Top 10 Ways to Impress in an Interview

Top 10 Ways to Impress in an Interview Your CV  may land you an interview, but its how you come across in the interview process that will really determine whether you land the role or not. The interview is your chance to really sell yourself and let your personality shine through. Its important to be memorable, so be sure to answer in a way that will make you stand out from the crowd and demonstrate that you are a cut above the rest. On top of providing well thought out responses to anything you may be asked, its also essential for you to present yourself smartly and confidently. Everything from the way you dress on the day, to the body language  you use, will contribute to the impression you give off. To be sure that you make the  best first impression possible at an interview, here are 10 tips that you should follow, courtesy of Armstrong Appointments. 1. Be prepared: Its important that you have done your homework before attending the interview, so make sure you research what exactly the company does and what the role you are interviewing for entails. Its also good to know who your interviewer is and what their role is in the company. 2. Dress smartly: Although people say you shouldnt judge a book by its cover, its likely that a lot of people do to some extent and the way you present yourself for an interview can often reflect your general attitude towards the job. So make sure you present yourself smartly and dress your best  to prove that you are serious about landing the role. 3. Be punctual: Turning up late will only reflect badly on you, so make sure you give yourself plenty of time to get there. If you are not familiar with the location, plan your route ahead of the day, or even do a practice journey so you know where youre going and how much time you need to give yourself. Arriving 15 minutes early is recommended as it shows youre dedicated and have good time management skills. 4. Turn your phone off: It wouldnt look very professional if your phone were to go off mid-interview, so make sure you have switched it off before going in to avoid disturbances or distractions. 5. Give a firm handshake: A firm handshake will demonstrate confidence, however dont go overboard,  there is a happy medium between a limp handshake and one that could potentially leave your interviewer with an injury! 6. Flash a smile: Dont underestimate the power of being friendly. By smiling and making eye contact, you will come across as more approachable and it will help to make a connection with your interviewer. 7. Control your body language: Body language is important in an interview, as it can give away a lot about how you are feeling. Make sure you sit up straight and maintain eye contact, as it will prove that you are interested and your full focus is on your interviewer. Slouching or glancing around the room can indicate a lack of interest and your interviewer may not think you are serious about the job. 8. Take  notes: Jot down everything that you think may be important in your interview. Not only is it good reference for you after the interview, but it will show that you are paying attention to everything your interviewer is saying and have a genuine interest in the role. 9. Bring  a copy of your CV: Although its likely that your interviewer will have a copy of your resume to hand for the interview, its a good idea to take up-to-date copies of your CV with you, for yourself and your interviewer. You can then refer to it throughout your interview, when discussing previous experiences and achievements. 10. Ask questions: An interview should be a two way exchange, so its essential that you ask questions of your own. Prepare a list of questions before you go, as well as asking questions that pop into your head throughout the  conversation. Top image: Shutterstock RELATED: 5 Essential Tips for Interview Success

Compelling Resume Example for College Student to Use for Writing The First Job Application

