It is a jungle out there, whether you have a job or are out of work and looking to find new employment. But this is about more than just surviving in the jungle, it’s about being successful in the jungle (like the lion pictured here) and in order to be successful you need to have the best tools. These tools can be broken up into two categories: Preparation (resume, cover letters, references, Thank You letters, prep for interviews, your Elevator Speech and your network) and Job Hunting (research list of companies, list of recruiters, job search sites, list of social networks).
Today’s post will focus on the first three items for Preparation.
Resumes:
- Resume and KSA (Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities) Tips – This article is provided by the US Federal Government as part of their USAJOBS site. The site provides key tips on building your resume (THE most important job search tool), such as Pay Attention to Key Words and Be Concise plus several more. Early into the tips is a link for the Resume Builder, you should take a look at this. The right hand side of the page has additional related links for job search. There are also some tabs at the top of the page for Search Jobs, My USAJOBS and more.
- Resume and Cover Letters – While Cover Letters are also highlighted below, this particular site, by Vault.com, offers excellent advice for both Resumes and Cover Letters. The top of the page has a drop down link for our region, below this are links (in addition to Resumes) for Jobs, Salaries and more. Left hand side of the page is the Resume section starting with links to a few sample resumes and a link to the entire list of sample resumes. The age old rule is that it’s easier to start with something and change it than to start with a blank page. Leverage the samples offered here. To the right hand side of Resumes is the section on Sample Cover Letters. Below this are some links for resume and cover letter services. Lower on the page are additional links for Resume Advice and Cover Letter Advice.
Cover Letters:
- Cover letters: types and samples – This site is by Virginia Tech and offers comprehensive advice and samples. The article starts with an explanation of Cover Letters, followed by Cover Letter categories and follow-ups. Cover Letter samples are included later on the page. There are quite a few embedded links throughout the article. There are also quite a few links on the left hand side of the page.
- Writing a Job Application Covering Letter – Jobseekersadvice.com provided this article, written by Scott Boyd. This article provides excellent advice regarding the “Whys” and “Whens” of writing Cover Letters. The article also covers some of the cover letter types (like writing to recruiting agencies, writing about job openings and applying for advertised jobs. Later in the article are the general rules and at the bottom of the post are related links.
References:
- Employment References – How to Get and Provide References for Employment – Almost as important as the reference itself is your list of references. This article, by job search expert Alison Doyle from About.com, covers all of the important aspects of job search references. The article covers How to Ask for a job reference, Who to Ask and other important points to consider (like paper versus personal, keeping your references up to date and, of course, asking for permission). There are an amazing number of additional links at the bottom of the article that should cover just about anything related to job search references.
Good luck in your search.
Article courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap, a content exchange service sponsored by CollegeRecruiter.com, a leading site for college students looking for internships and recent graduates searching for entry level jobs and other career opportunities.
Original Article Title: The Best Job Search Sites – Vol 2
Author: CareerAlley
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