There was a time when five-year plans were all the rage. But that was when workers can still count on signing up with a company for life. In the warp-speed world of technology, five years is an eternity. So how is one supposed to map out one`s career when the business landscape is always changing?

Firstly, a plan is useless but planning is still essential. Instead of a five-year plan, try formulating a five-year vision. In that way, workers can chart a course they would like to follow. For example, today I am on the team; in two years, I would like to be managing it; in three years, I would like to be relocated to build a new team in a new market; and in five years, I would like to be coordinating a group of international teams. Just keep in mind that the course will almost certainly change.

Secondly, workers should not confine their career projections within the framework of their current companies as they did previously. Instead, they should understand that while it is beneficial to set a goal of being a supervisor in five years, you might need to move to another company in another country to achieve it. Construct a portfolio of your achievements and market yourself by including your personal goals along with your career goals. It is important to include financial planning, as one cannot rely on employers` plans to manage one`s money.

Thirdly, workers should identify employment-related characteristics regardless of other factors. The key to planning is for workers to upgrade their own skills and stay relevant in the job market. This applies strongly to the engineering profession. For the first four to five years, the engineer`s plan will be broken into two major periods. The first two years will be learning key technical training and after that the engineer will be placed in the field for a couple of years. The engineer should take advantage of all opportunities to try out different aspects of engineering during these five years. After this incubation period, the engineer would need to be flexible and able to chart his own course, even into overseas countries with strong career growth opportunity.

Fourthly, workers should make their plans incremental and somewhat aggressive. This is very much the case in creative fields such as design and architecture. Creative people are expected to do rather than wait to be told what to do. But even the most creative businesses are businesses at heart. So, a career plan for a designer or decorator should include delving into the business side of projects.

In general, workers must first decide what specific path they wish to take, and then proceed down that road ambitiously, scooping up opportunities when they appear. Long-term plans can be used as guides, but they become folly if they are followed rigidly.

Set your goals. Map out a plan. Create a vision. Then six months later, be ready to rethink those goals.

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And you thought you were all finished with work. But retirement planning these days includes so many diverse options. And one of them is to find a retirement job.

If you're leaning in that direction because you just can't see yourself hanging up your work shoes . . . or perhaps you wish to work for financial security . . . well, there are some fabulous opportunities just tailor made for your situation.

The good news is that many companies value having retirees on their workforce. They're experienced, loyal, committed, on time and get along well with others. What employer wouldn't salivate to have someone like that on board?

If you've decided to explore some retirement work opportunities, whether full-time or part-time, there are five benchmarks you can use to check out in advance to determine if an employment situation makes sense for you. That way you can be sure you'll wind up in an environment that's comfortable and productive.

1. Health benefits. The best companies offer subsidies for eldercare, tax-free health accounts, wellness programs and insurance coverage for part-time workers.

2. Recruiting. Forward-looking employers target diverse age groups. They seek out older workers, rehire retirees, and actively retain their older workers.

3. Pension plans. Defined-benefit plans, stock options, profit sharing, incentive programs . . . all these are signals that you're dealing with an age-friendly organization.

4. Training and development. The very best employer provides career counseling, refresher courses, as well as mentoring and coaching opportunities.

5. Alternative work arrangements. Flexible workplaces with seasonal schedules, shift options, telecommuting, leave for care-giving. In other words, do they engage older workers on their own terms?

Now, where do you find such high-quality employment opportunities?

For openers you might take a look at the Nov/Dec issue (2005) of AARP Magazine. They list a number of companies that meet these high-quality specifications.

On the other hand, if you haven't been in the job market recently, you must understand that things have changed dramatically, especially since 9/11 and Katrina.

To succeed in today's job marketplace you need to dump the old-fashioned ways of finding a job and discover the exciting alternative and non-traditional strategies that can guarantee you a high-paying job in as little as 14 days!

With these innovative techniques you can be sure your retirement job search planning will lead to the career adventure of a lifetime!

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Your employment opportunity and your job candidacy will fail if you're perceived as a "job mercenary." Often the "mercenary" attitude is so subtle that we're not even aware we're giving off bad vibes.

So, what exactly is a "job mercenary?' Here are five hints. Could this be you?

1. Believing the employer's cause is good only as long as the money is good.

2. Harboring a resentment that you're dependent upon an employer.

3. Lacking an inner job motivation.

4. Holding back or being ambivalent about loyalty to the organization.

5. More concerned about "what I get out of it" that "what I bring to the table?"

Obviously these are not traits you would deliberately communicate in an interview or in a face-to-face meeting with the person who could be your next boss. But if you haven't taken the time to identify them in yourself, they will surely creep into your attitude. And employers' antennae are fine-tuned to pick up on these subtleties.

There are three important attitudinal adjustments you should make and demonstrate as part of your employment opportunity. They can counter any of these "mercenary" tendencies and dispel any hidden concerns an employer could be harboring:

* Loyalty. This does not mean that you have to agree with everything an employer or organizational policy represents. Loyalty means you share a common ideal with the employer. You communicate that regardless of minor differences, you're prepared to fight shoulder-to-shoulder with confidence in the company's good faith.

* Values. Understanding what your personal underlying business values are. And then showing how they are in harmony with those of the company.

* Compatibility. Individuals can create a team. But compatible individuals produce the best team. If you're touchy and thin-skinned in an interview, the employer instinctively knows you will be abrupt and abrasive on the job. On the other hand, a go-along person attracts people like themselves.

Remember, what you communicate to an employer below the radar is often more telling that what you say out loud. Putting a check on your mercenary tendencies will go a long way to ensure your employment opportunity success.

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If you're interested in retiring soon ,or just planning the future of your job, your career advancement or job search is about to be impacted by the Boomers.

Baby Boomers are reaching retirement age in record numbers. And this will affect your current job or your retirement plans.

For example, thanks to improved health care and lifestyle changes, many Boomers will continue to work well past retirement age.

If you are still years away from retirement, this fact will make a difference to your ability to advance your career. The competition just became much tougher. Many employers see a positive impact to their bottom line by retaining long-term, experienced workers.

If you are planning ahead for retirement, you have just been handed another option. This could mean staying right where you are until you're ready to stop. Or working part-time. Or coming back as a consultant or other contract employee.

At the same time it's important to realize that in creased burdens will be placed on the already stressed Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid systems. Employers will have to become very creative to come up with innovative benefits and compensation strategies.

What's more, when Boomers do finally decide to retire, employers will have a difficult time finding skilled, experienced employees from a smaller pool of available workers.

So whether a retirement decision is imminent or you're dead serious about getting ahead in your career, the secret to your success is to plan ahead. That means staying informed about the constantly evolving job and career marketplace.

Stay on top of the ever-changing job marketplace with RSS! Don't miss out on critical career news and innovative job search strategies. Stay informed! It's so easy to have immediate access to current trends and alerts. If you go to our website, simply click on RSS.

Another way is to use a guide like The Failsafe Career. It can navigate you through the pitfalls and thrills of the 21st Century employment options.

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Job-hunting is not the most exciting thing in the world but you can make it easier. The key is organization. Keep a record of companies you have applied and any contacts that may or may not have with them. One of the first things you need to do be creative in your resume writing.

The appearance of your resume is of paramount importance. The most obvious fact is it needs to be neat and all items must be spelled correctly. Correct information is of paramount importance especially if the interviewer decides to check out your information. The format should be simple and plain. It should highlight your accomplishments.

The quality of the paper you use to send out resumes should be of professional quality. Most job seekers use a paper that is not glossy and is a 20-weight paper. You should use the same paper for your resume, your cover letter, and the envelope. It comes across as being more professional.

