Important first job advice

What ominous and delightful words: “My first job.” Some fear it and some can’t wait until they have the opportunity to experience it. What does a first job provide? Money. In a real sense, that’s why most people (at least on the outside) look forward to it. It pays and we can all use some cash, right? Even deeper is a sense of responsibility and self-sufficiency that underlies the monetary benefits.

Nobody wants to live with their parents forever. Eventually you have to get out and support yourself. Along with this independence comes a number of things. Likewise, independence itself comes from a number of things, starting with your first job. In many ways your first job teaches you responsibility. There are the issues of accountability, financial responsibility, personal growth and maturity, and, of course, perseverance.

You have to show up to your job or you’ll be fired. That’s that. There is no choice in the matter. Attendance is mandated. If you are sick you generally must find someone to fill in—that is your job, not your supervisor’s. Attendance is required as is quality. If you don’t do a good job or show that you really would rather be somewhere else, it’s unlikely (unless there is an uncharacteristically tight job market) that you will find yourself continuing long in your present position.

Fiscal responsibility is also learned. Most teens have few qualms about spending their parents’ money, but are significantly more tight in regards to money that they spend many hours of “useless” drudgery (or great joy) earning. Those new shoes might wait just a little bit. Budgeting becomes crucial, especially if the teen is involved in saving for a car or paying his/her car insurance. The teen suddenly has to budget entertainment and things they want now with greater entertainment or better things later. In addition, to keep track of and store money, checking/savings accounts (with balance books) are needed. More than anything balancing their own checkbook will teach your children financial responsibility.

Of course, personal growth is a result of all these things. Being able to spend ones own money the way he/she chooses is a great show of freedom as well as a great responsibility-inducing thing. Your teen is now free to do more of what he/she wants independently of your finances. The very fact that they are taking on the responsibility of a job speaks volumes for their maturity (and in many cases for their tolerances of menial chores). Your teens, while possibly not liking their job, will certainly feel more “adult” because of it.

Perseverance is also learned very readily. Unless you are entering the job market fresh out of college (or high school) and ready to begin your career, it’s likely that you won’t get a job that matches your skills particularly well. In fact, you may end up flipping burgers, mopping floors, or stuffing brochures (easy jobs aren’t always fun, either). When you do what you don’t want to do because you know you have to do it, you grow personally and you exercise perseverance. All of these factors combine to create the unique experience of having a first job.

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Tips for interviewing

Many people fail to get the most from an interview because they don’t know what’s expected. From job searches to journalism, the following do’s and don’ts will help you in your next interview.

DO your homework – not just for the Who and What, but also the Why.

Coming into an interview without knowing the background of your subject is rude and irresponsible. Basic preparation includes knowing the proper pronunciation of names, functions within the organization, and if possible, a more complete background of the individual. Stronger still would be to determine what this person is hoping to hear from your conversation. If you can adequately predict what’s going to happen, you have the best chance of not being caught off-guard.

DON’T pretend that you know much more than you do.

The point of an interview is for the listener to understand the speaker’s area of expertise. At the end of the interview, your subject should be able to give an accurate portrayal of this to a third party. If you try to mislead the subject, you will wind up with a weak interview – either from a lack of your understanding for the subject, or from the subject’s lack of trust in you. Admitting your ignorance isn’t just honest, it’s also the best way to get to a point where true learning can occur.

DO repeat answers to your subject.

It’s a simple phrase, but one that will save you from dangerous misunderstandings later: “So what you are saying is...” Interviewers inevitably put things in their own words. After all, you are far more likely to remember and understand it that way. But that doesn’t mean that you’ll always get them right. Repeating answers, when done in moderation, confirms that you are on the same wavelength as your subject. More importantly, it confirms that you are listening intently.

DON’T look at the clock.

An interview is an intimate and personal experience. After all, where else do you get complete and undivided attention paid to you? When you let your subject know that they are working under a time limit, you undermine the trust and depth of the experience. This prevents the sharing of greater insights.

If your schedule is truly tight, let the subject know at the start of the conversation. That way, they won’t be taken by surprise or think that you are blowing them off... and they are much more likely to work with you to give you what you need, during the time constraints.

DO make eye contact. DON’T be a slave to your notes.

Many interviewers avoid eye contact and focus on reading and writing notes during an interview. Neither tactic helps you achieve a rapport. You don’t have to make a lifelong friend, but the simple act of making frequent eye contact shows respect for the individual as a thinking person, rather than an aid to the notes you are filling out. Without that rapport, your chance for a truly great interview is minimal.

DON’T end the interview without covering the bases.

No interview is complete without checking to see that all of the bases are covered. Even if everything seems to have been said, a simple “Is there anything we missed?” can save you from a big miscue.

DO follow up with the subject.

