At Resume Solutions, we meet a lot of students who are very very successful in their chosen majors, with many of them choosing competitive, demanding programs. However, we have meet many who chose a major just to get by and graduate, others chose majors based on what they like to do, not based on earning potential.
This is an interesting article from Business News Daily:
Rather than conduct exit interviews with employees leaving for another job, new research shows businesses may actually glean more information on the reason for the departure by talking with the workers’ colleagues instead.
Gathering information on why employees leave a business can help employers identify major problem areas, reduce turnover rates and improve morale, but a study from the Personnel Decisions Research Institutes raised questions about the validity of such surveys — which often are conducted by chatting with the exiting employee, who may or may not provide accurate information regarding the decision to leave.The research, conducted by PDRI research scientist Elizabeth Lentz, found that speaking with the employee’s office peers may be more beneficial. Specifically, the research revealed co-workers often have a deep understanding about exiting employees’ decisions, and are able to provide accurate and valuable information regarding the motive behind the exit.
Lentz conducted exit-style interviews both with employees who were leaving a business and their colleagues, and said she was surprised at how similar their answers were. She said that proved co-workers’ ability to provide quick, accurate details regarding the employee’s departure
Matthew Domville of Surcorp Group, Resume Solutions, has been awarded international certification as a Certified Advanced Resume Writer (CARW) by Career Directors International (CDI). Matthew has demonstrated his superior knowledge and experience in resume writing and career development through an intensive examination, professional writing and professional development process to assess and demonstrate his industry knowledge and resume writing skill.
“At Resume Solutions, we keen on developing our employees’ expertise and I am extremely proud of Matthew’s accomplishment” says, Surranna Sandy, President of Surcorp Group, Resume Solutions. Recognition as a CARW sets Surcorp Resume Solutions and Matthew apart from the competition and distinguishes the high calibre of both his and the organization’s credentials in assisting clientele with professional resume and career coaching services. Resume Solutions, a division of Surcorp Group offers expert resume writing, personal branding and career coaching services to entry-level through executive clientele in the global marketplace. Their expertise is in empowering clients who wish to transition either within their existing career fields or to another industry.
The Surcorp team of certified resume writers, career coaches and counselors offer industry leading résumé writing, interview, career coaching and counseling services for clients with diverse employment backgrounds across 60+ industries. Visit www.resumesolutions.ca to view a full roster of Surcorp’s coaching and writing services.
Career Directors International is an international association that provides proactive resources and assistance to empower its Members in contemporary career development, resume writing and employment
Credit scores can predict your ability to pay back debts, but can new scoring models also predict your likelihood of embezzling or the frequency you’ll take your medication?
New scoring algorithms, modeled after credit scores, purport to predict your behavior beyond your creditworthiness, from your reliability as an employee to your reliability as a patient. While credit scores have been a banking standard since the 1970s to predict consumer lending behavior, what will this new generation of scores measure about your personal life? Read more here
As a female entrepreneur who have managed my own business growing it from me to over 10 staff it is very heartening to read the following on why women business owners are rocking the business world:
In 2010, women became the majority of the U.S. workforce for the first time in the country’s history. Also, 57% of college students are now women. While men continue to dominate the executive ranks and corporate board rooms, women now hold a number of lucrative careers: they make up 54% of accountants, 45% of law associates and approximately 50% of all banking and insurance jobs. These statistics, which appeared in Hanna Rosin’s Atlantic article “The End of Men,” have prompted considerable attention and debate.
Women are advancing in entrepreneurship as well. An American Express OPEN State of Women-Owned Businesses report found that between 1997 and 2011, the number of businesses in the U.S. increased by 34%, but the number of women-owned firms increased by 50%. That compares to a growth rate of just 25% for male-owned firms and has allowed businesses owned by females to reach 49% of U.S. firms — near parity with their male counterparts.
Why exactly are women advancing so quickly as business owners? Are women better equipped to thrive in this digital age? Is today’s business climate more inviting for aspiring women entrepreneurs?
As happy as I am about the project increases in salaries across diverse industries, it would be much happier with project increase in the number of jobs created, in the mean time, I will take any good news
Starting salaries for professionals in the U.S. and Canada will be going up next year as the hiring climate for experienced workers becomes more competitive and the time it takes to fill jobs lengthens.
Staffing firm Robert Half International said the average starting salary for white collar professional and support jobs in the U.S. will rise on average 3.4 percent in 2012. Tech positions will see the biggest increase with an average of 4.5 percent. Lawyers and legal support staff will see the smallest increase of the five areas studied. Starting salaries in the legal field will rise on average 1.9 percent.