The font should be clear and easy to read. The size of the font is important. Personally I prefer a font of 12. It is clear and the letters are not blurry as they can be with some fonts. The suggested font to use in your resume is a Sans Serif font such as Arial or Verdana. They are clear and stand out better in faxes.

When describing your skills in particular, use strong action words. Instead of starting a sentence with a noun use a strong verb. When using numbers use percentages, dollar amounts when describing money, and the number of people you supervised if this is applicable.

Your resume should be one page only. The information should be presented as concisely as possible. There will be a place in the cover letter and possibly an interview to expound on your skills. Resumes that are too long are often put aside because employers simply don't have the time to read through lengthy dissertations. If it doesn't fit on one page try paring it down to the bare minimum. The information must be relevant to the position you are applying for. Do not forget to attach your cover letter.

There are two types of resume formats that are used. The functional format will put your skills into categories. Your titles are listed on the bottom. This format is used by people who are changing careers and who don't want to draw attention to gaps in employment or a possible lack of direct experiences. The chronological format is used by those on a career path. Your employment and education are listed in reverse chronological order. Outline your skills to show your best accomplishments. The categories that you include on your resume must be relevant to the position for which you are applying.

Your resume will be different if you are fresh out of college and unemployed, if you have been out of the work force for an extended period of time (i.e. to raise your kids), or if you are a teenager going for the first job. A resume is one the most important tools you have to use in your job search.

The categories will be similar for all manner of people seeking employment. The purpose of your resume is to give employers the maximum amount of information in as few words as possible. Some companies receive hundreds of resumes at any given time. Your resume should standout but not be outlandish. Professionalism is the key. Below is a figure showing what a professional could look like. Remember the information is to be clear and concise. It should be easy on the eyes and professional.

JANE DOE
5 Main Street
Anywhere, Any state 00000
jado521@anysite.com
(000) 111-2233

Job Objective: to obtain a position as (name the position)

Education: Any School University B.S. in Anything 2000 -2004
111Any Road
Any-town, USA 88888

Somebody High School High School Diploma 1995 -1999
East Highway Road
Anywhere, USA 88888

Employment: Here list your employers putting the current one first.
If you haven't had experience let them know that. If you were a babysitter you can add that to your resume. It at least will show them your work ethics.

Skills: List some of the thing you do reasonably well that are relevant to the position. Are you going for a position as a teacher's aid? List your duties you had in baby-sitting or if you tutored anybody, list those duties as well.

Related Volunteer Experiences: Here be as descriptive as possible and be as descriptive and exact as you can. Remember be descriptive but concise.

References: Will Be Furnished Upon Request (Be prepared with a list of
three to five people that have consented to give you a recommendation. Include who is familiar with your work as it relates to the position.

Finally the resume is about selling yourself. Give them just enough information to have them come back and want more details. Good Luck!

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Making a strong first impression

A resume is an advertisement for why you are the best choice for the position. Essentially, it is the first impression you make on potential employers, so you'll want to make it a strong one. If you don't put fourth the energy that writing a resume requires, you're only cheating yourself. The truth is, finding the job you are looking for can be easy; getting the job you are looking for takes effort. As you write your resume, keep in mind that you are not the only person applying for a particular job. You will need to set yourself apart from the rest and make an impact that will land you the job. Young Jobs has compiled some ways to avoid any missteps in resume-writing, as well as classic tips that will put you in the limelight...

Getting Started

Determine Your Objective

Definition of Objective: The goal intended to be attained. The first step to creating your resume is to determine your career goals. What kind of job do you want to obtain? What skills do you want to utilize? What are you looking to accomplish within that career? Once you answer all of these questions, you will be able to identify your main objective. You are now officially on your way to finding the right job for you.

Highlighting Your Top Qualifications

Keep in mind, the most important goal of a resume is to obtain an interview. For this reason, it is important to choose powerful words to represent the qualities you feel most confident in. Within the qualifications section of your resume it is best to list each attribute with a single word and in bullet point format. However, feel free to include a few words per bullet point. Try to remember that you need to stand out from all other contenders, so use power-words that will catch the employer's eye. The best way to accomplish this is by writing down all of the positive qualities you feel you embody. From there, put yourself in the employer's shoes and hone in on what you think they would be most attracted to. If the position you are looking to get is in retail, you'll want to highlight you interpersonal skills, or if it is in the restaurant business, you'll want to highlight your teamwork skill.

Concentrate On Related Experience

Before compiling a list that includes all of your experiences, try to focus in on what is relevant to the type of position you are applying for. This can include previous employment, volunteering, internships and organizations. For instance, someone applying for a job at a bank would want to list their experience as student council treasurer rather than their summer job as a swim instructor. Make sure you appeal to the employer's needs. If you are applying for a variety of jobs that differ in requirements, remember to tailor your resume to fit each specific job.

Often times students and young adults worry that they don't have enough experience to create a compelling resume. Don't be concerned. Once you start to really think about your background, you'll be surprised at what you have to boast about. The content of your resume will be determined by your own unique experiences, skills and background but as a general guideline you should include:

Putting It All Together

Content

Once again, you are not the only resume your potential employer will be looking at and while it is important to be eye-catching, you also want your resume to get to the point and be as close to a single page as possible. When employers see a resume with too many words and multiple pages, they often find it overwhelming and move on to the next applicant. The right thing to do is select powerful words that will make your resume shine. The wrong thing to do is fill your resume up with full paragraphs.

Design

In spite of the importance of content, the design of your resume is just as important as the content. Research suggests that a resume has less than 20 seconds to make an impact upon the reader, so it's imperative that you put some extra effort into showing employers that you not only intelligent but creative as well. Variation in formatting (bullets, borderlines, headings, etc.), fonts, font styles and sizes will draw the attention to the most influential information.

Organization

You can organize your resume in many different ways, but the following order is one of the most common. Use it to help you get started. -Objective -Qualifications -Technical/Computer skills -Experience (include tasks completed and skills obtained) -Education (include your GPA if it's over 3.0) -Other related accomplishments (awards, memberships, etc

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You are looking for a job and you are out to land the job of a lifetime. It can happen! Before you consider want ads, job websites, or making inquiries of companies you are interested in, you will need a resume. Your resume writing can either make or break a job opportunity.

The first thing your resume must be is functional. It is to give the employer the most information possible in one page. Resumes that are longer than one page are often put aside. Employers just don't have the time to read every page. At best many just scan your resume and count on your cover letter and maybe an interview to glean anything else about you before you are considered for hire.

In order for your resume to be functional you group your skills into different sections and your titles at the bottom. This is the format people who are changing careers typically use. They don't want to draw attention to gaps in employment or their lack of direct experience.

The chronological resume is well organized listing of skills, education, and employment in order from the most current experience backward or reverse order. The categories of your resume should be concise and relevant to the position for which you are applying.

If you are fresh out of college and unemployed put your education first, directly below the letterhead. You will list your school, your degree, your major and your graduation date. If space allows you can list your relevant course work, related academic awards, and/or your grade point average.

Other categories include relevant work experience, volunteer experiences and other skills such as computer skills, any publications you may have written or contributed to, and language skills as they might apply to the position.

Finally, you will list your references or make the statement "References will be furnished upon request. Let me give you important advice about references. Do not list someone as a reference unless you have obtained his or her consent to do so. You will want the person you ask for a reference to be a former boss, teacher, long time friend who is familiar with your abilities, and possibly your clergyman.

The appearance of your resume is very important. The font you use should be clear and easy to read. The suggested font for a resume is a Sans Serif font like Arial or Verdana. These fonts come out more clearly in faxes.

The format of your resume should be simple and plain. It should showcase your accomplishments. The prospective employer should be able to scan the page and get a good grasp on whether or not you would be good for the position.

