Did you know that subjective traits play a critical role in the evaluation of your candidacy and the determination of the recruiter to hire or not hire you? Wouldn’t it then be to your benefit to know exactly which traits are the most important to recruiters when making a hiring decision? Of course it would! I’m going to share with you the eight traits that recruiters said play a determining factor in their deci...

When you're not just looking for a new job but a new career, you need a new resume. Here are some crucial career change resume tips that will help you position yourself for your big leap. Start with a relevant headline. Write the job title of the opening you're applying for, such as 'Marketing Consultant,' as a headline between your name and contact information and the rest of the resume. The top of your resume...

Tim has emailed 600 resumes over the past few months, but still has no responses. Is your search coming up empty? Are you knowledgeable about appropriate job-hunting strategies? What do your responses to this quiz say about you? Answer 'true' or 'false': 1. Responding to want ads is a waste of time. 2. Effective job hunters devote many hours to research. 3. You need to sell yourself to get the right job. 4. Exe...

I remember teachers always impressing upon students the importance of being able to write clearly and cogently. I was a strong writer, and banging out a quick five paragraph essay posed no problem for me, only minor inconvenience. I knew that not everyone was as adept at writing as I, but I also recognized that other people were far better at math and science than I. It was not until email became a widely-used tool for b...

In simpler times, back before everyone had a home computer, and before the emergence of the Internet, people used to use typewriters, paper, and postal mail. When you wanted to search for a job, you sat down at your typewriter and typed up your resume. If you were engaged in an aggressive job search, you would take your resume to a stationery store, purchase some 80-pound bond paper, and have multiple copies of your resume...

When my son was a toddler, I recall a time when he was coloring with a box of many crayons on a large white piece of construction paper - like one of those 128-crayon boxes. These expansive boxes of crayons made me giddy as a kid (I digress). There he was... Scribbling and drawing, creating his next refrigerator-bound masterpiece, when he looks up and says to me, 'Needs batteries' while holding up the white crayon....

Are you still clinging to the idea of starting your resume with an objective? You know the kind: “Position utilizing my extensive background in technology sales and marketing.” Or maybe: “Growth-oriented technical sales position in a well-established company.” Stop! Please! These are painful. I hate to tell you this, but you’ve just put your intended audience (potential employers) to slee...

Marshmallow fluff is a pretty delectable treat. Simply sweet and adds height and volume to a scrumptious ice cream sundae… However, you do not want fluff in your resume. Keep it strictly for your ice cream sundaes. How do you know if you have fluff in your resume? To start, if you are listing tasks, initiatives or areas of responsibility on your resume, but you do not have accomplishments corresponding to...

One of our recent interview coaching clients expressed to us how she believes ageism was preventing her from landing a job. So, she hired us to help her beat ageism in her interviews. She wanted to outshine the millennials (aka beat the kids). Okay! I'm game.... We learned that she was reaching out to her vast network, all on her own, to find people at companies where she wanted to work. She had been land...

This post was contributed by Andy Duchow, a freelance copywriter/resume writer. Find him at http://resumesbyandy.weebly.com/ If you’re anything like me (and many of your fellow job seekers) you’re good at selling yourself short. You may not even realize it. Years of freelance hustle and direct sales copywriting have for the most part cured me of my tendency to downplay my accomplishments. And while I can&rsq...