Author Archives: Edge Career Solutions

3 Ways to Master the Modern Job Search

You are successful, admired by your colleagues and proud of what you have accomplished. You have been working your way up the corporate ladder, winning regular promotions and raises. Suddenly, you start to notice that your company is moving in a new direction and you have not been invited to key meetings. Don’t wait until you are notified that their plans do not include you – you need to address the situation head on and take charge of your career NOW.

If it has been some time since you last searched for a job, be prepared for an entirely new process. Here are 3 tips to mastering today’s complicated job search.
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Dispelling 3 Job Search Myths That Are Paralyzing New College Grads

Congratulations on your recent graduation from college! As you prepare to launch your professional career, you might feel overwhelmed and unsure how to start your job search. You may have heard that no one is hiring, or that you need to apply to hundreds of jobs to win one interview. Don’t let fear or outdated career advice derail your job search efforts. Here’s the scoop on the top 3 job search concerns that I hear most often:

MYTH #1: No one is hiring.

TRUTH:
Despite the doom and gloom reported by the media, there is actually a good deal of hiring going on today, in nearly every sector. Continue reading →

Defeated, Disillusioned and Desperate to Escape

Jared called me on a Monday morning as he sat in his car in the parking lot, not wanting to go into the office. Over the last few years, his workload had tripled, new ineffective procedures had been instituted and he was getting no support from his boss. He was miserable and the stress was effecting his health.

Although he knew the unemployment rate was pretty high and the job market was tight, he could not take it any longer. He needed to escape and reached out to me for help with his resume. I knew his story well. I had been there and had felt the same spirit-crushing pressure to perform in corporate America. I assured Jared that I could help him, but explained that there was a lot of work we needed to do together before we got to the resume writing stage. I promised him that he was not in this alone. I would be there to guide him through the process to make it less overwhelming and more successful. I was confident that I could help him find a job that was fulfilling, where he was respected and compensated properly. Continue reading →

What do Recruiters Really Think About Cover Letters?

Over the last few months, I have conducted an informal survey of recruiters’ opinions on cover letters. The results were pretty evenly split, with half the group reporting that they generally do read cover letters and the rest sharing that they hated them and never read them! EDGE Career Solutions helps jobseekers build rewarding careers

Of the recruiters who do read cover letters, nearly half said that they use the cover letter as a measure of how eager the applicant is to work for the company. A generic cover letter that appears to be one that is sent out to every job opening will be quickly dismissed– along with your hopes for an interview. Continue reading →

The Benefits of Working with a Career Coach

There is a great deal of hiring taking place in early 2016, but the competition for top jobs is fierce. As the confidence in the job market rises, jobseekers in transition must compete with people who are employed full-time but looking for a better position. You do not have to go through this alone. A career coach can help you gain the competitive EDGE.

Working with a career coach can accelerate your job search results and reduce the frustration typically experienced in a DIY job search. Offering insightful guidance, I will help you navigate the “hidden job market” to find the right opportunities, and develop a structured job search plan that breaks down the overwhelming process into manageable steps. Hiring a career coach provides a significant ROI. Typically, my clients win more job interviews and land job offers with attractive compensation packages. Continue reading →

Quick Resume Tips for the 2016 Hiring Boom

Is your resume winning you interviews? If not, here are some quick resume tips to take advantage of the 2016 hiring boom. best 2016 resume tips

Resumes have evolved tremendously over the last few years, and outdated documents simply don’t win interviews. In today’s competitive job market, your resume must set you apart from the other candidates. A few key points:

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Give Yourself a Gift This Season

Guest Blog by Gayle Draper, CHRP, of Intentional Careers and Human Resources, in Ontario, Canada. Originally posted December 7, 2015

Don’t these boxes look wonderful, colourful and effectively displayed. What is really important about them?

Yes for my fourth blog on a grey Monday afternoon in December these are deep questions and with the holiday season in full swing give yourself pause to think about it.

It is your brand that sets you up for current and future employment success like one of these shiny boxes; great looking resume with all the right words, LinkedIn looking active and professional and all looks terrific from the outside but what is inside.

Are you happy in the role you are performing?