Another important consideration for your resume is the type of paper you use. The most acceptable colors are white, cream, off white, and gray. They are easiest to read and the font will stand out nicely. You should use the same type of paper for your resume, your cover letter, and your envelope. Many stationery stores have sets of paper and envelopes for your resume. Go in and consult with a sales person to find out what they have to offer. You could always put it on a disk and bring the disk to a printer and have it professionally done.

When describing you're skills, your education, or your experience. Use action words. Instead of starting a sentence with a noun use a strong verb. When you need to put in numbers use percentages, and dollar amounts. List the number of people you supervised as well.

Keep the length of your resume to one page. As has been stated employers do not have the luxury of spending a lot of time on the resumes they receive. Some companies can get a great number of resumes and most of the time they scan the resumes. Include only the most relevant information. You can fill in information in a cover letter or an interview.

An important piece of your resume is the job objective. Are you going for a teaching position? Your resume should reflect your teacher training, your scores on specialty tests. If you were applying for a job in a department store you would list your babysitting experience. It's all relative.

While the cover letter is not a resume, it does give you the opportunity to expand somewhat on the information you put forth in the resume. Here again use strong action words and strong descriptions. Be sure all information in the resume and the cover letter is as accurate as it can be.
There are numerous resources available for you such as pre-employment counselors, the career office at your college, and a number of books on resume writing and how to get a job. Search online, the sources on the Internet are almost limitless. If necessary go to the human resources department of a business that is similar to the one you are interested in.

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In today's competitive job market, it is impossible to stress enough the importance of writing not just a good, but a terrific resume. With job recruiters and human resources managers getting as many as 400 resumes per job listing, it's vital to write a resume that stops them in their tracks.

This means that your resume must be written to fit a particular job listing if you want to even have a chance of being considered for the job you're applying for. This means you need to do certain things such as:

* Read the listing closely and make sure you're the right applicant for the job before applying. Nothing will get your application dumped in the trash more quickly than applying for the wrong position to start with.

* When writing your resume, use as many of the same words and phrases to describe your skills as are used in the ad or posting because many human resources managers now scan resumes looking for keyword matches. This helps them weed out the desirables from the undesirables. So make sure to sprinkle these words and phrases liberally throughout your resume.

* Use concrete examples of your skills, expertise and successes. Make sure these examples are in line with the requirements listed in the job listing.

* Edit your resume for anything that is not relevant to the particular job you're applying for. Recruiters don't have time to waste and will trash resumes with lots of unnecessary information in them.

* Don't use trite phrases such as team player, multitasker, etc., but instead give examples of those skills. Vagueness will not get your resume noticed. Again, relate these to the specific job you're applying for. You may be a great communicator, but if the job you're after doesn't need that particular skill, leave it out of your resume.

* List specific successes you've had that fit the job listing. For example, if you're applying for a sales manager position and at your last job you not only met but surpassed your sales quota by 10%, say this, don't just say something indistinct like "exceeded sales quota." The more specific you are about past successes using direct statements, the more likely it is that those successes will be noted--and remembered.

* Only list past employment and education that is directly related to the position you're applying for. You may have worked as a waiter while you were in college, but unless that has a direct bearing on the job you're applying for, don't list it.

The key to writing a killer resume these days is to be short and to the point, using words and phrases to describe your skills and experience so that they directly relate to the job you're applying for. Don't waste recruiters' time by filling your resume with fluff that sounds nice or creative. This may get you remembered, but not in the way you want to be!

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The hurdles facing today's new technology graduates are the same as with other industries. One of the largest hurdles for new grads in preparing a first IT resume is the "no-experience" fence. A hi-tech grad may not have any formal experience working with technology in a real-world situation. While this hurdle is best handled long before you graduate by seeking part-time or full-time employment in technology or an internship, the fact remains that you may be coming out of college with literally no hands-on experience in your major.

Preparing an IT resume for a target career field in which you have no "real" experience can be a challenge. It's important when outlining your IT resume to keep in mind what the hiring managers will be seeking when reading your resume. In the technical arena, Skills, Education, and Training are high on the list of items for which hiring managers scan the IT resume.

Lisa Lowe sought professional assistance on her resume, realizing that she faced a significant problem by not having an internship in a technical field under her belt before graduation. Additionally, she realized the skills she had gained in college were slightly behind the fast-paced demand of today's market and she needed to attain further training in some of the more modern technologies. These training goals were mentioned in both the lead Summary and in the accompanying cover letter.

By including a Skills category in the top half of the first page of her IT resume, Lisa's resume becomes much more "user-friendly" to hiring managers. Lisa was fairly sure she didn't want to start her career as a programmer, but was interested in working with database technology. To emphasize this, her database-related skills were listed first and a mention of her preference was made in the Summary. By focusing on this direction with her career, she was also de-emphasizing her lack of training in the more modern programming languages such as Visual Basic and C.

Many times, resume books advise new grads to list coursework in the major to illustrate what the job seeker did in school. While this might give an idea of your academic record, it does not help in making you or your IT resume stand out as someone whom the company should interview. It also does not show how you have assimilated and applied the formal education. A Project Synopsis describing how you have applied the skills might better serve to distinguish your IT resume from the resumes of other recent grads. For example, in Lisa's resume, the Project Synopsis was included in the Education section in the top half of the first page and gives some "meat" to her experience.

The Employment History section of a new grad resume is often the most difficult section to compose, especially if you do not have an internship, cooperative, or related experience under your belt. Rather than concentrating on what is not present in experience, try to concentrate on what is present. Look for skills that will be required by employers that may not have been taught in college. More and more companies are looking for well-rounded employees who not only can do the technical tasks but who can work with the public, work in a team, and generally get along in a positive manner. Emphasize your team-spirit, your communication skills, and your enthusiasm to work hard.

"We look for skills but we also look for someone who can get along in the work environment," says Jeremy Hopwood, CEO of Tsaba Networks (www.tsaba.com) in Franklin, Tennessee. "If you have the right attitude to work in our team, we will provide you with the specialized training we need."

Lisa had worked throughout her college career in a high-public-contact position providing Customer Service on technical sales of retail software and hardware. This experience demonstrated that she possessed the ability to work well with people who needed technical assistance or who were in a contentious frame of mind. She had excellent communication skills, good negotiation abilities, and a strong grasp of business operations. By bringing into her IT resume past work history that demonstrates positive skills and work habits, she is shown to be someone who is accustomed to a high stress work environment, who can work with people, and who is probably very trainable for the company's specific needs.

If there is an internship or cooperative learning experience, be sure to include that in the Experience category of your IT resume. Detail project parameters, discuss skills exercised, and outline context of the position in relation to the overall organizational operation. Be sure to highlight what was achieved and what significant contributions were made. When composing the content of the resume, write descriptively to fully cover the work done and the skills attained.

"My internships and cooperatives were my best selling point with my education coming second," states Robert Higgins, a civil engineer with Barge, Waggoner, Sumner, and Cannon in Nashville, Tennessee. "I had worked full-time as an Engineering Technician throughout my entire college career and it led directly to permanent employment. The experience was invaluable."

Other information that is helpful to have on a hi-tech grad resume includes grade point average (if above 3.5), membership in professional organizations, scholarships and honors, volunteer work, and civic involvement. Information of this type on an IT resume shows a well-rounded picture of what type of employee the company would be gaining.

Developing an interview-winning IT resume can be a challenge. Making the investment to market your college education professionally might be a wise decision. We write IT resumes every day for some of the fastest movers in the IT industries. Give us a call if you feel you are ready to advance your high tech career.

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Building your resume, based on a resume outline will give it structure and flow... it provides an outline of all the things you should include in your resume.

