Seven Deadly Myths of Job References - Pathfinder Careers

Seven Deadly Myths of Job References - Pathfinder Careers Seven Deadly Myths of Job References Today, we have a guest column generously provided by www.jobreferences.com operated by Allison Taylor Reference Checking, Inc., which is headquartered in Rochester, Mich., and has been in the business of checking references for individuals since 1984. The firm’s services have been listed and recommended in bestselling books authored by Martin Yate. In addition, numerous articles have been published about the service in newspapers and magazines including Glamour, New Woman, Worth, NBEW, The Detroit News, and St. Petersburg Times. For more information, please visit www.jobreferences.com or call 800-651-2460. Thinking about your prospects for landing that new job? You should think first about what your former boss and other references will say about you. There is no doubt, for many job searchers, a person’s past will have a direct bearing on his or her future. “No matter what the nature of the job or pay scale, people should take their references very seriously,” said Heidi M. Allison, Managing Director of www.jobreferences.com. “They can make or break a hiring decision. Wouldn’t it be nice to know what your references are really saying about you during a job search?” (There are several companies including this one who can provide that service to applicants who want to know the scoop on what previous employers are saying about them.) Myth No. 1: Companies are not allowed to say anything negative about a former employee. Reality: While many companies may have policies that dictate only title, dates of employment and eligibility for rehire can be discussed, people do break the rules every day. Due to human nature, providing a reference may be an emotional call for some. How about the boss with whom you had philosophical differences or the supervisor who sexually harassed you? Maybe a boss was just jealous of you? Fifty percent (50%) of our clients do receive a bad reference, despite the strict policies in place. Myth No. 2: Most employers send reference checks to their human resources departments, and these people won’t say anything bad about me. Reality: Most human resources professionals will follow proper protocol. However, in addition to what is said, reference checkers often evaluate how something is said. In other words, they listen to tone of voice and note the HR staffer’s willingness to respond to their questions â€" both critical factors. We have often heard “Check this person’s references very carefully” or on another note, the human resources department will divulge if a person is eligible for re-hire. Are you? Myth No. 3: If I had any issues with my former boss, I can simply leave him or her off my reference list and nobody will ever know. Reality: Many companies actually check references without an official list or you even knowing. They conduct what is known as a “social security check” to determine where you have worked in the past and then call the human resources department or office administrator at each employer for a reference. This practice also is in place to see if a prospective employee has left any significant places of employment off of a resume â€" another bad move that should be avoided at all costs. Myth No. 4: I should have my references listed on my resume and distribute them together. Reality: Your references should be treated with kid gloves. Only provide them when asked. The last thing you want is a number of companies that may or may not have a real interest in hiring you bothering your references. What’s more, you want to meet with a prospective employer first to leave a favorable impression before any reference checks take place. If you suspect a less than favorable reference from someone, you can use the interview to address the situation proactively, from your perspective. Myth No. 5: Once a company hires me, my references really do not matter anymore. Reality: Many employment agreements and contracts include a stipulation that says the employer can hire you with a 90-day probation period. Not only are they evaluating your job performance but, in some instances, are checking your background and references. During this time, your new employer may call your former companies and, should the results be less than expected, they have the legal right to fire you. Myth No. 6: I sued my former company and they are now not allowed to say anything. Reality: They may not be able to say anything definitive, but do not put it past them to carefully take a shot at you. There have been plenty of instances where a former boss or an HR staffer has said, “Hold on a minute while I get the legal file to see what I am allowed to say about Mr. Smith.” Many employers may be uncomfortable hiring someone who has a legal history, dashing your job prospects. Myth No. 7: There is really no need to stay in touch with former references. Reality: As the saying goes â€" out of sight, out of mind. Honor these etiquette guidelines and your references should continue singing your praises for a long time. First, call your former boss(es) periodically and update them on your career, asking them to continue being a reference for you. Make sure you thank them for their time. Next, as you move further up the career ladder in your profession or achieve new educational goals, make sure your references stay abreast of your success. As you progress, a reference is more inclined to see you in a positive light. Finally, acknowledge your references with a personal thank you letter or email; offer to take a former boss to lunch or dinner; or send them a thoughtful gift.

