In Search of a Senior Accountant

Experience in payroll general ledger reconcilation is a plus! Requires a bachelor's in Accounting, Business Administration, or closely related field with at least 18 hours of accounting. CPA A Plus, Masters Degree in Accounting is preferred

Preparation is as Important as the Job Interview Itself

Following are some steps to take to insure that everything you want and need will occur when you walk into the room and face the hiring manager.


•Turn your thoughts to the questions and answers you've prepared. Go over them in your mind, fine-tuning your responses.

•Give yourself plenty of time to dress appropriately. Choose clothing that is simple, yet professional.

•Eat a light but nourishing meal. You'll want to keep your energy high while being interviewed.

•Review your notes regarding your current or previous employment. Be ready to talk about specific examples related to your talents and skills.

•Gather your resume, letters of reference, and other pertinent documents. When asked for evidence or credentials you'll have then on hand.

•Check your car for fuel or the bus schedule if you're taking public transportation. Always allow more time than you need so you arrive without stress.
These basic steps are sometimes overlooked because job candidates often wait until they are sitting across from the hiring manager before they think about the real purpose of the meeting and their reason for being there—to win a return interview and ultimately the job they want.

Start your job interview before you leave home so that when you arrive you'll be fully engaged and at your best.

- Jimmy Sweeney

From www.net-temps.com

How Numbers Can Enhance Your Resume

Did you know that numbers can make a huge difference in your ability to create a quality resume? It’s true. The more numbers you add to your resume, the more you are enhancing it and increasing your chances of getting called in for an interview.

Of course, adding numbers doesn’t simply meaning writing “1, 2, 3” in random places around the resume. They have to be used strategically to make a difference. But if you adopt the right strategies, you can bet that you will have enhanced your resume tenfold.

Start with Amounts

When jotting down accomplishments, not merely responsibilities, to your resume, you want to get as in-depth as possible. This means listing the amounts associated with everything you have accomplished. For instance, if you were a sales representative at your previous employer, you can mention that you not just sold products for the company, but that you sold X amount of products for the company.

Also, it’s a good idea to talk about how many clients you were able to sell to. The more detailed you’re able to be when describing your accomplishments, the more vividly you can paint a picture of what you’ll be able to accomplish if the company hires you.

Move On to Money

So now that you’ve been able to successfully describe how many products you’ve sold, and how many clients you sold to, during your time at your previous company, let’s think in terms of the dollar bill. If you were a sales representative, your ultimate job was to sell products or services to as many clients as possible so that you could make money for the company. So how much money would you say you made?

Obviously, the more money you were able to make, the more successful you probably were at your job, so you want to break down as many numbers as you can. Don’t just total out all that you made in your career there. If you sold more than one product or service, don’t be shy about listing total amounts for those that you sold the most of. These dollar amounts will tie into your explanations for how many products and clients you sold, so that your story can become that much more vivid.

Don’t Forget Time

But you can’t thoroughly list an accomplishment without mentioning time. In other words, over how many years did you sell products? How fast a timeframe were you able to sell X amount of products to X amount of clients that made X amount of dollars? Or how many times a month were you asked to come up with another important sales strategy? You’re catching on now, right? It’s all about making sure you don’t leave any important details out. If you don’t mention it all, you’re simply selling yourself short.

So now it’s time to pass you the baton. It shouldn’t be hard to come up with the numbers you need to fill in the blanks on your resume. Just take time to think about all the great things you’ve accomplished at your previous jobs so that you can show your future employer what a great employee they’re getting.

Heather Eagar is a former professional resume writer and is passionate about providing working professionals with current, reliable and effective job search tools and information.
From www.net-temps.com

Accountant I Needed!!!!

Large Healthcare facility is seeking a person to assist with the accounting activities that includes monthly general ledger closeout, account analysis and reconciliations. Must have 1-2 years accounting experience, degree preferred and strong analytical skills. Will prepare journal entries for the general ledger, reconcile monthly statements, prepare and analyze reports and help out wherever needed.

Receptionist Needed!

Receptionist for Corporate office of a professional real estate property. Multiple phone lines with 4 incoming phone lines and 15 extensions. Basic Computer skills required. Handle all front desk traffic including phones and greeting all incoming visitors. Must be professional!

