10 Commandments of Successful Candidates

10 Commandments of Successful Candidates 1. Thou Shall Perfect Your CV Your CV should ideally be 2 pages of attention grabbing, hard hitting information about you, your achievements, qualifications, personal qualities, vision and skill set. As most recruiters don’t have the time to wade through pages and pages of career history, make sure it is clear and concise and is tailored to showcase your most relevant skills and experience (including evidence) for each particular role you are applying for. 2. Thou Shall Create an Online Presence Consultants spend a lot of their time headhunting and searching online for candidates with the right fit and skills for roles they are trying to fill. Therefore, if you have online profiles on LinkedIn and Twitter for example then it really is the first step to being targeted by a recruiter. Remember whatever you put on social media can be viewed by potential future employers and recruiters so it is important that it reflects you in the way that you would want them to see you. 3. Thou Shall Be Consistent It is always advisable to have your LinkedIn profile, your CV and any other social media accounts up-to- date with your relevant job information and skills endorsements etc. You could be targeted by a head hunter at any time and inconsistencies across your profiles could cause confusion and doubt regarding your relevance for a role. If you are contacted by a recruiter and you are able to immediately send an up to date CV then it doesn’t delay the proceedings. 4. Thou Shall Be an Active Participant If you are an active member of groups within your industry on LinkedIn and Twitter and are proactively attending networking events and/or workshops and seminars to improve your skills, this reflects positively on you. It demonstrates your commitment to your profession and your motivation.  It will also raise your profile, make you more visible to recruiters/potential employers and increase your chances of being recommended by an associate within your network. 5. Thou Shall Upload Even if you aren’t applying for a specific job you can upload your CV to job boards and to recruitment company websites so that you can easily be found by recruiters and potential employers online and within internal databases when opportunities that you are suitable for present themselves. But as with your online profiles it is better to have consistency. So keep a list of where you have placed your CV and make sure any future updates are amended at every source. 6. Thou Shalt Not Apply for Everything It is fair enough to have your CV on several job boards and registered with several recruiters to increase your chances of being head hunted for an opportunity,  but if you are actively looking don’t apply for every job under the Sun. Only apply for positions that you are genuinely interested in and that you have a chance of getting given your skill set and experience.  If your CV is constantly landing in a recruiter’s inbox for irrelevant roles you won’t be taken seriously and you may be even be overlooked for a position you are actually suitable for. 7. Thou Shall Do Thy Homework If you have been put forward for interview you should do as much research on the company, its products, their customer base and the role as possible. It is essential to show enthusiasm and commitment by demonstrating that you have dedicated your time to researching them via their website and getting to know their values, brand and have an in-depth understanding of what they do. It also helps to arm yourself with a list of questions to ask at interview and to prepare set answers to questions that you are likely to be asked. 8. Thou Shall Dress Appropriately For the majority of interviews the most appropriate attire will be a smart suit, shirt and tie or a suit and blouse, but this may not always be the case. In some instances, especially within the creative industry, a less formal approach may be more appropriate. Think also whether your hair (including facial) and accessories such as piercings, jewellery or bag is appropriate for the working environment. 9. Honour Thy Recruiter Patience is a virtue, there is something to be said about looking keen and interested. However there is a fine line between chasing, stalking and bothering people unnecessarily. A decent recruiter will update you as soon as they have heard anything and they will also contact you if anything has happened which will potentially delay any decision. By pestering or dissecting and trying to interpret every little detail this may change someone’s opinion of you and may lead to you missing out on future opportunities. If however you were told you would hear something by a particular day and this has past then it is obviously OK to give the recruiter a call to see what is happening. 10. Thou Shall Not Be a Sore Loser If you have gone through a lengthy and thorough interview process and feel you have given your all, it is natural to feel upset and bitter if you don’t secure the role. But there is always a chance that there is someone who is a better ‘fit’ is also in the running. You may feel like blaming someone, particularly the recruitment consultant who put you forward, but by doing so you will be alienating the very person who saw your potential in the first place and ruin any chance of them putting you forward for any future opportunities. Use each set back as a learning curve and put it all down to experience, ask for feedback if possible and then you can make sure you don’t make the same mistakes again.

