Job Hunting - Focus on the Positive

A relative of mine just recently landed a decent job in a slumping economy. I had a brief discussion with him about job hunting and his interview process and the following is the one main tip he gave me. Stay Positive. No matter what circumstances you find yourself in financially you need to maintain a positive outlook while interviewing.

If you have been unemployed for a long period of time focus on polishing your skills involving computer skills. Find an computer book that teaches you a new set of skills involving an interesting program and add it to your resume as computer training. This is an affordable way to work through some additional qualifications.

The main point here is to focus on the positive. Positive things happen to positive people. Opportunities do not go away - they go to other people. So - stay active and positive in hunting for your next job.

Skills Resume Example - Free Template for a Basic Resume

I have been helping many of my family to write their first resume. I have friends and family who have been retired for years and are now trying to find a job in order to supplement their retirement income due to the market fluctuation. There are many folks out there in this situation. Whether you are looking for a Retail Resume Example, a Skills Resume Example or a Sales Resume example you can use my free resume template shown below.


The most important item to remember when using this example is that you will need to customize the template to fit your job qualifications. I have included aspects of a Retail Resume, a Skills Resume and a Sales Resume in order for everyone to see how easy a point can be tailored to fit your skill set.

Please use the example below to write up your Resume and good luck with the job hunting.

Copy from Here Down:

YOUR NAME HERE, ANY DEGREES HERE
Street Address · City, State ZIP
(xxx) phone number · your e-mail address


MANAGER
Operations, Project Management, Sales & Marketing
A highly experienced Senior Manager who has demonstrated the ability to lead diverse teams of professionals to new levels of success in a variety of highly competitive industries, cutting-edge markets, and fast-paced environments. Strong technical and business qualifications with an impressive track record of more than 10 years of hands-on experience in strategic planning, business unit development, project management, project estimation and system engineering strategies. Proven ability to successfully analyze an organization's critical business requirements, identify deficiencies and potential opportunities, and develop innovative and cost-effective solutions for enhancing competitiveness, increasing revenues and improving customer service offerings. Additional areas of expertise include:


Project Management · Budget Management · Financial Analysis · Sales & Marketing
Capital Projects · Process Analysis & Improvement · Cost Avoidance · Performance Monitoring
Startup Operations · Design Engineering · Cycle Time Reduction · Consensus Building · Labor Relations · Vendor Negotiations · Regulatory Compliance



PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

ACME COMPANY · Anywhere, AK · 2007-present
Brief Description of Employer
Job Title
· Successful development of turn-key engineering process.
· Public relations and new business acquisitions
· Managed 15 full-time employees.
· Spearhead corporate development efforts including training & staffing.
· Sub-contractor negotiations and management.
· Project Management to successfully deliver customer oriented goals

ACME COMPANY · Anywhere, AK · 2001-2007
Brief Description of Employer
Senior Sales Engineer (2003-2007)
· Project estimation and development of quotation system.
· Sales & Marketing – New Customer development.
· Existing Customer Retention.
· Turn-key project management.
Design Engineer (2002-2003)
· Public relations and new business development.
· Oversee 15 full-time employees.
· Sub-contractor negotiations and management.
· Cycle Time Reduction successfully achieved.




YOUR NAME HERE, BA
· Page 2 · your e-mail address


PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

ACME COMPANY · Anywhere, AK · 2001-2007
Brief Description of Employer
Senior Sales Engineer (2003-2007)
· Project estimation and development of quotation system.
· Sales & Marketing – New Customer development.
· Existing Customer Retention.
· Turn-key project management.
Design Engineer (2002-2003)
· Public relations and new business development.
· Oversee 15 full-time employees.
· Sub-contractor negotiations and management.
· Cycle Time Reduction successfully achieved.





EDUCATION

Master of Science Administration, (2004)EASTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY
Bachelor of Science, Business, (1998)MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY


PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

List of Professional Software you know

List of development classes you have taken

Microsoft Word & Excel Proficient

I hope this is helpful. Please let me know if there are additional tips or help you are looking to find and I will post additional items.

Thank You - JW

3 Tips to Protect You From Collection Agencies

Many of my friends and family are involved in dealing with credit card debt and collection agencies. This is becoming a common issue for most Americans at this time. Even if you are able to make your payments and keep yourself in good standing the credit card companies are starting to harass folks that are still current.

There are laws that protect folks from constant harassment. There are many that help the common folks out. They include:

1. Financial institutions can not call you before 8am or after 9pm.

2. They can not call you if you provide them a letter requesting they correspond with you via writing.

3. Collection agencies can not call your friends, family or employer more than once.

If you find any of your credit companies do not adhere to these rules I would suggest contacting a financially responsible lawyer to work out a deal. If you have issues involving these items you have legal grounds to negotiate.

Where I Can Find A Job - 3 Tips to Land you a Job

It is no secret that the job market is horrible. If you are at an age where you need to work this is probably the worst time to ask the question "Where I can Find a job" in your life. It is commonly believed that this is the worst economic period in US history since the great depression.

Having placed all of the doom and gloom news in your face I have a few answers for your main question - Where I can find a job. It is my opinion that the following 3 areas are going to be great for job hunting in the near future:

1. The Mortgage Industry: There are tons of people out there that are still able to pay their bills and mortgage, but are very tight on money. The interest rates are going down at this time so more and more people are going to look o refinance. Rates are below 5% at the time I wrote this article.

2. Real Estate: There is an unbelievable surplus of real estate on the market at this time. There are already many people coming to depressed areas and purchasing homes at crazy discounts. Once the market bounces there will be a selling frenzy.

3. Medical Billing: With the advances in medicine and people living longer and longer there is a great opportunity to get into the field of medical billing. If you can start small on your own and move up to employing a few people you train the upside of this niche is tremendous.

I hope these tips help you answer Where I can find a job.

Let me know your thoughts.

Tips for Resume Writing - The Best Tip Ever

I have pursued and landed many jobs throughout my career. I have to say that the majority of the jobs I have held would not have been possible with out placing significant time and effort into the "Resume Writing Process". This article is meant to help bring this daunting task down to a simple level which anyone can accomplish. This article is not a "how to " write a resume. It is more about what to include in your job resume writing.

I have worked for a Fortune 100 company and a small business. I spent time as a laborer and in management. I have a few college degrees to my name as well. All in all I think my professional career is pretty well rounded. I have moved from one job to another as the times have passed and I do not regret any of the changes. In the recent past many of my friends and family have come to a point that they need to write a resume for the first time. The following is the single most important point in writing a resume:

Create a standard resume in a word document that has minor items that can be changed to seem as a "Taylor Made Resume" for a specific job you are interested
in landing.

If you invest the time up front to cover all of the basics in a standard resume then you are 90% of the way there. This is where my resume writing tip comes in to the equation.

Once you have found a few employers that are hiring spend 15 to 20 minutes on line researching their business. If they are a project management company add 4-5 points that show your project management skills. If they are in the supply chain field add appropriate content.

This resume writing tip will benefit you in multiple ways. The first is that when the company is screening potential employees your resume will stand out. The second is that WHEN you are called for your first interview you will have first hand knowledge about the company you are interviewing with and the business you are trying to enter.




I hope my experience and the Best Resume Writing Tip will help everyone out there who is looking for a job or to start a new career.

Let me know your thoughts. Please leave a comment.