What NOT to Do in an Interview

Last week I had lunch with a colleague who had recently hired someone for a part-time position for her office. My colleague was interested to observe the wide variety of people who applied for a low-paying, part-time position. She was even more intrigued by one candidate’s behavior during the interview.
Apparently this candidate had called on her way to the interview to say she was en route. Based on her supposed whereabouts, the candidate should have arrived 10-15 minutes early. Somehow, she actually arrived 40 minutes late—without offering any explanation as to why. As if her tardiness weren’t bad enough, this candidate then proceeded to scroll through and reply to e-mails on her Blackberry during the interview!

I know what you’re thinking: Yeah, that’s what happens when you interview college students. Not so! This badly behaved candidate was an administrator in her 50s, looking for an additional job to earn a little extra money. My colleague was stunned someone of this age—and at this stage in her professional life—would act so poorly in an interview setting. So, in case it needs to be said:

1. Show up for every interview slightly early.

Between 5-10 minutes is perfect. If you get there anymore than 10 minutes early, hang out in your car until it’s closer to your appointment time. Interviewers don’t like to feel rushed into talking with you. On the other hand, leaving yourself extra minutes will still allow you to arrive on time if you happen to miss a turn, get caught behind a school bus, or find yourself waiting at a railroad crossing as a 3-mile-long freight train moseys its way toward Montana.

2. Set your cell phone to silent or turn it off.

If your vibration mode is as loud as mine, it’s too loud for a quiet interview setting. If you’re like the woman above and can’t keep your hands off your “crackberry,” leave it in the car. Many people consider it bad form to even be looking at your cell phone while you’re waiting to be called in.

3. If something truly crazy occurs that causes you to be late, apologize profusely.

There is no easier way to get off on the wrong foot with a potential employer than to give them the impression you don’t value their time—or you’re not worth hiring in the first place because you’re not dependable and inconsiderate.

In this tough job market, any face time you get with a hiring manager is absolutely invaluable. Make sure you’re on your best behavior!

By CAREEREALISM-Approved Expert, Jessica Holbrook Hernandez
From www.careerealism.com

Administrative Assistant-Temporary

Work for global oil and gas company. Administrative Assistant is needed to answer phones/transfer calls for department and fill in for the front desk receptionist. Job duties also include scheduling courses/training for employees and creating course manuals. Assist with supply orders. Requirements: Proficiency in MS Office especially Excel; this position will require creating/working with Excel worksheets. Ability to work in a fast paced environment and shift priorities. Also, must be able to lift boxes in the office (10-25lbs). Position is located in the Woodlands area.

One Resume Technique Makes You Stand Out

A Human Resources Manager, working at a Fortune 500 company, asked for my help in writing her resume. She told me: "Thousands of resumes have passed through my hands but when it comes to writing my own I have a difficult time doing it." She isn't alone in her concerns. Most people find resume writing challenging. A resume is nothing more than a slick piece of advertising, but an important piece, especially in today's job market.

Employers report that most resumes get only a 15-20 second glance. If you don't capture the reviewer's attention and interest quickly they will pass you by and call in someone else for the interview.

There is one effective technique that you can use that dramatically improves your resume. In our national survey of 600 hiring managers, the overwhelming majority said the most important part of your resume is the SUMMARY OF QUALIFICATIONS section. Employers reported that this was one of the very first areas they read and when the summary demonstrates solid ability to perform the job it catches their attention and they slow down and give the applicant more careful consideration.

Hiring managers also reported only about 5% of resumes received contained this key section, and I never write a resume without it. It's just too powerful to leave out. This section usually consists of four to six sentences that present an overview of your experience, accomplishments, talents, work habits, and skills. Think of it as a mini-outline of you; a highly influential summation of the specifics you bring to the job.

Here is a good example from one of the resumes I wrote for a client:

SUMMARY OF QUALIFICATIONS

Proven track record serving as corporate counsel with eight years experience dealing with intellectual property and partnerships in a global environment. Responsible for a broad range of legal matters including: copyright and trademark protection, contract negotiations, compliance, and litigation. Led legal team in completing sophisticated joint venture negotiations that delivered millions to the company's bottomline. Recognized for superior problem-solving, project management, relationship building, and strategic planning skills.

It's easy to see by reading this brief summary how this candidate is qualified to perform as a corporate attorney. Indeed, she got several interviews and accepted a Fortune 100 company's offer, which included a very significant salary raise and signing bonus.