A resume is one of the most important documents you will ever create

First you have to decide on a particular format for your resume. The two main formats in use today are chronological and functional format. Which one is best to use will depend greatly on your situation.

To build your resume you can use free resume forms located on the web. This can provide you with directions if you are having trouble building your resume.

A sample resume outline would include the following sections:

The Heading

Your resume should start with the heading. You can list your basic details so the employer can contact you. You can include your name, address, telephone number and e-mail address.

NAME
ADDRESS
PHONE NUMBER
EMAIL ADDRESS

Job Objective

This is an optional section of your resume outline. Here you can tell readers what the objective of your resume is and what you are looking for.

Example:

Entry-level accounting position with medium to large public accounting firm.

The "Body" is the largest section of your resume outline
This is where you can enter details about your education, work experience and additional information. The body contains:

Education

Here you can list your educational background.

Educational Background Format: College, Degree, Major, Honors, Relevant Courses

Sample Education Section: Drexel University
BA Educational Leadership, May 2000

If you have a college education, do not list your high school information. You can also list any honors for academic excellence in this section of your resume outline.

If you are a graduating senior or looking for an internship, you can add a relevant courses section to your resume outline.

Employment History

This is an important part of the resume. Here you can list your previous employment history. If you are using a chronological resume format, you should list the most recent job positions first on your resume outline.

Example:
Drug Emporium, Wayne, PA
Cashier, June to September, 2001
Supervised customer check out
Handled the cash register
Managed and stocked merchandise

You can also list relevant volunteer activities or work experience programs if you do not have much job experience.

Achievements

If you have any special achievements you would like to announce, you can use this section. Maybe you made a suggestion that saved your previous boss a ton of money. You can list it in this section of your resume outline.

Special Skills

The remaining sections of the resume can include additional skills such as fluency in a foreign language.

References

You should leave this section out altogether. References are not required at this stage and stating that 'References are available upon request' is assumed anyway... so you just end up wasting valuable space!

Additional Optional Sections

You can add additional sections to your resume outline such as volunteer work, community involvement or honors. You also have to decide on the layout of your resume.

Choose a common font and medium range font-size, such as 12. Decide how you want to highlight the headings of the different sections. You can use bold, italics or underline to highlight section headings. Some people use bold and a larger font size to highlight their name on the resume.

The last part of your resume will probably receive little focus, so if you have a marketable skill or outstanding honor you should try to incorporate them in earlier sections of your resume.

You can find a lot of resources on the web that can provide you with free outlines and sample resume layouts. Usually an outline will differ if the resume is for a recent college graduate or a long time professional. Choose a resume outline that is specific to your career field and you can build your resume around that outline.

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How many times have you heard someone say, "Just put it on your resume. There's no way they're going to find out"?

It is tempting to put little white lies on your resume. These might include overstating your knowledge of required software ("If they call me, I'll teach myself over the weekend"), a certification ("They'll never go through all that trouble to find out") or extending dates at a former employer ("They can't find out. The company went out of business").

So what's the big deal? It's not like you're claiming to be a medical doctor, right? Who are you hurting anyway? You're just stretching the truth a little to get your foot in the door -- or so you tell yourself. If these are familiar thoughts, you might want to re-think them. Why? Because the risk of getting caught is real. The odds of getting away with listing false information on your resume are probably, well . . . who really knows? Do you really want to find out the hard way?

There are many reasons that could prompt a human resources manager to conduct an employment background check. Maybe you are not performing your job as well as expected. Maybe a co-worker has the same credential and became suspicious when your facts did not add up during a conversation. Some companies have never experienced a dishonest employee who lied on his/her resume, and does not routinely verify work histories and the validity of credentials. In short, they have a false sense of security. Just the same, many hiring managers are keenly aware that lying on a resume is becoming a costly problem for many companies, and thoroughly check all facts even after they hire a candidate.

Sadly, it is quite common these days to learn of employee terminations because background checks revealed dishonesty. Depending on the level of the position or the severity of the falsification, this could sometimes lead to legal actions. So, before you decide to make yourself look better on paper, think again. It is not worth getting the job if you are not going to be able to live up to it or hold on to it.

The moral of this story? Don't risk your future by lying about your past! Honesty is always the best policy!

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Involuntary career breaks, or dare we say it, 'unemployment', can often be a frightening situation for anyone to be in. After the initial shock of unexpectedly finding yourself without a job, it doesn't take long before disillusionment sets in, particularly when days turn into weeks, then weeks into months or even longer, and you begin to panic: how you are going to handle the ever-increasing employment gap on your resume?

The belief that the longer you are out of work, the more difficult it will be to regain employment is understandable. However, it is important to stress that many people at one time or another have found themselves jobless whether through their own doing (such as taking a career break to raise children or scheduling a well-deserved holiday), or in situations that have been beyond their control such as with layoffs, redundancies or company closures.

So if you currently find yourself unemployed, don't be discouraged as many have experienced job losses and have eventually re-established successful careers. Rather than letting fate take its course, they have implemented various strategies that increased their marketability to a potential employer, and believe it or not you too can follow these tactics and hopefully shorten the gap that lays between where you are now and the light at the end of what –seems like a never-ending tunnel.

Following these initiatives should assist you in transforming a potential employment gap into a learning experience, and provide you with marketable solutions for use in your resume.

~ Demonstrate your commitment to remaining current with industry trends through reading publications, periodicals or trade journals, or even researching the internet.

~ Join a professional association within your field and get involved. Not only is this another way of keeping current with industry trends, but also a fantastic opportunity to grow your network; meet and develop relationships with potential employers; and even generate/source some great job leads from other members of the group.

~ Take a class or a professional development course to enhance your knowledge. You may even find yourself developing new skills that can open doors to a new and more challenging career path.

~ Consider the possibility of providing advice in your line of expertise through consulting or projects/assignment work performed as part of your own business. This will allow you to develop strategic relationships with other companies, which could possibly lead to full-time employment, and/or allow you to continue developing your network of contacts.

~ Provide your knowledge/services on a voluntary basis. Just because this is on a non-paid basis does not discredit any great results or contributions you may have made within an organization.

~ Become a mentor and support someone else's knowledge growth. Knowing that you have facilitated or contributed to another person's journey of knowledge enhancement can be extremely rewarding.

~ Write articles for a publication in your industry – a great way to portray your expertise and raise your credibility and profile among your peers.

~ Offer your services within family/associates' businesses either on a voluntary or paid basis. Not only will you be contributing to the overall running of their business, but ensuring you skills remain up-to-date.

There are also various techniques you can use when developing your resume in order to draw attention away from potential gaps.

~ Rather than presenting your resume in a reverse chronological format (which is the most common) providing contact details and professional experience with the most recent at the forefront, try the combination or functional formats, which list your transferable skills, competencies and accomplishments relevant to the position at the forefront. This way you are demonstrating at the outset what you can contribute to the position.

~ Another strategy is to omit the months when providing dates, so that instead of stating 10/1997 – 5/2002, you would just write 1997 – 2002.

~ List any education or professional development courses at the forefront as this will demonstrate your initiative and commitment to expanding your knowledge.

~ Treat consulting, assignments, or self-employment as professional experience, as with any voluntary work performed within the community or even for the family business. There is no need to disclose that this was unpaid, nor even the fact that you were related to the manager; only concentrate on your accountabilities and accomplishments.

Your job search should be treated as your full-time job and each day should be organized and prioritized with time allocated to sourcing suitable positions, sending off applications, following up, and continually working and expanding your network of contacts to maximize your overall job search campaign.

