How to Become the Perfect Candidate in 3 Simple Steps

How to Become the Perfect Candidate in 3 Simple Steps Everyone wants to create a good impression on their future employer. In order to do so, you must be the best candidate you can be. You want to stand out, to be different for all the right reasons and you want that person to have no other choice but to hire you. How do you do this? Netsource have provided an infographic showing you 3 steps you can follow to become the perfect candidate: Make your CV stand out:  76% of CVs get ignored because of unprofessional email addresses and 250 CVs on average are received for each job position. Do not exceed 2 pages of A4 paper and use positive language like developed and organised. Stand out on social media: 89% of businesses plan to use social media for recruitment now, and in the future. 86% of business plan to use LinkedIn for recruitment purposes and 68% of employers will find you on Facebook. 50% of businesses plan to use Twitter for recruitment in the coming future. Acing your interview: Be confident! The top 3 mistakes made are: Eye contact 67% fail to make eye contact in their interviews. Have knowledge 47% have very little knowledge of the company. Smile 38% fail to smile in an interview. In addition to this, the infographic provides the top 5 questions asked in an interview: Tell me about yourself. When did you leave your last job? What do you know about the company? Why do you want to work for us? Tell me about your experience. RELATED: 6 Tips for Transitioning Into Your Perfect Career

How to Write a Resume - Good Advice That Can Help You Get That Job!

How to Write a Resume - Good Advice That Can Help You Get That Job!The star method is probably the most talked about and discussed method of resume writing for the past five years. With a high number of people searching for job vacancies, a lot of people are looking for information on how to write a great resume and avoiding common resume mistakes. In this article, I will try to provide you with some essential information on how to make a resume.To write a good resume, you should first think about what exactly it is that you want to put down on paper. After that, you need to write a summary of the things that you want to say in your resume. Although the purpose of a resume is to get you hired, it does not necessarily mean that you have to have the skill to write one.A good way to help you with this process is to draw up a rough draft of your resume before you actually go ahead and write it. It is best to work on it in front of a blank sheet of paper to ensure that you are not making any errors. This is not only a great way to find mistakes that you will not be able to make when you are writing it; it also enables you to find some things that you may have been neglecting in the past.When it comes to spelling and grammar, always ensure that you are going with the right angle. For instance, when you are writing a term like Manager, you want to go with the term Manager and not just Manager. Not only will this make you appear more professional resumes are more attractive, but this will also show your employers that you know the importance of professionalism.Another popular method that is used to help people build a good resume is the introduction paragraph. In this section, you need to explain why you are applying for the position that you are applying for. You should include a personal and relevant experience as well as the skills that you are likely to bring to the table for the employer.Another way to structure a resume is to write a bullet-point list and then us e the title of the bullet point for the first sentence of the first paragraph structure. This is so that the first sentence of the first paragraph contains an objective and can help you communicate this in a clear manner.Before you leave the job application part of the resume, give a good explanation of why you are leaving your current employer. You need to provide some incentive for them to accept you as a candidate. If you do not provide a clear reason for leaving the position you are applying for, chances are that they will simply discard your resume.As you can see, there are many different methods that you can use to start writing resume. In fact, you may find that you are writing the resume yourself without ever realizing it, because you are using some of these methods.