The SUMMARY OF QUALIFICATIONS, which speaks volumes by consolidating the best you have to bring to the job, really makes you stand out and pulls the employer in for a closer look. Be sure that your resume has this essential section. It comes right after your name, address and career objective. One caution -- employers complain that many people lie on their resume. Exaggeration! Misrepresentation! LYING is a deadly error. Don't do it! Employers do more background checks now than ever before so when you get caught, and sooner or later you will get exposed, you'll likely be fired. Only solid facts and verifiable experience should highlight your experience and accomplishments.

- Robin Ryan

Career Counselor and Best-Selling Author

From www.net-temps.com

Bilingual Spanish Junior Buyer Needed

The position will report to the Procurement and Houston Office Manager. It will interact with other Buyers and support staff in Houston, corporate office personnel, overseas buyers and vendors. Will negotiate and create RFQs, Purchase Orders, and commercial terms for: parts, materials, equipment. Verify requisition, technical specifications, clarify discrepancies, identify vendors, prepare and circulate RFQs to selected vendors, evaluate vendor proposals, negotiate terms, approve and obtain final authority for execution of purchase and delivery terms. Oversee vendor performance, track status of order from inception to delivery. Capable of handling low-complex RFQ processes. Capable of interacting with overseas Buyers.

Characteristics:
Responsible / Takes ownership in responsibilities, results oriented, Hard working, Team oriented, Persuasive communicator, Ethical and honest, Medium skills orientation in negotiating.

Knowledge/Skills/Competencies:
1-2 years experience in Procurement. Excellent communication skills in Spanish and English and through different cultures. Well-organized, detail person.

Is Your Resume Ready for a Recruiter?

Great news! You received a call out of the blue from a recruiter who wants to see your resume quickly. But what if you haven’t kept it current?
First of all, consider asking for more time to pull things together. After all, the recruiter’s job is easier if your resume clearly tells the employer why you’re a strong candidate.

Now, on to getting that resume in shape! Here are 3 tips to help you craft a compelling document—even if you’re short on time:

1 – Focus squarely on the goal.
Nothing kicks an applicant out of the running faster than an unfocused resume. Therefore, you’ll need to build your value proposition around this particular job, laying the foundation for the strategy behind your resume. (You can always create a different resume for another job type later).

Add a resume title, using as many specifics as possible that reflect your goal, such as Sales Manager, IT Director, CFO, VP Operations, etc.

Next, you’ll need to write down ideas for a summary of your background and why you’re qualified for this particular position. The key to writing an effective summary is to tweak it and keep it flexible during your resume writing process, allowing different ideas to surface so that you can weave them into this section.

One idea that may make this task easier is to use short, brand-focused headlines in lieu of writing a full profile paragraph.

Remember to review your summary after finishing your resume as well. You might find that you’ve uncovered more information to add—forming the basis for a well-rounded, powerful introduction to the rest of your credentials.

2 – Jot down your major success stories.
Here is where you’ll need to spend the bulk of your time. Analyzing how your contributions have impacted your employers is a critical step in the resume writing process.

Start by making a quick list of key points that you’d make if you already had the interview. Take special note of the metrics behind each story and the impact of your work on the company.

Flesh each out to a small paragraph, cutting out extraneous details for brevity. It’s best to aim for a sentence of 3 lines or less that describes your role, the context behind each accomplishment, and the results.

Repeat this process a minimum of 3-5 times for each job that you’ve held in the past 10 to 15 years to fill in your resume. This task may take a few extra hours, but it will be time well spent on a resume that gives a compelling picture of your abilities.

Finally, add these stories in bullet-point form to your resume, with a basic job description in paragraph form to introduce each of your jobs. Here, you can describe the teams you’ve supervised, budgets managed, and other contextual details.


3 – Get feedback on your resume update.
This is an important step, but it’s one that many professionals miss. Colleagues, spouses, bosses, and friends can help you to recall any important projects you might have omitted, or leadership qualities that you should demonstrate in order to be considered for the job.

Be sure to ask others to help proofread your resume as well, since typos and other errors can escape even the best writer who is pressed for time.

That’s it! Now, take the time to compose a short note to the recruiter that points out your main qualifications and the reasons you’re interested in the job. Your new, superbly crafted resume can then do the rest of the talking.