When you complete a good interview, you have also created an opportunity for future dialogue. Following up with your subject with the results of the interview adds to your roster of contacts. After all, you never know when you might need to speak to the subject again.

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Creating a winning resume

The path of your career is greatly dependent on a single piece of paper: your resume. It is as important to a businessperson as a portfolio is to an artist. Very rarely do you get an interview before that piece of paper is assessed and approved. Your resume is a prospective employer’s first impression of you and it’s your strongest tool. Presenting a professional package is imperative and arming yourself with a refined resume is worth your time and effort.

Success begins with concise clarity. All of your experience, employment history, abilities and attributes need fit on one page. Gone are the days of lengthy objectives and summaries, so it’s a good idea to compile an outline of the information you wish to convey.

The first section of your presentation should be work history. Your last three to four jobs is adequate, but if you feel prior history is pertinent feel free to list it off. Your most recent employer is listed first, accompanied by the dates you worked with that firm. If you just moved or have lived in many places, it’s also good to include the location--city and state is all that’s needed. Under the heading for that employer state your job title and responsibilities.

The second section should include a summary of your education. College, trade school and technical training are accounted for here. You’ll want to list the name and location of the institutions, as well as your course of study and any degrees, diplomas or certificates attained. Refrain from listing your high school unless you’ve just graduated or it’s the highest level of education you have completed.

Lastly, the third section addresses skills, interests and personal achievements. Although this section should take up the least amount of space on your resume, it should be packed with information. Listing computer knowledge, activities and awards helps give your resume a face and demonstrates that you are multi-faceted.

In some cases it is appropriate to also state a career objective before job experience is listed. If used, the objective should be written in an active form like: “To obtain an entry-level position in the e-commerce industry”.

Getting your information organized can be quite a chore, but doing so will make writing your resume a breeze. Here are some points to keep in mind when composing the document.

Don’t go nuts with underlines, italics or fonts. Keep it simple with one style. You can bring attention to key factors like names, titles and dates by formatting the text in bold or by changing the font size.

Use active language when listing off job responsibilities. By using the present tense, you are communicating that you still have the ability to perform these tasks. For example, instead of saying: “Assisted customers and wrote reports”, try using: “To assist customers and write reports” or “Assisting customers and writing reports”.

Write the resume like it’s being read by a speed-reader because it will be. Doing this will help to keep the language concise and will prepare the document well for its purpose. Instead of using complete sentences or thoughts, whittle your words down to the most important statements.

Garnish your presentation with a logo or letterhead. This is how you give your resume personality. A little creative license can be used here, but remember you must still convey professionalism. Err on the side of caution--if you have to ask yourself if what you’ve concocted is appropriate, it probably isn’t.

By following these guidelines, you and your resume will be set for success and it won’t be long before you’ll be adding your dream job to the top of the page.

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Need help writing a resume?

The combination resume combines both your skills and your track record. If you are looking to change careers, and want to highlight your skills, a combination resume is a great way to look good on paper. Here is how to lay it out!

Summary

This is the first area on the resume. Highlight your general skills, such as creativity, independent working, deadline-oriented, etc. Emphasize your experience as well as skills. A good example of this would be “Designer with 15 years of experience, including freelance and advertising agency work. Extensive experience in meeting deadlines, creative interpretation, and graphic artwork. Proficient in a variety of software suites.” By writing a summary, you can press the reader to read further by highlight experience, skills, and specific background.

Experience

This is the second area on the resume. Write the job titles and duties here. Make sure that your job descriptions do not over lap. For example, if you are a career administrative assistant, make sure you list the job title as administrative assistant, and list EVERY duty you performed during your admin. career. This is great for lateral moves with changes in job titles, but not duties. List the titles! Also, add any volunteer experience, adult education, etc. to this area. If you are changing careers, DO NOT leave this information out! List all the software you are familiar with. Basically, every thing you feel that puts you as advantage should be listed in this section!

Work History

This is where you list your work history.

Education

List your college credits, and any certifications you may hold.

Other Information

List awards, hobbies (such as web page design, not baking!) and other important information.

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How to create a resume that an employer won't miss

Sending your resume to a potential employer is like saying a prayer: you have no idea what the odds are, but you hope against hope that something will go in your favor. With many big name companies, though, thousands of applications are received for every one open position. To make matters worse, many of these large corporations now use computer screening to weed out the majority of applications. So how do you create a resume that gets you in the door, at the very least?

The first step is to closely read the job description. Consider those few paragraphs to be clues as to how to get an interview. Generally, the job description alludes to three important factors in the hiring process: what the company will expect from you in the future, what they want you to have done in the past, and what qualifications you need to have at this moment.