Back in 2007 I wrote a very popular article that has since been republished by diverse magazines, blogs, newspapers etc on how social media could negatively impact your job search. At the time most people did not consider how their online activities could impact their job search activities. With this growth in use of social media recruitment, its time to clean up you online presence and ditch the dirt!
Social media is making it easier to find the right jobs, and for you to connect to the right people that can help you get those jobs. Many job seekers are still using traditional job search methods that are yielding poor results. The New York Post reported that one woman applied for more than one thousand jobs over 99 weeks, getting only two interviews. Nearly one in three job seekers has been out of work for more than a year, and the average job seeker gives up after five months.
But you don’t have to end up like these professionals! By understanding who you are, what differentiates you in the marketplace and establishing your personal branding online, you can compete in the new talent marketplace. Once you’ve built your own website and established your social network profiles, you’re ready to start leveraging your relationships and talents to get the job of your dreams, not just one that pays the bills.
I am honoured to have received 1st Place Sales & Marketing Resume, 2nd Place Executive Resume and 2nd Place New Graduate TORI Awards (Toast of the Resume Industry) for 2011 at the annual CDI conference last weekend!
I congratulate the winners and nominees and thank Career Directors International and its President Laura DeCarlo for hosting such a powerful event. It was an inspiring and absolute pleasure to meet professionals who are so passionate about innovation and growth in the career services industry. It was great to to learn how we can continue to improve the tools and services we provide to our clients in helping them reach their career goals.
Having provided resume writing and career coaching to thousands of people over the years, I have to agree with the premise of this article from Business Insider:
So many applicants forget this all-too-crucial step, which eventually costs them the job offer.
“It’s the single biggest issue I see,” AnnMarie McIlwain, Career Fuel’s CEO, explains. “Many job-seekers do not call or email when they say they will or when prospective employers think they should.”
It’s a turn-off to employers committed to hiring someone responsible, and especially off-putting when said employer has done you a favor, say, by opening networking doors, writing
Some facts from the recent report, The Current State of Performance Management and Career Development
Performance weighting is tipped toward results, particularly for executives
When weighting the two sets of performance components-what is accomplished as well as how it gets done- it appears that most organizations tip the scale towards results, particularly for executives.
The ratingless system
The ratingless performance system does not appear to have caught on. In the performance systems of 93% of responding employers, employees do receive an overall rating – either number, letter, or label.
The five-point scale remains the top choice
The five point performance rating scale has become even more popular in recent years.
Calibration meetings
Calibration meetings are increasingly common as a way to ensure consistency in ratings.
Merit increases
While merit increase ranks at the top, other reward links appear to be gaining attention:
Source: Compensation Force, http://snipurl.com/zxfof
Download the full report- The Current State of Performance Management and Career Development 2010;
How to protect yourself during your job search:
For many job seekers, online resources are a critical component of their job
search arsenal. However, it is imperative that they demonstrate caution in the
provision of private data to anyone online, regardless of how irresistible the
proposed job opportunity appears.
As a Certified Professional Resume Writers, I have encountered a lot of resumes from clients all over the world with information that is not acceptable in the Canadian labour market. For internationally educated professionals, new Canadians and for those who just don’t know, I have decided to provide you with a list of things you should never include in your resume
These include:
1. Photographs
The only people who need to include photos in their resumes are models and performers. In some cultures, a photo is expected on a resume. As such, many new immigrants incorporate their photos on their resume upon relocating to Canada. However, they should remove as Canadian labour law prohibits employers from discriminating based on race etc ,however it would be naive to assume they adhere to the law at all times.
2. Personal or Work Failures
This includes being fired, failures in exams, marriages, businesses, etc.
3. Every part-time job you have ever had
Part time jobs may be relevant to entry-level candidate with limited experience when you are looking for your first job, but after that, they are meaningless. Keep the most relevant work history when writing your resume.
4. The words ‘I’, ‘he’ or ‘she’
Your resume should normally be written in the first person (‘I’), but you never actually need to write ‘I’ in a resume. Some people write their resume in the third person (‘he’ or ‘she’). Again, you do not need to include the ‘he’ or ‘she’.
5. References
Your references should not be included on your resume – whether they are names, addresses, emails and phone numbers. The phrase “References are available upon request” should also be left out.
6. Reasons for leaving each job
Never include the reason you left an organization on your resume, especially if they are negative points. This may leave you open to being misunderstood.
7. Listing of high school diploma
Once you have attained post-secondary education, whether a college certificate or a bachelor’s degree, you no longer need to include your high school diploma on your resume.
8. Salary history information
This could potentially be used to reject your application. If a job advertisement specifically requests this information, you can always include it in your cover letter.