By CAREEREALISM-Approved Expert, Laura Smith-Proulx

From www.careerealism.com

Which Cola Does Your Resume Brand You As?

As top Cola brands fought to capture and sustain market share in an oversaturated soft drinks market, some very valuable marketing and branding lessons surfaced. What we learnt from the “Cola Wars” was that the fittest brand did not always thrive. On the contrary, ultimate success was the result of a shrewd branding strategy, one that truly differentiated the product from the crowd of “me too” competitors.

To combat 9.5% unemployment and competition from 14.6 million unemployed individuals, professionals and executives, too, are applying cutting-edge branding strategies to position themselves as a notch above the competition. When it comes to branding individuals, a resume is much like marketing collateral; it must be written in a compelling manner to position the candidate as the perfect solution for the employer’s needs.

Consider the following tips to create a brand-driven resume:

Identify your Unique Selling Proposition (USP)

Almost every candidate’s resume would convey attributes, such as hardworking, dedicated, team player, and other “everyone-has-them” skills. If all job seekers are hardworking and dedicated, whom should the employer call for an interview? This is where USP comes into play.

Ask yourself and your peers, superiors, team members, colleagues, and family members questions, such as “How am I different from the rest of the employees?,” “What is my value proposition?,” “In what ways do I contribute to the organization?”

Once you have identified your USP, showcase it on your resume. The following two resume examples demonstrate how a strong USP can capture the employer’s attention.

Weak strategy:

“Drive consistent sales growth for XYZ Company.”

Better:

“Top-producing sales professional who leverages relationship management skills to penetrate hard-to-influence Fortune 500 accounts and generate 120% revenue growth every year.”

The second candidate positions himself as a “top-producing professional” who leverages “relationship management skills” to achieve sales growth.

Create branding statements as headlines

Resume objectives, as they are generally written by many job seekers, don’t offer much benefit, especially if the objective statement is a cookie-cutter version, such as “Motivated professional seeking a promising position that offers opportunity for advancement and growth.”

What exactly did this objective convey? Nothing!

Branding statements and headlines are the modern-day equivalents of resume objectives. They pitch your most promising differentiation strategy in a few brief sentences. The following branding statement clarifies this concept:

Technically-proficient project manager who specializes in managing multi-million dollar, cutting-edge green solutions projects!

Over 18 years’ experience in deploying green solutions projects for Fortune 100 companies. Outstanding reputation as a project leader who turns-around failing projects into highly successful initiatives.

Translate benefits for the hiring manager

Take action statements a step further and emphasize the benefits of hiring you. How have you benefited your past employers and in what ways can you benefit your future employers?

As opposed to saying “Offer ten years’ experience in plant management,” translate benefits of hiring you.

“With over a decade of plant management experience, I am able to develop growth-focused solutions for challenging problems. At ABX Company, I was able to develop a powerful assembly line strategy that enabled workers to increase productivity by over 10% while simultaneously cutting production time by over 18 hours and labor costs by 6%.”

The candidate translated the benefits of hiring him -- improved productivity, cost savings, and optimal efficiency.

Modern resumes have advanced significantly from the previous century, when the status of a resume was downplayed to a typed employment chronology. Contemporary resume styles leverage branding and marketing concepts to differentiate and aptly position candidates as unique solutions for twenty-first century corporate challenges.

- Nimish Thakkar, Resume Writer and Career Coach
From www.net-temps.com

How to Mention Unrelated Work Experience on Your Resume

Many candidates who come to us for resume help have the same question. They have years of professional work experience, but a lot of it isn’t relevant to the position they’re currently seeking. On the one hand, they don’t want to waste resume space detailing work that doesn’t relate to their application. On the other hand, they don’t want to omit years of work that developed them as a professional.
THE RIGHT PHRASE
I use a magic phrase to address this issue: “additional experience includes.” It’s perfectly all right to sum up large portions of your career in one sentence that lists previous employers or positions. If you spent the first 10 years of your marketing career performing lower-level tasks, you could say: “Additional experience includes marketing positions with ABC, DEF, and XYZ (1990-2000).” If your previous work was in an unrelated field, you can simply list the companies: “Additional experience includes positions with ABC, DEF, and XYZ.”