Applications sniper, not scattergun

Applications sniper, not scattergun 200 rejection letters and counting  â€" does this sound familiar? It certainly does to me. Theres been a fair passage of time since my student days, but I distinctly recall a period of frenzied activity in the months after graduation, applying for any and everything. To my credit I left no stone unturned, or sector untouched and once I signed up for the online job sites, I was really motoring! Sadly, the rejection emails came just as quickly and I was left feeling depressed and dejected. Very occasionally Id have a spot of luck and be invited to interview, but it was painfully obvious that my interest and motivation were lacking. I couldnt articulate any passion or enthusiasm, or draw connections between my experience and the job rolebecause I didnt have any. And then it dawned: my desire â€" or desperation â€" to secure a graduate job was clouding my judgement, and I took a step or two back to ask myself some pretty searching questions about what I wanted and where I was going. Fast forward to 2012 and it seems my experience has been amplified. Graduates emerge into a far more competitive job market and the tail end of a pretty deep recession.  Every graduate post receives 52 applications, so its no surprise that students feel the need to cast their net wide. After all, this seems perfectly intuitive: the more jobs you apply for, the better your chances. Sending mutiple applications can also make you feel like youre being really pro-active and taking charge of your job search. Truth be told, it can sometimes mean the opposite. Why the scattergun approach fails If youre about to enter your final year still waiting for that career epiphany, you might be tempted to hedge your bets and apply the scattergun approach. This strategy generally fails. Employers can spot a generic application a mile off and your application will simply find its way onto the reject pile. Tell-tale signs include: Bland, generic statements proclaiming a desire to work for company x because you are a global player, with a strong vision offering a fantastic opportunity for me to learn and develop. Not only is this pretty tedious to read, but it provides no evidence of motivation, research or originality. And it breaks application rule no 1: dont tell an employer what they can do for you, only what you can do for them. Liberal use of Ctrl+v! Graduate recruiters spend a lot of time sifting through application forms you cant fool them. It may appear that application forms ask the same questions, but theres often a subtle nuance, or change in emphasis. Copy/paste will not save you time but it may cost you the shortlist. Why targeting works In a nutshell, it shows the employer that you are serious and mean business. Good applications take time and effort, and are the fruit of extensive research, multiple drafts and attention to detail. Yes, there is an element of luck, but dont overstate its importance. In any case, you cant legislate for luck â€" good or bad â€" but what you can do is maximise your own chances with a properly organised job search. Follow the basics: Research, research, research! Start with the industry sector itself. If you cant provide a convincing and compelling case for your interest in marketing/consulting/HR then you wont persuade an employer either. Good places to start include  TARGETJobs,TheJobCrowd,  Prospects, Get to know the employer inside out: clients, mission, trends, initiatives. Read company reports, press releases, news stories. Follow them on Twitter and Facebook (you may feel Facebook is just a social space well, its not anymore). Use this knowledge to shape your applications; dont simply regurgitate what youve read. Make your application informed and intelligent, not superficial. Only apply for jobs you want. Dont commit to an application if you cant do it justice. Why risk slipping into a downward spiral of failure and rejection? Inevitably its the bad news that tends to dominate the headlines, so dont be surprised if you continue to read alarming stories about graduate unemployment and scarily high applicant:job ratios. Its certainly true that there are many graduates applying for each position, but plenty will self-sabotage through poor applications. Dont be one of them. Focus on quality, not quantity, and you may soon be beating those odds.