Compelling Resume Example for College Student to Use for Writing The First Job Application Compelling Resume Example for College Student to Use for Writing The First Job Application This post has been originally published on April 9, 2018 and has been extensively revised and updated on April 17th, 2019.Sometime during your senior year of college, you’ll start the process of applying for your first ever, entry-level job. Even before then, you may send out your application to take part in important paid internships, or obtain other work experience relevant to your chosen career path.As you begin seeking your first job, your resume is one of the first challenges that you’ll have to tackle. How do you represent yourself as being qualified when you don’t have years of work-related experience? Here are some tips for doing just that. Keep reading, we’ve also included a resume example for college students below. Essential Resume Writing Tips for College StudentsAs a college student, you need to approach your resume writing a little differently than someone already working and looking to change their job or career path.You should try to put more emphasis not o nly on your work history but also on your educational experience too. It can be difficult to demonstrate your skills to someone when you haven’t got a lengthy work history, but highlighting your experience of any volunteer work that you have undertaken as well as any relevant extra-curricular activities that you think would help add value to your resume will certainly help.Applying for a job in a specific field? Check out additional resume examples for different professions!Emphasize AcademicsAnyone hiring a college student for an entry-level position is going to expect their resume to lean heavily on academics. This is perfectly acceptable. Don’t hesitate to include your achievements, your GPA, and any volunteer or research work you did that helped you to develop relevant skills and experience. Of course, it is perfectly acceptable to include any internships or externships as work experience.Why Extra-Curricular Activities Are ImportantYou may be wondering if you should include any extra-curricular activities on your college resume. After all, would a potential new employer really be that interested to know about these things?The answer to this question is ‘YES’.You should include your extra-curricular activities simply because you may have very little actual work experience to backup your resume with. Doing activities outside of the college environment can show a potential employer that you have good skills and abilities to bring to the role.Whether you spent time as part of a club or sporting group, did some volunteering work or walked and took care of your neighbors’ dogs, you would have developed some good interpersonal skills, prioritizing and organizational skills that can be very valuable.You should also mention any examples where you took on a leadership role. If you managed or organized a club or a team, you can demonstrate that you have the ability to lead. This shows an employer that you would be able to handle more responsibility in your role in the future.Focus on Accomplishment and Skills Development in Work Experience SectionWhile it is important to include any relevant work experience or jobs that you have done, don’t forget that any sort of work experience can be beneficial to mention here too. You pick up all sorts of soft and hard skills from the work that you do. So even if you held down a job that isn’t directly related to the post you are after, if you learned some valuable transferable skills from doing the job that will come in handy in your new role â€" list them! When jotting down this section, focus on detailing two things.First, explain the work you did in terms of your accomplishments. For example, if you worked in a fast food restaurant don’t state that you mopped floors and wiped counters. Instead, mention that you maintained high standards of safety and cleanliness without the need for direction or supervision. Next, list the skills that you gained from the jobs you had. Even if your wo rk was limited to working in retail, at restaurants, or at other jobs common among college students chances are you learned customer service skills, how to answer a business phone properly, basic computer skills, etc. You may have even developed leadership skills during research projects or at work.Pay Close Attention to Spelling and GrammarThis is true for every job seeker, but even more so for college students. You may be facing some unfair bias that as a young person you aren’t capable of professionalism, or have sufficient work ethic. Silence those future critics by submitting a well-written resume with impeccable spelling, grammar, and formatting.Make sure you edit your resume more than once. In fact you should edit, edit, and edit again! Get someone to proofread your resume carefully for you or make use of a grammar checker such as Grammarly. Having a fresh pair of eyes look over your resume will give you a chance to pick up on any missed typos that your brain doesn’t see. Use Action WordsYour college resume isn’t the place to be modest or reserved about your talents. You need to make yourself stand out from all the other generic applications coming through from others. You can do this by using strong action verbs to make a more powerful impression.Wording your resume with action verbs will help to make your experiences sound more dynamic and responsible. This will help your resume to look more energetic to the eye and make you stand out better than an applicant using a passive or modest voice.Hence, avoid the weak words like ‘did’ or ‘went’. Instead use power words like built, researched, developed, planned, and led.While on the subject of wording your resume, remember to quantify your statements wherever possible. Break up the text with numbers to better demonstrate your achievements. For example, rather than say that you volunteered as a cashier in a visitor center, instead say that you helped between 80 to 100 customers per day, handling cash sales and customer queries, in a busy gift shop within a popular visitor center.Add a Great Cover LetterA good resume should be paired with a great cover letter. Your cover letter will detail your enthusiasm and interest for the job. You can also mention your availability, and desire to schedule an interview.When In Doubt, Use A Resume TemplateEven if you take on-board all of the above tips, it can still be difficult to create your first resume layout. Using a good quality customizable resume template is just like using a guide to help you through creating your own resume. Take a look at our helpful guide about choosing the right resume template to suit your needs, with examples of our professionally designed free to use resume templates.A template can help you to organize your content as well as show you where to include it. Formatting is very easy and you can tailor your resume template to become quite unique and individual, yet give it a very professional and organized edge that employers like to read.College Resume Sample for Student (.docx version)Download resume example (.docx)Resume Example For a College Student (text version)Joel McCleary 2352 Northwest Boulevard, Teterboro, NJ 07608 (123)555-1234 joel@email.comUser Experience DeveloperProviding consumers with amazing, branded experiences through websites and apps. Proven experience working with small to medium sized ecommerce businesses executing a variety of front end projects.SkillsJavaScript, HTML5, PHP, Agile Development, Trello, Slack, Helpdesk 1000, Customer Service, Leadership, Microsoft Office, Google DocsProfessional ExperienceGoogle Inc. Internship (Summer 2018)Participated in Google’s Future Tech Program. Attended multiple leadership development sessions and conferences. Worked directly with Google’s user experience team on projects related to Google Maps and Google Assistant. Wrote end-user documentation. Provided leadership to a team of six junior interns. Awarded top user exper ience team summer 2018.Drake’s Bake Shop, City, CA Baker’s Helper (September 2014 April 2018)Assisted day shift baking crew in providing bread, pastries, donuts, and other items to retail customers and food service operations. Managed kitchen inventory. Ordered product as needed. Served retail customers. Maintained safety and cleanliness standards.EducationCalifornia State College, City, CABachelor of Science in Information Technology with Emphasis in Web Experience Design Minor: Digital Communications GPA: 3.9 Graduation Date: May 2019Clubs And AssociationsVice President Student Graphic And Web Design ClubMember of Fine Arts Students AssociationJunior Legion Members Civil Volunteer SquadResearch And Academic AccomplishmentsResearch Assistant Virtual Reality Lab (Summer 2017). Assisted professors and graduate students in completing a variety of research projects relating to the use of VR and AR technologies in alternative fuel industries, and in early education.ConclusionsUse t he tips and sample provided above to help guide you as you work to write a resume to land your first job. Remember to focus on skills, academics, and other accomplishments. Don’t fret over lack of job experience. Everyone starts somewhere, and a well-written resume can be your launch pad. And if you have troubles with relaying all your personal information, grab one of our best resume templates! previous article How Long Should Your Resume Be? How Long is Too Long? next article A Quick Resume Example for Retail To Help You Advance Your Career you might also likeA Model Resume Example That Will Get Results