How to Navigate the Sale with Ease - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

How to Navigate the Sale with Ease - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Your best sales guide is your very own set of values, priorities and unique way of conducting business. These transform into your business development plan. Remaining true to your plan will allow for your personal brand to shine brightly. Treat negotiation as a friendly conversation with the purpose of seeking to find a happy ending for all parties. Once you are comfortable with what you represent, you are then ready for the topic that scares most people; that of negotiation. Seeking a win for everyone from the start, makes negotiation friendly and easy. Successful salespeople actually begin the negotiation phase at the first stage of contact. Initial Contact It is a rarity upon asking someone for an appointment, whether it be a cold call or a referral, that the person will be up for a discussion the moment you ask. Most often, people are busy. The two popular replies are either “I don’t have the time” or “I’m not interested”. Your best option is to agree that time is short or that interest is limited. Agreement, in this instance, usually becomes an interesting experience. People are so surprised that you agree, they let their guard down to take another 30 seconds to listen to what you have to say next. Suggest in your own vocabulary that “down the road” will be a better time to meet. You will almost hear a nod of agreement. Ask when to check back in. Follow-up as directed. Most often an appointment will be granted. Higher View Relax and enjoy the conversation. Get the long term view of what the person is trying to accomplish and how they expect to achieve it. It may be so complex, you realize you can’t help as initially thought. But that’s okay. Determine if there is a secondary route you might take as a backup vendor. If there is, suggest it. Again most people are surprised by the “backup” offer and will ask for more insight on the matter. Teamwork Approach Take your time to get a thorough understanding of everything required. Ask to meet the team or those reporting to the person with whom you are holding the meeting. Get everyone’s input as to what they believe will be a winning outcome. The team approach, seen as  working to the benefit of everyone involved, will result in getting the team to cheer you on. Relationships are accordingly built on a strong foundation. This adds tremendous value in the overall service you provide.  The value built  eliminates the need to discount the pricing. Smile and Ask for the Sale Most sales are not given as an award. It’s up to the salesperson to ask for it. But the “ask” is the final key to the negotiation. Elements to include are: When would you like to get started? Timeline for delivery Expiration of your offer When you move the sales process forward from your prospective client’s negotiated viewpoint, your sales success rate will increase dramatically. And you will enjoy the Smooth Sale!

How to Prepare for the Role of a Successful Employee

How to Prepare for the Role of a Successful Employee What was the last movie you saw starring Robert De Niro? Whatever it was, my guess is that the acting was impressive. While some of his movies do better in the box office than others, De Niro never fails to deliver in his role. In his 40-plus-year career, he has proven himself time and time again on screen, and both casting directors and audiences alike know that regardless of what character he portrays, the acting will be top notch. If you are an aspiring actor, one can only hope to follow Mr. De Niro’s successful career path. But what about job seekers applying for more traditional roles? What parallels can be drawn from a successful acting career and preparing to prove to your future employer that you will be a valuable part of their workforce? There is one word that comes to mind â€" versatility. When Robert De Niro plays a role, he does it convincingly and leaves no doubt in the viewer’s mind that he IS the character whom he is portraying. How can he portray a murderer in one movie and a loving father in another and play them both so convincingly? That’s part of his genius…and what makes him hireable. For most job seekers, your future career will involve working in an office setting, and within this setting, you will have to play many parts. And like a successful actor, you will need to play them all convincingly. Here are a few roles you will need to master to be successful in the workplace: Writer: Ever met someone who truly couldn’t write? I don’t mean a novel, or even a blog, but a simple e-mail. Would you hire them? Despite the popularity of texting abbreviations, the ability to construct complete sentences and express your thoughts in written form is essential, yet many view this skill as simply not integral to their job. Writing in some form will be the basis of all your communication with clients, coworkers and management. Even if your intelligence is off the charts, if you can’t communicate intelligently in writing, no one will take you seriously. Public Speaker: Few people enjoy speaking in front of crowds, but at some point in your career, chances are you will be required to do so. Presenting information to coworkers or clients requires preparation and confidence, and like most things, improves with practice. Try to attain some level of comfort when speaking to a group, and if the preparation is there, the confidence will follow. Researcher: Your teachers in school didn’t assign you all those research papers for nothing. Research doesn’t just make you knowledgeable about a subject, it develops your ability to acquire knowledge. Every job will require you to continuously acquire knowledge. It may be for a presentation, a report or simply to improve your own job performance, but research will always be a required skill, even if you’re not aware you’re doing it. Social Media Strategist: We all know that nowadays, social media is everywhere. Not all jobs utilize it, but most individuals do. If your future job requires it, don’t look like you just walked out of 1995 by not knowing the basics of the most popular social media sites. Social media is still a new medium, and while everyone may be posting and tweeting about what they did last weekend, only a select few know how to use it to truly leverage their personal brand. As a job seeker, you can use this to your advantage by demonstrating the ability to connect with colleagues in your chosen field, and by steering clear of any negative content. Business Manager: Regardless of your standing on the job ladder, learn the art of management. You’ll be expected to manage your time, your finances, your workload, client expectations, etc. If your last job didn’t involve responsibility, get used to the fact that your next one probably will. The more you can handle, the more will be given to you, which will inevitably lead to better roles with bigger salaries. Politician: Okay, this one may have a negative connotation to some, but one thing all politicians are good at is networking. They meet lots of people, shake hands, kiss babies and make a ton of connections. If you’re an introvert, learn to come out of your shell. It may be a gradual process, but it’s rare to find a job where making connections with others in the industry won’t help you. Whether it’s at an industry conference, a networking event or just around the office with your coworkers, you never know when you’ll need to reach out to your network for support. No one expects you to excel at everything, but a good employee will bring a number of skill sets to the table. And just like an accomplished actor, one never knows which skill set will be required for his or her next role. If you are fortunate, you have one or two specialties for which you are known, and your expertise in these areas makes you truly hireable. But the more skills a job seeker is able to hone, the better he or she will fare in the job market. And while your skills may not include the ability to make a theater full of movie-goers laugh hysterically, or give them nightmares, the next best thing would be to convince your potential employer that you will be a valuable asset to their team.