Cover Letter Basics and the Biggest Mistake to Avoid

Cover Letter Basics and the Biggest Mistake to Avoid For some strange reason there is a great deal written about how to craft the perfect resume, but much less attention is focused on the cover letter. The fact is that quite often it is the cover letter that the convinces the reader to even bother looking at your resume. It can certainly be the difference between a cursory glance and someone actually reading it and considering you for an interview. The worst part is that people quite often make the biggest mistake in cover letter writing almost immediately. They make this mistake by addressing the letter to a hiring manager, or worse, to whom it may concern. Trust me, if you start your letter like this, it doesnt concern them. No one likes to be thought of as a non-entity, and that is what you are doing when you address the letter to whomever happens to open the envelope. Take the time and effort to find out the name of the person that is doing the actual hiring. Call the company and ask the secretary if you need to do so. Then address the letter to that person directly. The body of the cover letter follows, and generally there need to be three short paragraphs. In the first one, briefly discuss why you are writing, what job you are applying for and mention where you learned about the job. If you have a mutual contact person, mention it here. Move on to the second paragraph and briefly mention your skills, what you offer the company. Discuss how the skills listed in your resume translate into the job you are seeking. In the third paragraph, thank them for their consideration and let the person know how you will follow up within the next week. Be sure to actually follow up. If the cover letter is mailed, then it needs a handwritten signature. If it is emailed, then a typed signature is fine. Be polite, be concise and be brief.

How to Include Writing Skills in Resume Narrative

How to Include Writing Skills in Resume NarrativeIn the modern world of writing resumes, the question on how to include writing skills in resume storytelling narrative is a hot topic. As in every new skill, learning how to use writing in resume narrative includes practice. Every resume writer is self-taught. But the same rule applies to resume narratives.During the time when resume writing was considered as an art, resume writers used to include writing skills in resume narratives. However, this skill can now be learned by applying a few important tips in making your resume more unique and compelling. The first thing that should be noted is that you must remember that this technique is not a novel written with a creative intention but instead it is a resume story that is crafted for your particular needs.After getting familiar with this technique, you need to work on putting it in practice in your resume to make it more informative and catchy. This can be done through choosing a part icular job that suits your needs. Although a job like employee of a restaurant might sound simple and boring, it can still be used to include writing skills in resume narrative.Do you think writing skills can be developed with just one specific job? Probably not. You have to consider that there are many other jobs where you can include writing skills in resume narrative to add even more captivating point to your resume. This is why a job like an intern in a hospital can be more expressive than a job in an accounting firm.When you know what is most suitable for your job, then you need to find a way to make the resume story interesting. One great tip is to always put on your resume what is special about you and what you excel at. Always remember that you should always write a resume story that reflects the personal attributes of the candidate.Thow to include writing skills in resume storytelling narrative How can you do this? The very first thing that you need to remember is that you should always write from the heart. To give an example, you should never include the name of the hospital or the city in your resume writing. You should focus on what you can do for the employer and on what you can bring to the organization.Another way on how to include writing skills in resume narrative is to come up with a job description and cover letter. Add a paragraph on your previous work experience that can highlight your abilities. You can include a few testimonials on the company as well. This way, you will really include writing skills in resume narrative to make it more effective.