Best Tips to stay in Shape and Take Care of Your Health

Best Tips to stay in Shape and Take Care of Your Health With the current fast-paced life and so much work, it is easy to forget to take care of our bodies. However, after some time, you realize you cannot manage a few exercises since you are out of shape. Maintaining a healthy body is great for your general wellbeing and your mind. You will reduce stress and preserve your memory. The following tips will help you stay in shape and take care of your health. Exercise regularly Everyone understands the importance of exercise. However, very few find time in their busy schedules to go for a morning run or to the gym. If you have been ignoring exercise, it is about time you dust off your gym bag. A great way to get back into exercising is by downloading a fitness app like 30 Days Fitness Challenge that is full of exercises and routines you can do anywhere. Moreover, you can stay healthy by walking or riding a bike to work instead of driving. Get enough sleep Your body needs adequate rest to replenish its energy reserves. Therefore, avoid working past bedtime or drinking coffee; it will hinder you from getting quality sleep. Maintain the same sleeping and waking up time for better rest. Eat healthily You need to cut back on junk food and more processed foods and make more healthy choices. It is essential to nourish your body with complete and balanced diets. Therefore, take a healthy portion of proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, and mineral salts every day. Instead of snacking on junk foods, eat fruits and healthy vegetables. Practice yoga Yoga is not just a form of exercise; it relaxes your body and relieves stress. Taking a few minutes to practice yoga daily, keeps you in excellent shape, and keeps your mind happy. Limit alcohol consumption Alcohol and other drugs are not good for your wellbeing. Apart from destroying your liver, they leave your body dehydrated. Moreover, excessive use of alcohol deprives your body of quality sleep and rest. Drink water Your body needs to be hydrated at all times. Therefore, you should take water everywhere to drink whenever you are thirsty. Water is essential in removing germs from your body. You can also improve its taste with cucumber or lemon. Take probiotics Probiotics are live bacteria found in food supplements. The bacteria are effective in fighting harmful pathogens, aiding in digestion, and generating vitamins. Yogurt and kefir are familiar sources of probiotics. Spend time outdoors Spending a few hours outdoors is beneficial for your physical and mental health. It relaxes your mind and keeps your body healthy. Take care of your health! Keeping your body in excellent shape is vital for your health. The journey might be tough when you start. However, if you take a few hours daily to exercise, you will form a routine.