Maintain your health, physical fitness and personal appearance to ensure your positivity and enthusiasm do not diminish. Therefore, when finally called into an interview, you will not bring with you a blanket of self-doubt and disenchantment. During the interview remember to portray all of the relevant experience and achievements (gained through the above strategies) with enthusiasm, while demonstrating your ability to continue contributing your expertise toward the ongoing success of their company.

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The employment meeting went extremely well. The interviewer was impressed with your abilities; you answered the questions superbly; and you were able to develop an excellent rapport with the interviewer and other staff at the company.

So, now just the reference checking process, BUT, unfortunately you did not make it to the following stage. Why not? Everything went so well. What possibly could have gone wrong?

How often do I hear similar comments from candidates who are at an absolute loss as to why after such great interviews, their applications have been denied.

Have you ever thought that perhaps your reference may be letting you down?

The general procedure a candidate follows in locating and providing references to support their application is either to:

~ provide a list of contactable references on their resumes at the time they send their initial application, or:

~ provide contact names after being requested to do so at the interview without any prior consideration.

Are these two methods basically what you are currently doing in your career campaign? If so, you need to be aware that both of these methods can be detrimental to your job search.

Unless the application has specifically requested reference details to be included in your initial application do not forward or include details on your resume. As you may be forwarding your resume in response to hundreds of job advertisements this could result in your references receiving numerous calls, which could become quite annoying and ultimately, damaging to your campaign. You want to retain control over who you provide these details to, and presenting a reference list after you have had an opportunity to interview with the potential employer will be far more beneficial. During the interview you may realize that this is not the position you originally thought it was, or realize that your personal values and beliefs would be challenged if you were to become employed with the organization, and therefore there is no real need to provide reference contact details. Your references will not be unnecessarily contacted, affording their valuable time and energy for a position that you are not interested in.

Let's see how we can enhance the entire process of qualifying and contacting appropriate references in order to maximize the reference checking process.

Once you locate a position you would like to apply for, you need to decide who would be the best person to offer as a reference. A human resource staff member who has not worked with you may only be able to confirm dates you worked with them, but not provide details about your performance. A department head may not be able to offer much more information either, however a direct supervisor or colleague who you worked with can present details on your performance, contributions and overall standing in the workplace.

Sadly, we can lose contact with previous employers, supervisors or colleagues, however if you are still in contact with them, or would be able to contact them, then this would be to your advantage. It is far more beneficial to use someone who is able to confirm your abilities within a work context rather than, say, a close friend, relative or neighbor, however for some job seekers this is almost impossible. If either of the above situations ring true for you, there are a number of strategies you can consider:
~ Consider providing the name of your lecturer or tutor if you have recently completed professional development or courses. The course studied would presumably be relevant to the position you are targeting, so your tutor could confirm your academic achievements and knowledge in this area.
~ Voluntary work for a local community organization may allow you to provide the name of the President or other member of the board or committee.
~ A professional or other high-standing member of the community who has known you for many years and can verify your honesty and integrity. These people may include a minister, a doctor or lawyer.
~ Consider putting forward the name of a colleague with whom you have worked if you are unable to locate a previous manager. A colleague would certainly be able to confirm your overall professionalism and experience within the workplace. Perhaps you may be able to provide the name of your direct supervisor, or even a supervisor from another department who has had some dealings with you on a professional level.
~ A major supplier with whom you have previously dealt could vouch for your professionalism and integrity.
~ A subordinate or a member of a team that you were responsible for could also be considered and could vouch for your leadership and management style.
~ Contact a number of your customers/clients to see if they would be willing to act as a reference. Who better than a previous or existing customer to vouch for your commitment and high standard of work ethic?
Once you have decided on the best person to offer as a reference, you need to:

(A) Contact that person to ask permission to provide their contact details and to advise them of your current campaign;

(B)Verify and confirm:

(i)current contact number;
(ii)email address; and
(iii)appropriate/contact time preferred.

Another strategy would be to refresh your reference's memory about previous projects and contributions by supplying them with a copy of:

~ Your current resume;
~ Relevant experience and results achieved with the reference's organization;
~ Overview of your career goals and aspirations so that the reference can provide information pertinent to that goal.

This will allow your reference to gain an understanding of your skill set and what it is you are targeting.

When preparing your references contact list, don't just state the basic details such as the name and contact details, but provide some background details as to how you know this reference and the information they can confirm. Perhaps a succinct list of outstanding contributions that this reference can qualify would be beneficial too. Ensure that the document is formatted professionally and in the similar style (i.e. fonts etc) that your resume has been developed, as consistency in formatting and professional presentation is also important.

If the position and company still sound exciting after the initial interview and you would like to be considered in the next round, try to confirm who will be contacting your references and the approximate timing. This will allow you to touch base (either by phone or email) with your references and advise them of the forthcoming reference check.

At the completion of your career campaign, after receiving and accepting a firm job offer, do not forget to send a thank you card to each of your references to show your appreciation and to advise them of your success.

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Finding employment opportunities has never been easier than now- with the consistent and constant growth of the Internet. Using the Internet, job seekers can simply find vacancies of their choice in the location of their choice. With a simple click of the mouse, a huge list of job opportunities is literally at their fingertips.

Once upon a time, the only way job seekers can find jobs is by browsing the classifieds section of the paper. This method of job seeking is not only tiring (what with the small prints) but it is limited within the area where the job seeker is residing. Job seekers who wish to find employment outside of their state or county will have to get their hands on classifieds of the state itself. Although this is not an entirely tough thing to do, but at the end of the day, you would have to sort through a huge stack of newspapers just to find the job that you want!

One of the most amazing things about finding employment on the Internet is that job seekers can sign up a membership account. Membership accounts are usually free, but with the free job seeker account, the options are limited. With a paid job seeker accounts, you'll have more freedom and can place more information and details into your portfolio. However, millions upon millions of people have successfully found their dream jobs by using the free membership accounts offered by these employment agencies.

With an account with the employment website, the job seeker can place their personal information, contact details, education history and history of employment directly into the website's database. Some employment websites even allow job seekers to place their recent photos into the database, which is useful to the employer, for verification purposes. With the entire resume placed in the database of the employment website, the job seeker searches through the database of vacancies in the website. A simple search can be done through the employment website's search engine. You can fine tune the search by category, location, country, area of expertise, job type, and more. Interested job applicants with their resumes in the database will only have to log into their employment account, click apply, and the resume will be automatically sent to the potential employer.

Compare this with the way things were done about a decade or more ago; in order to apply for a job, you have to type a whole cover letter individually, print out your resume and send it by post. Although this task is not very hard to do, but it limits the choices of the job seeker down; and the process is slow, if the application actually reaches the employer or not. The postal industry did not have such a smashing record at that time.

As you can see, finding employment on the Internet is not only free, it's extremely convenient. On top of that, you can search, browse and apply any time you want, irregardless of whether it's office hours or not! 24 hours a day, 7 days a week - the employment website is available to every single one of their job seeker members.

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It's never too early to update your resume, even if you're not searching for a new job. Why? Updating your resume is a valuable reminder to yourself of your practical value to employers.

Refer to it when preparing your business case for a raise request or when preparing for your annual performance evaluation. Your resume is a good reminder of your achievements for your company as well as your capabilities and skills.

And if you suddenly find your company, or life, in upheaval and need to start searching for a new job, preparing your resume is one less stressful activity to worry about. You've kept your resume current so it's nearly complete. Just polish it, print it and add a cover letter targeted toward each individual employer and position. Then drop it in the mail, fax it or e-mail it per the potential employer's preference. It's so simple, right? Hardly.