Top Five Tips for Pairing Wine and Food

Top Five Tips for Pairing Wine and Food You can drink wine by itself but it is commonly used to accompany a meal. Unfortunately this leads to the issue of having to choose the right one for the meal in hand. If this immediately sends chills down your spine then you need to read this guide. It doesn’t matter if you’re looking to enjoy a nice and chilled bottle of wine or a deep and warming red; you need to know how to pair the right wine with your food: Pairing Wine and Food Enjoyment First When selecting a wine you need to look at the ones you enjoy. While there is a time and a place to sample new wines, creating the perfect food and wine pairing is not that time! Just as you would only choose food you know you love, you should choose a wine you love. This will help to ensure they bring out the best in each other and you enjoy the experience. Power vs. Age A young wine will be more tannic. This is a good thing when you are pairing it with a heavy meal or any food that has a powerful flavor. A young wine will still shine through and create a delightful balance. An older wine is likely to be overpowered by the flavors of the food. Not only will you be disappointed you’ll be wasting a good wine! Whites Are Not Easy White wine is generally lighter than red. This means it is much more difficult to pair a white with almost any type of food as it is easily overpowered. This does not mean you should simply choose a red wine! In general a dry white will sit well with simple food such as fresh seafood and citrus foods. The sweet white can actually pair exceptionally well with a spicy Indian curry. The secret isn’t in the sweetness of the white; although this can balance the spice of the curry. It is actually the fact that white wines tend to be slightly acidic which helps to dissect the flavors in food; allowing you to appreciate all the different tastes. But, don’t put a dry white with your dessert! You need to pair the sweetness of your dessert with the sweetness of your wine. The Color Of Food If you’re in a rush then you can look at the color of the wine. A bright white with just a tinge of green will pair nicely with a light green dish; such as salad or green vegetables. A deeper, more mature white, starts to yellow and pairs well with lemon color food; such as lemon butter or a delicious caper sauce. Follow Tradition Certain regions have developed food and wine that go perfectly together. They have been experimenting for years so that you don’t need to!   If you’re unsure of what to pair with your food look at its origins. Italian wine goes well with Italian food while California wine is made for the traditional American burger. Just don’t forget a little trial and error is a good thing!

If All Else Fails in Executive Job Search, Read the Directions - Executive Career Brandâ„¢