Who knew that 2010 would be the year I.... Career Coach JobJenny

Who knew that 2010 would be the year I.... Career Coach JobJenny ...thunk up and launched a brand-new blog and online business? ...got engaged? ...married the man of my dreams who, just two years earlier, seemed like a hopeless (major) crush? ...went from being the mother of one to mother of three amazing (and insanely energetic)mini-people? ...met dozens of remarkable people in search of their dream jobs? ...wrote a book (OK, well, almost... it's nearly done!)? ...got a bunch of new grey hair (seriously... I do not accept)? ...realized once and for all that I have officially found my career passion? I could not have imagined that 2010 would look like this had I tried. I am amazed, grateful and very, very happy (ok, not so much about the grey hair, but all the rest.) And I want to shout from the rooftops one crucial message to anyone who may be floundering, stuck, bewildered orfeeling nearhopelessness as we round out the year. IT IS POSSIBLE IF YOU BELIEVE IT IS POSSIBLE. I have floundered. I have been stuck. I have had more than a few loopholes in my day. But the one thing I have categorically refused to do is believe that I have to accept what life serves up. I'm going to spend the next two weeks roughing out a game plan for 2011. Sure, I'll keep it flexible so that I may grab onto the unexpected opportunities and joysI meet along the way. But I'm authoring 2011. Please, please, give yourself the gift of time to do the same. Make this your year. Author it. Believe in it. Serve yourself up the year of your dreams. Cheers. Photo by the fabulous Steph Barcenas