If you could really capture your essence in a bottle and send it to the prospective employer, you'd certainly get the job. Why? He'd know how polished, enthusiastic, well-qualified and perfect you were for the position compared to the other trillion candidates applying too. Unfortunately, it doesn't work that way. Your "essence" has to go into the brief resume and cover letter versus a bottle. And that's how the potential employer knows he or she just MUST meet you in person.

"Your resume is a snapshot," says Anne McKinney, author and editor of "Real Resumes for Administrative Support, Office & Secretarial Jobs" by PREP Publishing (www.prep-pub.com). "And when a resume is a great resume, from head (its objective) to toe (its personal section), an employer can really feel that he has met you. He might not know exactly what you look like but it's a photograph of you in lots of ways that you've brought to life. And that's not easy for most people to create since they're not writers."

Here is advice McKinney shared that should help make your next resume and cover letter writing experience easier and more focused:

Cover Letters:

1. Don't write anything that will get you screened out. For example, don't write that you've just finished having your ninth child but your mother-in-law takes care of the children during the day. Most employers will think your life is too busy to truly include them in a reliable fashion.

2. Be careful when you introduce personal content. But don't exclude it in your cover letter if it might be of interest to that particular employer. For example, you mention your youngest child has just left home for college, you're newly single and you're psyched for this position that possibly entails traveling as a personal assistant. That employer is looking for someone who is willing to travel or relocate and focus on him predominately. You're in.

3. Write positive statements. Don't start with 'I've been out of the job market for 15 years...' It doesn't inspire confidence. See the tip above for a better way to phrase this.

4. Stay away from touchy subjects unless it's positive and useful information. Religious matters wouldn't likely be appropriate for a cover letter unless, for instance, you're applying to work at a nonprofit organization of your faith. Then it might be to your advantage to mention something relevant.

5. Use the cover letter to address questions or discrepancies that the employer might have about you. Make employers aware that you do know what job you're applying for and you're not just littering the universe with your resume. That might mean writing that 'I'm writing to you from Missouri but I'm planning to be in North Carolina where you're located upon my husband's retirement from the military when we return to our home town.'

6. Communicate three main concepts in your cover letter. The prospective employer wants to know anything that might help her make money; cut a cost; attract a new customer; retain an existing customer; or solve a problem. Make your self-promotion do that and you'll be on the DO CALL list.

7. Flaunt it, baby! If you're a whiz with computer skills, don't be shy about saying so. Whether you learned a skill on the job or went to school for four years to learn it, you do have the skill. It doesn't matter how you acquired such valuable skills--just mention that you have them.

Resumes:

8. Write a single resume that is suitable for multiple employers.

9. Make your resume one page. Start by writing everything you want to say; then edit and cut. A two page resume can work too. Just remember, prospective employers are reading a lot of cover letters and resumes. Concise is better.

10. Put the juicy stuff on page one of a multi-page resume.

11. Break the resume into sections: education, training, computer skills and so forth. Your 'experience' section is the prime real estate and should be half or more of a one page resume.

12. Write in chronological order. Start with the most recent information.

13. Go back in your employment history as far as beneficial to you. Ten years is good. Experience beyond that can go in a summary under 'highlight of other experience' section, hitting just the highlights without dates. This is where you can mention you've also worked in CPA and law firms, giving the employer an indirect reminder that you're versatile.

14. Write a broad objective statement. Make it all purpose enough so that somebody reading it won't immediately say 'we're not what she's looking for.' Accentuate your personal qualities and some of your skills in the statement.

15. Don't highlight that you've primarily worked in one industry or write that you're seeking an entry-level position. You may be looking for an administrative assistant job in the aerospace industry but would you consider office manager in the company's automotive industry sister company if offered to you?

16. Write your accomplishments. Your resume should mostly describe what you actually accomplished on the job. Don't be boring! Say 'trained approximately 30 employees in the word processing department in operation of Microsoft Word...' not 'responsibilities included switchboard, computer operations and customer service.' That first sentence says you trained people, communicated, presented in front of a group, worked one-on-one providing individual assistance and have lots of computer experience. The second phrasing just says you're boring. Yawn!

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Resume writing is not to be taken lightly. I have seen resumes that look like a sixth grader wrote them with blatant spelling errors, incomplete information and poor grammar. Why? Most of us do not write resumes on a frequent basis yet this most important piece of paper markets you!! Nothing else substitutes for the first impression that a resume makes. This is your self-designed marketing piece that advertises (truthfully!!) what you have actually done, for whom and what credentials you have-- NEVER, EVER lie. It catches up to you like lightning and no one will touch someone that has misrepresented themselves, their degrees or experiences!! Yet lying seems to be more prevalent in resumes today according to hiring managers and recruiters.

Your resume needs to start with a professional image on high quality paper, although initially your resume is often reviewed via email; hence all the more emphasis on how it looks and what it says about you.Forget "MY OBJECTIVE"--it knocks you out more often than not because a hiring manager may look at your resume, think of another opening but decide not to pursue you because your objective indicates that you are only interested in "marketing"---The objective is just one more thing to change with every company, interview etc. I have seem resumes forwarded to me with an old objective that states this individual is "excited about a career in Operations Management with X Company" while I have asked them for a resume to present to ABC Industries for a Finance Director's role. SKIP THE OBJECTIVE! Format: Your resume should utilize a business font (Times New Roman is good), in a readable point size (11 or 12 pt) There really isn't a 'right format style' to use--just ensure it looks professional from a business perspective. Too many times a resume suffers from the need to stand out which becomes a negative. Your name is usually larger, in bold type followed by your address and all contact information. You can center or split your name on the left margin and contact information at right. There are numerous appropriate business styles here; the operative word being "business" styles. Be sure to include mobile phone and personal email address----never use your employer's email for numerous reasons. List in order: Your title(s) with dates of employment in chronological order, most recent/present position is listed first. Next is Company name, (a sentence describing what the company does/provides), and a detailed but not wordy description of your job responsibilities and specific accomplishments. If you work for a Division of General Electric for example, list the Division's name first, then "Division of General Electric Corporation. Indicate the location where you worked: city/state. Success, Accomplishments---focus on that which makes you stand out among other candidates. Quantify; what numbers did you achieve? Out of how many? Did you manage a budget, revenues, P&L? Supervise? How many? To whom did you report?--(use your manager's title.) How was your position strategic? Tactical? Too many resumes state what the job entailed but do not quantify how/what was accomplished! Honors, Awards and significant outside leadership: List all honors and awards after your work history--List any volunteer leadership roles you hold; e.g. President of Springfield's American Heart Asssociation, 2004. Don't trivialize this section; use it to show your leadership, management ability, as well as your ability to effectively manage multiple priorities. Degrees should be listed at the very bottom of the resume: Bachelor's of Science, Management; University of XXXX, New York, New York. 1997. List degrees in chronological order so a Masters would be first, then Bachelors degree etc. Length: 1-2 pages depending on level of experience. A Vice President would be expected to have a two page resume but not a candidate with five years of work experience out of college. ***Have someone proof your resume for spelling and grammatical errors after you use spell-check.

There is alot of BAD advice floating around. You do not need to hire a professional to write your resume; with some thought and today's Microsoft Word you can do this; ----if you can't write your own resume, you probably are not ready for the interview questions! Keep your resume up to date since you never know when you will need it. Finally, employers and hiring managers prefer this type of chronological resume to all other styles by a HUGE MARGIN. Forget the essays describing your skill set; keep it concise and to the point.

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Employers and recruiters receive hundreds of resumes for every position they are trying to fill. To select their shortlist of candidates to interview, they look for the most common resume mistakes most applicants make and eliminate them first.

To increase your chances of getting an interview, make sure you avoid these common mistakes.