How influencer marketing can bolster your fashion brand

How influencer marketing can bolster your fashion brand Gone are the days when people got their fashion fix exclusively from glossy magazines. In modern marketing, you don’t need to throw big bucks at a centre spread in Vogue to get your fashion brand noticed â€" digital influencers are here to stay, and they offer up a much more authentic range of brand exposure. Modern fashion icons aren’t just big-name celebrities and carefully put-together It girls. Online influencers cross every genre and subculture of fashion there is.   You can find a vlog or the small business blog being run from bedrooms and small-town high streets around the world. With businesses reporting that they’re making their money back  six times over  when it comes to influencer marketing spend, it’s time to look at how influencers can help your brand. Influencers do it better Online and offline, people’s day-to-day lives are saturated with advertising. Consumers have fallen out of love with everyday adverts, proving to be an increasingly invasive, unwanted and untrusted way to sell your products. Enter: the influencers. Supported by extensive followings of loyal viewers and readers, successful influencers like Zoella (see the video below)   and Helen Anderson (pictured above) are deemed to be believable voices offering genuine opinions among the noise.   From the luxury lifestyle blog to the pet lovers blog, there are influencers everywhere. From the ultimately most-trusted ‘Micro-influencer’ to the aspirational, ‘#goals’ influencer superstars, third party reviews and promo are much more trusted than ordinary brand ads. There’s a social media sensation for every budget, and it isn’t just their immediate network your brand gets exposed to. Much in the way that you might hear about a great product because a friend of a friend recommended it to someone who recommended it to you, influencer’s networks carry on far past their followers. Get visual, get relatable Fashion marketing  is all about visuals. Nobody ever bought a piece of clothing based on a product description alone â€" strong imagery is crucial. With an influencer, you don’t need to worry about hiring a photographer, a set designer, a stylist. These are people who spend their days working on that perfect shot, be it for a diamond ring or a new pair of flip-flops. All you need to do is hand over your product, and the rest is taken care of. In the image above, it’s clear from the caption that Matthew Williamson have provided the influencer pictured with this outfit â€" which has then been shot in a sleek, faux-candid image and promoted to tens of thousands of followers. One of the other important factors in influencer marketing is relatability. Even the most sleek and sophisticated social media personality will resonate better with their audience than a page-turning celeb. Micro-influencers and mid-range targets work well because they max out that relatability factor, offering a ‘real-people’ vibe. This shows your audience that, yes, this product is something that they can look fantastic in; it isn’t just for elite ‘fashion model’ types. Even mid-range influencers (those with 2.5K to 25K monthly visitors) garner engagement up to  16x higher  than paid media alternatives. If you’re looking to boost your brand with cost-effective, highly efficient marketing, the winning choice is clear. Traffic and exposure An influencer photo or video featuring your product isn’t just a good-looking, believable advert. Genuine stories and experiences pick up momentum, which means a YouTube video that reaches 50,000 followers is going to go so much further than 50,000 pairs of eyes. Loyal audiences share with related networks, increasing your online exposure and building brand awareness in the process. As content gets ‘liked’, reacted to and re-shared, site traffic increases and conversions start to rise. Take cosmetics brand NYX, who’ve become a multimillion-dollar brand through organic social media influencer engagement. NYX send out free samples every month, and consumers have leapt at the opportunity to respond with everything from straight reviews to application techniques. For fashion brands, sending out samples of upcoming lines to Instagram and YouTube stars is an easy way to get people clamouring to purchase the goodies when they’re released. Fresh ideas Of course, it isn’t all about traffic and sales. Influencer marketing can help you build your brand identity as well as your brand awareness. Take Mejuri, who reinforced perceptions of their minimalist aesthetic by working with six emerging influencers on a new jewelry range â€" including @Michelletakeaim in the image below. They chose influencers with a range of diverse, engaged audiences, but not just any big name that they could find. Instead of focusing on jewelry bloggers, they focused on people whose whole aesthetic aligned with their desired brand identity. Voila â€" the new jewelry got promoted to a huge, relevant audience, who now know Mejuri as a minimalist brand. From lifestyle images to giveaways and competitions, the range of content influencers can produce for you is huge. Think about how your brand can work with relevant influencers to bolster everything from pageviews to interactions and product purchases. What are your goals, and how can an influencer help you achieve them? Your brand might hope to: Add to your mailing list Increase brand awareness Boost profits Encourage conversations Improve your marketing ROI Whatever your target, a clear influencer marketing plan can help you get there.