It Takes 10000 Hours to Become a Master - Have You Done Yours

It Takes 10000 Hours to Become a Master - Have You Done Yours We all think we know about those instant success stories. People who wake up with one brilliant idea that not only changes the world in impressive ways but makes them billionaires overnight. It’s hard to believe… and maybe we shouldn’t believe it at all.When we hear one of those stories, it’s more likely that we’re not witnessing someone bursting on the scene out of nowhere, but, rather, the result of that person having put in the “magic number” of hours that lead to that kind of achievement in his or her chosen field. evalAccording to author Malcolm Gladwell, and first expressed in his book “Outliers,” it takes 10,000 hours of dedication, diligence, and practice at anything to become a master of it. Whether that’s twenty hours a week for ten years, forty hours a week for five years, or non-stop application for as long as it takes.The premise applies to pretty much any endeavor, assuming you have the basic qualifications and the competency to pursue it. Naturally, someone who is height-challenged is never going to be a pro basketball star regardless of how many hours he works at it, and someone who can’t carry a tune can practice until she collapses and she’ll never perform at the Metropolitan Opera. But realistically pick your spot, put in your time, and you can master it.How this applies to your business career is simple.1. Set Your GoalDecide what you want to achieve, and then make a plan to accomplish it. First, here are some questions to ask yourself:Is it realistic? Optimism is a great quality, but if you don’t have the basic qualifications to do a job, dreaming won’t make it happen. If a job requires a great deal of travel, for example, are you willing to spend a lot of time away from your family? Are you able to pick up and move if the best opportunity for the career you want is centered in another city or state?Does it complement your interests? A job may sound good on paper, but do you know what it entails day to day? Havin g a title doesn’t mean you’re going to like the work. We’re talking about your life here. What do you want to spend it doing?What are its long-term prospects? Research the market for the career you want. Is it a growing field? Is there high demand for people who can do the job or is there a glut of qualified professionals doing the same work?evalWill it provide the financial rewards you need? People select careers for a lot of different reasons, but at bottom, your job needs to support you during your working life and provide resources for your retirement. It’s not a small consideration.2. Upgrade Your EducationNo matter what your current full time job is, prepare for your next one by enrolling in an online MBA program to broaden your scope of knowledge and give you new tools for effective communication, critical thinking, and creative problem-solving. Not only will it hone your skills and add to your 10,000 hours, having an MBA on your resume will allow you to compete for a greater range of opportunities and give you an edge in getting where you want to go.3. Continue to Develop YourselfWhile you’re putting in your hours on the task at hand, search out opportunities to learn more and do more. Contribute as much as you can to team efforts. Ask for more responsibility. Bring new ideas to the table. Study what’s going on in your industry and related fields, and keep current on what’s happening in your own organization.4. Prepare for the Next StepevalMost goals are achieved in stages. While you’re toting up those 10,000 hours, prepare yourself for moving ahead:Record your accomplishments. Keep track of all your successes in terms of sales figures, project results, or whatever other ways you can quantify the record of value you’ve brought to your employer. Those are what count when you’re in line for an upgrade where you are or a new position elsewhere.Promote yourself. Let people know what you can do, not by bragging, but by sharing informatio n that makes you look good. Everyone else is doing the same thing, so you’re letting yourself down if you don’t self-promote, too.Enlist your boss as a mentor. Make sure he or she knows you’ve prepared yourself to move on up, and ask for advice and guidance. Any good boss will want to see you succeed.

Lost in Translation The Skills Disconnect Between Job Ads and Resumes - CareerEnlightenment.com

Lost in Translation The Skills Disconnect Between Job Ads and Resumes “We have plenty of openings. The problem is, we can’t get enough people with the right skills to fill them.”Have you ever heard that one before? You spend hours scouring job boards for solid opportunities. Just when you think you’ve found a winner, you get stuck trying to figure out what the job ad is really asking for. After staring at it for far too long, you still have no idea what the company is after, nor do you understand the skills they really want an applicant to have.But something still intrigues you about the opportunity. So you spend another hour (or more) wordsmithing your resume. And another hour (or more) goes by trying to keyword engineer it. That’s when you realize you are throwing good after bad. All you really want is a fair chance to communicate who you are and how you fit, plainly and naturally, without the charade.New research published by LiveCareer in its 2018 Skills Gap Report shows that job seekers often do have many of the skills employers want. B ut the study also reveals a void between the skills job seekers say they are offering on their resumes and the skills employers say they require in their job advertisements.And that’s the real skills gap that keeps good employers from finding good candidates like you.The hard currency of the job marketLiveCareer analyzed several thousands of resumes and job ads across 12 separate occupations. All combined, those 12 occupations account for one-quarter of all occupational categories in the U.S. labor market.Natural Language Processing was used to drill into the actual language job seekers and employers use to transact, at the very point where they start talking business. This is the hard currency used in the job market. The idea was to determine what the two sides say and mean with their job market language and whether there is a disconnect between the two. That represents the value of the currency. If there is any discrepancy in the value of the currency either uses, the end can on ly be a bad deal or no deal at all. That is, bad hire or no hire.And that’s just what the study found. Neither jobseekers nor employers enter the market with the right amount of currency to make a fair exchange. On average, job ads list 21.8 different skills they require of candidates, while jobseekers include only 13 skills on their resumes.It just gets worse when trying to sync up on value. Jobseekers match only 59 percent of hard skills and 62 percent of soft skills on their resumes compared with what employers list in their job ads. The skills with the biggest gaps were multitasking, retail industry knowledge, positive attitude, and physical demand. Want to Read More Articles Like This One?Sign up here to receive weekly updates from Career Enlightenment, and never miss another powerful job searching tip! SUBSCRIBE! You have Successfully Subscribed!We hate spam too. Unsubscribe any time. The study also found that employers value soft skills more highly than jobseekers reali ze. Soft skills typically make up between 25 to 50 percent of skills appearing in job ads. The highest value soft skills across all occupations were customer service and communication skills.  Make digital business technology work for youFor many 2018 job seekers, the rise of digital business may cause some anxiety. But that same technology is also bringing about the digital job search, which actually gives job seekers more leverage than ever before. Think of technology as clearing you for the job, not keeping you out of one.The first thing is to switch into the WIIFT mindset: What’s In It For Them? The resume is not about showing how good you are, but rather how good you are for the hiring organization. Everything on your resume must be oriented to their needs. You must show how your skills specifically address those needs, and how your job accomplishments bear that out.Matching keywords will get you past the ATS, but matching your skills precisely to those listed in the job ad w ill really help you stand out. Here are some ways you can do that:Customize your resume according to the keywords and the skills listed in the job ad. If you lack experience in some key areas, try to customize in terms of leadership or other high-value soft skills that signal high potentialIn instances when you don’t customize your resume, always attach a customized cover letterCarefully review job ads that you think you might respond to, and mimic the language used in the ad in both the resume and cover letterAlways check your resume against the job ad to make sure you are not including too few skillsHighlight customer service and communications skills most relevant to the role, no matter what role you are seekingMonitor skills listed in relevant job ads to help identify authentic gaps in your skill set.Two key takeaways for the 2018 jobseekerTechnology always develops faster than workers can adapt, and so there will always be skills gaps. But like no other technology before it, digital business technology can help minimize negative effects on your marketability. Let your 2018 job search strategy be guided by two key takeaways:Be very precise in lining up your stated skill sets with employers’ stated requirementsTake charge of finding and overcoming perceived skills gaps through training and professional development opportunities.To learn more about how to build up your job market currency, and get the most value out of the digital age job search, visit the 2018 Skills Gap Report link at the beginning of the article. A PDF download of all of the report’s findings is available via the link.