Ten Resume Mistakes to Avoid

Whether you've been downsized, are looking for a career change or are just starting out, your resume speaks volumes about you. If your resume doesn't make it past the first cut, you're doomed; no matter how qualified you are. Below are ten common mistakes to avoid when putting your resume together. Remember, you only get one chance to make a good first impression.

1. Multiple pages – You need to be concise. Keep it to one page and one page only. If you can't highlight your talents on one page, you're giving the message that you are unorganized and tend to go on and on.

2. Fancy paper – If your skills don't speak for themselves, then your fancy paper isn't going to make a bit of difference.

3. Fancy font – Same as above. Don't try to set yourself apart with a different font on your resume. Set yourself apart by being uniquely qualified.

4. Irrelevant info – No one really cares that you were a singing waiter if you're applying for an accountant job.

5. Outdated information – Does it matter than you had a newspaper route and were on the high school cheerleading squad 24 years ago? No, not in the least. Leave it off.

6. Typos and misspellings – You would think this is an obvious one, but you'd be amazed at the number of resumes received with big blaring mistakes.

7. Falsified information –Greatly elaborated credentials are the same as lies. Do not list diplomas, certifications, affiliations or awards that you did not earn. Just don't do it. It'll come back to bite you in the butt.

8. Attachments – At the resume stage do not send any attachments, whatsoever. If you are granted an interview, at that time you could bring in whatever it is you're so hot to get into the selecting official's hands. The person accepting the resumes will likely just throw it in the round file.

9. Elaborating too much – Place of employment, job title and brief, very brief description of job responsibilities are all you need. Don't complete a whole paragraph for each job you've held.

10. No cover letter – Writing a good cover letter is a bit of an art. However, any cover letter is better than none. Just keep the same principles in mind with your letter: Brevity, relevant and free from typos.

If you can avoid these simple ten resume mistakes, you're more than half way there to getting an interview. Once you have your foot in the door you can really shine for the boss. If you don't make it past the first cut, due to any of the above fatal mistakes, your beautiful resume will be used to wipe up coffee spills or will be added to the recycle pile! Don't let that happen to you.

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In many countries around the globe, people are born into their station in life and hence their professions. It is unnecessary for them to plan a career as they are expected to perform one specific job their entire lives. These cultures do not consider personal growth or the possibility of choosing one's profession.

America, on the other hand, was built on self-reinvention, and today's economy demands it. Those born before 1946 are less likely to have changed careers or even worked for more than one employer during their lifetimes.

Today, many employees outlive the lifespan of the companies they work for, and the average worker can now expect to have at least three or more careers, with up to six different positions within each of those careers.

Hardly a week goes by without hearing of corporate takeovers, mergers and corporate downsizing. As a result, thousands of seasoned employees are facing burnout from increased responsibilities or being laid-off and replaced with younger, lower-paid employees. Many are looking for a different means of earning a livelihood.

For the first time in history, employees must learn to manage themselves and take responsibility for their own employment. Even the word "career" is taking on new meaning, as a new generation of employees is moving in and out of multiple careers during their lifetimes.

Keep in mind that a career change is not the same as job advancement within a specific career. Most are either lateral or a step down in income until you gain experience and expertise in your new career. Be prepared to downsize your lifestyle.

Think of choosing a new career as an opportunity to bring a fresh outlook and revitalization to your life, as new experiences will stimulate your thought processes.

The most importance part of selecting a new career is also the most obvious, . . . deciding on what you want to do. Often this is a natural offshoot of a previous occupation(s). Reinventing yourself often involves a unique merging of your old talents with your new skill set.

Begin by making an honest assessment of your skills, interests and experiences and ask yourself:
-What would I do if money were no object?
-What did I love to do as a child?
-What activity do I do so intently that I don't notice time passing?
-What do I feel passionately about?
-What do I value the most?
-What are my strengths?
-What are my transferable skills?
-What kind and how much education will I need to make this change?

Most people find fulfillment by doing what they're good at. By evaluating your skills, interests, strengths and desires you will be able to see a connection between what it is that you value and what you excel at. These are the building blocks that you can turn into a new career.

While your new career is still in the planning stages, you can gain valuable information by:
-Attending professional meetings and informal gatherings.
-Networking.
-Joining an online career discussion group.
-Asking questions.

You are likely to need some additional education in order to begin a successful new career, start by improving the skills you already have. Sometimes, learning a few new software programs is simply all it will require. Should you choose to return to college, learning new skills is much easier when you are motivated to begin a new life.

Once you have chosen the kind of work you wish to pursue and acquired the necessary education, be sure to edit your resume to reflect your strengths and skills in this area.

Don't be surprised if your job search lasts a little longer than usual. Concentrate on companies that are seeking people with your reworked skill set and eventually you'll find an employer who will value the knowledge and experience you gained from your previous career(s).

It is vital today, more than ever, to remain versatile to stay employed. A successful career will evolve over a lifetime if you are continuously open to new possibilities. You must constantly seek opportunities for self-improvement and professional growth in order to be prepared for your next reinvention.

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It sometimes may seem like there are pages in the classified ads every Sunday for registered nurse jobs. In fact, registered nurses now constitute the largest healthcare occupation, as there are over 2.3 million jobs available. If you are looking to get into a growing field where you are in the drivers seat with employment and salary choices, it may be that becoming a registered nurse is a good option for you.

What is a registered nurse and why are there so many registered nurse jobs out there? A registered nurse is one that has a college degree (Associate's or Bachelor's degree) from an accredited institution and has passed his or her nursing boards. Required classes to get a degree so that you can qualify for registered nurse jobs include anatomy, physiology, chemistry, nutrition, and behavioral science classes like psychology. Most schools require clinical experience, and this experience will also help you when you are looking for registered nurse jobs.

Education and experience are key components to certain registered nurse jobs. If you are considering registered nurse jobs in administration, you may want to consider getting a Bachelor degree, as many organizations now require it. Sometimes if you are considering registered nurse jobs in more complex areas like surgery or neo-natal intensive care, organizations will want you to gain significant clinical experience. Also, other registered nurse jobs may even require you to have a masters' degree, like being a nurse practitioner, certified nurse midwife, or certified nurse anesthetist.

Registered nurse jobs require a lot of patience and dedication, as a registered nurse will be promoting good health, prevent disease, and helping patients through times of illness. Registered nurse jobs also require you to be detail oriented and have decent writing skills. For instance, registered nurse jobs in psychology will require a nurse to document (in detail) behavior, response to medication, and follow doctor directions carefully so that a patient receives the appropriate care.

If you are qualified or looking to be qualified for registered nurse jobs, then you should be pleased that the job outlook for registered nurse jobs is very high. In fact, registered nurse jobs are expected to grow faster than the average growth for all other jobs through the year 2012. Registered nurse jobs in hospitals is expected to remain the same, though registered nurse jobs in nursing care facilities is expected to grow exponentially as the baby boomer generation ages.

Other areas in which registered nurse jobs are expected to increase is home healthcare and outpatient care centers. The growth for these registered nurse jobs may be due to technological advances and pressure from insurance companies to avoid in-patient hospitalization. Many advances in medicine have created registered nurse jobs in which RNs travel to patient homes to provide care or perform procedures in outpatient facilities.

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Six Easy Search Tips to Get the Cream of the Crop

An independent recruiter, recruiting agency or executive search firm is charged with tracking down excellent potential candidates for available job positions. Despite the fact that there are innumerable people seeking positions of employment in the 21st century, it often seems to a typical recruiting agency that qualified men and women are few and far between.

Here are six easy tips that recruiting services, staffing firms, or executive search firms should keep in mind when on the hunt for outstanding potential job candidates in the 21st century.