Why You Need a Resume Template to Make Your Job Search Easier

Why You Need a Resume Template to Make Your Job Search EasierMaking the perfect resume is a difficult task for most people. A lot of people spend more time writing a resume than actually preparing it to send. They do not take enough time to write one and then submit it.The reason why you should not waste your time in crafting a perfect resume is because most employers search for the applicants who have tried their best to prepare their resume for submission. Most of them have a lot of free time to browse through resumes online or you may just need to contact the ones that look perfect. It is important that you make the employer feel that you have been working hard for your efforts. In fact, if you have nothing to be ashamed about, you should be proud of your resume and send it anyway.But how can you ensure that your resume gets a good rating from the prospective employer? This is when you need a resume template to help you. The only problem with these templates is that they usually f ocus on the fields which the employer specifically looks for, and that is good.However, what you must know is that employers are looking for legitimate job openings. You need to use a template which will address all the necessary parts of the job description and the most important thing is that the resume template must highlight your experience to the point where it attracts the employer's attention.The major thing that you have to remember is that you can apply any work at home job that you have mastered. You must note though that the skills should be appropriate to the job you are applying for, so do not try to fake it by trying to write the skills as you have never used them.A resume template should also highlight your professional strengths such as your achievements in terms of skills, or your particular skill sets that have been useful to your current employer. If your resume is impressive, it will speak about how well you have performed, and this will attract the attention of the employer.The biggest advantage of using a resume template is that it comes with sample resumes of different applicants. A template allows you to save time and money as you do not have to hunt for those resumes by yourself, and you can have a much better idea of how to craft your own.For example, if you have already worked in one particular industry and want to switch careers, you can easily use a template for this purpose. This will ensure that your resume is tailored to suit your career. This way, you can still show your previous accomplishments but do not worry about saying anything that will get you rejected.

How to Start Building A Career in Fabrication

How to Start Building A Career in Fabrication Photo Credit â€" Pixabay.comHave you spent a lot of your time studying for or working in heavily practical jobs? Do you have skills from manufacturing and construction but you want to start a business in a different sphere?Maybe you’d like to get a little more creative than you’ve been able to before. Working in fabrication allows you to take on all sorts of projects for all sorts of clients. But as well as the practical metalworking skills you already have, you need to know a few other things.1. Know your opportunitiesFirst, you have to realize that there is a very broad range of demands for a fabrication business. You might take on one contractor and do most of your work for them. Or you might take on individual projects for public and private customers alike.evalRegardless of which opportunities you go for, you have to start adopting the qualities customers look for in fabrication providers.You need to be able to tell them what your capabilities are, in terms of what materials you work with as well as what tools you use for the job. They need to know whether you can do cutting and forming, welding, assembly and others. There are opportunities for all kinds of skill-sets. You just need to be very clear on which opportunities you can take.2. Know the equipment you needPhoto Credit â€" Pexels.comYou’re obviously going to have a need of the actual tools you use for fabrication. Metal-working relies on some serious equipment, after all. But you also need to start finding your suppliers. Get in touch with local metal suppliers as well as those for equipment you’ll need to keep ordering in.For instance, companies like Welding Outfitter will be essential in providing and repairing a lot of your safety equipment. When you get in touch with suppliers, it’s a good idea to let them know you’re a business with the demands of a business. That way, they may be willing to start a longer-term relationship with you including discounted prices.3. Know your peoplePh oto Credit â€" pexels.comAs well as knowing the skills and equipment to keep the practical side of the business running, you need to know how to appeal to your market. One of the best ideas in marketing a fabrication company is by finding a niche.Do you specialize in creating goods for manufacturing industries to implement? Or are you more suited to creating things like sculptures and artistic works for companies and public services?Fabrication is a job that’s much more fit for the individual customer than common industry practices. You need a problem-solving head as well as the right equipment to tackle those problems. We hope this guide helps you spot the opportunities for you in that rather exciting career.