These clues should be the outline of your resume. Since you always begin your resume with your most recent employment or skills, the first thing the employer will see is what you are doing at your present job. He or she wants to know if you can take these skills and apply them to the open position in the future. With this parameter in mind, figure out what the company is looking for. Use the job description as your starting point and then supplement what you know with information from the company’s website. For example, one job duty may be to “develop and implement internal and external public relations/communications strategies.”

Okay, so in this job, you would need to know what the company does and how the company wants to tell the public about it. But what kind of messages will you need to communicate? If you go to the company’s website, you can learn not only what field they are in, but what the precise competitive advantage is. Every company has things or products or ethics they are proud of – the key is to learn what they are. Once you figure out what makes the company different from its completion (and why, in theory, it is better) you can begin to make your resume the picture of who the company wants to hire.

Now it is time to think hard about what you have done in the past that sounds like what this company needs. If the company you are applying to is proud of its commitment to developing drugs for the elderly (instead of, say, pediatric medicines), focus on that angle. If you are applying for a job in communications, what experience do you have with publications whose demographic is the elderly? If you are applying for a job in marketing, what campaigns have you worked on that have targeted the elderly? A research position? Do you have any history with other geriatric drugs or studies?

Let’s say the company also differentiates itself from its competitors by its near-spotless record of safe drugs. Needless to say, maintaining good public opinion isn’t easy and takes a very concerted effort from everyone in the company. Again, what have you done in the past that sounds similar to this type of effort? Have you worked with a company that needed some crisis control in terms of their media relations? Have you developed a drug that encountered some controversy, and did you have a role in the aftermath? The point is to focus on your past experiences that match the company’s points of pride/competitive advantage.

After doing your research and mentally matching up your history to what the company is looking for, it’s time to tailor your resume. Since the potential employer is looking to see if what you have done in the past can translate into a good future with Company X, you need to spell it out in your resume. Begin with your most recent or current employment, and summarize what you have done in bullet points. Don’t overlook important tasks just because they may not fit the job description, but be sure to bold what fits with their points of pride. Bold, bold, bold, and be specific about those matching points of pride! The more specific you can be, the better it looks to your potential employer. List names clients you have worked with that would be familiar to Company X, or give names of projects or brands you have worked on. Do not simply say, “Created a campaign to garner interest in issues.” Instead, say, “created a campaign for Geriatric Inc to garner a 50% feedback rate on Medicare hot buttons, such as…” The more the employer can visualize what you actually did, the more impressed he or she will be.

So far, you have learned what the company wants the future employee to by reading the job description. You took your matching skills and paired them with the company’s competitive advantage or point of pride in order to look like an even better candidate. Now, you need to assure them that you have the basic skills required for the job. These types of skills usually aren’t acquired in prior jobs, but they are more like degrees, classes or languages. For example, if a company is looking for someone who speaks French and Spanish, you probably didn’t learn that in your cubical. Instead, you took a class or have your degree in those languages. The same is true for a skill like Quark or any sort of certification. The bottom of your resume is the place to list these skills. And, again, be sure to bold the skills you have that specifically match the ones they mentioned in the job description.

Of course, always proofread your resume as a last step and be sure to include your contact information. By now, you have a sheet of paper that lists your prior jobs and experiences, with the most recent being first on the list. Under each entry, you have bulleted the most important skills or duties, and you’ve bolded the ones that specifically match what the company is looking for. You’ve even incorporated key words from the job description, and you have been very specific and used names of clients or campaigns whenever possible. Not only do you look like an ideal candidate, but you’ve already done a lot of research for the interview that you are sure to get.

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Finding jobs for teachers

There is an abundance of teaching positions available. There is currently a teacher shortage, particularly in the areas of special education, bilingual education, math and science. There are many positions to be found in the public schools, however, public schools are certainly not the only places that teaching jobs can be found. Since they offer the most positions, though, let’s begin by looking at how to go about applying for a job with one of the school districts.

First of all, find out which public schools serve the area in which you live. In many metropolitan areas, there are many different districts. Look up each district’s web page. Under “Human Resources,” you should find job listings, the procedure for applying and perhaps even the district’s pay scale.

You need to do is fill out the district application and submit all of the required materials. Your application will not become active until you have completed every step of the procedure they have outlined on their site or application. After submitting the required information, don’t sit back and rest on your laurels. Even though the district may have required you to fill out an application, submit a resume, transcripts, and your certification, this does not guarantee you a job. Take a look at the specific job postings and decide which ones you are interested in. Then call the individual school and ask to speak to the person responsible for filling the position. Talk to them directly if you can. If you have to leave a voice message, or are discouraged from speaking to the person in charge, at least get their name and title, so that you can include it in your cover letter. You want to personalize your job search as much as possible.

If you don’t get responses on some of the jobs you have applied for, don’t feel discouraged. Often, districts are required to publicly post positions that they have every intention of filling internally. Keep trying to contact the decision-maker at the school you want to work at. Often, they can tell you about positions that are expected to open up that haven’t been posted yet. Also, don’t forget to attend the district’s job fair, if they offer one. This is a great way to meet the principals of the different schools in a large district, and you may get a job offer fairly quickly.