Is your job giving you intellectual, creative and social opportunities for growth each day? Read More…

“How Many Pencils Would it Take To Fill a Swimming Pool?”

Job interviews can be nerve wracking for even the most experienced job seeker. In today’s competitive job market, proper preparation for the interview can make the difference between a job offer and a rejection. You should practice answering questions pertaining to your experience and be prepared to provide examples from your work history that sell you as the ideal candidate for the position. But, do not over practice and memorize a script! It is important to understand the gist of each question, so you recognize it when phrased differently.
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360 Degree Professional Branding Key to Career Success!

I just returned from the Career Directors International annual conference in Orlando, FL, energized and full of new ideas on how to better position my clients for success! CDI is a fantastic organization whose members are among the elite career coaches and resume writers in the world. Attendees came from Australia, Canada, Great Britain, Ireland, Brazil and every corner of the US! It was great to meet so many of my online connections face-to-face and make some great new friends. I learned the latest and greatest resume and LinkedIn profile techniques and strategies to accelerate a job search.
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Boomers Find Real Satisfaction in Encore Careers

As a Career Coach, I work with many seasoned professionals who are looking to reinvent themselves with a new career. Some are looking for more job satisfaction, while others are changing careers out of necessity as opportunities in their current field are dwindling. One of the best things about today’s resume is that it is a forward-facing marketing document – not an autobiography. I can highlight my clients’ transferrable skills and show potential employers how their experience will enable the jobseeker to be successful in this new role.

One roadblock to career reinvention has been employers’ reluctance to take a chance on an employee who does not have proven success in the same field. Current training can help, but I have recently discovered a better way for mid-career professionals to migrate to a new field! Continue reading →

The Resume Resource becomes EDGE Career Solutions!

I am very happy to share with you that I am rebranding The Resume Resource in mid-August 2015 with a new company name that reflects the full range of career marketing services I offer job seekers of all levels, in all industries! Over the years, as the job market evolved and technology forever changed the job application process, I have expanded my service offerings from resumes and cover letters to helping clients clarify their career goals, articulate the value they offer an employer and establish a strong online presence to succeed in today’s job market. I will now be helping professionals gain the competitive edge as the Founder of EDGE Career Solutions!

Whether you are moving up the corporate ladder, looking for a career change or your position is being eliminated, I can help you market yourself effectively and develop the tools, strategies and confidence to achieve your goals. I will guide you through the job search process to make it less overwhelming and more successful. Continue reading →

Your Online Activity Can Either Help or Hurt Your Job Search

Welcome to Part 2 of my summer 2015 blog series on what it takes to conduct a successful job search in today’s competitive job market. In my last post, I shared tips on writing a strong resume. Today’s segment: the importance of using social media in your job search.

Your online activity can either help or hurt your job search. It is not simply a matter of using social media; you have to use it the right way to find a job and impress employers. Employers use social media in their recruitment process two ways: Continue reading →

Your Resume is a Valuable Marketing Tool

Welcome to Part I of my summer 2015 blog series on what it takes to conduct a successful job search in today’s competitive job market. I know it can be frustrating, so each week I will offer insight on another piece of the job search puzzle. This week, the all-important resume.

There is no denying that a strong resume is key to a successful job search, but it takes more than a professional-looking document to land a job today. Rather than your autobiography, your resume is a forward-facing marketing document that needs to position you for that next job. Employers are not looking for a jack-of-all-trades; they are looking for a Continue reading →

Top 5 Buzzwords to Ban from Your Resume

Guest post by Amy Klimek, VP of Human Resources for ZipRecruiter

So you took some time and put together a half-decent resume. You’ve glossed over it time and time again, making sure you are represented well and removing any mistakes or typos. Even if you whittled it down to a single page, it still might have a lot of the bugs that live in most resumes that make potential bosses fall over in boredom. Buzzwords.

Vicky Oliver, author of the book Power Sales Words, had this to say: “Stringing together sentences of meaningless words isn’t fooling anyone, even if they sound good. You need to get rid of them.” Buzzwords are your enemy and if you desire to stand out from the pack, you need to learn how to locate and remove them from your resume. Here is a list of five buzzwords you can remove right now to give yourself the advantage. Continue reading →