THE AGE GAME
This technique can also be very helpful to those who are concerned about age discrimination. I summarized the first 15 years of one candidate’s career into one sentence to downplay the fact that she was 55. Because her experience was relevant to her field, removing it from her resume entirely would have been a disservice, but we did not include the years that experience encompassed.

THE EXPERIENCE ISSUE
I recently worked with another candidate who used this technique to show she was a more experienced professional than her education suggested. This woman had worked for 10 years before going back to complete her bachelor’s degree. From looking at her graduation dates, you would assume she was in her 20s. In fact, she was an experienced manager in her 30s—a fact that was important to show for the level of job she was seeking.

Many of us have work experience that doesn’t fit neatly with our current goals and objectives. If you don’t feel comfortable leaving it off your resume altogether, using the phrase “additional experience includes” can help you mention the experience quickly without wasting precious resume space.

By CAREEREALISM-Approved Expert, Jessica Holbrook Hernandez
From www.careerealism.com

Top 5 Ways to Improve Your Resume

Does your resume stand out? Will employers quickly see you are the one to do the job? Your resume has less than 15 seconds to capture an employer's attention according to our national survey of 600 hiring managers published in the book, Winning Resumes. You must also incorporate effective keywords or the electronic search tools will never put you on the hiring manager's screen. Resume writing is a critical skill to advancing your career so here are some of the top survey results to follow.


1.EMPHASIZE RESULTS! This was #1 with all surveyed employers. Accomplishments get attention, not just job descriptions. State the action you performed and then note the achieved results. Include details about what you increased or decreased. Use numbers to reflect, how much, how many, and percentage of gain or reduction. Stress money earned or time savings. For example: Managed the project implementing a new tracking system that resulted in a 17% decrease in cost overruns, saving $200,000.

2.SPECIFICS SELL. Vague, general resumes don't cut it, employers say. Target each resume to the job sought. Incorporate only the information pertinent to doing that specific job title in the resume. This will alleviate the tendency to crowd your resume with too much non-related information, or too much detail on jobs more than ten years in your past. Start each sentence with a descriptive action verb such as directed, organized, established, created, planned, etc. as they add powerful impact to your sentences.

3.DO NOT LIE! A USA TODAY survey of executives stated that over 50% tried to exaggerate their skills, which was almost always uncovered during interviews and reference checks. Lying resulted in candidates not getting the job, or worse, being fired once the fraud was revealed. Employers are on the lookout for this misrepresentation so be as positive as possible without exaggerating or misstating the truth.

4.BIG MISTAKES MUST BE AVOIDED. The TOP mistake annoying every manager and HR person in our survey was spelling mistakes and typos. Many said: "I stop reading when I find spelling mistakes." Typos scream: "Don't hire me." Proofread -- you cannot trust computer spell checkers. Cramming too much into a resume and using microscopic fonts can result in your resume never being read. Make your resume visually appealing on paper with fonts sizes in 11 or 12 points. Use concise sentences and adequate white space between points. Many online resume-posting programs incorrectly read boxes and graphic designs causing unintentional page breaks, so be sure to avoid using these. Also, many home computers use a mini-word processing program called WORKS, which is not compatible and can't be read by many employers' business computers that use MS WORD. Be certain you only use WORD in any communications you send on to employers.

5.THE FINAL TEST -- IS YOUR RESUME GETTING RESULTS? Are employers calling on appropriate jobs you are qualified for (not over or under) to perform? If not, rework your resume, or get professional help to improve it, since a great resume is the prelude to landing a terrific job.

- Robin Ryan
From www.net-temps.com

POS Analyst

Famous restaurant is in need of an POS Analyst who can work out in the field to help maintain the locations POS system. This position will involve the handling of the administration of each store system, managing and supporting the company's display system rollout, providing level 2 support for store applications and escalated calls from help desk, assisting with developing and implementing support for new initiatives and working on special projects. Qualified candidate must have POS experience within the retail/restaurant industry.

Job-Clinching Interview Secrets and Tips

The entire interview process is designed to sift the average from the extraordinary and to select the candidate who will be the "right fit". To facilitate decision-making, hiring managers often leverage behavioral interviewing (an interview technique relying on past performance as an indicator of future success). Interview success is largely dependent on how the candidate delivers responses.