Do Pharmacy Tech Resume Writing Professionals Have To Study Pharmaceutical Science?

Do Pharmacy Tech Resume Writing Professionals Have To Study Pharmaceutical Science?Pharmacy tech resume writing professionals have a very important role to play in the career progression of a candidate. Not only does a professional resume and cover letter to provide the basics of job knowledge, but it also provides an outline of a candidate's skills.Pharmacy tech resumes are used to begin the process of proving your qualifications to the employer or job market for your next position, with the specific focus on your strengths. If you're looking for a career in the health care industry, then your resume should be composed of two parts: your clinical experience and your education and work experience.Your goal as a candidate is to sell yourself on every level, especially when it comes to your key objective: to get the job. Even if you didn't like your previous employer, but they gave you a very good job, then you still need to bring something to the table to ensure that you don't just ge t another job. A professional resume will go a long way towards demonstrating your capability to perform the responsibilities of the job.Your education and work experience should go hand in hand to help you write a professional resume. As a candidate, it's easy to focus on your skills and experience, but forget about what you've learned from your education. It's perfectly fine to emphasize your education, but you may want to consider taking a second to look at the examples of your education to see what you need to do to put them into context.Pharmaceutical tech resume writing professionals aren't required to take courses in science and medicine. In fact, most of them have a Bachelor's degree in a related field. However, these professionals find that the addition of courses in critical thinking and communication will benefit their resumes.One of the most common mistakes candidates make is using their education in a technical or clinical setting to help them present their personality. These details and experiences can be distilled into language that will prove more convincing when included in your resume.Instead of concentrating on the experience you've had in science courses and college, include the details of how you worked with people. Whether it was using natural herbs and botanicals for treating illnesses or working as a healthcare counselor, that experience shows that you're a person who's not afraid to take charge of his or her own life.Lastly, list all your work experience under your name. This is the first thing employers will see and will help to give you a higher likelihood of being called for an interview.