Don#039;t Buy Into the Retirement Gloom

Don#039;t Buy Into the Retirement Gloom This story was originally published at Next Avenue. Gray wave. Age wave. Geezer tsunami. (Pick your favorite â€" or most hated â€" euphemism.) Catchphrases like these capture the realization that we’re living longer and that older Americans make up a growing share of the population. As economist Laurence Kotlikoff and columnist Scott Burns say in The Coming Generational Storm: “The aging of America isn’t a temporary event. We are well into a change that is permanent, irreversible, and very long term.” Living longer should be a trend worth celebrating. But many people believe that America’s boomers can’t afford retirement, let alone a decent retirement. They fear that aging boomers are inevitably hurtling toward a lower standard of living. And here’s their evidence: We’ve just been through the worst downturn since the 1930s, decimating jobs and pensions. Retirement savings are slim. Surveys show that boomers aren’t spending much time planning for retirement. The prediction that the swelling tab for Social Security and other old-age entitlements will push the U.S. government and economy into a Greece-like collapse seems almost routine. The Unretirement Movement Don’t buy into the retirement gloom. I’m not. Here’s why: The signs of a grassroots push to reinvent the last third of life are unmistakable. Call it the “Unretirement” movement â€" and it is a movement. Unretirement starts with the insight that earning a paycheck well into the traditional retirement years will make a huge difference in our future living standards. You â€" and your skills and talents â€" are your best retirement investment. What’s more, if society taps into the talents and abilities of sixty-somethings and seventy-somethings, employers will benefit, the economy will be wealthier and funding entitlements will be much easier. The Unretirement movement is built off a series of broad, mutually reinforcing changes in the economy and society that are transforming an aging workforce into a powerful economic asset. Boomers are the most educated generation in U.S. history and they’re healthier, on average, than previous generations. A century-long trend toward a declining average age of retirement has already reversed itself and â€" it’s safe to say â€" you ain’t seen nothin’ yet. “Many people aren’t slowing down in their 60s and 70s,” says Ross Levin, a certified financial planner and president of Accredited Investors in Edina, Minn. Adds Nicole Maestas, economist at the Rand Corp., the Santa Monica, Calif.-based think tank: “Yes, America has an aging population. The upside of that is a whole generation of people who are interested in anything but retirement.” Your ‘Next Big Thing‘ Just ask Luanne Mullin, 60. She has done marketing for a dance company, opened a theater company and run a recording studio. These days, Mullin is a project manager at the University of California, San Francisco, overseeing the construction of scientific laboratories (she does mediation at the school on the side). “I think there’s more and more of us at 60 who are saying, ‘OK, what’s my next career? What do I want to do that’s fulfilling?’” Mullin told me. “I’m all for what’s my next big thing.”Mullin loves her work, but she’s also wrestling with the same questions as many of her peers. “What is this aging thing?” she wonders. “Am I living fully? Is this the second half of life I dreamed of, or if not, how do I pull it together?” When Unretirement is Tougher For many in their 50s and 60s, the transition to Unretirement is much tougher â€" especially for those who are involuntarily unemployed, like Debbie Nowak. She didn’t see the layoff coming. Nowak worked for more than 30 years in customer relations for the pensions and benefits department at Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn., In November 2011, at 58, she lost her job there. Nowak, who has a high school diploma, let herself grieve until the holidays were over. In the New Year, she got her severance, went on unemployment and began thinking about embracing something completely different from her old job. “I never thought of myself as a risk taker,” she says. “After 30 years, I thought I should take a risk.” Nowak had a stained glass hobby, making window panes, mosaic trays, and other objects. That led her to the idea of working in the wood finishing and furniture-restoring business. Last year, she got a certificate from The National Institute for Wood Finishing at Dakota Community Technical College in Rosemount, Minn. To pay for it, Nowak took out a loan and the state chipped in from its displaced workers fund. Today, she has a part-time job at small furniture-restoration company. “It’s a crap shoot, a risk I was willing to take,” says Nowak. “This is also a way to produce additional income in retirement.” As Mullin and Nowak demonstrate, we’re living though a period of experimentation while redefining retirement. Many people are stumbling about, searching for an encore career, a part-time job or contract work that offers them meaning and an income. Some find it extremely tough to get hired, cobbling together a job here and a contract there, assuming they’re healthy. Especially vulnerable are less-educated workers who never made much money or never had jobs with employer-sponsored retirement and health benefits. How Society Will Change The rise of Unretirement calls for a whole cluster of changes in how society rewards work, creates jobs, shares the wealth and deals with old age. Unretirement will affect where Americans live out their lives, too, as they seek communities and services equipped for them. Taken altogether, boomers will construct a new vision of their retirement years, which will impact how younger generations will think about their careers. “People tend to learn from examples or stories handed down from previous generations â€" but there are few stories to navigate the new context of old age and retirement for the baby boomers,” writes Joseph Coughlin, the infectiously enthusiastic head of MIT’s AgeLab, a multi-disciplinary center. “When there are no set rules you make them up. The future of old age will be improvised.” Send Your Unretirement Questions This blog aims to take a first draft at the Unretirement improv act. I’ll particularly focus on the personal finance and entrepreneurial start-up implications of the movement. I’ll talk about successes and failures, the impediments of age discrimination and the lessons people learn as they search for meaning and income in their next chapters. Most of all, I hope to hear from you and find out about your experiences so I can address your questions in future columns. Send your queries to me at cfarrell@mpr.org. My twitter address is @cfarrellecon. Peter Drucker, the late philosopher of management, noted that every once in a while, society crosses a major divide. “Within a few short decades, society rearranges itself â€" its worldview; its basic values; its social and political structure; its arts; its key institutions,” Drucker wrote in Post-Capitalist Society. “Fifty years later there is a new world.” The transformation of retirement into Unretirement marks such a divide. Welcome to a revolution in the making. Chris Farrell is economics editor for APM’s Marketplace Money, a syndicated personal finance program, and author of the forthcoming Unretirement: How Baby Boomers Are Changing the Way We Think About Work, Community, and The Good Life. He will be writing on Unretirement twice a month. Related Links: ‘Partial Retirement’ Is On the Rise A Manual for Encore Careers