Another way to find out about public school job opportunities is to sign up with your regional education service center. Often, you can fill out an application with them, which will be stored in their database for the surrounded area that you have specified. Many rural schools utilize this resource to fill positions.

Whatever you do, don’t give up. Although many principals are aware of open positions by April, teachers frequently resign their positions right before the school year is to begin, leaving principals scrambling to fill positions. So even if you don’t have the job you want in hand by the end of May, you might very well find yourself with a job in August. Also, many principals reserve the month of June for hiring, so there are many different times you should check in with the schools. Don’t be afraid to be persistent. School administrators today have many responsibilities, and you don’t want your resume to slip through the cracks of the principal’s memory.

Besides the public school system, there are many private schools in operation, both religious and secular. These schools often do not have yearly contracts, so you may be able to find a position that has become available in the middle of the school year. You will want to take a personalized approach when dealing with private schools, and you will probably need to stop by the school to pick up an application in person. Be certain to peruse the school’s website so that you know what their educational goals are, and whether or not you will be a good match. If you are, be sure to match the school’s goals to your cover letter and resume. In this case, sending out a generic resume is a certain way to ensure that it ends up in the trash.

Other educational opportunities exist in juvenile correctional facilities, day treatment programs for behavior or substance abuse, programs for expelled youth, and mental hospitals. Treat the application process at any of these institutions the same as you would if you were applying for a private school position. Customize your resume. If the job is with a correctional institution, give yourself plenty of time to fill out and submit the state or county job application, as these are notoriously slow to be processed. Don’t be surprised if you do not hear back from a state or county facility for two months. Other facilities, such as those run by private non-profits, may hire within the week.

The most important thing when searching for a teaching position is to identify what it is that you want, and then go after it. If you want to teach, there are plenty of opportunities out there, regardless of your academic discipline.

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Do it yourself: how to set up an effective small business phone system

Setting up a small business requires consideration into many aspects. One of the most important aspects is communication. Having an effective system in which one’s clients can contact them is imperative. Different businesses require different types of business phone system.

If one is a sole proprietor and works from home, a simple phone system is required. One can either use their own personal line or set up an additional line for business purposes only. Current technology will allow one to set up an additional line on their existing line. One can add an additional number with a distinctive ring tone. This will help differentiate between incoming business and personal calls. Another feature – ‘caller identification’ also aids in distinguishing personal from business calls. This is especially helpful when one is already on a call, and does not have the advantage of the distinctive ring feature.

One may choose not to set up an additional line, but choose a voice mailbox instead. One can rent a number from an independent voicemail service. Calls will go to that number, and one can remotely retrieve messages at their convenience. This also allows one to choose their area code. If one lives in New York, but wants to expand their business to Los Angeles, they can set up a voicemail box in Los Angeles, and appear as a local business.

Some voicemail services also provide the option of call forwarding. One can forward calls to their home or cell phone, and always be available. There are even sophisticated systems with a feature called “Find Me”. This feature will forward all incoming calls to all numbers on file, until it locates you. Features such as caller identification, whisper and conference call are also available on this type of system. Whisper is a feature whereas when one answers their call, the system announces that they have an incoming call from their phone service. It allows the person the option to accept the call or reroute it to voicemail.

If one has a national business, they may consider using a toll free number. Toll free numbers may be available through one’s local carrier. If not, one can choose an independent provider and have calls routed to their home or cellular phone. Toll free numbers can be restricted to incoming calls from landlines or cellular phones. Most toll free carriers charge a surcharge when calls are placed from a public pay phone. Toll free numbers can be customized to spell out words. This enables your client to remember the number.

Also keep in mind that if the business in national; one should take care in investing in a good long distance plan. Many providers offer specific business packages. And many providers also offer all-inclusive packages, such as unlimited local and long distance calls for one price. This will enable one to have a stable phone bill every month. A small business may have several people or departments. For this business, it is essential to have an incoming screener and router. If you have three departments, you can have a system in place that gives the caller the option to choose which department they desire by pushing an appropriate extension or button. If the business entails employees to be mobile, the calls can be redirected to their cell phones.

Sometimes all lines are busy, and a patron may be required to hold. The hold message should be used to the businesses advantage. One can record announcements or answers to frequently asked questions on this feature. Use this feature as effective advertising and marketing tool. If frequently asked questions are addressed, this can reduce call volume and save the business money. This is particularly true with toll free numbers, where the business pays for the calls.

Setting up an effective business system can aid you with getting and keeping customers. It also can be an effective marketing tool. There are systems to fit any budget, and any size small business. With a little research and creativity, any business can have an effective small business phone system.

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