If All Else Fails in Executive Job Search, Read the Directions

Resume Building Advice For A Recent Accounting Course Graduate - CareerAlley

Resume Building Advice For A Recent Accounting Course Graduate - CareerAlley We may receive compensation when you click on links to products from our partners. Now that you have completed your accounting course, whether online or otherwise, its time to start applying to jobs. The job market at this time is quite competitive, so to find a job, and to actually get hired, you need to stand out from the rest of the crowd. One of the ways to stand out, in order to find a good accounting job, is to build a resume that grabs the attention of a potential employer. Lets go over some of the most important resume building tips for anyone who has recently graduated from an accounting course. The job market at this time is quite competitive, so to find a job, and to actually get hired, you need to stand out from the rest of the crowd. Tweet This 1. Emphasizing Experience One of the most important things to emphasize in your resume is how much experience you have. Employers always like hiring people when they already have some good experience in the field. Now, if you have not yet had the chance to get a traditional accounting job, which may very well be the case if you have just completed an accounting course, you can still list other things too. Internships and other such learning programs are great to list as well. Even older jobs that dont have much to do with accounting can still be listed. Some work experience is better than none at all. Photo by Tim Gouw on Unsplash 2. A Functional Layout Another important point to keep in mind, when creating a resume after you complete your accounting course, is to make a resume that looks nice and also provides the employer with information in an efficient manner. In other words, you dont have to spend too much time with fancy wording and eloquence. Employers often dont spend too much time looking at a resume, so you want the most important and impressive points to be listed first. Yes, it should look nice and tidy, but you also dont want to waste any time here. 3. List A Lot Of Skills Yes, there is such thing as overkill, but listing as many relevant skills on your accounting job resume as possible is a big deal. This is especially true if you have just graduated from an accounting course because chances are that you probably dont have much experience to list yet. When examining skills, potential employers often look for keywords. Keep in mind that its also not all about technical skills, but soft skills too, things like being able to work with people. Furthermore, a bit of good wording does help. If you can find a fancy word to replace a simple word, you may as well do so, just dont go into overkill mode and use a thesaurus for every single word. source 4. Dont Give Up After you have sent off your resume, dont forget to follow up. Many employers wont hire people just because of a resume. Many want to see that you really want that job and that you are motivated to land it. This means sending another message within the next 10 days to reiterate and reinforce the fact that you still hold an interest in the available position and that you do indeed want it. Guys, you have to really want it. There are many reasons a career in accounting can be a valid path for a person of any age, at any point in their current career. For one, it offers stable career progression. According to recent statistics published by the United States Department of Labor, job growth for both accountants and auditors is forecasted to increase by a whopping 12 percent before 2022. Considering Accounting as a Second Career? Read this First Landing An Accounting Job There you have it, folks, the most important tips you can follow in regards to your resume after completing an accounting course. If you follow these tips, landing a decent accounting job will be much easier. Resume Companion Price: Get more interviews with Resume Companion's Free Resume Builder. Their software has everything you need, including industry-specific bullet points, templates formatted to fit every type of job seeker, and exportable PDFs and Word docs. Create a Great resume We earn a commission if you click this link and make a purchase at no additional cost to you. What's next? Ready to take action? Choose the right tools to help you build your career. Looking for related topics? Find out how to make a resume and cover letter that gets you hired. Subscribe and make meaningful progress on your career. It’s about time you focused on your career. Get Educated Contact Us Advertise Copyright 2020 CareerAlley. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy + Disclosure home popular resources subscribe search

Free Virtual Resume Writing

Free Virtual Resume WritingFree virtual resume writing is in many cases the best alternative that you can ever find. The reason is that it is free, thus, you do not have to pay for a printer or a fax machine or even for a computer. And in addition, with this, the time that you spend on the process of creating your resume will be more than enough for you to get the job that you want.One of the most basic things that you need to take note of when you are using free virtual resume writing is the fact that it does not cost you anything. This means that you do not have to pay for an office to prepare your resume as well as pay for a web host and other computer equipment. So, all that you need to do is just visit the various sites that offer these services and make use of their services.When you are using free virtual resume writing, you need to make sure that you have the proper information. First of all, you need to know what is required to present your resume online. For this, you need to know the right format that you should use and the right presentation of your resume. You also need to have the understanding of how to write good resume.Apart from that, you also need to find out the career website that offers you this service. This will give you the right resources that you need to get started with your job search.In addition, online freelance writers also have the facility of creating free virtual resume writing and these people also give you the option of making changes in the information that you need to use in your resume. So, you can still use your resume without having to pay anything and you will be able to make the necessary changes as needed.Free virtual resume writing also have the facility of online search engine submission and you need to make use of the advanced search engines that are present on the websites that offer such services. You can even ask for the posting of your resume in some of the popular job sites and other job search sites.The resu lts of the searches will give you different types of jobs that you may want to consider and this will help you make better decisions. As such, it will be easier for you to get the right kind of employment that you need for your needs. Another advantage that you can get from free virtual resume writing is that you can select the location of the job that you want to work at.You can search for job opportunities through this website as well and as such, you can also make a better search for the location of the job that you are interested in. Thus, this will give you a better chance to get the job that you need and even if you do not find it right away, the fact that you are making use of such services will make it easier for you to find the job that you want.