Youre Doing it Wrong! How Not to be a Networking User

You’re Doing it Wrong! How Not to be a Networking “User” Well now, here you are! You want â€" or need (!) â€" to pursue a job change. But you don’t have a network. So join the multitude! Yes, I know, you’ve been told over and over to build your network so you have people to engage with when you need help. But you just didn’t Don’t kick yourself. Here are 4 steps to build out your professional networking now, even if you are also conducting a job search. Engage with your local business community by researching, then connecting. Here’s a homework assignment for you: Invest in a subscription to your local Business Journal. It’s a small amount with a big pay off! Then use it! How? Read it cover-to-cover. Your subscription should be the same price for print and/or digital so make sure you get both. Then, when the Journals start arriving, read them cover-to-cover, even the parts you might think aren’t relevant. It’s all relevant when you are in job search mode. Tear out articles and lists that are in your field of interest, whether focused on the function mentioned in the article (marketing concepts, finance concepts) or the industry (healthcare, real-estate). Send a LinkedIn Connect request to the people you read about. Write a personal note in your request and tell them that you read about them in your local Business Journal. You could congratulate them on the promotion you read about in “People on the Move” or simply say you think they have an interesting background and you would like to connect in LinkedIn. Once they respond and you are connected, you will have their e-mail address for further engagement. Acknowledge that LinkedIn is a database, not Networking. Too many people, especially job-seekers, mistake the number of connections they have on LinkedIn with how well networked they are. Don’t be that person. LinkedIn is a data base. Period. “Networking” is the ongoing process of 2-way communication for the long term. As soon as possible, get out of LinkedIn and into e-mail, phone, or face-to-face discussions. When sending e-mails to your connections, make them formal in style and grammar since your communications are an example of what you will be like as a future employee. Fine tune your networking to approach the most relevant people based on your goal. The first step in any job search should be to define your goal. Can you answer, “What are you searching for?” in the following format? “I’m looking for a function in the industry in city. Three examples of my target companies are ________, ________, _______. Based on this information, first, strategically pick whom you are going to network with very strategically. Second, share your goal with your network in just those clear and specific terms. Before contacting someone in a company you want to work for, go to their company CAREER page and see if there are posted positions you want to apply for. AFTER you have applied for a position, connect with individuals who can help you secure an interview. It’s great to say, “I’ve just applied to title job job # at your company and I would like to ask your help in securing an interview.” GRATITUDE â€" Don’t be a “user!” Always follow up with your connections. No matter how much they helped you (or even if they didn’t), always follow up with your connections, thank them repeatedly, and certainly let them know when you landed. Networking has a bad rap because most people use bad form. I’m sure you’ve been on the other end: someone reaches out to you for your advice, you give it, then you never hear back from them again. Ever. Networking with bad form (sloppy, lacking gratitude, lacking follow-up after the initial thank you) is called USING. Don’t be a user. Based on the level of support you received, go beyond an e-mail thank-you note. Hand-written notes and Starbucks cards are just some examples. There’s so much more to networking. And it’s awkward for everybody; “I’m an introvert, I’m from another culture, I don’t know what to say,” are, well, just excuses. If your career move is important to you, you’ll focus on networking for the long term, not just this once. Enjoy the process!

CRAVE Chat Flip It Before You Ditch It

CRAVE Chat Flip It Before You Ditch It So ya remember how Im in a real live book? And because of that I got to meet/feature Jessi, Laura and Bryn for Grown-Up Gigs and the founder herself for a video interview? Well, now I get to be included amongst the in-cray-ah-blay speakers for CRAVEnycs November Chat! Canyastandit? I cannot. Its too much amazeballsness for this particular Woman of the World, but Im taking it anyway   ?? The theme this month is Flip It Before You Ditch It, which I tooooootally resonate with, as Im constantly asking myself Whats working? and Whats not? and tweaking tweaking tweaking until I get it right (aka having me love it and having others want/love it, too). Alas, it runs into my client work, because I always want them to build what they love, too! Not only have these panel speakers (which include Lucinda Cross and Rebecca Rodskog in addition to yours truly) flipped aspects of their own lives to make them happy, but they have built careers around helping others do the same. This month is more than a CRAVE chat of sharing great tips and resources. We invite you to a workshop where you can share your current business concept and receive. We will collectively brainstorm possible ways for you to flip it into something new that makes you happy. Get more deets for the Nov 30th event and your ticket  here! Ooh, super fun times ahead!