5 Signs Its Time to Hire a Professional Resume Writer

5 Signs Its Time to Hire a Professional Resume Writer5 Signs Its Time to Hire a Professional Resume Writer5 Signs Its Time to Hire a Professional Resume WriterIs it time to turn to the pros?Searching for a job is an expensive process. Commuting costs, interview outfits, dry cleaning, coffee dates, networking event fees they all add up. The last thing you want to do is spend any more money than is necessary to land your next gig.However, if youve been looking for work for a while and havent had much success, it may be time to invest in a professionally written resume. Resume writers are trained to not only help you tell your career story, but to frame the information in a way that will get past the electronic filters, known as applicant tracking systems (ATS), and catch the attention of recruiters.Here are five signs it might be time to hire a resume writer and why its worth the investment.Writing isnt your forteNot everyone is a born writer. You may be a pro when it comes coding, bu t that doesnt mean you know how to advertise your expertise in a way that will entice prospective employers. Focus on sharpening your marketable job skills. Let a professional writer figure out the best way to convey your talents on paper.You dont know what to includeWriting a professional resume can be a stressful process. How far back should your employment history go? What will recruiters care most about? Do you have to mention that job you hated, or can you remove it altogether from your work history? If you dont know where to start, consider getting some help from a pro. Its the resume writers job to know what recruiters are looking for and how to best highlight that information.You havent mastered the humblebragA great resume does more than simply list your work experience and education. It calls attention to your accomplishments and contributions that are worth bragging about. If you find it difficult to brag about your work, ask a professional to do it for you. A resume writ er will find the words to describe the value you bring to a potential employer.Your resume is getting lost in the black holeDo you apply to job after job and never hear back? If so, then your resume may be falling into the infamous job-search black hole.Most job applications must pass through a software program known as an applicant tracking system (ATS) before they make their way to the hiring manager. If your resume isnt formatted properly or optimized with the right key terms, theres a good chance it never got past these anfangsbuchstabe screens.A professional resume writer can help your application avoid the resume black hole and make it through these initial reviews to the top of the hiring managers pile.Your situation is uniquePerhaps youre interested in changing careers and are unsure how to show off your transferable skills for a new industry. Or maybe you find yourself with some substantial employments gaps or a string of short-term or unrelated gigs that are dominating you r resume. While you cant change the past, a professional resume writer can help smooth out a bumpy work history by calling attention to your strengths and downplaying any weaknesses in your career story.Hiring a professional resume writer might not be an option for everyone. But if youre applying to the right opportunities and still struggling to land interviews, it may be time to seek out an experts opinion. Investing in a professional resume may give you just the edge you need to shorten your job search and land the right job, sooner.Click on the following link for more resume-writing advice.Need help with your resume? Our TopResume professional resume writers can helpRecommended Reading10 Best Job-Search Apps to Get You HiredBad Resume Advice You Should Completely Ignore5 Things You Should Always Include on Your Resume

Mastermind groups 101 What, how, and should you join one

Mastermind groups 101 What, how, and should you join oneMastermind groups 101 What, how, and should you join oneChances are good that youve been hearing about or wondering about mastermind groups but arent quite sure if theyre for you. Its also entirely possible that you have no idea of what a Mastermind group is. Well dont worry weve got you coveredWe asked Business Efficiency Consultant Yvonne Heimann creator of The Bulletproof Business Planner for tips on everything from defining and creating a mastermind group to successfully running one.Whats a Mastermind group anyway?The focus and goal of a mastermind is to use the combined brainpower and experience of the group members to elevate, educate and help everyone, said Heimann. And unlike networking, its more of a collective experience.With peer mentoringHeimann said to think of a mastermind as a group of mentors that fill in for each others shortcomings, things we havent learned or experienced yet, allowing each member to brainsto rm, get educated, being held accountable and challenged.With a twis0, mastermind members are student and mentor at the saatkorn time and need to be willing to give just as much as they take.Choosing membersHeimann believes there should be a vigorous process to deciding whos in your group and who doesnt make the cut Mastermind applicants should go through a vetting process, just like employees, she said.Create a mission statementHeimann said every mastermind should also have a mission and vision statement, outlining the focus and goals of the group. It should also be determined what type of mastermind it is topic based (building online courses, marketing yourself), mission-based (run a 5k in 5 months), or is it a business mastermind (product-based businesses, online businesses).Measuring successUnlike traditional groups The success of a mastermind is straight up connected to its members Heimann said. Matching up members in regard to their level of expertise, revenue, and goals is the refore vital.So, deciding on the group focus will also help determine the success of each member If the focus of the group is advancing a skill, having members of the same job/business can be of great advantage Heimann said. On the other hand, A business builder mastermind most likely will have more success including members that are alike but not the same, those who can complement each other rather than competing for the same market.Size mattersMastermind groups tend to run on the small side, with 3-5 serious members most common. Heimann said Not enough members and the group will lack diversity, too many, and voices wont be heard.One pro tip from Heimann When starting a mastermind, start it with beta test round of six months. That allows everyone to test it, potentially adjust the goal and gives everyone an easy excuse to leave if things dont work out. And be sure everyone is serious. Having a commitment sheet for each meeting as well as a penalty for no-shows will allow less commi tted members to move on.You might also consider charging or schauplatz up some sort of structure fee. Heimann said, Humans tend to value and commit more to things they have to pay for, so a monthly mastermind fee might be of advantage and is the standard.The structureMasterminds have two common structures, the hot seat or equal time approach.Heimann explains In a hot seat mastermind, all the time goes to one member each meeting. This structure allows for a deep dive and plenty of time for all other members to respond and advise. This kind of layout is great for weekly masterminds. If you plan on meeting less frequently, the equal time approach might be a better fit Heimann said Splitting up the meeting time in equal parts for all members will allow everyone to take advantage without having to wait months on end for their turn.Prep sheets are a thingCreating prep-sheets keeps everyone and the meeting on track. Heimann says to create some with questions and room for milestones includi ng What to share for your short updateWhat were the results of my business goals last monthWhat were the results of my personal goals last month (if any)Other news/updates?Current projects and prioritiesWhat could I really use support on right now?What help looks like to meWhats my expectation for todays meeting? Am I looking for support or am I just giving?What have I learned recently that could be beneficial to one or all my team members?