Consider the following tips:

Communicate effectively, focus on the beef

During many interview coaching sessions, I have observed that candidates often deliver closed-ended responses to interview questions. Brevity is certainly appreciable, but if the response fails to communicate the message effectively, it won’t do much good either.

When asked about clinical research skills, for example, many professionals would frame their responses along the following lines:

Weak Strategy:

"I have excellent clinical research skills."

Better:

"My superiors, including XYZ Pharma’s CEO, have often called me the ‘Prize of the Clinical Department.’ During my 12+ years’ in clinical research, I have provided my expertise to the world’s top three pharmaceutical companies. As clinical research director at XYZ, I not only directed the testing of eight multi-billion dollar, blockbuster molecules, but also spearheaded their approval process from Phase I of clinical studies all the way through market launch. My Ph.D. in pharmacology serves only to enhance my clinical knowledge."

Showcase past results, demonstrate potential value

Wherever possible, highlight results, not just duties. It is very important to demonstrate how you were driving results at past positions and how you can continue bringing value in your future role as well.

Weak Example:

"I consistently generated hundreds of thousands of dollars in revenues for XYZ Pharmaceutical Company."

Better:

"From a sales force of 900+ at XYZ Pharmaceutical Company, I was ranked in the Top Five. My performance was consistently at 140% to quota and I was instrumental in winning many sought-after deals. It was primarily my leadership that helped the inclusion of three of our company’s products into the formularies of major managed care organizations in our state. I have won 14 ‘top salesperson’ awards in the past seven years."

Translate benefits for the decision maker

Instead of allowing the hiring manager to draw conclusions about your candidacy, provide material that will do the job for them. In other words, it is not enough to say what you have to offer; the response must go a step further and explain how your qualifications will benefit the organization.

Weak Example:

"I am an experienced pharmacist."

Better:

"My eight years’ experience in working for nationally-recognized pharmacies, such as XYZ and ABC, have honed and developed my ability to fill prescriptions efficiently and accurately. My ability to fill over 300 prescriptions per day with 100% accuracy would save thousands of dollars for your organization as it will eliminate the need for having two pharmacists during an eight-hour shift. My patient orientation and communication skills helped build a loyal patient base for my past employers, and I am confident I can do the same for your company as well."

Understand your employer

Conduct thorough research about the employer, including its past, present, and future. This will not only help you prepare for the interview, but will also help you identify and address issues that would be unique to the specific employer. Employees, vendors, customers, Internet research, SEC filings -- there are a number of information sources you can leverage to facilitate your research.

Convey how you are the candidate for the job

Once you have understood the company’s needs, prepare a convincing strategy to position you for those needs. Consider the following example:

Lu was interviewing for a regulatory affairs manager position with a large pharmaceutical company. His research made him aware of some problems the company’s compliance division was facing in Asia. He leveraged this information to his advantage and at every meeting during the interview process, he used past examples and results to showcase his ability to resolve FDA issues in Asian markets. The strategy was a hit.

Anticipate and prepare responses to common interview questions

Prepare responses for common interview questions. I also ask my clients to prepare short, almost commercial-like messages and scripts positioning them for the role.

- Nimish Thakkar, Career Coach
From www.net-temps.com

Single Most Important Career Question to Ask Yourself

Most people are absolutely unaware of some of seemingly subtle points in their résumé that positively screams out certain things to employers. What may seem vague and somewhat insignificant to you usually is one of the first things that an employer looks for when evaluating candidates.

Employers are evaluating résumés and looking to see what you’ve done to keep yourself up-to-date, and many are on a talent shopping spree. This means they are hiring top industry subject matter experts who have demonstrated their understanding of applying new skill sets and ideas in the workplace.

To wit, I jokingly (but not really) say your résumé is not an obituary, but instead, a dynamic, driving career road map.

And there’s one thing that can help ‘wake’ job seekers up more than anything by asking the single most important question that will impact their competitiveness in today’s job market:

“Are my skills obsolete?”
If you ask this question, and realize the skills you offer are just run-of-the-mill abilities or are outdated, this is your red flag cue you need to get moving…FAST.

If you hope to survive what is now being termed the “Great Recession,” which is continuing with no foreseeable end in sight, your ability to navigate the requirements of companies hiring will rest solely on how you have kept up your skill sets.