These tips are equally applicable to companies undertaking their own search without the help of recruiting agency services. Indeed, the headaches associated with finding qualified personnel is magnified for a company undertaking its own recruitment efforts.

1. Post an Ad on an Industry-specific Job Board. Oftentimes, a recruiter will take a scattershot approach to finding candidates that are worthy of consideration for an available position. They broadcast far and wide the fact that a certain position is open and available, in big city newspapers and on major Internet job boards.

If a recruiting agency were more thoughtful about its recruitment efforts, it would realize the benefits of positing an announcement of an available position on an industry-specific Internet job board. By posting in a selective and admittedly limited manner, recruiters and staffing firms would be reaching out precisely to the pool of people most likely to be qualified for an open position.

One excellent tool for finding industry-specific job boards can be accessed at The Online Recruiters Directory Job Board Directory.

2. Use Recruiters that Specialize in a Given Field. As with advertising, choosing an effective recruiter might be just a matter of targeting, particularly for a managerial or executive position. These positions can be very hard for in-house personnel directors and human resource managers. While these people do have responsibility for hiring, the search for a new employee with skills beyond the norm for their company can best be targeted by a professional executive head hunter.

The same can be said for specialized fields, such as accounting or information systems. In-house human resources staff might know all about pharmaceutical skill-sets required for a multitude of research and administration positions, but they might rarely have to deal with hiring staff to track money or to keep the computers functioning. That's when recruiting agency services specializing in IT or in accounting can come in handy.

3. Develop an In-House Referral Program. In many instances, exiting staff members can help speed up the search for quality job candidates. Employees often have contacts elsewhere within the industry, some of which may be looking for a change of employment.

By cultivating this internal resource, a personnel director can develop a wealth of ready information about prospective employees who might well serve the organization as valued employees.

4. Search Resumes Posted on Job Boards. In addition to advertising on an industry specific job board, a diligent personnel director or recruiting agency will want to take the time to search and consider resumes that have been posted on job boards.

Often, a person pounding the pavement looking for employment may not have the time to take in and review all of the various available positions that have been posted on a every job board. This is even more true if a given prospect is a highly sought-after candidate, who might be still busy in a current position of responsibility.

5 .Use a Directory of Recruiters. Because there are so many different type of recruiters in business in the 21st century it can often be difficult for in-house human resources staff to pinpoint the recruiter that will be best able to meet the needs of a given employee recruitment campaign. But there are resources available, such as directories of recruiters. One such directory is The Online Recruiters Directory.

By using a professional directory, in-house human resources staff will be able to identify the most appropriate resources for their company and for the recruiting task at hand. Even staffing firms can benefit from such a recruiters directory to seek help in a specialized field they don't often work with.

6. Don't Rush the Process. Finally, while it is an overused saying, "Rome wasn't built in a day." In the same vein, 99 times out of 100 there is no need to rush the process of seeking, identifying and hiring a new employee, particularly an executive level employee.

A personnel director should take his or her time to identify, screen, interview and hire the best candidate. Throughout this process, a human resources manager or specialist will rely on the services and support tools identified in this article.

By using these tips, in the long run the best possible candidate for a given position will end up being hired, and the company will benefit from the best possible employees.

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Purpose of Resume:

The purpose of the resume is to describe your life-work experience to best advantage for the perspective employer. it should be a precise description about accomplishments, skills and experience so that employers will want to know more in a n interview. You may need more than one version of a resume for different jobs.

The Resume should Indicate:

In you resume include, contact information - your name, address, phone number, fax and e-mail Resume should include background information in a summary or brief overview Resume should include education, training, employers, and dates of employment Resume should include specific accomplishments related to performance on the job and leadership activities, in professional, civic, or community affairs In your resume, list employment experience and education, in reserve order (highest degree or most recent jobs)

Resume Should Omit:

Resume should omit, names and addresses of references. These can be supplied at the interview. Listing "References Available on Request" is not required; it is assumed Salary information if requested, include in cover letter resume should omit, personal data such as age, marital status, height, weight, etc. Perspective employers must consider you solely on the basis of your qualifications. It is illegal to request picture or information related to race, religion, or national origin. Resume should omit, personal pronouns, they weaken statements Objectives, narrow your statement, your objective is to get an offer form the company.

Resume should Include:

Resume should include what you have done and how you fit the needs of the company Resume should include the business environment experience, personal characteristics and industry keywords Resume should include unpaid experience as well as paid employment if it is significant, professional, pertinent to the industry Resumes placed on the internet must follow company format. Avoid bullets, italics, underlines. use HTML format Careful editing to check for typos and grammatical errors. This may suggest to perspective employers that your work is careless Resume may be more than one page with experience, but not more than two

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After months of looking you've finally found the job of your dreams. The new company loves you and wants you to start work as soon as possible. The only problem is how to quit the job you have? Though you may have fantasized about telling your present boss to take this job and, well, you know how the song goes, there is a right way and a wrong way to quit a job--and just up and quitting in a bout of anger is definitely the wrong way.

The right method of quitting a job means formally resigning from your position. And even when you're excited about leaving and perhaps even desperately want to leave, it can still be hard to actually resign. But it must be done--and the sooner the better. You should resign immediately when you've accepted a position with another company. This is particularly important if you're going to work for a competitor because some companies have policies where this could cause what they consider a conflict of interest and they will want you to leave immediately after you've given them your notice.

When resigning from a position, you will want to give your employer a written letter of resignation. This letter does not have to be long or detailed, but should include the following:

* Salutation to specific manager of the department you're leaving or Human Resources manager * Date of tendering your resignation * Date you'll be exiting your position * Brief explanation (i.e., I'm leaving to take a position that will offer more opportunity for advancement, to be a full-time mother, etc.)

Again, when writing your letter of resignation, there's no need for in-depth details or to give the name of the company you'll be going to work for. Also, don't give into the temptation to use your resignation letter to vent your anger and/or frustration. This could cause you career difficulties down the road. Make your resignation letter short and to the point, and keep it as positive as possible.

If you've had a good experience with your company and managers, don't be surprised if you receive a counter-offer. But you'd be wise not to take one. Staying with an employer that you've already made plans to leave rarely works out well. In fact, in most cases people end up leaving within a year after taking a counter-offer.

Emotions run high when you quit a job, even a job you dislike, and it's always easier to stay with the devil you know rather than take a risk on the one you don't know. Still, whatever reasons you had for seeking employment elsewhere will not go away if you decide to stay, so make your decision to leave and don't give into pressure to stay, well-intentioned as it may be. The last thing you want to do is to have to endure resigning all over again!

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You have obtained an interview -- congratulations! You feel prepared to discuss your strengths, your accomplishments, your willingness to work hard and learn quickly, and your ability to fit seamlessly into the employer's needs. But... you don't know anything about the employer. You may not even be sure what kind of industry they are in. Do some quick homework before your interview and you may glean a basic understanding of their business that can set you apart from other candidates.

In the "old days" you would have needed to visit a library to try to find the employer in a Business Directory or Manufacturers' Guide. Now you can use the Internet to investigate. If you are lucky, and find that they have their own website, explore it completely, like a search engine spider, page by page and link by link. It will provide you with genuine insight into their organization, their accomplishments, and their values. Try to identify what kind of problems and challenges they may be facing which you could address in an interview. If the company does not have a website, Google them and see if they show up on another site.

If you know their product or service (if you don't, anonymously call the receptionist and just ask what the company does) search for their name within similar sites. If you cannot find the company anywhere, or can't find any helpful details, look at the industry they are in and see what is currently a hot topic and what predictions for future change are being discussed.

All such information will be immensely valuable in your interview either to demonstrate your ability to solve problems or, at the very least, allow you to ask intelligent, pertinent questions.

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