How to Hold Down 3 Jobs Without Going Insane

How to Hold Down 3 Jobs Without Going Insane How to Hold Down 3 Jobs Without Going Insane Things are really chaotic in thejob market at the moment. The job-for-life is all but gone, and even the career-for-life idea is fading fast as organizations move from permanent, full-time workforces to contingent workforcescomposed of freelancers, casual staff, temps, and part-timers.For those of us who prefer the stability of traditional employment, this modern employment environment can be quite disorienting. For others, however, its a welcomedevelopment, thanks to the variety, flexibility, and freedom that come with this new model.But regardless of whether youre a willing or reluctant participant in the gig economy, you have a new employment challenge to confront In order to make enough money to support yourself, youll need to work multiple jobs. I call this the portfolio or slash career Instead of being an accountant, you now have to be a an accountant/musician/tree surgeon.The challenge is not ingettingansicht jobs. There are plenty of gigs available in the temp and freelance marketplaces. No, the challenge is in juggling two, three, or even four jobs at once without going insane.To succeed in your portfolio career, you need to be an expert multitasker. Unfortunately,very few of us are programmed for that. That means we have to take extra steps to refine our multitasking skills and manage our careers carefully.Here are four tips to help you do just that1. Create a Portfolio out of Jobs ThatSuit All Aspects of Your PersonalityIf you have three jobs thatare pretty much in the same line of work e.g., barista, waiter, cashier thentheres a real chance that your flexible portfolio career will just turn out to be one monotonous and repetitive blur.By varying your gigs andtaking upa range ofjobsthat appeal to all aspects of your personality, you can build a much more satisfying portfolio career. For example, lets say you like to be social, but you also like some alone ti me, and you like working outside when the weathersnice.Your ideal portfolio career might be barista/delivery driver/gardener.2. Look for Synergies BetweenYour GigsEven if you build a portfolio of different jobs that suit your various needs, you can still find some beneficial overlap between your seemingly disparate roles.For example, if you are a barista/delivery driver/gardener, you could subtly inform some of your regular coffee customers at the coffee shop that you are a gardener. Before you know it, your customer base will be booming. Similarly, you could sell the vegetables you grow as a gardener to the coffee shop at which you work.If you look for and exploit these cross-selling opportunities,youll spend less time doing sales and marketing and your work will be more profitable.3.Favor Flexible GigsIt will be far easier to juggle multiple gigs if each one is flexible in terms of hours. That way, youll be able to ramp up and scale back according to what makes the most sense at a ny given time.If all your gigs are rigidly structured, youll find it much harder to strike a balance and youll be unduly stressed as a result.4. Seta Yearly Earnings TargetIf you dont have an earnings target, you may end up working more than you need to and thats a great way to mess up your work/life balance. Having an annual target gives you direction and tells you when you need to crank it up and when you have time to take a breather.If you want to have a successful portfolio career, youll need to knuckle down and become a master in managing and prioritizing your time. It may not always be easy, butifyou follow the tips set out above, you should find thatjuggling multiple careers isnt so bad after all.