Being aggressive in stockpiling skills and knowledge will be critical to making your candidacy the best value in the marketplace…and you’ll need to be strategic about how you map out acquiring those skills.

Apply the following questions to your résumé to better see what employers are thinking when they read this document:

■Have I attained any industry-specific certifications?
■Have I taken any classes, workshops, trainings, conferences, conventions, webinars, continuing education units, or gone to any corporate learning university sessions?
■How have I demonstrated the practical application of what I have learned into my work?
■Has there been any peer recognition for my subject matter expertise (as in any awards, speaking engagements, publications, etc.)?
These factors alone are worth their weight in gold to employers. They simply don’t want someone who will do the minimum possible and push papers around their desk from 8am-5pm. Companies today are struggling to optimize every company system while squeezing every ounce of profit out as possible in order to stay afloat in this volatile economy.

Similarly, you need to take the same approach.

Don’t wait for a company to offer to send you to a conference. You NEED to be your own advocate. Identify the key opportunities where you can enhance your skill sets, and present these to your boss as ways you can improve your on-the-job productivity.

Be prepared to provide justification in terms of return on investment.

And if your manager doesn’t approve the expense and your time out of the office, you’ll need to make a life-changing decision and empowering one:

Invest in yourself.

Be willing to pay for additional professional development yourself. If you are currently employed, think of it as a way to become more indispensable. The job may be eliminated, but if you have demonstrated ROI every step of the way, chances are, the company will find a way to retain you.

If you are looking for work, the good news is everyone who is currently employed is so busy doing the work of 2-3 other people due to staff cutbacks, they don’t have the time to go out and take class. You have the time to identify those core skill sets and take classes that add to your value proposition.

Passivity and blatant ignorance aren’t going to cut it today. You need to cast a critical eye to your résumé and look at it from an employer’s view…what have you done to keep your job skills up to date? Is your professional development section blindingly empty? Or was the last class you took over 5 years ago?

If so, you’ve got your work cut out for you…and by updating your skill sets, you’ll improve your viability as a candidate for open positions.

By CAREEREALISM-Approved Expert, Dawn Rasmussen
From www.careerealism.com

Surgery Scheduler- Temp to Hire

If you have scheduled spine surgeries you will love working with this successful, compassionate & growing practice. This practice focuses on working as a team to best serve the patients. Use your experience to schedule spine surgeries for this busy practice and you will be appreciated by your team. Some of your duties will be to manage the surgery schedule by phone & in person, obtain medical records, provide appropriate forms to patients, coordinate office & surgery schedules on physicians' calendar, schedule pre & post-op appointments, work with medical records, plus other duties as needed. This practice is ready to hire.

Avoiding Jargon and Acronyms on Your Resume

I recently met a woman who had started a new job with a Fortune 50 company several months ago. While she enjoyed some aspects of her new position, she was having a very difficult time adjusting to the culture of her new company due to the other employees constantly using acronyms she didn’t understand. The situation is so bad, every day she writes down a list of terms she doesn’t grasp and asks her assistant to explain them.
This is a fairly extreme example of corporate culture gone awry, but it reminded me of something I see often in reviewing resumes. Candidates who have worked for one company or in one industry for a long time often fill their resumes with acronyms and jargon that would only make sense to another employee at their current company. People often don’t even notice they‘re doing this, as they have been using these terms for years and forget not everyone knows them.

A related issue is candidates capitalizing terms on their resume because they’re used to seeing them written that way by their current employer. For instance, while your current company may have you complete a Baseline Analysis of Risk report every time a critical incident occurs, your resume will read much more clearly if you simply write, “completed risk analysis of serious incidents.”

This issue also occurs in relation to job titles. Let’s say you’re a family therapist, but for some reason your business card reads, “Family Centered Practitioner.” It is in your best interests to either write “Family Therapist” as your job title, or to write a clear summary of your role so that your duties are obvious.

As you write your resume, remember that jargon and acronyms not only vary by company and by industry, but sometimes by geography as well. Also, you cannot assume someone in your own industry will be the first person screening your resume. As you describe your former accomplishments, strive to do so in a way that reads clearly to an outsider. Someone who doesn’t understand the content of your resume will never fully grasp what a qualified candidate you are.

By CAREEREALISM-Approved Expert, Jessica Holbrook Hernandez
From www.careerealism.com

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