The Terrible Job Search Advice You Are Getting By Accident - Work It Daily

The Terrible Job Search Advice You Are Getting By Accident - Work It Daily If you’re in the middle of a job search, you probably have lots of well-meaning family members and friends giving you advice on how to find a job as fast as you can. Unfortunately, these people could be giving you TERRIBLE job search advice without even realizing it. Do you ever hear people telling you to be “open to any opportunity” that comes along? Or do they advise you to “take anything that’s available”? This might surprise you, but these are actually the WORST things you can do for your career. Here’s why… Back in the day, employers were looking for hardworking people who could do everything. They wanted generalists. So, if you could do something, even if you weren’t the best at it and even if it didn’t relate to the job you wanted, you would put that thing on your resume. While this might have been sought after years ago, it’s not what employers want anymore. Employers are looking for specialists in their fields. They want to know that the people they hire know everything there is to know about the thing they were hired to do. Unfortunately, there are still lots of professionals out there who still brand themselves as “Jack- or Jills-of-all-trades.” They can do it all. They know everything. They’re generalists. And employers aren’t impressed. That's why it's important to showcase your specialty. What specific problem do you solve? How? That's what you want to focus on during your job search. So, before you take Aunt Hilde’s (accidentally) terrible job search advice from 20 years ago, think about how job search is being done today. What are employers looking for NOW? Related Posts: Use This Simple Trick To Get A Job When You Don’t Have Any Experience 5 Minutes To A Faster Job Search What School Forgot To Teach You About Job Search   Have you joined our career growth club?Join For Free!

