonstrates the particular skill or experience that you are being asked for. Try to find examples of a project that was completed (i.e. something that started and ended, with a definable result, while you were there) and write a response outlining what you actually did to assist with the project

Use the STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) structure to respond to the Key Selection Criteria

Keep your responses to Key Selection Criteria within the guidelines on the advertisement.

Keep it succinct and brief. More than 3 or 4 pages per criterion is almost certainly too much. Less than this is to brief and more than this will put you at risk of waffling. Please Note that waffling does not cut it. The questions are very specific and it’s critical you provide specific responses.

There are a number of publications and further information on the web .Let us know if  these tips are useful!

Ivana Agapiou resume writer and career advisor

0404 056 278

The post Let’s explore the Excruciating “Writing Part” for Key Selection Criteria appeared first on Eather Recruitment.

Is your resume an individually tailored document that sells your skills in the right light?

The simple answer is actually a question, “Is your resume getting you that interview?” Otherwise,  it’s just heading to the sunset with all the others.

Firstly, if your resume is securing you that interview, then you have a good resume, however, if it does not get you in front of a potential employer, it’s doing you NO favours!

Resumes should read like sales documents, they should “sell” your unique skills, knowledge, experience and qualifications. Most importantly, it should make you a highly marketable commodity!

Many candidates place a lot of effort into resume writing and often don’t know how to edit, delete or add. However, it’s a mandatory requirement.

Following are  some simple rules

1) Always proof read thoroughly, and have someone else read it also.

2) Check for spelling errors, grammatical errors and general professional layout.

3) print a copy and see how it looks… often the print version can appear quite different that the screen copy!

3) only include content that is relevant to the job you are applying for – yes, this means more work, and yes, it means adapting your resume to each role and yes, it’s worth it

Finally,  a resume is very personal and many candidates find it challenging to “blow their own Trumpet” so if you need an objective opinion and  help with resume writing, you need an expert with years of recruitment experience,

Call us on 0265838222  or 0404056278 and inquire about our Talent Review Services, which include professional resume writing

Finally, for more information, you could also visit www.figjamresumes.com.au

Ivana Agapiou – Resume writer
Eather Recruitment

The post Resumes are your best sales and promotional flier! appeared first on Eather Recruitment.

Marching & matching all in line, all in tune, just like a career objective, it needs to fit in to the tune of the resume.

Career objectives are tricky, but if written with the audience in mind can be powerful music to their ears!

I’m not a fan of  writing a career objective in the resume. The career objective can be a tricky statement to compose as it’s is often open to various misinterpretations and unless you intend to remain in a narrow career field, can pigeon hole you.

Sometimes these paragraphs read as  just “motherhood” statements, really broad and boring.  They are often non-specific and tell the reader NOTHING about you. The reader is left not knowing much about you, in fact, sadly,  some statements can be a complete turn off.

One example is ” I am looking to find full time employment, long term and sustainable employment” or “want to work close to home”. Well,  who doesn’t? Is this a realistic goal when so many jobs and companies are not sustainable? Does this even sound like a career objective? does it sound more like a dream, a wish, and a hope to have a job for life?

Is your career objective from your perspective and not that of the future employer?  Your potential employer does not want to disappoint nor can they guarantee  a job “forever”. The writer has missed the objective of “career objective” all together! Instead of writing what they want, they needed to inform the reader that they are highly skilled in the areas that are described in the job advert and that they have a lot to offer the role and the organisation.  What if the role they applied for was Part-time?

What if the part time role could lead to full time? Then the Career objective has just ruined an possible employment opportunity!

I certainly don’t want to employ someone because their main objective is a job for life, nor do I want someone who can’t articulate how their skills, knowledge and experience will help me and my business. Let’s face it, if I only want loyalty, then I can buy a dog.  Employers want MORE than loyalty, they want talent!

Be VERY CAREFUL writing a Career objective. It is not a place to demonstrate desperation; it is the place where you show the relevance between your skills, experience and knowledge with the advertised position.

Lastly, think and imagine the employer who will read your resume.  Sit in their chair and imagine them reading your resume. What will they want to read? What specific skill-set are they looking for? Research the company and the job job description. Mirror and match your career objectives to your research.

Just like a great marching band that dances uniformly, and with great interest, your career statement will make sense to the reader and they will see a “fit”; an attractive sequence and pattern that will all make sense.

Ivana Agapiou Resume writer and career advisor

The post Career objective, make it sing and dance to the right tune appeared first on Eather Recruitment.

The Waiting

We are often asked how long it would take a company to get back to you after you have applied for a job. There is no right answer.  There is best practice that most companies try to follow.

Many companies have a structured recruitment phase.  This includes:

1. composing the advert
2. Listing the job on net /media
3. scouring through resumes
4. screening applications (usually 2 weeks after advert goes live) scanning resumes
5. calling successful candidates to an interview
6. reference checks
7. selection
8. Informing all the unsuccessful candidates

Often the bigger the company, the longer they take to recruit. However, small business owners who are time poor, may also take a long time to contact you.

Sadly, all too often, many don’t call; write or email you back at all. This wait period is, and can be, highly stressful. To ease your anxiety, make a list of all the jobs you applied for. On this list, include the Company name; the job outline; the date you applied (or their closing date for applications)  and the reasons why you applied. That way, if /when you get THE CALL, you will be prepared. This is important to do especially if you have applied for several jobs at once. There is nothing more unprofessional than responding to that all important call with “who are ya?” or even worse, “what job did I apply for?”

When you do get the call, and are scheduled for an interview, make sure you are fully prepared. If you haven’t done it already, research the company and the role further.

Lastly, you got the call! and now all you have to do is perform your very best at interview and then throw it all to chance! Hopefully, you will be called and congratulated on getting the job. If not, soldier on, as sometimes its not you.. its just chance…

Ivana Agapiou – resume writer, career advisor, outplacement services

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