7 Better Ways to Discipline Your Kids, According to Psychologists

7 Better Ways to Discipline Your Kids, According to Psychologists Discipline. So many people define it differently. Some parents choose to ground their children or take away toys, while others choose to sit down and have stern conversations with their children or load them up with mora chores as punishment. Ultimately, how do you discipline your kids in a way in which they receive your message?Of course, theres no one right way to parent. And were bedrngnis here to tell you how to do it. But we are here to share some science-backed methods of discipline that generally seem to work.1. Ground your child.You dont necessarily have to ground your child in the traditional way keeping them from leaving the house for days on end. That feels like jail and, sometimes, can lead to making them frustrated and angry, ultimately mora likely to act out again. It also suggests that, when they do something wrong, life stops and thats just, simply, not true.What you can do, however, is keep them from doing something they love after school going to sports practice, seeing friends, practicing their music, etc. This suggests that, when they do something wrong, it can take a toll on the positive parts of their life the extracurriculars that teach them good lessons and keep them out of trouble. And, when they learn to appreciate those positive parts more, perhaps theyll behave better.2. Take away your childs toys.Taking away your childs toys can teach them a lesson. If theyre not being responsible leaving their toys all over the living room floor or refusing to share with their siblings, for examples you can teach them responsibility, maturity and empathy by taking their toys away until they understand the importance of respecting their things and sharing those things.3. Have a stern (but calm) conversation with your child.If you want anyone to listen to you, you have to listen to them conversations are always two-way streets, no matter who it is. The same goes for talking with your children, psychology suggests. Hearing them out, talking to them with respect and showing empathy can go a long way. Once you establish that rapport, you can have an honest conversation with your child about their actions or behavior, and what youd like to see out of them going forward. Of course, having such a mature conversation with a child can be difficult, but it takes time to get there with them.4. Give your child chores as consequences.A study of several articles, advice and letters published in more than 300 parenting magazines between 1920 and 2006 finds that most children today are only asked to do trivial chores (read tidying up after dinner or feeding the dog). So consider giving your child chores (or more chores) to do as a consequence for their behavior.5. Dont ignore your child.If your child is acting out or misbehaving, it may be a cry for attention. If you avoid paying attention to your child during a fit, you many parents feel that they do themselves a servic e in that theyre not enabling their childs behavior. Theyre trying to show them that their poor behavior isnt whats going to win their attention. But research suggests that temper tantrums may actually stem from sadness, not anger. And it may not be wise to ignore your kids cry for help. Showing empathy, just the opposite, may prove to calm the situation down.6. Talk to your child about what they did right.Positive reinforcement works, according to psychology. Instead of always honing in on what your child did wrong, talk to them about what you feel that they did right. Tap into their strengths, and theyll likely be more inclined to keep showing you those strengths.7. Put your child in timeout.Consider putting your child in timeout. Timeouts were originated by psychologist B.F. Skinner as a form of light punishment. Now, putting your child in timeout is largely debated, but its been practiced for years and many argue that its effective.--AnnaMarie Houlis is a feminist, a freelance j ournalist and an adventure aficionado with an affinity for impulsive solo travel. She spends her days writing about womens empowerment from around the world. You can follow her work on her blog, HerReport.org, and follow her journeys on Instagram her_report,Twitterherreport and Facebook.

Active Verbs for Resume Options

Active Verbs for Resume Options Moreover, it provides the outcomes of your actions. Resume action words supply an assortment of advantages. One of the typical action verbs for a resume, in addition, it lets you use numbers to demonstrate growth to future recruiters. Dont worry its simple to make mistakes on whats very likely to be your very first proper CV. Resumes may be used for a number of reasons, but most often theyre utilised to secure new employment. They may be organized in different ways. Every hiring manager would like to employ somebody who will take initiative. Resume writing is not enjoy any other kind of writing and its a little bit of an art form, and thus dont seek the services of a service unless they just employ full-time professional resume writers. Show how you have developed a specific skill on the job. The intended function of the lecture was supposed to teach students effective time administration. New Step by Step Roadmap for Active Verbs for Resu me Now, whenever you have a big word list available, you can become down to revamping before posting your resume online. The content of your resume have to be relevant to the job which you are applying for. If youre not koranvers which words to use, find keywords in the work description. As a way to impress a possible employer, just about any word on your resume must pack a proverbial punch. Top Choices of Active Verbs for Resume Dont use the exact same verbs over and over again, but attempt to use unique versions to get your document interesting and make certain you dont continually repeat the exact same details. English classes are some critical points that you might want to hit upon. Its fine to leave in a couple of the previous verbs. In technical writing, learning how to deploy active verbs on the page is among the most obvious and simplest ways to better your style. Be certain to be thoughtful once you use action verbs. You ought to choose action verbs carefully. A ction verbs describe something which has been done. They can help you avoid using the passive voice. Active Verbs for Resume - Dead or Alive? Unique skills will gain from various verbs. Stative Verbs cant be utilized in continuous tenses. The most suitable action verbs also eliminate the demand for adverbs, and in some instances, adjectives. The Active Verbs for Resume Trap It is possible to market your services on lots of on-line job communities although referrals are the ideal source of chances for self-employed Home Health Aides. Besides experience relevant to the job that you are looking for a resume that contains pertinent education details. Finding a job for a fitness and personal trainer can be rough. 1 advantage for employers to internet resumes is the substantial cost saving in comparison to traditional hiring methods. More precise words may also add some formality to your actions, she states. In the very first example, you can observe that the topic of the act ive verb (France) doesnt appear in the corresponding passive sort of the sentence. Active verbs are able to help you change passive sentences. Utilizing action verbs and active voice makes a big difference in your resume, therefore its well worth the additional effort.